This does not mean that one who suffers from alcoholism or drug addiction can not be found disabled.  The alcohol or drug addiction must be found to be a contibuting factor material to ones disability.  The Social Security Administration will first determine if you are disabled with all of your conditions including your addiction.  If they decide you are disabled Social Security will then decide if the addiction was not present would this individual still be disabled.

 

Often times an individual will have long periods of not useing drugs or alcohol and Social Security will look at this to see if the individual was still disabled during these times.  Sometimes a doctors statement that the claimant would be disabled even if there was no drug or alcohol addiction (DAA) can help in this regard as well.  In my experience if you are in treatment and not using for a long period of time and still are disabled Social Security will find you disabled.

 

Even if you are still using drugs or alcohol but you are clearly disabled for some other reason they will find you disabled.  An example would be if you have severe enough physical problems that would make you disabled under Social Security Disability rules Social Security may find your alcohol or drug addiction to not be material to a finding of disability.  The best way to think of how it may apply to you is if  you took away the abuse problem and all the affects it has on you would you still be disabled.