It’s impossible to create a single guide that suits all
October 20, 2007

Dr Thomas Stuttaford: Medical Briefing

It is difficult if not impossible to produce a guide to safe drinking that will apply equally to the tall and short, the fat and thin, that will take into account the wide variations of the ability to metabolise alcohol that occur according to race and, to some extent, to the drinking culture and past drinking history that is the norm in someone’s peer group.

Obviously there is not only a difference between men and women but also between women before and after the menopause. Seasoned drinkers who don’t overdo the drinking develop a metabolic system that processes alcohol between a third and a quarter more efficiently and faster than the occasional drinker.
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Drink limits ‘useless’
Andrew Norfolk

October 20, 2007

Guidelines on safe alcohol consumption limits that have shaped health policy in Britain for 20 years were “plucked out of the air” as an “intelligent guess”.

The Times reveals today that the recommended weekly drinking limits of 21 units of alcohol for men and 14 for women, first introduced in 1987 and still in use today, had no firm scientific basis whatsoever.

Subsequent studies found evidence which suggested that the safety limits should be raised, but they were ignored by a succession of health ministers.
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How ‘safe drinking’ experts let a bottle or two go to their heads

October 20, 2007
Andrew Norfolk


The recommended maximum intake was set 20 years ago by doctors who simply plucked a limit out of the air

A collective shudder of dismay rattled wine glasses on middle-class dining tables this week when a report labelled some of Britain’s most affluent towns as sozzled dens of “hazardous drinking” iniquity.

Middle-class, middle-aged drinkers, according to a report commissioned by the Department of Health, had been consuming so much wine for so long that many were putting their health “at significant risk”.

Cue the sound of corks returning to half-drunk bottles across the land. Had the users known how safe drinking limits came into being, they might just have poured another glass.

When the report defined any man who drinks more than 21 units of alcohol a week, or woman who consumes more than 14, as a hazardous drinker, the authors were relying on limits that have been set in stone for the past 20 years.

Yet these guidelines have no basis in science. Rather, in the words of a member of the committee that drew them up, they were simply “plucked out of the air”.
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The Young People's Video Project



We invite A.A. members to submit digital videos that focus on the experience of getting sober between the ages of 12 and 25.


Welcome to the Young People's Video Project
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ASSEMBLYMAN THIELE WELCOMES BRANDON SILVERIA TO ENCOURAGE STUDENTS TO “MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICE” AND TO PREVENT DRUNK DRIVING AND UNDERAGE DRINKING

Press Release

October 16, 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MASTIC BEACH, NY — Assemblyman Fred Thiele (2nd Assembly District) and The Century Council partnered today to bring a life-saving lesson about the dangers of drunk driving and underage drinking to students in Mastic Beach and Center Moriches. Brandon Silveria and his father Tony spoke to students at William Floyd High School and Center Moriches High School about the importance of “making the right choice” about alcohol – and for students who are under the age of 21, the only responsible decision is not to drink. Brandon is a young man who was involved in an alcohol-related crash at age 17 just before his high school prom. The Century Council is a national not-for-profit organization funded by distillers dedicated to fighting drunk driving and underage drinking.
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Read Full Pess Release
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Ministers act on teenage drinking

Friday 19 October 2007

A ban on the sale of pre-mixed cocktails in supermarkets and tougher alcohol sales licences are among the measures the cabinet plans to introduce to curb teenage drinking, according to NOS news.

Ministers want to reduce the number of under-16s who drink alcohol by 25%, NOS quotes the leaked proposal as saying.
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Synaptic plasticity and addiction
Nature Reviews Neuroscience 8, 844-858 (November 2007)

Addiction is caused, in part, by powerful and long-lasting memories of the drug experience. Relapse caused by exposure to cues associated with the drug experience is a major clinical problem that contributes to the persistence of addiction.

Here we present the accumulated evidence that drugs of abuse can hijack synaptic plasticity mechanisms in key brain circuits, most importantly in the mesolimbic dopamine system, which is central to reward processing in the brain.

Reversing or preventing these drug-induced synaptic modifications may prove beneficial in the treatment of one of society's most intractable health problems.

