The cost to society: how your donation helps
Early intervention in the life of an adolescent addict is obviously good for the individual concerned. But it is also good for society at large, freeing up resources for other needs.
Addiction hurts us all
AARC’s treatment model helps reduce our reliance on long-term addiction facilities, such as drop-in centres, shelters, emergency room visits, youth and adult detention centres, group homes and foster homes. Addiction also weighs heavily on the policing and criminal justice system, social work departments, social welfare payments and other public health services.
Back in 2002, the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse estimated that the total costs to Canadian society due to addiction was around $40 billion a year, with Alberta alone impacted by up to $5.3 billion.