Surgeon General’s Report on Alcohol, Drugs & Health
Written by Dani Rice, Co-Founder & Chief Mental Health Employer Solutions Provider, Empowered Partnerships LLC.
The Surgeon General has released a report on Alcohol, Drugs and Health. This report highlights many aspects of Alcohol and drug misuse and related disorders. These are health challenges that individuals, families and organizations are trying to address.
According to the report, the majority of Americans know someone personally with a substance abuse disorder.
“In 2015, over 27 million people in the United States reported current use of illicit drugs or misuse of prescription drugs, and over 66 million people (nearly a quarter of the adult and adolescent population) reported binge drinking in the past month.“
~Surgeon General Executive Summary
The report was released highlighting the Surgeon General’s commitment to promote improvements in public health related to substance abuse.
The Surgeon General encourages Health Care Organizations and Professionals to focus on two things:
- Address substance use-related health issues with the same sensitivity and care as any other chronic health condition.
- Support high-quality care for substance use disorders.
Overall, it reminds the Mental Health industry that we need to provide more support, understanding and resources to those battling with addiction. It’s important to drive more opportunities for Therapists, Clinicians, Nurses to provide valuable care to those in recovery.
In summary, there are many reasons for Hope and Optimism, according to the report. Policies and procedures, research on drug use, and health care reform are some of the main reasons for being optimistic.
Dani Rice
Empowered Partnerships, LLC
Recruitment Outsourcing Partner solely dedicated to the Mental & Behavioral Health Industry
Co-Founder & Chief Mental Health Employer Solutions Provider
