No doubt the cost of drug abuse to society is high. At the end of the 20th century, according to a study conducted by the Office of National Drug Control Policy, such abuse cost the United States about 180.9 billion dollars for the year 2002. A number of factors go into this figure, including resources that are used to combat the consequences to crime and to health, as well as the losses that are incurred in the workforce from death, withdrawal and disability. The personal cost of substance abuse is as high in its own way.

In the last decade of the last century, the costs have risen an average of 5.3 percent each year from 1992 to 2002. It’s a rate that’s higher than the annual growth for the gross domestic product for the country’s entire economy. Note that this study was conducted well before the economic downturn in the last decade, where cost of drug abuse would only be exacerbated by a world straining from financial hardship.

That study also didn’t take into account abuse problems from legal substances that might be called drugs, such as tobacco and alcohol. More current estimates from the National Institute on Drug Abuse , place the figure at an excess of $600 billion dollars! These include not only crime costs, but costs of productivity and health. Broken down, the figures work out to around $181 billion for illegal drugs and then, for the legal substances, $193 billion for tobacco and a staggering $235 billion for alcohol.

Of course, these dry figures don’t include the human cost – the disintegration of families, the loss of jobs, domestic violence, child abuse, failure in school, and much more. These also should be considered in the total cost.

As high as Drug rehab costs may be, collectively, drug rehab programs may be seen as one solution to what comes down to a very human problem. But how does the individual go about paying for this solution, especially considering that low finances and substance abuse often go together?

While a struggle, a person with fewer funds may still be able to get help. State and federally funded drug rehabilitation facilities may be one such solution. These facilities often run on a sliding fee scale and can arrange for payment plans. They also work with Medicare and Medicaid programs. In some states, vouchers are available from federal programs – although it’s important to note that not every state participates and many of these particular programs are faith-based. Yet another option is to check out clinical trials that are testing new methods of counseling and medical treatment.

With thousands of treatment centers in the United States, on line searches will also help individuals in need locate affordable drug rehab centers everywhere from Los Angeles and New York to drug treatment in MN , where recovery can begin.