The American Journal of Public Health published a study examining the impact of state alcohol taxes on alcohol-related problems.  Reanalyzing data from 50 studies between 1955 and 2004, the authors estimate that doubling state alcohol taxes would reduce alcohol-related deaths by 35 percent, fatal car crashes by 11 percent, STI transmission by 6 percent, violence by 2 percent, and crime by 1.4 percent. 

Wagenarr, A. C., Tobler, A. L., Komro, K. A. (2010). Effects of alcohol tax and price policies on morbidity and mortality: a systematic review. American Journal of Public Health, 100(11): 2270. doi:  AJPH.2009.186007v1. http://ajph.aphapublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/AJPH.2009.186007v1

Authors: Alexander C. Wagenaar, Amy L. Tobler, and Kelli A. Komro

The Open Society Foundations (OSF) released a brief offering recommendations for closing the addiction treatment gap.  Examining national data on addiction and addiction treatment, the brief outlines the current gap in treatment services and issues recommendations for closing the gap. 

From the report:An estimated 23.5 million Americans are currently addicted to alcohol and/or other drugs and need treatment and other supportive services. Unfortunately, only one in 10 of them (2.6 million) receives the treatment they need. The result: a treatment gap of more than 20 million Americans. Lack of insurance, inadequate insurance coverage and insufficient public funds are the primary reasons for this treatment gap.

Full Report: Defining The Addiction Treatment Gap (PDF | 1.06 MB)  

Open Society Foundation. (2010). Defining the addiction treatment gap.

A study published in Medical Care found that a combination of a behavioral health intervention with acamprosate and naltrexone therapy for alcohol-dependent patients saved an average of $3,800 per patient in societal costs when compared to medical management alone.  The study also found that the societal cost savings from combined therapy exceeded the initial cost of treatment within three years.

Zarkin, G.A., et al. (2010). The effect of alcohol treatment on social costs of alcohol dependence: results from the COMBINE study. Medical Care 48(5): 396-401. doi: 10.1097/MLR.0b013e3181d68859 http://journals.lww.com/lww-medicalcare/Abstract/2010/05000/The_Effect_of_Alcohol_Treatment_on_Social_Costs_of.2.aspx 

Authors: Gary A. Zarkin, Jeremy W. Bray, Arnie Aldridge, Michael Mills, Ron A. Cisler, David Couper, James R. McKay and Stephanie O'Malley

The Maine Substance Abuse Services Commission released a 2010 Report Card on Maine Substance Abuse Services, analyzing the state’s substance abuse services and issuing recommendations.  The report, which the commission based on a Join Together and Boston University School of Public Health report, “Blueprint for the States: Policies to Improve the Ways States Organize and Deliver Alcohol and Drug Prevention and Treatment,” gives the state “Cs” in three of four assessment categories.  Maine’s substance abuse services received “Cs” in Leadership/Structure and Sustainability, Resources, and Legislative Initiatives, and a “B” in Measurement and Accountability.  The report also recommends increasing the state’s alcohol tax to fund treatment and prevention programs; carefully considering the unintended implications of state legislation on substance use; ensuring that all state departments are engaged in a state-wide substance abuse strategy; and increasing access to treatment through insurance coverage. 

Full Report: 2010 Report Card on Maine Substance Abuse Services (PDF | 267.34 KB)

Maine Substance Abuse Commission. (2010). 2010 Report card on Maine substance abuse services.  

This report, published by the West Virginia Partnership to Promote Community Well-Being and funded by the U.S. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Block Grant, details the financial burden of substance abuse on the health care system. According to the report, $116 million of the health care budget was spent on substance abuse treatment in 2007 and that figure is projected to increase to $201 million by 2010.

From the report:

This report uses a mix of methodologies from two previous studies that have attempted to estimate the cost of drug and alcohol use. The first, “Shoveling Up: The Impact of Substance Abuse on State Budgets,” was released by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University in 2001, and was recently updated in 2009. The second study, titled “Integrated Funding Analysis of Mental Health and Substance Use in West Virginia,” was released by the Public Consulting Group (PCG) in 2007. However, the present study makes some unique contributions to the two reports. First, it provides more recent estimates of the cost of drug and alcohol use to the state. Second, it provides cost trends over the past 8 years and, based on those trends, makes projections for costs in year 2017. Unless otherwise noted, linear trend was assumed for these projections. Third, this report includes certain sectors that are impacted by drugs and alcohol use but were excluded from one or both of the previous two reports. Finally, this report was initiated with the intent of producing annual updates; consequently, only data that are available annually were used.

Full report: The Financial Burden of Substance Abuse in West Virginia (PDF | 3.92 MB)

The West Virginia Partnership to Promote Well-being. (2009). The financial burden of substance abuse in West Virginia: the healthcare system. Shobo, Y., Coombs, W. & Whisman, A.

This study found that the Communities That Care (CTC) prevention program significantly reduced alcohol and tobacco use as well as delinquent behavior. 

Hawkins, J.D., Oesterle, S., Brown, E. C. et al. (2009). Results of a type 2 translational research trial to prevent adolescent drug use and delinquency. Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 163(9): 789-798. http://archpedi.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/163/9/789 

Authors: J. David Hawkins, Sabrina Oesterle, Eric C. Brown, Michael W. Arthur, Robert D. Abbott, Abigail A. Fagan, Richard F. Catalano