50 Valuable Insights from the Surgeon General’s Landmark Report

Last Thursday, the U.S. Surgeon General called for the end of addiction in America with his landmark report!

Facing Addiction in America: The Surgeon General’s Report on Alcohol, Drugs, and Health, is the first time a U.S. Surgeon General has dedicated a report to substance misuse and related disorders.

The landmark report explains that alcohol and drug misuse and severe substance use disorders, commonly called addiction, to be one of America’s most pressing public health concerns.

“Alcohol and drug addiction take an enormous toll on individuals, families, and communities,” said U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy. “Most Americans know someone who has been touched by an alcohol or a drug use disorder. Yet 90 percent of people with a substance use disorder are not getting treatment. That has to change.”

People are helped from addiction in different ways, so one solution is not enough. We need more programs and policies that increase access treatment options that work.

In an interview with USA Today, Murthy explained that the problem won’t be solved with a few laws or if public health experts start more programs. He says it’s going to take everyone coming together to do their part.

That means parents talking to their kids about addiction early on. 

Here are 50 highlights from this landmark report provided by SAMHSA and other sources.

1) This groundbreaking report is already being compared to the 1964 Surgeon General’s Report on Smoking and Health when it comes to importance and long-term impact.

2) The US. has a serious substance misuse problem!

3) Alcohol and drug misuse and related disorders are major public health challenges that are taking an enormous toll on individuals, families, and society.

4) Nearly 21 million Americans — more than the number of people who have all cancers combined — suffer from substance use disorders.

5) If services for substance use disorders are integrated with the rest of health care, it could significantly improve the quality, effectiveness, and safety of all health care.

6) In 2015, over 66 million people aged 12 or older in the United States reported binge drinking and 27.1 million people were current users of illicit drugs or misused prescription drugs.

7) Binge drinking is defined, for men, as having 5 or more standard drinks and, for women, 4 or more standard drinks on the same occasion on at least 1 day in the past 30 days. 

8) In 2015, 20.8 million people aged 12 or older in the United States had a substance use disorder.  That number is similar to the number of people who suffer from diabetes and more than 1.5 times the annual prevalence of all cancers combined (14 million).

9) In 2015, 15.7 million people were in need of treatment for an alcohol use disorder (7.8 percent for men and 4.1 percent for women) and nearly 7.7 million people needed treatment for an illicit drug use disorder (3.8 percent for men and 2.0 percent for women).

10) Behavioral health problems such as substance use, violence, impaired driving, mental health problems, and risky sexual activity are now the leading causes of death for those aged 15 to 24.

11) Alcohol misuse contributes to 88,000 deaths in the United States each year; 1 in 10 deaths among working adults is due to alcohol misuse.

12) In 2014, more than 47,000 people died from a drug overdose. Included in this number are nearly 30,000 people who died from an overdose involving prescription drugs. This is more than in any previous year on record.

13) Highly effective community-based prevention programs and policies exist and should be widely implemented.

14) Research has clarified the biological, psychological, and social underpinnings of substance misuse and related disorders. Research has also identified effective prevention, treatment, and recovery support services.

15) Most people in America know someone with a substance use disorder, and many know someone who has lost or nearly lost a family member as a consequence of substance misuse.

16) We need to stop treating addiction as a moral failing and start seeing it for what it is: a chronic disease that must be treated with urgency and compassion.

17) Nearly 21 million people suffer from a substance use disorder but only one in 10 receives treatment–that’s more than one and a half times the number of people who have cancer!

18) In 2015, substance use disorders affected 21 million Americans–approximately one in 12 adults and adolescents.

19) In 2015, over 27 million people in the United States reported current use of illicit drugs or misuse of prescription drugs, and over 66 million people (nearly a quarter of the adult and adolescent population) reported binge drinking in the past month.

20) Binge drinking for men is drinking 5 or more standard alcoholic drinks, and for women, 4 or more standard alcoholic drinks on the same occasion on at least 1 day in the past 30 days.

21) Implementation of evidence-based interventions around substance use disorder can have a benefit of more than $58 for every dollar spent.

22) Substance misuse costs society an estimated $442 billion each year in terms of lost productivity, healthcare costs and criminal justice costs.

