While funding for substance abuse treatment in Alaska has declined for more than a decade, the need for treatment has not – particularly among Alaska Native people, who are disproportionately affected by substance abuse. According to SAMHSA’s 2007 report on treatment needs, there were 38000 people in Alaska who were in need of treatment but were not receiving it. That same report showed that 115000 people had engaged in binge drinking in the month prior to the report and 54000 people were dependent on alcohol and/or drugs. In the most recent data available, the State of Alaska estimated that 9.7% of all Alaskans had a lifetime alcohol dependency and another 4.1% were alcohol abusers. Another SAMHSA report, the Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS) estimated that only 5867 people were receiving drug and alcohol treatment in 2009. Using the figure of 54000 to approximate the number of people who were dependent on alcohol and/or drugs, only 10.8% of the people who need alcohol or drug treatment are receiving it. CITC’s Recovery Services department and the Ernie Turner Center consistently delivers positive outcomes for our participants undergoing substance abuse treatment.
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