New Study: Substance Treatment Population Trends in 2025—Only 22% Married, 11.7% Unhoused
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Key Findings from the Study
- Only 44.77% of treatment seekers are employed, compared to 63% in the general population.
- 52.54% of patients are unemployed, and 11.68% are experiencing homelessness—compared to just 0.2% nationally.
- Over 56% of treatment seekers are single, versus 31% in the general population.
- The marriage rate is less than half that of the national average (22% vs 48%).
- Despite instability in housing and relationships, 50.93% of patients have children—closely mirroring national rates.
Economic hardship and relationship instability are defining features of today’s treatment-seeking population—and they’re intensifying.
An exclusive new study from The Haven Detox uncovers how addiction is deeply intertwined with housing insecurity, unemployment, and social disconnection. While addiction itself is multifaceted, the road to recovery appears consistently blocked by one common barrier: the lack of a stable economic and social foundation.
The study analyzed more than 13,000 anonymized patient records, comparing socioeconomic indicators like employment, housing, and family status to national benchmarks from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and U.S. Census data.
“This data highlights how economic instability and broken support systems often go hand in hand with addiction,” says Dr. Rostislav Ignatov, MD, Chief Medical Officer at Haven Health Management. “Understanding these patterns is critical to improving outcomes.”
This data highlights how economic instability and broken support systems often go hand in hand with addiction. Understanding these patterns is critical to improving outcomes.
Where Is Economic Instability Most Evident?
Less than half of all treatment-seeking individuals are employed in any capacity—compared to 63% of the general public. A majority, 52.54%, report being unemployed.
Employment Status | % of Patients |
Traditionally Employed | 40.17% |
Self-Employed | 4.6% |
Unemployed | 52.54% |
Retired | 2.69% |
Total Employed | 44.77% |
The employment gap of 18.23 percentage points means that treatment seekers are far less likely to be employed than the average American. This shortfall can indicate limited access to stable income, job readiness issues, or barriers created by addiction and recovery status. It’s a foundational challenge that contributes to instability across every other area of life.
When people lose work, they often lose their routine, their accountability, and their sense of purpose. It becomes easier to slip into a lifestyle that revolves around drugs or alcohol. They no longer have that accountability.
Who Has Stable Housing—and Who Doesn’t?
While most treatment seekers maintain stable housing, homelessness is nearly 60 times more common than in the general population.
Living Situation | % of Patients |
Living with Family | 27.78% |
Living with Partner | 25.78% |
Living Alone | 19.56% |
Experiencing Homelessness | 11.68% |
Living with Friends/Roommates | 5.47% |
Sober Living / Institutional Care | 2.63% |
Other / Unknown | 7.1% |
Though 88% of patients report stable housing, the elevated rate of homelessness shows how addiction and housing insecurity often intersect. Many still rely on family or romantic partners for shelter, suggesting dependence on informal support networks. The small percentage in sober or institutional housing also points to limited access to recovery-specific environments.
Recovery is fragile enough without the added stress of unstable living conditions constantly threatening relapse. Though, it’s important to note that the overwhelming majority of patients do have stable housing. Substance Use Disorder impacts average, everyday people. When left untreated, the disease tends to yield financial and relationship consequences that lead to a lack of housing.
What Do Relationship Patterns Reveal?
More than half of patients (56.15%) report being single—compared to just 31% in the general population. Meanwhile, only 22% are married, versus 48% of the general public.
The marriage rate among treatment seekers is less than half that of the general population. At the same time, high rates of single, divorced, and separated individuals point to strained or absent support systems. These patterns may reflect relationship breakdowns caused by addiction—or they may represent risk factors that contribute to substance use.
Strong relationships are often powerful motivators for seeking treatment and maintaining recovery. Conversely, isolation can deepen addiction.
Do Treatment Seekers Have Children?
Surprisingly, treatment seekers mirror the general population when it comes to parenting. 50.93% report having children, compared to 38% nationally.
Parental Status | % of Patients |
Have Children | 50.93% |
No Children | 49.07% |
This nearly even split suggests that despite economic and relational instability, many individuals in treatment are also primary caregivers. That dual burden—managing recovery while raising children—underscores the need for family-inclusive support models. It also highlights the potential multigenerational impact of effective treatment.
Plenty of people in treatment are parents. They’re not just trying to recover—they’re trying to be better for their kids. That’s a huge weight to carry. Supporting the family unit should be central to treatment approaches.
What Kind of Environments Do They Live In?
A majority of treatment seekers report living in drug-free environments—but a full 21.43% still live in spaces where drugs are present.
Environment Type | % of Patients |
Drug-Free | 69.68% |
Drug-Present | 21.43% |
Unknown / Unreported | 8.89% |
While the fact that nearly 70% live in sober environments is promising, the remainder face daily exposure to relapse triggers. These surroundings often include peers, family, or housing situations where substance use is still active. Recovery is harder to sustain when people return to environments that don’t support sobriety.
Where you live can either support your recovery or sabotage it. If you’re surrounded by people who are using, staying sober takes more than willpower—it takes a complete shift. Supportive surroundings—like sober living facilities, stable housing with non-using family members, or recovery-oriented communities—can make the difference between relapse and resilience.
Between The Lines
This study shows that addiction often coexists with economic instability—where jobs are scarce, housing is unstable, and relationships are strained. While these factors don’t always precede addiction, they frequently emerge or intensify alongside it, making recovery harder to achieve and sustain.
In other words, recovery can’t just be about detox. It has to include employment services, housing support, and relational repair.
Critics might argue that these factors aren’t the root cause of addiction—and that’s true. But they remain clear and persistent barriers to long-term recovery.
Addiction recovery isn’t just about detox—it’s about rebuilding a life from the ground up.bIf someone’s life is in chaos, treatment won’t stick. Stability has to come first. Our care models must meet patients where they are and help them reclaim every aspect of their lives
What’s Next
To improve recovery outcomes, treatment providers, public health agencies, and policymakers should consider:
- Building workforce reintegration programs into treatment pathways
- Expanding family and relationship counseling
- Increasing access to stable, sober housing
- Supporting post-treatment environments that reduce relapse risk
- Enhancing wraparound care that addresses employment, housing, and social connection
Stability is the foundation for recovery. Our care models must meet patients where they are and help them reclaim every aspect of their lives.
Methodology
This study analyzed 13,745 anonymized patient records from The Haven Detox Centers, covering 2023–2025. All data were drawn from electronic health records (EHRs), with personal identifiers removed prior to analysis.
Comparative figures for the general population were sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2025 population estimates. The analysis focused on employment, housing, relationship status, and environmental conditions, highlighting gaps and risk factors among the treatment population.
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