The Addition Treatment Gap: What is it?

THE ADDICTION TREATMENT GAP is the difference between the number of Rhode Islanders suffering from addiction and the number who actually receive the substance use treatment that they need.

RHODE ISLAND BY THE NUMBERS…

•    100,000 Rhode Islanders suffer from addiction, but only 12% access the care that they need

•    74,000 Rhode Islanders need, but are not receiving treatment for alcohol use (8.23% of the population)

•    29,000 Rhode Islanders need, but are not receiving treatment for drug use (3.25% of the population).  This is the highest percentage in the nation.

IN THE PAST MONTH …

•    101,000 Rhode Islanders have used illicit drugs (11.21% of the population)
•    551,000 Rhode Islanders have consumed alcohol (61.23% of the population)
•    244,000 Rhode Islanders have binge drank (27.12% of the population)

* Data source: 2006 Estimates, SAMHSA, National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH)

Why Should We Close it?

Addiction is a chronic disease that can be successfully treated in a manner that significantly lowers healthcare costs, criminal justice costs, and other governmental and private spending, while helping people who are suffering from addiction to return to fully productive lives within our community.

Nationwide, more than 1.7 million emergency department visits a year are associated with drug use.  Caring for those suffering from untreated addiction and its devastating consequences – in emergency departments, in prisons and elsewhere – costs the U.S. 12 times what it would cost to provide those same people with the addiction treatment they need.

Addiction is not only a problem for those who suffer from it – it is a community-wide problem that affects all of us.  The impacts of addiction span across all aspects of our community, including public safety, finance, healthcare, as well as the overall economy.  Without treatment, addiction can lead to lost productivity, broken families, crime, costly incarceration, and even death.

By making a collaborative effort to close the addiction treatment gap, we will be building a stronger, healthier community, to the benefit of all Rhode Islanders.