The cost offsets of alcoholism treatment.

While the effectiveness of alcoholism treatment is an important concern in alcohol research, the cost of such treatment and its benefits are also important research matters. There is substantial research that examines the possible benefits of alcoholism treatment in reducing the cost of all medical care, including the cost of alcoholism treatment itself. This is referred to as cost offsets. This chapter reviews the research evidence of alcoholism treatment cost offset, that is, the ability of alcoholism treatment to reduce the cost of medical care of persons participating in such treatment. The chapter gives an overview summary of the cost offset findings for alcoholism treatment and concludes with an identification of future research needs and opportunities, especially surrounding the popular increase in the use of managed care.