When squaring up to attack an enemy, it’s important to know as much as you can about the opponent, and that’s just as true about addiction as anything else. Addiction is the enemy and understanding it and the threat it poses can help you better tackle this insidious issue.

Knowing the facts about addiction and what forms it can take and the threat it can pose is a vital key in the battle against substance abuse.

It’s more than just trivia, it’s a lifeline for addicts looking to fight back against their addiction. Here are five facts about addiction and recovery you need to know:

  1. Alcohol is the most abused substance of all. Not cocaine. Not weed. Not heroin. Not even opioids or fentanyl. No, just simple alcohol. Part of that is the fact that alcohol is legal and far easier to acquire than an illicit substance purchased in a back alley from a shady guy in a trench coat. Even prescription drugs need a doctor’s note, whereas you can go into your local grocery store and buy a case of beer without even the inconvenience of an accusing stare. Yet studies show that more than half of American families have a history of alcohol abuse, with more than 15 million people abusing alcohol. It’s a chronic problem that can easily arise with minimal pushback.
  2. Addiction costs the nation billions. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, addiction costs the country about $740 billion a year in health care, law enforcement, lost work productivity and other accompanying issues. That’s more than $2 billion a day.
  1. Americans consume 80 percent of prescription pills in the world. Even as the opioid crisis has discouraged many from seeking out pain pills, Americans continue to pop pills more than anyone else without pause. Despite America only containing 5 percent of the world’s population, the amount of pills we take is colossal compared to any other place in the world. This is a significant problem because…
  2. Prescription drugs kill more people than illegal drugs. Yes, illegal drugs are a major problem, killing thousands, but legal pain pills have a much higher fatality rate. More than 16,000 people die of prescription pill overdoses in a year.
  3. Addiction can often start young. The average age for many children who first sample a drug is 13. Nearly three quarters of high schoolers have used an addictive substance at least once, while 1 in 5 have a substance abuse problem. Many adults with substance abuse issues started before they were 18.

For more information on addiction and the problems it can cause, Good Landing Recovery can provide clients with a thorough understanding of addiction and the dark role it plays in an addict’s life and what it can take to defeat it and find recovery.

These five facts about addiction and recovery you need to know are just the tip of the iceberg. There’s far more to the story of addiction and the threat it poses to millions of people every day.

Call Good Landing today and find out more.