23) Alcohol misuse is associated with liver and pancreatic diseases, hypertension, reproductive system disorders, trauma, stroke, and cancers of the oral cavity, esophagus, larynx, pharynx, liver, colon, and rectum.

24)  In 2014, 9,967 people were killed in car crashes while driving under the influence of alcohol, representing nearly one third (31 percent) of all traffic-related fatalities in the United States.

25) Substance use during pregnancy may interfere with a child’s brain development and result in later consequences for mental functioning and behavior.

26) Evidence now shows that addiction to alcohol or drugs is a chronic, but treatable, brain disorder that requires medical intervention, and has the potential for both recurrence and recovery.

27) Substance misuse and substance use disorders cost the U.S. more than $442 billion annually in crime, health care, and lost productivity. 

28) In 2014, 47,055 drug overdose deaths occurred in the United States, and 61 percent of these deaths involved prescription opioids and heroin. Heroin overdoses have more than tripled between 2010 to 2014.

29) Science tells us how to solve the problem of addiction.

30) There are few other medical conditions surrounded by as much shame and misunderstanding as substance use disorders.

31) Our health care system has not given the same level of attention to substance use disorders as it has to other health concerns that affect similar numbers of people.

32) Many factors contribute to this “treatment gap,” including the inability to access or afford care, fear of shame and discrimination, and lack of screening for substance misuse and substance use disorders in general health care settings.

33) Despite the challenges of drug and alcohol misuse in this country, this is also a time of great hope and opportunity.

34) Addiction to alcohol or drugs is a chronic but treatable brain disease that requires medical intervention, not moral judgment.

35) Evidence-based treatments–both medications and behavioral therapies–can save lives and restore people’s health, well-being, and functioning, as well as reduce the spread of infectious disease and lessen other consequences.

36) Support services such as mutual aid groups (e.g., Alcoholics Anonymous), recovery housing, and recovery coaches are increasingly available to help people in the long and often difficult task of maintaining recovery after treatment.

37) Health care reform efforts are creating new opportunities to increase access to prevention and treatment services to improve public health.

38) The criminal justice system is engaged in efforts to place non-violent drug offenders in treatment instead of jail, to improve the delivery of evidence-based treatment for incarcerated persons, and to coordinate care in the community when inmates are released.

39) As with other chronic, relapsing medical conditions, treatment can manage the symptoms of substance use disorders and prevent relapse.

40) Scientific evidence shows that medications can be effective in treating certain serious substance use disorders. The combination of behavioral interventions and medications to treat substance use disorders is referred to as medication-assisted treatment, or MAT.

41) People with substance use disorders need support through the long and often difficult process of returning to a healthy and productive life.

42) By adopting an evidence-based public health approach, America has the opportunity to take genuinely effective steps to prevent and treat substance-related issues.

43) An evidence-based public health approach can prevent substance initiation or escalation from use to a disorder, reduce the number of people suffering with addiction, shorten the duration of illness for sufferers, and reduce the number of substance-related deaths.

44) Recovery is a process of change through which individuals improve their health and wellness, live a self-directed life, and strive to reach their full potential and can be achieved through diverse pathways.

45) Remission is a medical term meaning that major disease symptoms are eliminated or diminished below a pre-determined, harmful level. Like any other chronic health condition, substance use disorders can go into remission.

46) The Affordable Care Act and MHPAEA require that mental health and substance use disorder benefits covered by health insurance plans be offered at levels comparable to other medical benefits.

47) Delivering substance use disorder services in mainstream health care can be cost effective and may increase access to care, reduce hospital readmissions, and improve overall health outcomes.

48) We need to promote much wider adoption of appropriate evidence-based prevention, treatment, and recovery strategies needs as a top public health priority.

49) We can make the major cultural shift in the way we think about, talk about, look at, and act toward people with substance use disorders.

50) Now is the time to make this change, for the health and well-being of all Americans.

If you liked this article, please share with friends and family, so that we can all be on the same page around the topic of substance use disorder. For the full report, visit https://addiction.surgeongeneral.gov/.

Research sources include:

Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality (CBHSQ), 2016, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2015, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2005, Sacks et al., 2015, National Drug Intelligence Center, 2011, Rehm, J., Mathers, C., Popova, S., Thavorncharoensap, M., Teerawattananon, Y., & Patra, J., 2009, Rudd et al., 2016, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2014, National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2016.