Increasing Access to Treatment for Adolescents with Alcohol and Other Drug Problems in New Hampshire

• NH spends less than half the national average on alcohol and other drug treatment services (State Resources and Services Related to Alcohol and Other Drug Problems, 2001).
• Current alcohol and other drug treatment needs exceed the existing capacity [for treatment] within the state by 2-10 times. (NH Div of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention & Recovery, State Plan 2001)
• At least 14 treatment programs have closed in the past 10 years (New Futures, 2001).
• Forty-three thousand New Hampshire citizens over the age of 12 suffer from alcohol and/or illicit drug dependence (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration). 
• Despite high rates of use, only 3% of adolescents (age 12-17) in New Hampshire receive the alcohol and other drug treatment services they need.   
• Publicly supported admissions for AOD treatment in NH have declined from 821 in 1998 to 389 in 2002.

• A recent analysis of over 150 different studies on the cost effectiveness and/or cost benefit of alcohol and drug treatment services determined that for every $1 spent on alcohol and drug treatment services the cost savings range from a high of $23 to a low of $4 (Harwood, Malhotra, Villariveria, Liu, Chong and Gilani, 2002).
• Every American pays $277 in state taxes to “shovel up” the wreckage of substance abuse (through state agency budgets such as Corrections, Medicaid, Public Safety and Welfare), but only pays $10 for direct services to prevent and/or treat alcohol and drug problems. (National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, 2001.)

• Addiction treatment is as effective as treatments for other chronic medical conditions such as diabetes and hypertension. (National Institute on Drug Abuse. Principles of Drug Addiction Treatment: A Research-Based Guide. October 1999)
• Research has demonstrated the effectiveness of treatment in reducing AOD and related problems for adolescents.