Confronting the problem of drug addiction in the United States seems to be something that Americans aren’t especially good at doing.
But a new report, regarded by some as groundbreaking, could provide the impetus that’s needed to more effectively address the needs of those who are addicted and it could help stem the problem.
The report comes from the Surgeon General and is significant simply by the fact it marks the first time the Surgeon General has issued such findings. At 472 pages, the study is reported to be the first of its size and scope since the Surgeon General’s Report on Smoking and Health, and that was in 1964.
Some thought-provoking realities are brought to light. Among the most notable is the very definition of addiction. Stressing that addiction is too often stigmatized and misunderstood, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy wrote, “Addiction is not a character flaw. It is a chronic illness that we must approach with the same skill and compassion that we approach heart disease, diabetes and cancer.”
A story published in the News and Tribune, which circulates in Floyd and Clark counties places emphasis on why it is critical for stereotypes surrounding addiction to be set aside. Then and only then can society be assigning addiction the attention it merits in terms of effective treatment. Dr. Tom Harris, Floyd County health officer, told the News and Tribune, “We wouldn’t tolerate it if only 10 percent of our cancer patients got treated. But that’s what’s happening with substance abuse .Only about 10 percent are currently in some form of treatment program.”
Misconceptions about addiction, often coupled with the stigma associated with it, have kept people from seeking treatment. In many cases, resources for fighting addiction simply aren’t available. Treatment options, predictably, involve funding from the state and federal government. The degree to which the new report will affect the amount of funding allocated for programming remains an unknown.
Even as funding issues are being resolved, other steps can be taken to make a difference in addressing addiction. Those come largely in the form of prevention. Clark County’s health officer, Dr. Kevin Burke, advocates pounding away at the anti-drug message as early as kindergarten and continuing through high school.” His way of thinking clearly has merit.
The Surgeon General’s report, again, can serve as an impetus for generating greater understanding of what addiction means and ought to result in communities resolutely exploring new and innovative ways to discourage substance abuse.