State Plan | Bureau of Drug and Alcohol Services | NH Department of Health and Human Services

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State Plan on Alcohol and Drugs

The misuse of alcohol and other drugs is one of the most serious public health problems facing our nation. Substance use disorders are chronic health conditions, similar in nature to hypertension and diabetes, and have similar recovery rates to these widespread illnesses. The economic cost to American society from alcohol and drug abuse has been calculated at an estimated at $414 billion annually. Alcohol and drug abuse is a contributory factor to many social issues such as job loss, domestic violence, child abuse, accidents and crime, and yet, the resources to address these problems are frequently inadequate and fragmented, as there is no systematic plan for the design and delivery of services to prevent and treat them.

In 2006, the NH Department of Health and Human Services; the NH Governor's Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention, Intervention, and Treatment; Dartmouth Medical School; and the NH Alcohol and Drug Services Providers' Association collaboratively convened a task force to develop a plan to address the scope of the problem on a statewide basis, intending that this plan provide the guiding framework to make it possible to deal with substance abuse disorders in an efficient and effective manner across professional disciplines, and among private organizations and public agencies.

The State Plan and recommendations serve only as the first prescribed steps in a process designed to build a comprehensive system to address the misuse of alcohol and other drugs. In order for these recommendations to be fulfilled, it will be essential to designate a leadership structure to assume responsibility for and ensure implementation of this plan, monitor the success of the implementation of plan goals and objectives, and review and revise the plan as necessary.