ABSTRACT
Substance use disorders (SUDs) are common and associated with pervasive adverse social and economic consequences. Within the past year, an estimated 22.2 million persons aged twelve years or older were classified with substance abuse or dependence (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration [SAMHSA], 2013), a rate that has remained relatively stable for the past ten years. Individuals with SUDs evidence increased rates of unemployment, accidents, injuries, suicide, psychiatric illness, and chronic disease (Jacobs & Gill, 2002; Khalsa, Treisman, McCance-Katz, & Tedaldi, 2008; Movig et al., 2004; SAMHSA, 2013). In addition to the personal costs of these outcomes, the estimated annual financial burden of SUDs in the United States is over $450 billion. Notably, although substantial prevention and intervention efforts have been developed to address these issues, only 33 percent of individuals with self-identified drug and alcohol problems seek treatment (SAMHSA, 201). Moreover, of those who seek treatment, a small minority remain abstinent for more than twelve months (Darke et al., 2005; Prochaska, Delucchi, & Hall, 2004). Given these statistics, SUDs are a major public health concern, and there is a critical need to apply our growing understanding of addiction to the development of more targeted treatment interventions.
