Assessing substance abuse and problem gambling treatment as an investment in population health

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to critically review the economic evaluation literature on substance abuse and problem gambling treatment. It is intended to assist the Alberta Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission (AADAC) in describing and positioning its addiction treatment services from a return-on-investment (ROI) perspective in terms of supporting individual recovery, community well-being, and population health. Economic evaluation is important because resources are scarce. Choices have to be made regarding the resources committed to various substance abuse and problem gambling treatment programs. Economic evaluation is an organized approach to structuring a decision to commit resources to one use rather than another. It makes explicit the relevant altematives, viewpoints, and provides measurement of inputs and outputs.