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Request Reprint E-Mail: malenka@stanford.edu

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Wednesday, October 17, 2007 SAMHSA's Road to Recovery Update The Road to Recovery Update keeps you informed about activities leading up to National Alcohol & Drug Addiction Recovery Month (Recovery Month) in September. Feel free to forward this information to friends and colleagues, include it in newsletters or listservs, or link to it from your Web site. Next Webcast Wednesday, November 7: "Saving Lives, Saving Dollars: A National Showcase of Events" View the Trailer In this program, we will look at the tremendous educational and awareness-raising events conducted in communities large and small as the country came together in celebration of National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month (Recovery Month) in September 2007. Individuals, families, and communities across the Nation united under the theme, "Join the Voices for Recovery: Saving Lives, Saving Dollars." This program will highlight Recovery Month community forums, walks and runs for recovery, Major League Baseball games, music-based activities, and other cost-effective events that showcase how addiction is treatable and recovery is possible. Voices for Recovery Across the country, people in recovery are celebrating their successes and sharing them with others in an effort to educate the public about treatment, how it works, for whom, and why. Through Voices for Recovery on the Recovery Month Web site, people can read these inspirational stories as well as post their own stories of recovery. We encourage you to take a moment to visit Voices for Recovery and share your recovery story. Simply click Share Stories to post your story along with your contact information if you choose to provide it. If you prefer to remain anonymous, only provide your State and your story. After you’ve entered your information, you will be prompted to download the Hold Harmless Form. This needs to be downloaded, filled out, and faxed back before your story can be posted. If you’ve already submitted your story to the Recovery Month Web site but have not yet faxed back the Hold Harmless Form, please do so. Your story cannot be posted until the Hold Harmless Form is completed and returned. Please share your story and help us spread the word to get people nationwide to submit their personal stories. Help others see that recovery is possible. Attention Event Planners – Add Details From Your Event and Submit Photos Congratulations to everyone who coordinated and/or participated in a Recovery Month event this September! We want to capture all of the events around the country so please click here to submit your pictures and videos. Be sure to add any comments from your event and send photos and any samples of materials. You can continue to post your events throughout the year. Customer Satisfaction Form We would like to know about your Recovery Month efforts this September and how useful you found the Recovery Month toolkit for planning your activities. This information will be used in the development of future outreach materials distributed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. Your response is voluntary, but your input is essential so that the Recovery Month materials we provide in future years will continue to meet your needs. Please click here to complete the Customer Satisfaction Form and return it by October 31, 2007, via mail or fax to: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Center for Substance Abuse Treatment Office of the Director, Consumer Affairs 1 Choke Cherry Road, Second Floor Rockville, MD 20857 Fax: 202-789-0598 (Attn: Kristin Engdahl) About Recovery Month National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month, celebrating 18 years of observance in 2007, is an initiative of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA's) Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT). For more information about Recovery Month, visit www.recoverymonth.gov. ____________________________________________________________________

Use of Real-Time Interactive Voice Response in a Study of Stress and Alcohol Consumption
Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research 31 (11), 1908–1912.

The goal of this study was to investigate whether Interactive Voice Response is a technology with which to perform real-time assessments of alcohol consumption and stress.

Of the data collection calls, 305 (97%) were answered. Real-time drinking was assessed 9 times of 9 (100%). The average length of the IVR assessment was only 28 seconds because of modified technology. Individuals with an estimated blood alcohol concentration above 0.1% under-reported drinking in their day-after reports by between 1 and 10 drinks. The same subjects had more pronounced stress reduction than those with lower BAC levels.

Interactive Voice Response methodology offers a promising new technology for daily as well as real-time assessments.

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Request Reprint E-Mail: claes.andersson@med.lu.se

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The Biphasic Effects of Alcohol: Comparisons of Subjective and Objective Measures of Stimulation, Sedation, and Physical Activity
Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research 31 (11), 1883–1890.

Alcohol produces biphasic effects of both stimulation and sedation. Sensitivity to these effects may increase the risk for the development of alcoholism. Alcohol-induced changes in stimulation and sedation are commonly assessed with self-report questionnaires in human research and with physical activity monitoring in animal research.

However, little is known about the effects of alcohol on physical activity or the relationship between physical activity and subjective self-report measures of stimulation and sedation following alcohol consumption in humans.

All alcohol doses increased physical activity, but these increases were time- and dose-dependent. Increases in physical activity lasted across both ascending and descending limbs of the BrAC curve. Following the 0.6 g/kg dose, both physical activity and self-reported stimulation increased during the ascending BrAC.

Separate analyses of self-reported sedation scores indicated that alcohol consumption also increased sedation for the 0.6 and 0.8 g/kg doses. Physical activity was not significantly correlated with either self-reported stimulation or sedation at any time point.

