Lack of programs, high costs contribute to dearth of treatment options just as state holds off on an expansion approved in 2009.

LITTLE ROCK - Eight in 10 Arkansans addicted to drugs or alcohol who want treatment cannot get it because the state's treatment system is overloaded, their insurance doesn't cover it or they can't afford it, according to a new report by Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families.

The lack of treatment options is devastating not only to the addict, their family and community, but also to the state budget. Arkansas spends $887.5 million a year in substance-abuse related costs, mostly on prisons, court systems and the juvenile justice system, according to "Addiction Treatment and Long-Term Recovery in Arkansas: Just Say Yes!"

"Addiction is a medical condition like any other and can be treated," said Paul Kelly, author of the report and senior policy analyst at AACF. "Yet individuals and families affected by addiction have few doorways out of a cycle that pushes them into our emergency rooms, prisons and child welfare systems."

Recently the Beebe administration announced that it was putting on hold an expansion of the treatment system approved by the 2009 Arkansas General Assembly. The expansion would be the state's first investment in treatment programs in 13 years and was to be paid for by an increase in the tobacco tax, which lawmakers approved in 2009 to pay for a host of healthcare programs. The expansion was slated to boost treatment programs for pregnant woman and youth.

"Due to the recession, more families are struggling with issues like addiction while the state's ability to help them shrinks," said Rich Huddleston, AACF's Executive Director. "We understand that cuts will have to be made in the state budget to keep up with declining revenues, but we need a more balanced approach that includes new revenue. One that helps families get the services they need so that they're able to help our state economy improve."

The study noted that the longer a person with an addiction experiences delays in getting treatment, the greater chance he or she will drop out of treatment. Those who are able to get into a program immediately have a better success. More than 2,500 Arkansas seeking publicly-funded treatment were placed on a waiting list in the first seven months of 2009.