Substance abuse and family illness: evidence from health care utilization and cost-offset research

Although the substance abuse treatment community recognizes that physical and psychological problems are common among families with a substance-abusing member, third-party funding for comprehensive treatment of the families of substance abusers is limited. Failure to provide treatment for these collateral effects of substance abuse on the family is thought to reduce the efficacy of substance abuse treatment, increase the risk of relapse, and leave untreated secondary pathology among family members. This article presents a review of health care utilization and cost-offset studies of the collateral effects of substance abuse on the family to aid administrators and planners in documenting the economic advantages of comprehensive treatment for the families of substance abusers.