• Home
  • Contact Us!
  • Privacy Policy

Radio Metta

  • Home
  • Business
  • Education
  • Health
  • Home Deco
  • News
  • Real Estate
  • Technology
  • Contact Us!
  • Privacy Policy
Home» Health»Landmark report by Surgeon General calls drug crisis ‘a moral test for America’

Landmark report by Surgeon General calls drug crisis ‘a moral test for America’

Saheli 17 Nov 2016 Health Comments Off on Landmark report by Surgeon General calls drug crisis ‘a moral test for America’ 365 Views

A landmark report released Thursday by U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy places drug and alcohol addiction alongside smoking, AIDS and other public health crises of the past half-century, calling the current epidemic “a moral test for America.”

“The reason I’m issuing this report is I want to call our country to action around what has become a pressing public health issue,” Murthy said in an interview. “I want our country to understand the magnitude of this crisis. I’m not sure everyone does.”

The report, “Facing Addiction,” 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.

[Post investigation: The DEA slowed enforcement while the opioid epidemic grew out of control]

In 2015, the report notes, substance-abuse disorders affected 20.8 million people in the United States — as many as those with diabetes and 150 percent of the total 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.

In the same year, more than 27 million people said they had used illegal drugs or misused prescription drugs, and more than 66 million reported binge drinking in the previous month.

Since 1964, surgeons general have produced major reports on tobacco use, HIV and AIDS, physical activity, mental health, suicide prevention and other concerns. “Surgeon general’s reports are issued carefully, and they’re done when the country needs to be called to action on an issue,” Murthy said. “We have a crisis of addiction of significant scale.”

A section of the latest report, on the neurobiology of addiction, describes the pleasure and pain functions of parts of the brain that combine to make overcoming a drug habit so difficult. Drugs and alcohol also disrupt an area of the brain that controls impulse, reducing a person’s ability to avoid these substances.

[How drugs intended for legitimate patients ended up in the hands of illegal users]

In an adolescent’s developing brain, alcohol and drugs can do even more damage. A person who begins drinking before the age of 15 has four times the chance of becoming addicted than someone who starts after 21, Murthy said.

Modern treatments are effective, the report states, though relapse rates are comparable to those seen among people with other chronic diseases. It can take a year of abstinence before a person enters remission; for people trying to recover from an alcohol-abuse disorder, it can be four or five years before the chance of relapse drops below 15 percent.

Regardless of persistent beliefs, addiction is a brain disease, not a moral failing, Murthy said. Part of the reason for the report is to change attitudes about addiction and the stigma that users feel, he explained.

“I’m calling for a culture change in how we think about addiction,” he said. “Unless we eradicate the negative [stereotypes] . . . we won’t create an environment where people feel comfortable coming forward and asking for help.”

Regardless of persistent beliefs, addiction is a brain disease, not a moral failing, Murthy said. Part of the reason for the report is to change attitudes about addiction and the stigma that users feel, he explained.

“I’m calling for a culture change in how we think about addiction,” he said. “Unless we eradicate the negative [stereotypes] . . . we won’t create an environment where people feel comfortable coming forward and asking for help.”

[Source:-THE WASHINGTON POST]

a America by Calls Crisis Drug for General Landmark report Surgeon test ‘moral 2016-11-17
Tags a America by Calls Crisis Drug for General Landmark report Surgeon test ‘moral
Facebook Twitter Stumble linkedin Pinterest More

Authors

Posted by : Saheli
Previous Article :

United States Comes in Last Again on Health, Compared to Other Countries

Next Article :

Hires Apartment Renovation by buro5

Related Articles

Anatomy, Function, and Common Injuries of Hamstring Muscles

Anatomy, Function, and Common Injuries of Hamstring Muscles

admin 12 Aug 2025
Quitting vaping: the health reasons why you should give up vaping

Quitting vaping: the health reasons why you should give up vaping

admin 30 Jul 2025
Acidity Problems?  21 Home Remedies That Can Be Beneficial

Acidity Problems? 21 Home Remedies That Can Be Beneficial

admin 06 Jun 2025

Latest Post

Why a focus on foundational education must be at the heart of the response: Out of school but not out of reach
Education

Why a focus on foundational education must be at the heart of the response: Out of school but not out of reach

admin 23 Aug 2025
HP Increases Innovation in Gaming
Technology

HP Increases Innovation in Gaming

admin 19 Aug 2025
Anatomy, Function, and Common Injuries of Hamstring Muscles
Health

Anatomy, Function, and Common Injuries of Hamstring Muscles

admin 12 Aug 2025
Gaming Your Way to Sharper AI Prompts
Technology

Gaming Your Way to Sharper AI Prompts

admin 07 Aug 2025
15 Elegant Living Room Hanging Lights
Home Deco

15 Elegant Living Room Hanging Lights

admin 04 Aug 2025
115 Ideas for Real Estate Blogs: How to Make the Most of Your Online Presence and Get Leads
Real Estate

115 Ideas for Real Estate Blogs: How to Make the Most of Your Online Presence and Get Leads

admin 02 Aug 2025
Quitting vaping: the health reasons why you should give up vaping
Health

Quitting vaping: the health reasons why you should give up vaping

admin 30 Jul 2025
August 2025
M T W T F S S
 123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
25262728293031
« Jul    
  • Home
  • Contact Us!
  • Privacy Policy
Copyright 2016, All Rights Reserved
Magazine Blog News WordPress Theme