{"id":46,"date":"2020-11-23T21:34:49","date_gmt":"2020-11-23T21:34:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gdcada.org\/?page_id=46"},"modified":"2020-11-23T21:34:49","modified_gmt":"2020-11-23T21:34:49","slug":"alcoholism-and-drug-dependence-americas-number-one-health-problem","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/gdcada.org\/stories\/alcprob.htm","title":{"rendered":"Alcoholism and Drug Dependence \u2013 America\u2019s Number One Health Problem"},"content":{"rendered":"

 <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"Alcoholism<\/td>\nThe cost and consequences of alcoholism and drug dependence place an enormous burden on American society. As\u00a0the nation\u2019s number one health problem<\/strong>, addiction strains the health care system, the economy, harms family life, and threatens public\u00a0safety.<\/p>\n

Substance abuse crosses all societal boundaries<\/strong>, affects both genders, every ethnic group, and people in every tax bracket. Scientific documentation defines alcoholism and drug dependence as a disease that has roots in both genetic susceptibility and personal\u00a0behavior.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Scope of the Problem<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Substance abuse causes more deaths and disabilities each year in the U.S. than from any other\u00a0cause.1<\/sup><\/li>\n
  • About 18 million Americans have alcohol problems; about 5\u20136 million Americans have other drug\u00a0problems.2<\/sup><\/li>\n
  • More than half of all adults have a family history of alcoholism or problem\u00a0drinking.3<\/sup><\/li>\n
  • More than nine million children live with a parent dependent on alcohol and\/or illicit\u00a0drugs.3<\/sup><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    The Consequences<\/p>\n

      \n
    • One-quarter of all emergency room admissions, one-third of all suicides, and more than half of all homicides and incidents of domestic violence are\u00a0alcohol-related.4<\/sup><\/li>\n
    • Heavy drinking contributes to illness in each of the top three causes of death: heart disease, cancer and\u00a0stroke.3<\/sup><\/li>\n
    • Almost half of all traffic fatalities are\u00a0alcohol-related.5<\/sup><\/li>\n
    • Between 48% and 64% of people who die in fires have blood alcohol levels indicating\u00a0intoxication.1<\/sup><\/li>\n
    • Fetal alcohol syndrome is the leading known cause of mental\u00a0retardation.6<\/sup><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      The Costs<\/p>\n

        \n
      • Alcohol and drug abuse costs the American economy an estimated $276 billion per year in lost productivity, health care expenditures, crime, motor vehicle crashes, and other\u00a0conditions.7<\/sup><\/li>\n
      • Untreated addiction is more expensive than heart disease, diabetes, and cancer\u00a0combined.7<\/sup><\/li>\n
      • Every American adult pays nearly $1,000 per year for the damages of\u00a0addiction.8<\/sup><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        What Can Be Done ?<\/p>\n

        Like other diseases, addiction can be overcome<\/strong>\u00a0with proper treatment, prevention, and more research. By increasing access to care, the costly toll on society and the burden it places on families can be reduced. Research shows conclusively that successful prevention and treatment leads to reductions in traffic fatalities, crime, unwanted pregnancy, child abuse, HIV, cancer, and heart disease. Treatment reduces drug use, improves health, improves job performance, reduces involvement with the criminal justice system, reduces family dysfunction, and improves quality of\u00a0life.<\/p>\n

        Testing has documented the dramatic decreases in occupational problems, including the following reductions after\u00a0treatment:
        \n\u2022 absenteeism decreased by 89%
        \n\u2022 tardiness decreased by 92%
        \n\u2022 problems with supervisors decreased by 56%
        \n\u2022 mistakes in work decreased by 70%
        \n\u2022 incomplete work decreased by 81%9<\/sup><\/p>\n

        Another study found significant decreased health care costs from before to after treatment\u00a0in:
        \n\u2022 hospitalizations for physical health problems (-36%)
        \n\u2022 drug overdose hospitalizations (-58%)
        \n\u2022 mental health hospitalizations (-44%)
        \n\u2022 number of emergency room visits (-36%)
        \n\u2022 total number of hospital days (-25%)10<\/sup><\/p>\n

        Americans increasingly recognize that\u00a0alcoholism and drug dependence is a disease<\/strong>\u00a0with consequences that affect both physical and behavioral health. Diagnostic and treatment services have changed in recent years and modern treatment, when adequately provided, enables a great many people to recover and rebuild productive\u00a0lives.<\/p>\n

        It is important that the public be aware of evidence generated by scientific inquiry, clinical evaluation, and clinical experience. The evidence demonstrates that\u00a0treatment for alcohol and other drug abuse works<\/strong>. Treatment not only saves lives, it also saves dollars that would otherwise be spent in other areas of medical care and social services. For every dollar spent on addiction treatment, seven dollars is saved in reduced health care costs.10<\/sup><\/p>\n