These findings suggest that assessments of subjectively measured stimulation and sedation and objectively measured physical activity each assess unique aspects of the effects of alcohol. Used simultaneously, these measures may be useful for examining underlying mechanisms of the effects of alcohol on behavior.

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Request Reprint E-Mail: doughertyd@uthscsa.edu

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Variation in GABRA2 Predicts Drinking Behavior in Project MATCH Subjects
Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research 31 (11), 1780–1787.

Previous studies demonstrated, and replicated, an association between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within the GABRA2 gene and risk for alcohol dependence. The present study examines the association of a GABRA2 SNP with another definition of alcohol involvement and with the effects of psychosocial treatment.

European-American subjects (n = 812, 73.4% male) provided DNA samples for the analysis. All were participants in Project Matching Alcoholism Treatment to Client Heterogeneity (MATCH), a multi-center randomized clinical trial evaluating the efficacy of 3 types of psychosocial treatment for alcoholism: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET), or twelve-step facilitation (TSF). The daily probabilities of drinking and heavy drinking were estimated during the 12-week treatment and 12-month post-treatment periods.

Subjects homozygous for the allele associated with low risk for alcohol dependence in previous studies had lower daily probabilities of drinking and heavy drinking in the present study. This low-risk allele was also associated with a greater difference in drinking outcomes between the treatments. In addition, it enhanced the relative superiority of TSF over CBT and MET. Population stratification was excluded as a confound using ancestry informative marker analysis.

The assessment of genetic vulnerability may be relevant to studies of the efficacy of psychosocial treatment: GABRA2 genotype modifies the variance in drinking and can therefore moderate power for resolving differences between treatments.

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Request Reprint E-Mail: kranzler@psychiatry.uchc.edu

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Using the truth to tackle alcohol and drug misuse

17 October 2007

Scotland’s Futures Forum will look at whether false perceptions about other people’s drinking habits are contributing to the problem of excessive drinking, in an upcoming seminar at the Scottish Parliament organised by the Scottish Association of Alcohol and Drug Action Teams.

On Monday 22 October Dr Wesley Perkins from the Department of Anthropology and Sociology at Hobart and William Smith Colleges in New York will present a seminar entitled, ‘Is everybody really doing it?’

Dr Perkins is an expert in social norms marketing, which aims to communicate the truth to students, and others, who often hold exaggerated views of the extent of alcohol misuse among their peers.

Once they become aware of the true level of alcohol use among others, Dr Perkins’ findings have shown a significant drop in consumption.

Scotland’s Futures Forum Director Robert Rae said:

"This research challenges some of the basic assumptions of health promotion work and is an important contribution to the debate on the causes of alcohol misuse.”

Also presenting on Monday will be David Zucker, a key player in the social marketing field in the United States who was central to the development of the Florida Truth Campaign on tobacco.

He will discuss the success of this campaign in reducing tobacco use among Florida school students.

Background information on the ‘Fresh Perspectives on Alcohol and Drugs’ project

Holyrood's think-tank, Scotland's Futures Forum, is carrying out an innovative study into alcohol and drugs use in Scotland.

The aim of the project is to look at the following question: “How can Scotland reduce the damage to its population through alcohol and drugs by half by the year 2025?”

The Forum seeks to stimulate open and honest debate on the causes and impacts of drug and alcohol misuse across Scottish society.

The study will consider the views of local communities, a wide range of harm reduction measures, the role of poverty, and review international best practice.

The project aims to inform public policy debate and challenge policy makers to consider new long-term approaches to problematic alcohol and drug use. The project is due to be completed in June 2008.

Background information on Scotland’s Futures Forum

Scotland’s Futures Forum was created by the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body in August 2005.

The forum aims to identify key challenges facing the nation and stimulate debate between MSPs, academics, civic society, wealth creators and international organisations on the ways of meeting them.

For more information about Scotland ’s Futures Forum see:

www.scotlandfutureforum.org

www.scottish.parliament.uk/nmCentre/news/futuresforum_news.htm

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SOMETHING TO ASK YOURSELF
Is it worth it?



Mounting evidence finds even moderate drinking may increase your risk of breast and colon cancer

By Judy Peres |Tribune staff reporter

October 17, 2007

You eat your veggies, you exercise at least a few times a week, you gave up cigarettes and hormone-replacement pills, and you have a glass of red wine every day, all because you care about your health.

But one of these things is not like the others.

