This past November, the highly anticipated and long overdue, first-ever Surgeon General's report on alcohol, drugs and health was released. The report entitled Facing Addiction in America: The Surgeon General's Report on Drugs, Alcohol, and Health was created to highlight ”the important health and social problems associated with alcohol and drug misuse in America” and the need for a comprehensive approach to address substance use disorders (SUDs) in the United States. The report is a welcome call to action for the addiction and public health communities.
In his capacity as ”America's Doctor,” Surgeon General Vivek H. Murphy is finally putting addiction front and center when it comes to discussions about how to improve America's health. Perhaps most noteworthy is the report's call for a public health model for addressing substance misuse and related consequences. This embraces approaches that many advocates, researchers, and practitioners have called for since the height of the “war on drugs.”