        Alcoholism and drug dependence are treatable<\/strong>\u00a0and millions of people have achieved\u00a0recovery.<\/p>\n

        SOURCES<\/div>\n

        1<\/sup>\u00a0\u201cSubstance Abuse:\u00a0The Nation\u2019s Number One Health Problem<\/em>,\u201d Institute for Health Policy, Brandeis University, 1993.<\/p>\n

        2<\/sup>\u00a0\u201cSubstance Abuse:\u00a0The Nation\u2019s Number One Health Problem<\/em>,\u201d Institute for Health Policy, Brandeis University, 2001.<\/p>\n

        3<\/sup> Position Paper on Drug Policy, Physician Leadership on National Drug Policy, Brown University Center for Alcohol & Addiction Studies, 2000.<\/p>\n

        4<\/sup>\u00a0\u201cSobering Facts on the Dangers of Alcohol,\u201d NY Newsday, April 24, 2002.<\/p>\n

        5<\/sup> National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Annual Report, 1992.<\/p>\n

        6<\/sup> E. Abel, \u201cIncidence of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome & Economic Impact of FAS-Related Anomalies,\u201d Drug & Alcohol Dependence, 1987.<\/p>\n

        7<\/sup>\u00a0\u201cSubstance Abuse:\u00a0The Nation\u2019s Number One Health Problem<\/em>,\u201d Institute for Health Policy, Brandeis University, 2001.<\/p>\n

        8<\/sup> The National Drug Control Strategy, The White House, 1997.<\/p>\n

        9<\/sup> Ohio Dept. of Alcohol & Drug Addiction Services, New Standards, Inc., St. Paul, MN, 1994.<\/p>\n

        10<\/sup> Gerstein, et al, \u201cEvaluating Recovery Services:\u00a0the California Drug & Alcohol Assessment<\/em>,\u201d Sacramento, 1994.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

          The cost and consequences of alcoholism and drug dependence place an enormous burden on American society. As\u00a0the nation\u2019s number one health problem, addiction strains the health care system, the economy, harms family life, and threatens public\u00a0safety. Substance abuse crosses all societal boundaries, affects both genders, every ethnic group, and people in every tax bracket. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"yoast_head":"\nAlcoholism and Drug Dependence \u2013 America\u2019s Number One Health Problem - GDCADA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/gdcada.org\/stories\/alcprob.htm\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Alcoholism and Drug Dependence \u2013 America\u2019s Number One Health Problem - GDCADA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"  The cost and consequences of alcoholism and drug dependence place an enormous burden on American society. As\u00a0the nation\u2019s number one health problem, addiction strains the health care system, the economy, harms family life, and threatens public\u00a0safety. Substance abuse crosses all societal boundaries, affects both genders, every ethnic group, and people in every tax bracket. […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"http:\/\/gdcada.org\/stories\/alcprob.htm\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"GDCADA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20060220161610im_\/http:\/\/www.gdcada.org\/stories\/images\/drown.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\">\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"3 minutes\">\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/gdcada.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/gdcada.org\/\",\"name\":\"GDCADA\",\"description\":\"Just another WordPress site\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":\"https:\/\/gdcada.org\/?s={search_term_string}\",\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/gdcada.org\/stories\/alcprob.htm#primaryimage\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20060220161610im_\/http:\/\/www.gdcada.org\/stories\/images\/drown.jpg\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/gdcada.org\/stories\/alcprob.htm#webpage\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/gdcada.org\/stories\/alcprob.htm\",\"name\":\"Alcoholism and Drug Dependence \\u2013 America\\u2019s Number One Health Problem - GDCADA\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/gdcada.org\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/gdcada.org\/stories\/alcprob.htm#primaryimage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2020-11-23T21:34:49+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-11-23T21:34:49+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/gdcada.org\/stories\/alcprob.htm#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"http:\/\/gdcada.org\/stories\/alcprob.htm\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/gdcada.org\/stories\/alcprob.htm#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"item\":{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/gdcada.org\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/gdcada.org\/\",\"name\":\"Home\"}},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"item\":{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/gdcada.org\/stories\/alcprob.htm\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/gdcada.org\/stories\/alcprob.htm\",\"name\":\"Alcoholism and Drug Dependence \\u2013 America\\u2019s Number One Health Problem\"}}]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gdcada.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/46"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gdcada.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gdcada.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gdcada.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gdcada.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=46"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/gdcada.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/46\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":48,"href":"https:\/\/gdcada.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/46\/revisions\/48"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gdcada.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=46"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}