Podcast Episode 3 – Addiction and Recovery

This is our first episode in our series focusing on addiction and recovery.  In this episode we delve into the deep and personal world of what addiction is and why it matters.  This is not part of our normal controversial topic discussions. 

Episode 3 Show Notes

What is Addiction, what is recovery, and why does it matter?

A person with an addiction uses a substance, or engages in a behavior, for which the rewarding effects provide a compelling incentive to repeat the activity, despite detrimental consequences. Addiction may involve the use of substances such as alcohol, inhalants, opioids, cocaine, and nicotine, or behaviors such  as gambling.        Taken from – https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/addiction

Recovery:  The process a person engages in to heal from an addiction, most often through a 12-Step program such as AA, therapy, physical exercise, and spiritual growth.  [Need help with articulating this one]

Stats:

Quick Facts on Drug Addiction – https://americanaddictioncenters.org/rehab-guide/addiction-statistics

• According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), 19.7 million American adults (aged 12 and older) battled a substance use disorder in 2017.¹
• Almost 74% of adults suffering from a substance use disorder in 2017 struggled with an alcohol use disorder.¹
• About 38% of adults in 2017 battled an illicit drug use disorder.¹
• That same year, 1 out of every 8 adults struggled with both alcohol and drug use disorders simultaneously.¹
• In 2017, 8.5 million American adults suffered from both a mental health disorder and a substance use disorder, or co-occurring disorders.¹
• Drug abuse and addiction cost American society more than $740 billion annually in lost workplace productivity, healthcare expenses, and crime-related costs.²

Cocaine:

• About 966,000 American adults (over age 12) struggled with a cocaine use disorder in 2017.¹
• That same year, 637,000 people age 12 and older received treatment for a cocaine use disorder either in their last or current stay in rehabilitation.⁷

Heroin:

• About 652,000 people age 12 and older had a heroin use disorder in 2017.¹
• Almost a quarter of people who abuse heroin will become addicted to it.¹²
• Heroin use has risen in most demographic groups in the United States over the past 2 decades, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports.⁴
• Individuals addicted to alcohol are 2 times more likely to also be addicted to heroin, while those addicted to ma.rijuana are 3 times more likely, individuals addicted to cocaine are 15 times more likely, and people addicted to prescription drugs are 40 times more likely.⁴

Prescription drugs:

• The most common types of prescription drugs abused in 2017 were pain relievers, tranquilizers, stimulants, and sedatives.⁷
• In 2017, about 1.7 million people age 12 and older had a pain reliever use disorder, or about 0.6% of this population.¹
• Women may more rapidly develop a prescription painkiller dependence than men. They are also more likely to have chronic pain, be prescribed pain relievers, and receive higher doses.¹²
• According to a study published in the journal Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy, individuals who were admitted to opioid treatment programs who abused only prescription opioids, or those who abused both heroin and prescription opioids, were about 5 years younger than individuals admitted solely for heroin abuse or dependency.¹³

Marijuana:

• Approximately 4.1 million American adults over the age of 12 battled a marijuana use disorder in 2017.¹
• The majority of people struggling with marijuana addiction in 2017 were between the ages of 12 and 25.¹
• Almost 6% of full-time college students in the United States were daily marijuana smokers in 2014. This is more than triple the number of daily smokers in this population 20 years prior.¹⁴

Alcohol:

• In 2017, an estimated 14.5 million American adults age 12 and older battled an alcohol use disorder, or 5.3% of this population.¹
• Over half of all American adults have a family history of problem drinking or alcohol addiction.¹⁵
• More than 10% of U.S. children live with a parent with alcohol problems.¹⁶
• An estimated 88,000 people die from alcohol-related causes annually.¹⁶
• Alcohol is the third-leading cause of preventable death in the United States.¹⁶
• 47% of the 78,529 liver diseases among people age 12 and older in 2015 involved alcohol.¹⁶
• 40% of all hospital beds in the United States are used to treat conditions related to alcohol consumption.¹⁵