Addiction a Chronic Disease of the Brain, Not a Character Flaw: Surgeon General

Many people still see addiction as a character flaw instead of a chronic disease of the brain, according to U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy. He told The Huffington Post that to address the opioid epidemic, it is necessary to “change how our country sees addiction.”

Almost two million Americans are addicted to prescription opioids, Dr. Murthy told the publication’s Editor-in-Chief Arianna Huffington. “We can work on sharpening our prescribing practices, working with clinicians to ensure we’re treating pain safely and effectively,” he said. Doctors need to be more equipped with skills for “how to recognize and treat substance use disorders to ensure that all the needs of a patient population are cared for.”