Drug and Alcohol Treatment Works

September is “Treatment Works” Month, and it’s time to acknowledge the important role treatment plays in reducing alcohol and other drug addictions.

- Reverend Dr. Rocky 

Treatment programs come in all shapes and sizes, long or short-term residential treatment hospitals, therapeutic communities, and Intensive Outpatient Programs, to name a few, and the results are promising. Studies after studies show that, in addition to individuals reclaiming their lives, participation in treatment reduces medical costs, prison entries, overdose deaths, and DUI accidents and less of a burden on the criminal justice system, families who bury their loved ones, as well as government and other private systems--that are impacted by drug and alcohol addiction. In short, treatment makes good sense because it is effective and it saves money.

The success of treatment programs is not limited to one particular part of the country or one specific audience. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,’ in a recent report on the effectiveness of substance abuse treatment, cites numerous instances across the country where treatment is having a tremendous positive social and economic impact. Yet, it seems as if treatment’s effectiveness is addiction’s best-kept secret. Treatment for substance abuse problems should be as much a common household word as chemotherapy is for cancer patients. The fact is that people don’t believe that addiction is a disease that needs to and can be effectively treated, just like any other.