The leading health problem in the United States is not contagious or predisposed, but is instead self-inflicted.
Substance abuse dominates as the primary health problem in the United States, according to a recent report presented by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in Washington D.C. The United States spends on an average of $114 billion annually on drug-related healthcare costs.
"What is most alarming is that the [substance abuse] costs to American society are so high considering that it is a preventable problem," Dr. Constance Horgan, head investigator of the report, told Reuters Health.
The report, titled "Substance Abuse: The Nation's Number One Health Problem," was issued for policy makers to understand the value of substance abuse prevention and treatment programs.
In fact, the report found that of the 2 million deaths in the United States every year, one of every four of those deaths are due to alcohol, tobacco and illicit drug use.
A large cause of those deaths, the report stated, may be because only 25 percent of the 23 million substance abusers in the United States get the treatment they need.
Not only did the report identify how large of a problem substance abuse is, but it also stated how age plays a large factor in drug abuse and addiction.
"The younger use begins, the more likely the users are to have substance abuse problems later in life, especially if use begins before age 15," Horgan said.
As a solution to the drug problem, the report urged for more drug treatment programs. Research has found that 40 to 70 percent of patients who undergo alcohol treatment are successful, 50 to 60 percent succeed for cocaine, and 50 to 80 percent succeed for opiate treatment.
Another major finding of the report was that half of the adults arrested for crimes such as homicide, theft and assault have all tested positive for drugs. The report also stated that 60 percent of sexual offenders were under the influence of alcohol while committing their crime.
Because substance abuse has been identified as the leading health problem in the United States, assistant professor of psychology Doug Matthews said the next step is finding a solution.
"Funding and awareness are both issues," Matthews said. "We also need to do more research to find how strong the genetic component is in drug abuse and addiction."
William Dwyer, who is a professor of psychology at The U of M and has also served as a law enforcement ranger at national parks, has a different opinion on the problem.
"It [the drug problem] is not going to go away," Dwyer said. "Society doesn't want it to. It's too big of a market and there is too much money involved."
He said family life could also play a major role in the war on drugs.
"If parents would monitor their children better and become more involved with them, a lot of the drug abuse and violence would stop."
