Substance abuse may include abuse of alcohol, illegal drugs, prescription drugs, or a combination of these. Administrators should consider chemical dependency as a treatable disease that is recognized by the American Medical Association and should establish educational, intervention, and detection programs to identifying the chemically dependent officer. Detection can be difficult due to the gradual progression of the disease and the denial and concealment of the problem. Companies that have used effective employee assistance programs have achieved impressive results in rehabilitation, such as a reduction in crisis situations, promotion of safety, improvement of staff cohesion, and the saving of lives.