Belief in God affects chances of substance abuse, says study

One's tendency to use drugs and other substances can be affected by genetics, socio-economic status and mental health, but according to a study, religion could also play a part in a person's chances of agreeing or refusing to do so.

Using data from the Religious Landscape Study conducted by the Pew Research Center in 2014, DrugAbuse.com determined which states in the U.S. are highly religious and which are not. Alabama topped the list with 77 percent followed by Mississipi with 74 percent, while Vermont occupied the bottom spot with 32 percent, 1 percent lower than Massachusetts which occupied spot No. 50.

The organization then compared this to the 2014 National Survey on Drug Use and Health data compiled by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Alabama was in No. 46 with 10 percent in terms of drug use, and Mississipi was in No. 50 with 9 percent. Meanwhile, Vermont was at No. 3 with 20 percent of drug use and Massachusetts was at No. 9 with 17 percent.

While the numbers do not exactly reflect a direct inverse corrrelation between religiosity and drug use, DrugAbuse.com says there seems to be some correlation, especially in the 10 top and bottom scorers. However, the organization also admits that there are other factors to consider when comparing two states, such as climate, obesity rates, among other things.

Looking from a wider perspective, the study compared the drug use between those who say that religion is important to them and those who do not. DrugAbuse.com said that 1.2 percent of non-religious respondents used LSD while only 0.1 percent of religious ones did. Alcohol was consumed by 77.4 percent of non-religious people, higher than 59.8 percent of their religious counterparts; while 36.2 percent of the non-religious group smoked cigarettes but only 19 percent of religious persons did.

Meanwhile, 67.2 percent of religious respondents from 8th to 10th grade said that they don't use marijuana because it's against their beliefs, while only 26.6 percent of their non-religious peers said the same.

"Being involved in a religious service is what we would call a protective factor, which means that you are less apt to get involved in drugs or other negative activities that young people are involved in, if you are involved in some kind of a faith community," said Gen. Arthur Dean, chairman and CEO of Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America, as quoted by the Washington Times. "What we find is that involvement in structured activities, whether they be religious or whether they be sports or other kinds of activities, all serve as protective factors."