While poverty is often associated with an increased risk of substance abuse, the availability of affordable and accessible treatment can help to mitigate this risk.

Economic inequality can contribute to substance abuse rates by increasing access to substances of abuse, creating disparities in access to treatment and prevention services, and contributing to social isolation and stigma.

Research has shown that increasing taxes on alcohol and tobacco, investing in early childhood education and development programs, and providing financial assistance to low-income families can all be effective in reducing substance abuse rates.

Economic factors can affect access to treatment services by making them unaffordable or unavailable, they can influence the quality of treatment services by limiting resources and staffing, and they can impact the ability of individuals to complete treatment programs by creating financial barriers or by making it difficult to find employment after treatment.

Economic factors can influence the development of prevention programs by determining the resources available for prevention efforts, they can affect the implementation and reach of prevention programs by limiting the availability of funding and staff, and they can impact the effectiveness of prevention programs by making it difficult to reach at-risk populations.