DRUG, BOOZE DISORDERS NEED FUNDS

AS THE Oklahoma Legislature convened last week, budget deficits and
slumping revenues dominated discussion, as they have in most states. With
an estimated $593 million budget shortfall, many state programs will suffer
cuts as lawmakers try to make our public ends meet. One area where cuts
cannot be afforded is the treatment of alcohol and drug use disorders.

Alcohol and drug treatment is already underfunded to the point that 5
million Americans who need treatment cannot obtain it because the health
care system simply lacks the capacity to care for them.

Why is addiction treatment so poorly funded?

Individuals with alcohol and drug use disorders are often viewed as a
helpless cause, a waste of resources or unworthy of care due to their own
actions.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Chemical dependency is a real and complex disease. The misuse of drugs or
alcohol extends beyond mere choice. While the path to addiction begins with
the act of drug consumption, a person's ability to choose not to take drugs
can be compromised. Alcohol and drugs change brain chemistry and
functioning, and often lead to compulsive or uncontrollable use even in the
face of extremely negative consequences.

Substance use disorders are more rightly seen as a brain disease, not a
moral failure.

The good news is that alcohol and drug use disorders can be effectively
treated. A study by the Physician Leadership on National Drug Policy
concludes that alcohol and drug treatment is as effective as treatments for
illnesses such as diabetes, asthma and hypertension.

Not only is treatment medically effective, it is cost effective.

For every $1 spent on alcohol and drug treatment at least $7 is saved in
terms of health care costs, increased productivity and reduction in accidents.

The potential savings of treatment cannot be underestimated, when you
consider that the annual social cost of alcohol and other drug disorders is
over $300 billion.

Treatment is also better and cheaper than prison. Offenders who receive
treatment as part of their sentence have lower recidivism rates than their
counterparts who receive no treatment. Intensive inpatient alcohol or drug
treatment costs roughly half of what it costs to imprison a person.

Despite these facts, health and social service programs, including alcohol
and drug treatment, are among the first cut in times of fiscal crisis. The
tragic irony is that these services are most needed when the economy is
slumping. An uncertain economic future means fewer jobs, less secure health
coverage, and increased alcohol and drug use.

Representing the nation's front-line addictions counselors, I encourage
legislators to protect alcohol and drug treatment funding. Treatment is a
wise investment that yields healthier and more productive citizens.

Ford-Roegner is executive director of the Association for Addiction
Professionals, based in Alexandria, Va. Web site: naadac.org.