Alcoholism and drug abuse are a pressing public health crisis in the United States, and addiction should no longer be dismissed as a "character flaw," top US health officials said on Thursday. For the first time, the US surgeon general, Vivek Murthy, released a major report on substance abuse, called "Facing Addiction in America: The Surgeon General's Report on Alcohol, Drugs, and Health."
The report "aims to shift the way our society thinks about substance misuse and substance-use disorders," Murthy said.
"Substance-use disorders represent one of the most pressing public health crises of our time," he said in a statement.
"We must help everyone see that addiction is not a character flaw - it is a chronic illness that we must approach with the same skill and compassion with which we approach heart disease, diabetes, and cancer."
Some 21 million Americans struggle with a substance-use disorder, which is higher than the number of people who have cancer, the report said.
But too few people are getting treatment - just one in 10.
More than 66 million people admitted to binge drinking in the past month - nearly one in four of the adult and adolescent population.
Not only does addiction break families apart, it also costs the nation dearly - with alcohol abuse wreaking an estimated yearly economic impact of $249 billion and illicit drug use totaling $193 billion.
"For far too long, too many in our country have viewed addiction as a moral failing," said Murthy.
"This unfortunate stigma has created an added burden of shame that has made people with substance-use disorders less likely to come forward and seek help."
Prescription pain relievers are a rising concern, and about 12.5 million Americans report misusing them.
Meanwhile, overdose deaths from heroin and prescription painkillers are soaring.