April 30, 2009

DUI/DWI Admissions to Treatment and Program Resources

Impaired driving continues to be a severe and persistent threat to public health and safety. In 2007, an estimated 2.5 million people were injured or killed in motor vehicle accidents.¹ Of these, 13,000 were deaths attributable to alcohol or drug involved vehicle crashes, and these fatalities accounted for nearly one third of all vehicular deaths in the United States. Individuals arrested for driving under the influence or driving while intoxicated (DUI/DWI) can be diverted to a treatment program either before formal judgment or after conviction as part of sentencing. DUI/DWI programs are most often conducted in an outpatient setting and can be shorter than other outpatient programs. Understanding the characteristics of DUI/DWI clients may help program designers and planners to tailor their interventions to better meet the needs of their clients.

Similarly, understanding the distribution and characteristics of programs for these clients may assist policymakers and treatment payers to examine the adequacy of available program resources.

Using data reported in the 2000, and 2002 through 2007 National Surveys of Substance Abuse Treatment Services (N-SSATS) and the 2007 Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS), this report will describe both the characteristics of facilities that offer specialized DUI/DWI programs and the admissions who access these services.²

Figure 1. Percentage of DUI/DWI Referrals to Substance Abuse Treatment, by Age: 2007 TEDS

Source: 2007 SAMHSA Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS).

Figure 1 Table. Percentage of DUI/DWI Referrals to Substance Abuse Treatment, by Age: 2007 TEDS

Age	Percent
15 to 17	1%
18 to 20	7%
21 to 24	16%
25 to 29	16%
30 to 34	12%
35 to 39	11%
40 to 44	12%
45 to 49	11%
50 to 54	7%
55 or Older	7%

Source:2007 SAMHSA Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS).

Of the 13,648 substance abuse treatment facilities responding to the 2007 N-SSATS survey, 4,241 or 31 percent of facilities offered a specially designed program or group intended to address the programmatic needs of DUI/DWI admissions. Of these facilities, 132 (3 percent) provided services exclusively for DUI/DWI clients. Nationwide, from 2000 to 2007, the percentage of substance abuse treatment facilities offering DUI/DWI programs decreased slightly from 36 to 31 percent (Figure 2).

Although DUI/DWI diversions or court judgments typically derive from local, county, or State judicial systems, only a small percentage of facilities offering DUI/DWI programs were operated by local, county, or community governments (6 percent), or by State governments (2 percent). An additional 3 percent were operated by the Federal government. The vast majority of facilities offering DUI/DWI programs were privately owned or operated (89 percent) either by a for-profit entity (47 percent) or a non-profit organization (42 percent).

Most facilities offering DUI/DWI programs provide a range of services both central to and supportive of the treatment needs of these clients (Table 1). Such services include substance abuse education (95 percent), discharge planning (91 percent), and aftercare/continuing care (87 percent). The majority also provided case management services, social skills development, and mental health services.

The majority of facilities offering DUI/DWI programs provided drug or alcohol urine screening and breathalyzer or other blood alcohol testing (79 and 63 percent, respectively). Nearly all facilities offering a DUI/DWI program provided screening for substance abuse (97 percent) and comprehensive substance abuse assessment or diagnosis (95 percent). Almost two thirds provided screening for mental health disorders (64 percent), and more than half provided community outreach (55 percent) or interim services (52 percent). A smaller percentage of facilities offering DUI/DWI programs provided comprehensive mental health assessment or diagnosis (44 percent).

Figure 2. Percentage of Substance Abuse Treatment Facilities Offering DUI/DWI Programs: 2000 and 2002 to 2007 N-SSATS*

* N-SSATS was not administered in 2001. Source: 2000 and 2002 to 2007 SAMHSA National Surveys of Substance Abuse Treatment Services (N-SSATS).

Figure 2 Table. Percentage of Substance Abuse Treatment Facilities Offering DUI/DWI Programs: 2000 and 2002 to 2007 N-SSATS*

Year	None
2000	36%
2002	35%
2003	33%
2004	31%
2005	31%
2006	31%
2007	31%

* N-SSATS was not administered in 2001. Source: 2000 and 2002 to 2007 SAMHSA National Surveys of Substance Abuse Treatment Services (N-SSATS).

