Addiction Medicine: Closing the Gap between Science and Practice

18.7M

7.9M

1.7M 1.6M 3.4M 1.0M

Alcohol Other Drugs Multiple Substances

M I L L I O N S

Figure 7.B

The Treatment Gap:

Need for Addiction Treatment

and Receipt of Needed Services

(Excluding Nicotine), 2010

Need for Treatment

Receipt of Treatment

Note: Individuals who need and/or receive treatment for addiction

involving multiple substances also are included in the other two

categories.

Source: CASA Columbia analysis of The National Survey on Drug

Use and Health(NSDUH), 2010.

Other national data indicate that, in 2010 among
smokers^ age 18 and older, 68.8 percent tried to
stop smoking* but only 31.7 percent of those
who tried to stop received some type of smoking
cessation service (psychosocial or
pharmaceutical treatment).† 12

Variations in the Treatment Gap by Primary Substance Involved ............................

In 2010, 7.4 percent of the population needed
treatment for addiction involving alcohol‡ and
3.1 percent needed treatment for addiction
involving another drug (excluding nicotine);§ 1.3
percent of the total population needed treatment
for addiction involving multiple substances,
excluding nicotine.** While considerably more
people needed treatment for addiction involving
alcohol (18.7 million) compared to those
needing treatment for addiction involving an
illicit or controlled prescription drug (7.9
million) or multiple substances (3.4 million),†† 13
they were less likely to receive it:

 8.8 percent (1.7 million) of those in need of
treatment for addiction involving alcohol
received it, leaving a treatment gap of 17.1
million people;

• The source of these data does not present the

proportion of the sample that smoked, just the
proportion of smokers that tried to quit.
† Among current smokers who tried to quit in the past

year and former smokers who successfully quit in the
past two years. Trend data are not available for these
measures.
‡ 18.1 percent of these individuals also needed

treatment for addiction involving other drugs.
§ 43.1 percent of these individuals also needed

treatment for addiction involving other drugs,
excluding nicotine.
** The 7.4 percent of those needing treatment for

addiction involving alcohol and the 3.1 percent
needing treatment for addiction involving other drugs
overlap with the category needing treatment for
multiple substances. Looking at mutually exclusive
categories, 6.0 percent needed treatment for addiction
involving alcohol only and 1.8 percent needed
treatment for addiction involving other drugs
(excluding nicotine) only.
†† Individuals in need of treatment for addiction

involving multiple substances also are included in the
other two categories.

 19.9 percent (1.6 million) of those in need of

treatment for addiction involving another

drug (excluding nicotine) received it,

leaving a treatment gap of 6.3 million

people; and

 28.5 percent (1.0 million) of those in need of

treatment for addiction involving multiple

substances (excluding nicotine) received it,

leaving a treatment gap of 2.4 million

people.^14 (Figure 7.B)

Of the 31.7 percent of those ages 18 and older

who wanted to stop smoking in 2010, 5.9

percent received cessation counseling‡‡ and 30.0

percent received medications;§§ 4.3 percent

received both.^15

‡‡ 3.1 percent used a telephone quitline, 2.6 percent

received one-on-one counseling and 2.4 percent were

involved in a stop smoking clinic, class or support

group.

§§ 14.6 percent used the nicotine patch, 11.2 percent

used the medication varenicline, 8.9 percent used the

nicotine gum or lozenge, 3.2 percent used the

medication bupropion and 1.0 percent used the

nicotine spray/inhaler.