While your attention has been elsewhere, scientists have amassed persuasive evidence that drinking alcohol -- any form of alcohol, even in moderate amounts -- can pose a serious threat to your health.
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Signs of Progress

Declines in Underage Drinking and Drunk Driving


Table of Contents

Underage Drinking
Percentage of High School Students Who had Their First Drink of Alcohol Before Age 13…………….………………..……………...............3
Percentage of Adolescents Who Have or Have Not had a Drink in the Past Month………………………………………………………………4
Trend Analysis of Current Drinking Among Adolescents…………………………………………………………………………………….............5
Comparison of 8th and 10th Graders Who Drank in the Past 30 Days……………………………………………………………………………....6
Percentage of Underage Youth Who Have or Have Not had a Drink in the Past month………………………………………………………….7
Trend Analysis of Drinking Among High School Seniors …………………………………………………………………………………………....8
Trend Analysis of High School Seniors Drinking 5 or More Drinks in a Row ……………..………………………………………………............9
Trend Analysis of Beer Drinking Among College Freshmen………………………………………………………………………………….........10

Drunk Driving
Trend Analysis of Total Drunk Driving Fatalities…………………….……………………………………………………………………………….11
Comparison of Total Traffic Fatalities to Drunk Driving Fatalities………………………………………………………………………………….12
Drunk Driving Fatalities as a Percentage of Total Crash Fatalities…………………………………………………………………………...……13
Drunk Driving Fatalities Declining Despite Increasing Number of Licensed Drivers.…………………………………………………………….14
Drunk Driving Fatalities Per Million Licensed Drivers………………………………………………………………………………………………..15
Drunk Driving Fatalities Decreasing Despite Increasing Vehicle Miles Traveled…………………………………………………………………16
Drunk Driving Fatalities Per Billion Vehicle Miles Traveled…………………………………………………………………………………………17
Drunk Driving Fatalities Decreasing Despite Increasing Number of Registered Motor Vehicles……………………………………………….18
Drunk Driving Fatalities Per Million Registered Motor Vehicles…………………………………………………………………………………….19
Drunk Driving Fatalities by Blood Alcohol Concentration……………………………………………………………………………………………20
Teen Drunk Driving Fatalities…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..21
Teen Drunk Driving Fatalities as a Percentage of Total Fatalities Involving a Teen Driver……………………………………………………...22
Teen Drunk Driving Fatalities Decreasing Despite Increasing Number of Licensed Teen Drivers……………………………………………..23
Teen Drunk Driving Fatalities Per Thousand Licensed Teen Drivers……………………………………………………………………………...24


Download PowerPoint Presentation: Declines in Underage Drinking and Drunk Driving
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Voice Of Scotland: Alcohol Awareness

Oct 18 2007

By ServeWise trainer Joanne Worrall

NEXT week is Alcohol Awareness Week which brings together Scottish Government and the alcoholic drinks industry to promote responsible drinking. Here we speak to a ServeWise trainer Joanne Worrall, training and development manager for Bar Budda owners Dark Star, about how the industry is trying to encourage moderate alcohol consumption.
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A Day In The Life Of U.S. Teens: Thousands Do Drugs

By REUTERS

Published: October 18, 2007

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A snapshot of an average day in the lives of U.S. teens shows hundreds of thousands are smoking, drinking and ingesting illegal drugs, according to a report from the federal government.

On an average day, nearly 1.2 million teenagers smoked cigarettes, 631,000 drank and 586,000 used marijuana, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration found.

Nearly 50,000 used inhalants, 27,000 used hallucinogens, 13,000 used cocaine and 3,800 used heroin, SAMHSA said in its report.

"In the United States in 2006, one-third of adolescents aged 12 to 17 drank alcohol in the past year, one-fifth used an illicit drug and one-sixth smoked," the report reads.

The report is based on a number of surveys, but mostly the National Survey on Drug Use, which uses in-depth interviews of more than 60,000 people.

It found that the percentage of adolescents using alcohol and drugs declined between 2002 and 2006.
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Read Full Article

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EUROCARE Newsletter September - October 2007

.…	News from the Secretariat

• Eurocare Annual General Meeting
• Lunch meeting on FASD (Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders) in the European Parliament

.…	News from Eurocare Members

• ELSA Project: Alcohol advertisement regulations in Europe do not protect minors
• DHS: Innovative practices to tackle drink driving, binge drinking and consumer information
• STAP: High compliance of alcohol ads proves shortcomings rather than effectiveness of self-regulation

