W H AT I S T H E I M PA C T O F S U B S TA N C E
A B U S E O N P U B L I C H E A LT H ?
U N D E R S TA N D I N G S U B S TA N C E A B U S E
DISORDER
Substance abuse disorder is a complex
condition in which there is uncontrolled use
of a substance despite harmful
consequences.
People with a substance use disorder may
have distorted thinking and behaviors.
Changes in the brain's structure and function
are what cause people to have intense
cravings, changes in personality, abnormal
movements, and other behaviors.
Brain imaging studies show changes in the
areas of the brain that relate to judgment,
decision-making, learning, memory, and
behavioral control.
W H AT I S P U B L I C H E A LT H ?
• Public health is the science of protecting
and improving the health of populations
through education, promotion of healthy
lifestyles, prevention of disease and injury,
and detecting, preventing, and responding
to infectious diseases.
• As the American Public Health Association
notes, “Public health saves money,
improves our quality of life, helps children
thrive,
S O C I A L D E T E R M I N A N T S O F H E A LT H
• Social determinants of health refers to the
conditions in which people are born, grow, work,
live, and age and the wider set of forces and
systems shaping the conditions of daily life, as
defined by the World Health Organization (WHO).
• These social determinants may describe social
inequities that are reflected in the poor health of
certain populations, often with devastating
consequences. WHO, as noted in its report Health
Equity Through Action on the Social Determinants
of Health, believes that reducing health inequities
is an ethical imperative. “Social injustice,” the
report notes, “is killing people on a grand scale.”
T H E D E A D LY E F F E C T S O F
S U B S TA N C E A B U S E
Overdoses are the #1
cause of the accidental
and preventable death in
the US
There were 107,000 drug
related deaths in the US
in a 12- month period
ending in December
2023
Fentanyl is the leading
cause of death for
Americans ages 18-49,
according to the CDC –
more than car accidents,
suicide, and gun violence
60% of those deaths are
directly linked to illegally
manufactured Fentanyl
In the last 20 years, drug
overdose deaths have
quadrupled
K E Y S U B S TA N C E U S E I N D I C AT O R S
• In 2023, 48.5 million people over the age of 12 reported having a substance use
disorder (Approximately 17.1% of the US population).
The epidemic has disproportionately
affected minorities, according to the
SAMHSA. Of the 17.1% afflicted
with a substance use disorder,
25.3% are American Indian, 24.3%
are Multiracial, and White and Black
within close proximity at 17.8% and
17.6%, respectively
SOLUTIONS
Of the 17.1% of people with
Substance Abuse Disorder, only 0.5%
sought treatment
–
thinking they should have been able to handle their alcohol or drug use on their
own (74.1%)
–
not being ready to start treatment (65.6%)
–
not being ready to stop or cut back on using alcohol or drugs (60.1%)
–
being worried about what people would think or say if they got treatment (43.9
percent);
–
• thinking that treatment would cost too much (42.4 percent); • not having
enough time for treatment (41.0 percent);
–
• not knowing how or where to get treatment (38.7 percent);
–
• being worried that information would not be kept private (34.8 percent); •
thinking bad things would happen if people knew they were in treatment, such
as losing their job, home, or children (33.5 percent); and • having health
insurance that would not pay enough of the costs for treatment (31.9 percent)
W H AT M A K E S S U B S TA N C E U S E A
P U B L I C H E A LT H I S S U E ?
• According to the ”Global Status Report on Health and Treatment of Substance Abuse
Use Disorders” published by the WHO, in 2024 provides a complete update on the
public health impact of substance use in the world.