Drug treatment benefits society, says UCLA study
Posted by Patrick J Ahern on Nov 13, 2005, 21:53

Treating substance abuse has a positive long-term effect on the economy, a UCLA study has reported. The study, which was conducted by the UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine and School of Public Health and published recently, has come to the conclusion that every dollar contributed towards treatment reaps $7 in monetary benefits for society. It also reports that the average $1,583 spent on treatment is usurped by the dramatic decrease in crime and the subsequent increase in employment generated approximately $11,487.
The UCLA faculty, examined costs of medical care, mental health services, criminal action, earnings, and related costs of government programs such as unemployment and public aid, also demonstrated a reduction in the cost of victimization and other crime related activities by an estimated $5,676.
The findings were compiled using detailed data from 2,567 patients who sought treatment through 43 providers in 13 Californian counties during 2000 and 2001. The information was gathered via an automated system operated by the California Treatment Outcome Project.
"Even without considering the health and quality-of-life benefits to drug treatment clients themselves, spending taxpayer dollars on substance abuse treatment appears to be a wise investment," said Susan Ettner, lead author and professor of general internal medicine and health services research at UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine and School of Public Health.The financial benefits connected with treatment was anticipated using administrative records as well as data provided by the clients before starting treatment and nine months upon completion.

The harm caused by alcohol consumption among college students may exceed previous estimates of the problem.

Researchers report that unintentional fatal injuries related to alcohol increased from about 1,500 in 1998 to more than 1,700 in 2001 among U.S. college students aged 18-24.  Over the same period national surveys indicate the number of students who drove under the influence of alcohol increased by 500,000, from 2.3 million to 2.8 million.  The new findings appear in the 2005 issue of the Annual Review of Public Health, now online at http://arjournals.annualreviews.org/loi/publhealth.

Many young adults are so snowed under by their new responsibilities that they don't take time to exercise, according to a number of studies.
The CDC says that nearly half of Americans aged 12-21 are not vigorously active on a regular basis, and about 14% in this age group say they are inactive.

"Exercise is critical for mental and physical health. Getting people involved in exercise helps with productivity; it helps with your job, especially as you are getting on a career path," Collingswood tells WebMD. But he says usually your activity "patterns are set in high school," and even there, because physical education has been "thrown out of the schools," the only adolescents who are active are those who participate in specific sports.

Motivation for entering treatment found to be different among adolescents, young adults and adults.
Marijuana and alcohol were the primary substances for which clients entered treatment.

A study done by the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (SAMHSA) found there were three primary reasons that motivated clients to seek treatment: legal, personal and employer mandated. Adolescents most often sought treatment for legal reasons, while adults most often sought treatment for personal reasons. Half of young adults reported they sought treatment for personal reasons while almost half sought treatment for legal reasons. A small proportion of clients across age groups sought treatment due to employer mandate.