Dannel Malloy, Governor of Connecticut, signs a proclamation declaring April 23rd-29th, 2018 National Addiction Treatment Week in Connecticut. National Addiction Treatment Week, an initiative by the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM), raises awareness that addiction is a disease, evidence-based treatments are available, and recovery is possible.
The adverse effects of the opioid epidemic and addiction in Connecticut and throughout the United States (US) are evident. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), from 1999 to 2016, more than 630,000 people have died from a drug overdose. Around 66% of the more than 63,600 drug overdose deaths in 2016 involved an opioid. On average, 115 Americans die every day from an opioid overdose.[1] The CDC reports that Connecticut ranked 11th in the nation with a drug overdose mortality rate of 2.4.[2]
The significant treatment gap for addiction in the US is an important part of the epidemic. Nearly 20.5 million Americans suffer from a substance use disorder (SUD), yet only 1 in 10 people with SUD receive treatment.[3] In 2015, nearly 2.3 million Americans suffered from opioid use disorder, yet there was only enough treatment capacity to treat 1.4 million people[4], leaving a treatment gap of nearly 1 million people.
To learn more about National Addiction Treatment Week, how to get involved, and how to spread the word about the need for a larger addiction medicine workforce, visit www.TreatAddictionSaveLives.org.