Complete Story
 

11/17/2016

Surgeon General releases first ever report on addiction in America

U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy’s Office has released the report, “Facing Addiction in America,” which pulls together the latest information on the health impacts of drug and alcohol misuse, as well as on the issues surrounding treatment and prevention. It offers reasons for optimism despite a still-increasing overdose epidemic that has killed more than 500,000 Americans since 2000, and it presents evidence that addiction is a treatable brain disease, with new therapies under development.

“The report released today confirms what we have known for a long time: addiction is a disease of the brain that can and should be treated with evidence-based, compassionate care,” said Jeffrey Goldsmith, MD, OPPA member and president of the American Society of Addiction Medicine. “For too long, policy makers, the public, and even healthcare providers have misunderstood this disease as some sort of moral failing. We hope this report will put an end to that misperception once and for all.”

In 2015, the report notes, substance-abuse disorders affected 20.8 million people in the United States — as many as those with diabetes and 1½ times as many as those with cancer. Yet, Murthy said, only one in 10 people receives treatment.

“We would never tolerate a situation where only one in 10 people with cancer or diabetes gets treatment, and yet we do that with substance abuse disorders,” he said.

Below are some of the highlights of the report (source: Drug Free Action Alliance):

General Stats:

Neurobiology:

Prevention:

Early Intervention:

Recovery:

Health Care Systems:

Related

Landmark report by Surgeon General calls drug crisis ‘a moral test for America’,” Washington Post, Nov. 17, 2016

Printer-Friendly Version