Cost/benefit estimates from ongoing alcoholism outcome research: a working paper

There is an increasing emphasis on cost-effectiveness for all forms of treatment, occurring in parallel with constraints on research dollars. It would therefore seem useful for investigators to try to use ongoing research data as a basis for demonstrating a positive economic impact when outcome data are available. Some thoughts and figures are presented from a large alcoholism project, for which there were also some treatment outcomes. These data permitted dollar estimates, in terms of community impact, which are offered as a basis for further discussion. Although crude, these types of estimates are seen as vital in making the economic arguments, which parallel those for the human misery side of substance abuse.