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Treatment Works: The Tragic Cost of Undervaluing Treatment in the "Drug War" -- A Review of 15 Years of Research Findings on Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Treatment Outcomes

NCJ Number
158406
Date Published
1990
Length
29 pages
Annotation
The National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors reviewed 15 years of evidence on the effectiveness of drug abuse treatment and concluded that alcohol and other drug abuse treatment is effective.
Abstract
Drug treatment reduces drug abuse, increases employment, improves psychological adjustment, and decreases crime and other negative behaviors. Evidence also indicates that public expenditures for drug abuse treatment are good investments, despite the fact that drug abuse is a chronic condition typically requiring multiple treatment episodes for affected individuals. The three most common treatment modalities are outpatient methadone maintenance, outpatient drug-free treatment, and nonhospital residential drug-free treatment. Costs of drug treatment programs are less than costs of incarceration and AIDS treatment. In addition, studies indicate that drug use, arrest rates, and AIDS transmission are favorably impacted by drug treatment. Additional data on alcohol and other drug treatment are appended. 26 references and 2 tables