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Addiction
Facts
At least one out of every ten people in our
country, state and our community is impacted by alcoholism
and other drug addiction. Unlike many other diseases, alcoholism
and other drug addiction carries a stigma that makes treatment
and recovery more difficult. Addiction hijacks the part of
the brain responsible for survival and the person addicted
believes that drugs or alcohol are needed to survive.
What happens when we lose
a person to this disease?
What is treatment? How is it provided?
What does treatment accomplish?
How does treatment benefit business?
What are the costs of not treating
addictions?
What about the need for treatment?
Treatment for alcoholism and drug addiction
saves lives, returns individuals to their families and community
- It benefits everyone!
What happens when
we lose a person to this disease? We lose a contribution
of talent and dollars to our community. We lose the emotional
and financial support for a family.
What is treatment?
How is it provided? Treatment is provided through
inpatient care, outpatient care or a combination of the two.
- Inpatient: Client remains in an inpatient
setting receiving counseling, education, support and Assistance
while addressing his/her addiction - most are no more than
30 days in length.
- Outpatient: Through either an intensive program
covering three hours per day for a period of weeks or individual
counseling sessions occurring every week- This includes
education, counseling, support and assistance to attend
to life areas damaged by the drug or alcohol use.
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What does treatment
accomplish? Treatment restores a person to their
family and community. Treatment rehabilitates a valuable employee
and taxpayer.
How does treatment
benefit business? Conservative estimates find that
every $1 invested in addiction treatment programs, yields
a return of at least $7 in savings to the individual and society.
The U.S. Small Business Administration reports drug-free workplace
programs cost $22 to $50 per employee, and favorably compares
them with the estimated annual costs of $640 incurred by each
addicted employee.
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What are the
costs of not treating addictions? It costs America
a total of $276 billion annually for untreated substance addictions
for costs from lost productivity, law enforcement, health
care, judicial system (courts), welfare and other social costs.
This equals a cost of $1,050 per year for every man, woman
and child in America. Contrasting the exorbitant costs of
untreated addiction, it would cost about $45 per year for
each citizen to be able to provide the full continuum of services
needed to effectively treat addictive disorders. Approximately
33% of all justice system costs are derived from untreated
substance addiction. 50% of domestic batters are believed
to have addiction problems. 80% of all child abuse cases are
believed to involve parental substance addiction.
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What about the
need for treatment? 27.8 million Americans needed
substance addiction treatment according to the 1997 National
Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA). Only 3 million persons
are admitted for services in any year. Our current national
treatment system at current capacity can serve only one third
of the most needy - usually adults who are severely and chronically
addicted. According to the Missouri Department of Mental Health
Status Report, 11% of those persons needing treatment in Boone
County receive treatment.
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