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Abstract
Untreated chemical dependency costs the United States over $165 billion annually. Meanwhile, treatment offsets these costs by a ratio of $7 saved for every $1 spent. But the vast majority of chemically dependent people (CDPs) remain uninvolved in either treatment or self-help groups. It is therefore imperative that more effective ways be developed for therapeutically engaging them. One avenue is to maximize the opportunity presented when a “concerned other” (CO) person—such as a family member, friend, coworker, or clergy member.—contacts a treatment agency to get help for a CDP. This paper provides a method for handing such calls. Specific guidelines are presented as to (a) the kind of information to be gathered, (b) procedures to be followed, and (c) options to be offered toward mobilizing the CO and other family/social network members in successfully effecting CDP treatment engagement.