(Former) Surgeon General’s Report- 2016

Facing Addiction in America

The Former Surgeon General’s Report on Alcohol, Drugs, and Health.

This report aims to bring to light the effects of alcohol and drugs on our bodies and our society.  In America, in 2015, 66.7 million people reported binge drinking and 27.1 million people were current drug users (Chapter 1, Pg.1).  Life expectancy has gone down in the United States in large part due to substance abuse and addiction.

The report outlines the key areas needed in the approach to address substance abuse including:

  1. Enhanced public education to improve awareness about substance use problems and demand for more effective policies and practices to address them.

  2. Widespread implementation of evidence-based prevention policies and programs to prevent substance misuse and related harms

  3. Improved access to evidence-based treatment services, integrated with mainstream health care, for those at risk or affected by substance use disorders

  4. Recovery support services (RSS) to assist individuals in maintaining remission and preventing relapse

  5. Research-informed public policies and financing strategies to ensure that substance misuse and use disorder services are accessible compassionate, efficient, and sustainable. (Chapter I, Pg. 3)

Addiction has become a major health crisis in the United States, this report aims to educate and help all those who are or may become addicted.

Link to report

https://addiction.surgeongeneral.gov/surgeon-generals-report.pdf 

 

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office of the Surgeon General, Facing Addiction in America: The Surgeon General’s Report on Alcohol, Drugs, and Health. Washington, DC: HHS, November 2016.

 

 

 

This entry was posted in Uncategorized. Bookmark the permalink.