Drug prevention advocates echo surgeon general guidance on addiction

Murthy points out that addiction is a “disease of the brain, not a character flaw”, and advocates for implementing preventative measures early, like addressing children still in school.

It finds one in seven people will face a substance abuse disorder in life. That means more investment in treatment and prevention at every level. In 2015, almost 48 million Americans used an illicit drug or misused a prescription medication, approximately 67 million reported binge drinking in the past month, and almost 28 million self-reported driving under the influence in the past year.

According to the report, in 2015, 20.8 million Americans faced with drug abuse and alcohol addiction – a similar figure to the one reported in diabetes and cancer.

“I’m calling for a cultural change in how we think about addiction”, Murthy told The Huffington Post.

This treatment regimen would vary based on the individual but could include things like cognitive behavioural therapy, a form of psychotherapy in which the therapist and patient work together to swap unhealthy learned patterns with more constructive ways of thinking, and potentially medication.

“What the science tells us very clearly is that addiction is in fact a chronic disease of the brain”, said USA surgeon general Vivek Murthy. The report covers information on various aspects of drug abuse, including its treatment and prevention.

The report seeks to inspire action and sway public opinion in the style of the 1964 surgeon general’s landmark report on smoking. He serves on the Interagency Pain Research Coordinating Committee at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and was a recent board member of the American Pain Society.

Although critics of harm reduction say it encourages drug use, evidence from the new report shows otherwise.

More than 25 million people who once had a problem with alcohol or drugs no longer do, according to a national survey cited in the report. “It’s absolutely imperative that we invest in treatment to get people the help they need”. The study suggests that health care and substance use disorder treatment need to be integrated. “Whatever we do going forward, in terms of additional policies that we adapt, we have to ensure that we are protecting and expanding insurance coverage”.

“I have met people who were scared that they would lose their job, be ostracized by their neighbors, or be looked at differently by their doctor if they admitted they had a problem with addiction”, Murthy said. It describes how it’s easier for teenagers to get addicted, and how substance abuse can stunt brain development. Enforcing laws that require insurers to cover addiction treatment will be a test of Trump’s “promise to put average Americans ahead of corporate interests”, said Kennedy.