Measuring Substance Abuse Treatment Need among Adults in Florida: A Social Indicators Approach

Determining the size and demographic characteristics of substance abuse populations is extremely important for implementing public policies aimed at the control of substance abuse. Such information not only assists in the allocation of limited treatment resources by the state, but also in the monitoring of substance abuse trends over time and in the evaluation of innovative policy initiatives. In this study, we develop three composite measures of treatment need. We then use these measures to estimate treatment need for alcohol abuse and for controlled substance abuse within each of Florida's 67 counties. This study provides an important empirical component of community planning, quantifying and, to a limited degree, specifying the level of need for the substance abuse treatment of community residents. An additional benefit is the development of a cost effective and unobtrusive methodology for determining empirically when levels of need are changing so that treatment levels can be adjusted accordingly. With proper use, policymakers can readily employ the methodology developed in this study in Florida and elsewhere to make better-informed decisions in the allocation of finite substance abuse treatment resources.