[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 114 (Thursday, August 5, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Pages S10500-S10501]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   SENATE RESOLUTION 177--DESIGNATING SEPTEMBER, 1999, AS ``NATIONAL 
                   ALCOHOL AND DRUG ADDICTION MONTH''

  Mr. WELLSTONE submitted the following resolution; which was 
considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 177

       Whereas alcohol and drug addiction is a devastating disease 
     that can destroy lives and communities.
       Whereas the direct and indirect costs of alcohol and drug 
     addiction cost the United States more than $246,000,000,000 
     each year.
       Whereas scientific evidence demonstrates the crucial role 
     that treatment plays in restoring those suffering from 
     alcohol and drug addiction to more productive lives.
       Whereas the Secretary of Health and Human Services has 
     recognized that 73 percent of people who currently use 
     illicit drugs in the United States are employed and that the 
     effort business invests in substance abuse treatment will be 
     rewarded by raising productivity, quality, and employee 
     morale, and lowering health care costs associated with 
     substance abuse.
       Whereas the role of the workplace in overcoming the problem 
     of substance abuse among Americans is recognized by the 
     United States Chamber of Commerce, the Small Business 
     Administration, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the 
     National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, the 
     Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 
     the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of American, the National 
     Coalition on Alcohol and Other Drug Issues, the National 
     Association of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors, and the 
     National Substance Abuse Coalition, and others.
       Whereas the Director of the Office of National Drug Control 
     Policy has recognized that providing effective drug treatment 
     to those in need is critical to breaking the cycle of drug 
     addiction and to helping those who are addicted become 
     productive members of society.
       Whereas these agencies and organizations have recognized 
     the critical role of the workplace in supporting efforts 
     towards recovery from addiction by establishing the theme of 
     Recovery Month to be ``Addiction Treatment: Investing in 
     People for Business Success''.
       Whereas the countless numbers of those who have 
     successfully recovered from addition are living proof that 
     people of all races, genders, and ages recover every day from 
     the disease of alcohol and drug addiction, and now make 
     positive contributions to their families, workplaces, 
     communities, States, and nation: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate designates September, 1999, as 
     ``National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month''.

  Mr. WELLSTONE. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce a resolution 
that I will soon send to the desk to proclaim September, 1999, as 
``National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month'', and to 
recognize the Administration, government agencies, and the many groups 
supporting this effort highlighting the critical role of business and 
workplace programs in facilitating the recovery efforts of those with 
this disease.
  Alcoholism and drug addition are painful, private struggles with 
staggering public costs. A recent study prepared by The Lewin Group for 
the national Institute on Drug Abuse and the National Institute on 
Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, estimated the total economic cost of 
alcohol and drug abuse to be approximately $246 billion for 1992. Of 
this cost, an estimate $98 billion was due to drug addition to illicit 
drugs and other drugs taken for non-medical purposes. This estimate 
includes additional treatment and prevention costs, as well as costs 
associated with related illnesses, reduced job productivity or lost 
earnings, and other costs to society such as crime and social welfare 
programs.
  People who have the disease of addiction can be found throughout our 
society. According to he 1997 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse 
published by SAMHSA, nearly 73 percent of all individuals addicted to 
drugs in the United States are employed. This number represents 6.7 
million full-time workers and 1.6 million part-time workers. In 
addition to the health problems associated with this disease, there are 
other serious consequences affecting the workplace, such as lost 
productivity; high employee turnover; low employee morale; mistakes; 
accidents; and increased worker's compensation insurance and health 
insurance premiums--all results of untreated addiction problems. 
Whether you are a corporate CEO or a small business owner, there are 
simple, effective steps that can be taken--including providing 
insurance coverage for this disease, ready access to treatment, and 
workplace policies that support treatment--to reduce these human and 
economic costs.
  Addiction to alcohol an drug is a disease that affects the brain, the 
body, and the spirit. We must provide adequate opportunities for the 
treatment of addiction in order to help those who are suffering and to 
prevent the health and social problems that it causes, and we know that 
the costs to do so are very low. A 1999 study by the Rand Corporation 
found that the cost to managed care health plans is now only about $5 
per person per year for unlimited substance abuse treatment benefits to 
employees of big companies. A 1997 Milliman and Robertson study found 
that complete substance abuse treatment parity would increase per 
capita health insurance premiums by only one half of one percent, or 
less than $1 per member per month--without even considering any of the 
obvious savings that will result from treatment. Several studies have 
shown that for every $1 spent on treatment, more than $7 is saved in 
other health care expenses. These savings are in addition to the 
financial and other benefits of increased productivity, as well as 
participation in family and community life. Providing treatment for 
addiction also saves millions of dollars in the criminal justice 
system. But for treatment to be effective and helpful throughout our 
society all systems of

[[Page S10501]]

care--including private insurance plans--must share this 
responsibility.

  In observance of Recovery Month, the Secretary of Health and Human 
Services has recognized that the effort business invests in substance 
abuse treatment will be rewarded by raising productivity, quality, and 
employee morale, and lowering health care costs associated with 
substance abuse. Moreover, the Director of the Office of National Drug 
Control Policy has recognized that providing effective drug treatment 
to those in need is critical to breaking the cycle of drug addiction 
and to helping those who are addicted become productive members of 
society. The role of the workplace in overcoming the problem of 
substance abuse among Americans is also recognized by the U.S. Chamber 
of Commerce, the U.S. Small Business Administration, the National 
Institute on Drug Abuse, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and 
Alcoholism, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Agency, the 
Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of American, the National Coalition on 
Alcohol and Other Drug Issues, the National Association of Alcoholism 
and Drug Abuse Counselors, and the National Substance Abuse Coalition.
  It has been shown that some forms of addiction have a genetic basis, 
and yet we still try to deny the serious medical nature of this 
disease. We think of those with this disease as somehow different from 
us. We forget that someone who has a problem with drugs or alcohol can 
look just like the person we see in the mirror, or the person who is 
sitting next to us on the subway or at work. We know from the 
outstanding research conducted at NIH, through the National Institute 
on Drug Abuse and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and 
Alcoholism, that treatment for drug and alcohol addiction can be 
effective. Through this treatment, there are countless numbers of 
individuals who are living proof that people of all races, genders, and 
ages recover every day from the disease of alcohol and drug addiction, 
and now make positive contributions to their families, workplaces, 
communities, state, and nation.
  I urge the Senate to adopt this resolution designating the month of 
September, 1999, as Recovery Month, and to take part in the many local 
and national activities and events recognizing this effort.

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