On Nov. 17, 2016, the U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued a landmark Report on Alcohol, Drugs, and Health. The report, Facing Addiction in America: The Surgeon General’s Report on Alcohol, Drugs, and Health, marked the first time a U.S. Surgeon General had dedicated a report to substance misuse and related disorders.

Nearly 21 million Americans – more than the number of people who have all cancers combined – suffer from substance use disorders. One in seven people in the U.S. is expected to develop a substance use disorder at some point in their lives. Yet only 1 in 10 receives treatment. Among other things, the report shows that substance use disorders typically develop over time following repeated episodes of misuse that result in changes to the brain circuitry.