Monitor on Psychology - January 2012 - (Page 43)

“You need to have your ‘elevator speech’ ready,” he told attendees. Henrick Harwood, director of research and program applications at the National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors, gave attendees an overview of the economic impact of substance abuse in the United States. That cost totals nearly $600 billion a year, which includes health-care expenses, productivity loss from sickness, premature death and many other factors. The costs are about evenly split among alcohol, tobacco and illegal drug use — alcohol misuse costs the United States $224 billion each year, smoking costs $193 billion and drug abuse costs $181 billion, Harwood said It’s easier to grasp the meaning of those massive numbers when you break them down per user, as Harwood did. The cost to the United States per alcohol “misuser” is $3,700 and $12,800 for every dependent/ abuser, he said. The cost per illicit drug “misuser” is $8,200 and $26,000 per dependent/abuser. And the cost per smoker is $3,100, it’s $5,400 per dependent smoker. “These things are massive in their impact,” Harwood said, adding that the overall costs are equivalent to those of other, more publicized chronic illnesses like obesity, Alzheimer’s disease and cardiovascular disease. Of course, some of the costs — for treatment programs and lost productivity, for example — are borne directly by substance abusers and their families. But the government shoulders nearly half that burden, Harwood has found, through disability payments, the court system and other costs. For alcohol, he’s estimated drinkers and their families pay about 41 percent of the costs directly, and the government pays about 42 percent. Insurance pays 8 percent, the rest is borne by victims and others. For drug abuse, the government’s share is even higher — 46 percent. Drug users and their families pay 44 percent, and insurance 3 percent. The substance abuse burden is particularly high among some vulnerable populations, such as prison inmates and members of the military, experts told SciLC attendees. In the military, smoking and illicit drug use declined dramatically from 1980 to 2008, but binge drinking and heavy alcohol use remain substantial problems, according to conference speaker Robert Bray, PhD, a senior research psychologist at RTI International who has led nine Department of Defense surveys of health behaviors among active duty personnel. Despite some improvements, he said, much work remains to be done. About one third of service members still smoke cigarettes, prescription drug abuse is an emerging problem and more than 40 percent of military personnel are binge drinkers. The most recent survey found that military members are more likely to be binge drinkers and heavy drinkers than civilians are, in every J a n u a ry 2 0 1 2 • M o n i t o r o n p s y c h o l o g y the costs of substance abuse are equal to other, more publicized illnesses like obesity and Alzheimer’s disease, said Henrick Harwood, director of research and program applications at the national Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors. Dr. rosalie Pacula and her colleagues have developed a model that will help researchers estimate the costeffectiveness of different interventions. Dr. Betty tai leads the Clinical trials network at the national Institute on Drug Abuse. 43

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Monitor on Psychology - January 2012

Monitor on Psychology - January 2012
Letters
President’s Column
Contents
Contents
From the CEO
Apa’s Statement on the Dsm-5 Development Process
Girl Scouts Badge Promotes Positive Psychology
Early Investments Pay Off for Poor Children, Study Finds
Apa Meets With Chinese Psychological Society to Further Interaction and Exchange
Unique Opportunity for Psychologists to Travel to Cuba
In Brief
Government Relations Update
On Your Behalf
Psychology’s Growing Library of Podcasts
Standing Up for Psychology
Judicial Notebook
Random Sample
Time Capsule
Questionnaire
Science Watch
Beyond Psychotherapy
Perspective on Practice
Yes, Recovery Is Possible
Inequity to Equity
Making E-Learning Work
New Standards for High School Psychology
A Trailblazer Moves On
Psychologist Profile
Plan Now for Psychology’s Regional Meetings
New Journal Editors
Apa News
Division Spotlight
American Psychological Foundation
Personalities

Monitor on Psychology - January 2012

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