Granted, the USA has the world's third largest population but the statistics for the USA are pretty amazing; given the present situation this new report on projected substance abuse in America isn't out of line:
One in 7 Americans will face addiction, surgeon general warns
By NICOLE LYN PESCE
Friday, November 18, 2016 - 6:00 AM EDT
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
America needs an intervention.
One in seven of us will become addicted to drugs or alcohol, but just one in 10 will seek treatment, according to a sobering report released by the U.S. surgeon general on Wednesday. And this substance abuse is costing us billions of dollars and tens of thousands of lives.
The sweeping “Facing Addiction in America” report is the first from a surgeon general to address all drugs, including legal prescription painkillers, alcohol and illicit substances, instead of focusing on just one, like the 1964 federal report on smoking.
And the picture that emerges when you put the numbers together is startling:
*More than 27 million Americans age 12 and up admitted to using illegal drugs or misusing prescription drugs last year.
*More than 66 million, or one in five, reported binge drinking in the last month. That’s at least five alcoholic drinks in one sitting for a man, and four for a woman.
*Alcohol abuse contributes to 88,000 deaths in the U.S. each year.
*There were 47,055 drug overdose deaths in 2014, and 28,647 of those involved an opioid, including prescription pain killers and heroin — more than in any previous year on record.
*More people use prescription opioids (38%) than all tobacco products combined (31%).
*About 20.8 million people have substance abuse disorders. That’s similar to the number of people who have diabetes, and 1.5 times the number of people who have cancer.
*Substance abuse disorders are costing the country more than $420 billion a year.
*And these numbers don’t even include the millions of people who are misusing substances, but have not yet developed a full-fledged addiction.
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