Surgeon General’s Report Says Addiction is a Chronic Illness
The Surgeon General has released a report calling for big changes to the way drug and alcohol addiction is seen.
FOX’s Tonya J. Powers has details:
Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy’s report is called “Facing Addiction in America“, and it says 78 people die every day from an opioid overdose and that 20 million of us have a substance use disorder.
But the bigger point of it is how it tries to sway public opinion on how we look at addiction, much like the 1964 Surgeon General’s landmark report on smoking.
The report says addiction is a chronic illness is not a character flaw or a moral failing and points out stigma and shame have kept people from getting help.
It’s unclear how addiction treatment will be handled under the Trump Administration.
The President-elect has pledged to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which covered addiction treatment.
Tonya J. Powers, FOX News.
