Employment and Social Disability among Opiate Addicts

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between employment and social disability. It is based on admission data for 296 opiate addicts who enrolled in New York Medical College's Multitrack Abstinence Program during 1974. Social disability is defined here as an attribute of the patient which may count against him or her in the job market. Employment rates are examined in the light of an index comprised of three specific disabilities: minority group status, lack of a high school degree, and presence of an arrest record. It is found that the proportion of addicts employed upon admission to the program varies inversely with the number of disabilities. Furthermore, it is found that the proportion of addicts who rely on illegal acts for their main source of income varies directly with the number of disabilities.