.…	News from the European Union

• The Parliament’s report on the EU Alcohol Strategy calls for further action
• First meeting of the Alcohol and Health Forum
• European Parliament prepares its report on the Community Strategy on health and safety at work
• Eurostat report: comparative price levels of alcoholic beverages in 37 European countries
• Parliament endorses reduced excise duty on rum from French overseas departments
• Health-EU launches e-newsletter
• Council agrees on Programme of Community Action in the field of Health 2008-2013
• Gastein 10^th event
• European Parliament calls for protection of young people from smoke

.…	News from the Member States

• Ireland will soon introduce health-warning labels for pregnant women on alcohol containers
• France – ANPAA denounces Rugby World Cup Sponsorship by Heineken
• Germany – Taxes on alcopops lead Baccardi to withdraw its Breezer from the German market
• Sweden – Risk Drinking Project: Alcohol prevention work in primary health care and occupational health care

.…	Upcoming Events

• The evolution of Health Following Enlargement – HEM Closing the Gap
• Reducing the Harm caused by alcohol: A Coordinated European Response
• Putting theory into practice: Research, Training and Health promotion programmes in Early Identification and Brief intervention for alcohol problems
• Building Capacity for Action: European Alcohol Policy Conference

.…	The activities of the Industry in the European Parliament

• AdVantage launch: a debating platform within the European Parliament on the role of advertising in our society
• Lunch Briefing on New Approaches to Alcohol Policy

.…	Questions from Members of the European Parliament to European Commission concerning alcohol

.…	News from the Secretariat

• Eurocare Annual General Meeting

Download Full Newsletter
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The DRAM Vol. 3(9) - How Protective are Protective Factors: The Complexity of Risky Drinking Behavior

October 17, 2007

For young people, the use and abuse of alcohol is alarming because of their still developing neuroanatomy, and the ease with which they can develop a dependency to alcohol (Molina, 2007; Padget, 2006). Using scientific studies to understand what leads adolescents toward future problematic alcoholic use can facilitate the development of more effective public health initiatives targeting underage alcohol consumption. This week, The DRAM discusses research that examines how adverse childhood experiences and the age of onset for first alcohol use contribute to young adults’ current use of alcohol.
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Read Full Report

Source: Addiction and Recovery News

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News Release - NEW REPORT PROVIDES STARTLING LOOK AT SUBSTANCE ABUSE ON AN AVERAGE DAY IN THE LIFE OF AMERICAN ADOLESCENTS

10/18/2007

Number of Adolescents Using Marijuana on an Average Day Vastly Exceeds Half of the Number of All Students Registered in New York City Schools

On an average day, nearly 1.2 million teenagers smoked cigarettes, 631,000 drank, and 586,000 used marijuana, according to the latest data, in a first-of-a kind report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

The report, which highlights the substance abuse behavior and addiction treatment activities that occur among adolescents on an average day, draws on national surveys conducted and analyzed by SAMHSA's Office of Applied Studies.

The report, A Day in the Life of American Adolescents: Substance Use Facts, presents a stark picture of the daily toll substance abuse takes on America's young.
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Read Full News Release

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The OAS Report: A Day in the Life of American Adolescents: Substance Use Facts

Highlights:

• Facts about substance use among youth aged 12 to 17 are based on data from SAMHSA's 2006 National Survey on Drug Use & Health (NSDUH) and SAMHSA's 2005 Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS), and for clients under the age of 18 from SAMHSA's 2005 National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services (N-SSATS). Data are presented on first substance use, past year substance use, receipt of substance use treatment, and source of substance use treatment referrals "on an average day."

• On an average day in 2006, youth used the following substances for the first time: 7,970 drank alcohol for the first time, 4,348 used an illicit drug for the first time, 4,082 smoked cigarettes for the first time, 3,577 used marijuana for the first time, and 2,517 used pain relievers nonmedically for the first time.

• Youth who used alcohol in the past month drank an average of 4.7 drinks per day on the days they drank and those who smoked cigarettes in the past month smoked an average of 4.6 cigarettes per day on the days they smoked.

• On a average day in 2005, the number of youth admissions to substance abuse treatment were referred by the following sources: 189 by the criminal justice system; 66 by self-referral or referral from other individuals; 43 by schools; 37 by community organizations; 22 by alcohol or drug treatment providers; and 18 by other health providers.

• On an average day in 2005, active substance abuse treatment clients under the age of 18 received the following the types of substance abuse treatment: 76,240 were clients in outpatient treatment; 10,313 were clients in non-hospital residential treatment; and 1,058 were clients in hospital inpatient treatment.

Read Full Report (PDF)
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