HEALTH: One in 7 Americans will face addiction, surgeon general warns

America needs an intervention.

 

One in seven of us will become addicted to drugs or alcohol, but just one in 10 will seek treatment, according to a sobering report released by the U.S. surgeon general

on Wednesday. And this substance abuse is costing us billions of dollars and tens of thousands of lives.

The sweeping “Facing Addiction in America” report is the first from a surgeon general to address all drugs, including legal prescription painkillers, alcohol and illicit substances, instead of focusing on just one, like the 1964 federal report on smoking.

And the picture that emerges when you put the numbers together is startling:

*More than 27 million Americans age 12 and up admitted to using illegal drugs or misusing prescription drugs last year.

*More than 66 million, or one in five, reported binge drinking in the last month. That’s at least five alcoholic drinks in one sitting for a man, and four for a woman.

*Alcohol abuse contributes to 88,000 deaths in the U.S. each year.

*There were 47,055 drug overdose deaths in 2014, and 28,647 of those involved an opioid, including prescription pain killers and heroin — more than in any previous year on record.

*More people use prescription opioids (38%) than all tobacco products combined (31%).

*About 20.8 million people have substance abuse disorders. That’s similar to the number of people who have diabetes, and 1.5 times the number of people who have cancer.

*Substance abuse disorders are costing the country more than $420 billion a year.

*And these numbers don’t even include the millions of people who are misusing substances, but have not yet developed a full-fledged addiction.

 

Dr. Richard N. Rosenthal, medical director of the Mount Sinai Behavioral Health System, called the report a “landmark publication that is novel in scope” in line with the iconic tobacco report. “The information clearly demonstrates the need to invest more in scientific research in order to broaden the evidence base for effective prevention, treatment, and recovery from substance use disorders,” he told the News.

Paul J. Rinaldi, director of the Addiction Institute of Mount Sinai St. Luke's and Mount Sinai West, also praised the surgeon general for framing addiction as a scientific and a medical issue, and not a weakness of character. The report noted that 40% of those with a substance abuse problem also have a mental health condition.

“It was music to my eyes,” he told the News. “It’s such a stigmatized illness, that it prevents people from talking about it openly. And that pushes people into the dark corners, which then helps them maintain their addictions.”

The paper doesn’t offer a clear solution, but suggests raising awareness, calling for the country to direct money toward treatment and prevention programs, and getting the public and health care professionals alike to be more sensitive to those battling addiction.

That includes providing substance abuse treatment in more traditional primary care settings. Someone too embarrassed to walk into an addiction clinic might be more comfortable visiting a hospital that also provides a treatment program.

We must also reach out to kids, since more research is showing that abusive behaviors take root early in developing brains. People who began drinking alcohol before 15 are four times more likely to become addicted than those who take their first sip at 20. And almost 70% of those who try an illegal drug before age 13 develop a substance use disorder within seven years, versus the 27% who first experimented at 17.

Targeting people who are currently misusing drugs and alcohol, but haven’t become fully addicted yet, is another way to nip the problem in the bud. “In fact, greater impact is likely to be achieved by reducing substance misuse . . . among people who are not addicted — than among those with severe substance use problems,” said the report.