Table 1.
Sample characteristics and substance use history (N = 9,341)
| Variable | % | n | Variable | % | n |
| Demographics and quality of life | Prescription drugs that were “downers” | 2 | 209 | ||
| Gender | Prescription drugs that were “uppers” | 1 | 77 | ||
| Male | 46 | 4,204 | Acid | 0 | 20 |
| Female | 54 | 5,010 | Ecstasy | 0 | 27 |
| Age, in years | Other | 1 | 109 | ||
| 18-20 | 1 | 99 | Don’t have a substance of choice | 5 | 449 |
| 21-35 | 17 | 1,606 | Severity: % meeting criteria | ||
| 36-50 | 32 | 3,003 | DSM-IV abuse | 97 | 8,955 |
| 51-65 | 41 | 3,752 | DSM-IV dependence | 98 | 9,033 |
| 66 and over | 9 | 814 | Self-label re: prior alcohol or drug use | ||
| Residential setting | In recovery | 75 | 7,027 | ||
| Urban | 36 | 3,339 | Recovered | 13 | 1,214 |
| Suburban | 44 | 4,048 | In medication-assisted recovery | 3 | 255 |
| Rural town | 15 | 1,357 | Used to have alcohol or drug problem | 9 | 844 |
| Rural area | 6 | 524 | Length of time in self-defined status | ||
| Country of residence | Less than 1 year | 15 | 1,404 | ||
| United States | 92 | 8,592 | Between 1–2 years | 10 | 951 |
| Outside of United States | 8 | 749 | Between 2–3 years | 7 | 678 |
| Highest level of education | Between 3–5 years | 12 | 1,068 | ||
| Some high school or less | 3 | 264 | Between 5–10 years | 16 | 1,490 |
| High school graduate or GED | 9 | 787 | Between 10–20 years | 17 | 1,556 |
| Some college | 31 | 2,843 | 20 years or more | 23 | 2,172 |
| Vocational degree | 8 | 698 | Current substance use behavior | ||
| Bachelor’s degree | 25 | 2,353 | Abstains from both alcohol and drugs | 84 | 7,745 |
| Graduate degree | 25 | 2,343 | Abstains from alcohol only | 3 | 228 |
| Marital status | Abstains from drugs only | 11 | 1,020 | ||
| Married/in marriage-like relationship | 49 | 4,552 | Uses both alcohol and drugs | 2 | 222 |
| Divorced, separated, or widowed | 28 | 2,638 | Belief about recovery in terms of substance use | ||
| Never married | 23 | 2,091 | Abstinence | 87 | 8,023 |
| Ethnicity | No use of substance of choice | 4 | 408 | ||
| Hispanic or Latino | 5 | 432 | Moderated use of substances | 9 | 802 |
| Not Hispanic or Latino | 95 | 8,706 | Help seeking | ||
| Race | General help-seeking exposure | ||||
| White | 88 | 8,079 | No help seeking | 4 | 329 |
| Black or African American | 8 | 713 | Attended treatment only | 1 | 84 |
| American Indian/Alaskan Native | 2 | 213 | Attended 12-step groups only | 15 | 1,363 |
| Asian | 1 | 91 | Attended non- 12-step groups only | 1 | 116 |
| Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander | 1 | 43 | Attended 12-step + non-12-step groups | 9 | 799 |
| Employment status | Attended treatment + 12-step groups | 43 | 3,988 | ||
| Employed | 62 | 5,718 | Attended treatment + 12-step+ non-12-step groups | 27 | 2,522 |
| Unemployed | 11 | 1,008 | Attended treatment | 72 | 6,649 |
| Student | 6 | 514 | 12-step groups attended | ||
| Homemaker | 4 | 337 | Alcoholics Anonymous | 85 | 7,899 |
| Retired | 12 | 1,104 | Narcotics Anonymous | 48 | 4,517 |
| Other | 6 | 592 | Cocaine Anonymous | 13 | 1,172 |
| Quality of life | Marijuana Anonymous | 2 | 203 | ||
| Poor | 2 | 204 | Meth Anonymous | 2 | 214 |
| Neither poor nor good | 9 | 827 | No. of 12-step meetings attended (lifetime) | ||
| Good | 36 | 3,288 | 0 meetings | 6 | 515 |
| Very good | 53 | 4,933 | 1-5 | 6 | 516 |
| Substance related | 6-30 | 7 | 620 | ||
| Primary substance of choice | 31-90 | 7 | 644 | ||
| Alcohol | 59 | 5,495 | 91-500 | 24 | 2,193 |
| Cocaine | 5 | 428 | >500 | 50 | 4,612 |
| Crack | 5 | 482 | Non-12-step groups attended | ||
| Marijuana | 5 | 437 | LifeRing | 3 | 308 |
| Heroin | 7 | 616 | SMART Recovery | 8 | 755 |
| Other opiates (not heroin) | 4 | 353 | SOS | 2 | 225 |
| Methamphetamine | 7 | 603 | Women For Sobriety | 8 | 751 |
Notes: GED = General Educational Development credential; DSM-IV = Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition; no. = number; SMART Recovery = Self-Management and Recovery Training; SOS = Secular Organizations for Sobriety.