 

Table 1. Percentage of Substance Abuse Treatment Facilities Offering DUI/DWI Programs, by Type of Services Provided: 2007 N-SSATS

Services	Percent
Assessment and Pre-Treatment Services
Screening for Substance Abuse	97%
Comprehensive Substance Abuse Assessment or Diagnosis	95%
Screening for Mental Health Disorders	64%
Outreach to Persons in the Community Who May Need Treatment	55%
Interim Services for Clients When Immediate Admission is Not Possible	52%
Comprehensive Mental Health Assessment or Diagnosis	44%
Testing
Drug or Alcohol Urine Screening	79%
Breathalyzer or Other Blood Alcohol Testing	63%
Transitional Services
Discharge Planning	91%
Aftercare/Continuing Care	87%
Ancillary Services
Substance Abuse Education	95%
Case Management Services	73%
Social Skills Development	59%
Mental Health Services	54%
HIV/AIDS Education, Counseling, or Support	47%
Assistance with Obtaining Social Services	42%
Domestic Violence—Family or Partner Violence Services	42%
Health Education Other than HIV/AIDS	39%
Mentoring/Peer Support	36%
Self-help Groups	36%
Assistance in Locating Housing for Clients	33%
Transportation Assistance to Treatment	27%
Employment Counseling or Training for Clients	26%
Child Care for Clients’ Children	6%

Source: 2007 SAMHSA National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services (N-SSATS).

The most recent data available on the outcome of treatment for DUI/DWI admissions comes from the 2007 TEDS discharge data set.⁴ The data show that over three quarters of all DUI/DWI discharges had positive outcomes at the conclusion of a treatment episode (Figure 3). Among DUI/DWI admissions discharged from treatment in 2007, 72 percent completed treatment, and an additional 5 percent were transferred to another treatment program. Most notably, DUI/DWI discharges who received treatment in a short-term residential facility had a 91 percent completion rate.

Figure 3. Percentage of DUI/DWI Discharges from Substance Abuse Treatment, by Treatment Type and Reason for Discharge: 2007 TEDS

Source: 2007 SAMHSA Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS).

Figure 3 Table. Percentage of DUI/DWI Discharges from Substance Abuse Treatment, by Treatment Type and Reason for Discharge: 2007 TEDS

Year	Completed Treatment	Transferred to Another Treatment Program	Dropped Out of Treatment	Terminated by the Facility	Other
Total	72%	5%	13%	6%	4%
Outpatient	72%	5%	14%	5%	4%
Intensive Outpatient	57%	7%	11%	20%	5%
Short-term Residential	91%	1%	4%	2%	2%
Long-term Residential	71%	9%	12%	6%	2%
Detox	84%	1%	3%	8%	4%

Source: 2007 SAMHSA Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS).

Reductions in the annual number of lives lost to alcohol and drug related vehicle crashes requires a multifaceted approach. Prevention education for young drivers is essential, as is providing DUI/DWI offenders with appropriate treatment and support for their recovery. Policymakers, particularly those at the State and local level, need to be aware of the resources that are available to address the treatment requirements of individuals facing or convicted of DUI/DWI charges and to ensure that those resources are adequate to meet the needs. Similarly, program designers and treatment providers need to be aware that DUI/DWI admissions may have treatment needs beyond those stemming from the initial charges and ensure that those ancillary needs can be met as well.

¹ Department of Transportation. (2008). Motor Vehicle Traffic Crash Fatality Counts and Estimates of People Injured for 2007 (DOT HS 811 034). Retrieved March 26, 2009, from http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811034.PDF
² The National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services (N-SSATS) was not administered in 2001.
³ DUI/DWI information reported in the Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS) is from Detailed Criminal Justice Referral, a Supplemental Data Set item. The 33 States and jurisdictions in which this item was reported in 2007—AR, CA, CO, DC, DE, FL, HI, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, MO, MT, ND, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, PR, RI, SD, TX, UT, and WY—accounted for 76 percent of all substance abuse treatment admissions in 2007.
⁴ The reasons for discharge include completed treatment, transferred to another substance abuse program or facility, dropped out, terminated by facility, incarcerated, death, and other (i.e., client left treatment for other specified reasons such as changing residence or being hospitalized). Clients may be terminated from a treatment program by a facility for a variety of reasons, such as refusing to follow the prescribed treatment program, failing to follow facility rules and procedures, and exhibiting violent behavior.

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Office of Applied Studies. (April 30, 2009). The N-SSATS Report: DUI/DWI Admissions to Treatment and Program Resources. Rockville, MD.

This page was last updated on 4/30/2009.