Substance Abuse

Substance Abuse poses a significant public health threat to the residents of Travis County. The impact of substance abuse affects various social and health problems, including: employment, crime, poverty, family preservation, and chronic and communicable diseases. The coordinated delivery of substance abuse prevention/intervention and treatment services and the utilization of best practice approaches have proven to be cost-effective in reducing the impact of substance abuse on communities.

Specifically, the National Institute for Drug Abuse indicates that for every dollar spent on drug use prevention, communities can save 4 to 5 dollars in costs for drug abuse treatment and counseling. Similarly, drug treatment reduces drug use by 40 to 60 percent and significantly decreases criminal activity during and after treatment.