In a new report from the U.S. Surgeon General’s Office, entitled “Facing Addiction in America,” an average of 78 people in the U.S. die each day as the result of opiate overdose. That’s greater than the number of auto-related fatalities, and costs the U.S. economy twice as much as diabetes. Those deaths also represent a small fraction of the estimated 21 million Americans with substance abuse disorders. Despite this, only 10% of those people ever seek treatment.
There is a reason for that. In his report, Dr. Vivek Murthy writes:
“Substance use disorders represent one of the most pressing public health crises of our time…for far too long, too many in our country have viewed addiction as a moral failing. This unfortunate stigma has created an added burden of shame that has made people with substance use disorders less likely to come forward and seek help.”
The new report marks the first time that the Surgeon General’s Office has addressed the issue of drug addiction and alcoholism, though other agencies of the federal government have come to the same conclusions. It is Dr. Murthy’s hope that his report will help to change public perceptions of addiction and substance abuse. The last time any progress was made on that front was back during the mid-1960s, when then Surgeon General Luther Terry issued his report on the hazards of smoking. However, the idea that addiction is not a moral failing to be punished, but rather a disease to be treated, goes back well over a century.
Those of you who have seen the cable TV series “The Knick” are familiar with the fictional character of Dr. John Thackery, who struggles with his own addiction. What you may not know is that Dr. Thackery was based on a real-life physician named William S. Halsted (1852-1922). A brilliant medical scientist, he was one of the founding professors at John Hopkins, and was among the first to call for a sterile operating environment and the use of anesthesia. He was also addicted to both morphine and cocaine as a result of experiments he performed on himself. As a result of dealing with his own addictions, he came to the conclusion that addiction is not caused by weakness of character, but is a sickness that calls for compassionate treatment.
Dr. Murthy points out that that every dollar spent on treatment for addiction saves the economy $11 in health care expenses and criminal justice costs. It’s why our leaders need a change of perspective and mindset that eliminates the stigma associated with substance abuse. Unfortunately, with the new Administration, this is not likely to happen – particularly as the private, for-profit prison industry is getting a fresh lease on life.
Nor can we look for any help from the private health insurance and for-profit healthcare “system.” Even under the Affordable Care Act, many insurers refuse to cover the cost of addiction treatment, while pharmaceutical companies keep treatments for addictions artificially high in order to maximize their profits.
Dr. Murthy told USA Today that “At a time when we are resource-constrained already, we cannot afford, for humanitarian reasons or financial reasons, to not address addiction in America.”