Comment; It’s good to see that this is being treated so seriously at such high levels of government.
Rockville, MD (September 20, 2018) – The American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) applauds the Surgeon General’s release of Facing Addiction in America: The Surgeon General’s Spotlight on Opioids. The Spotlight – the Surgeon General’s newest update on opioid addiction- calls for a cultural shift in the way Americans talk about the opioid overdose crisis and recommends actions that can prevent and treat opioid use disorder and promote recovery. It also provides the latest data on the prevalence of opioid use disorder and overdose.
“Addiction is a brain disease that touches families across America – even my own,” said US Surgeon General Jerome M. Adams. “We need to work together to put an end to stigma.”
Despite the fact that effective treatment for opioid use disorder exists, only about one in four people with this disorder receives any type of specialty treatment. For a variety of reasons, including stigma and inability to access or afford care, a treatment gap remains.
“We applaud the Surgeon General’s office for calling on this nation to end the stigma surrounding the disease of addiction and for recognizing that evidence-based treatment for opioid use disorder includes the use of FDA-approved medications combined with psychosocial supports. This action is an important step to making this information available to the broader public,” said Kelly J. Clark, MD, MBA, DFASAM, president of ASAM.
The science shows that no area of the United States is exempt from the opioid overdose crisis. As a result, the Surgeon General is calling on all individuals to do the following:
The full report can be viewed here: https://addiction.surgeongeneral.gov/
- COVID UPDATE: What is the truth? - 2022-11-08
- Pathologist Speaks Out About COVID Jab Effects - 2022-07-04
- A Massive Spike in Disability is Most Likely Due to a Wave of Vaccine Injuries - 2022-06-30
