ad·dic·tion
Addiction is a treatable, chronic medical disease involving complex interactions among brain circuits, genetics, the environment, and an individual’s life experiences. People with addiction use substances or engage in behaviors that become compulsive and often continue despite harmful consequences.
American Society of Addiction Medicine, Inc
According to the National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics, non-sanctioned/non-medical/non-prescribed use of controlled substances is considered drug abuse and is likely to create physical or psychological dependence. 9.5 million or 3.8 percent of adults over the age of 18 have both a substance abuse disorder (SUD) and a mental illness. In 2017, the cost of drug abuse in the US was nearly $272 billion, accounting for crime, healthcare needs, lost work productivity and other impacts on society. Americans are in crisis when considering the sweeping escalation of addiction.
- Among the 15 million individuals with Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD), less than 8% receive treatment.
- In 2018, 5.2 million young adults or 1 in 7 aged 18-25 needed substance abuse treatment with only 1.6% or 547,000 receiving treatment.
- 15.1 million adults or 1 in 14 aged 26 or older needed substance abuse treatment with only 1.4% or 3 million receiving treatment.
- In 2015, opioids were being prescribed at a rate that would medicate every American around the clock (5mg of hydrocodone every 4 hours) for 3 weeks.
Drug overdoses now kill more than 100,000 Americans a year – more than vehicle crashes and gun deaths combined.
From the New York Times on Sunday, February 13, 2022: “No other advanced nation is dealing with a comparable drug crisis. And over the past two years, it has worsened: Annual overdose deaths spiked 50 percent as fentanyl spread in illegal markets, more people turned to drugs during the pandemic, and treatment facilities and other services shut down.”
The needs of this vulnerable community are not lessening, they are multiplying.
Our clients are your family members, friends, colleagues and neighbors. Addiction knows no socio-economic or gender preference. We need to provide every opportunity possible for our clients and families to overcome their disease and learn to live without the substances they have depended on.
Addiction and mental health go hand-in-hand. When we are called upon to provide services and support, it’s at a time of desperation, medical necessity, or crisis. When people call on us, they are at their most vulnerable, and we want to provide for their recovery through therapeutic intervention to help mitigate their challenges so that the prospects of an independent life can be foreseen for most of those we care for.
