Millions of Americans suffer from alcoholism or addiction to legal and illegal drugs, but only a fraction are being treated, according to a report released on Thursday by the surgeon general.
One in seven people in the United States is expected to develop a substance use disorder at some point in their lives, the report said. But as of now, only one in 10 will receive treatment.
The report is the first from a surgeon general to address substance use disorders and the wider range of health problems related to alcohol and drugs.
It calls for, among other things, a cultural change in understanding that addiction is a brain disease, not a character flaw.
“It’s time to change how we view addiction,” Dr. Vivek H. Murthy, the surgeon general, said in releasing the report. “Not as a moral failing but as a chronic illness that must be treated with skill, urgency and compassion. The way we address this crisis is a test for America.”
The report is intended to try to prompt the public, policy makers and health care professionals to better address these issues.
Those who work in the fields of addiction and recovery liken it to the landmark surgeon general reports of the 1950s and 1960s that said smoking caused lung cancer and led Congress in 1965 to require health warnings on cigarette packs.
[For more of this story, written by Katharine Q. Seelye, go to http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11...ral-report.html?_r=0]
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