The National Institute for Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism has determined that there is a "lost decade" between the age of onset of alcohol abuse or alcohol dependency and the age of first treatment.

Rehab is a business, and it's big business, and as unfortunate as it may be, those without money wait a lot longer for care; and too often never do get into treatment, deterred either by unreasonable waiting times or by a simple lack of access.