NCJ Number
224672
Date Published
September 2008
Length
74 pages
Annotation
This report presents the findings of 11 global questions related to addiction, prevention, recovery, and stigma related to addictions.
Abstract
Findings include: half of all adults 18 and older knew someone in recovery from addiction to alcohol, illicit drugs, or prescriptions; respondents age 65 and older were least likely to state they knew someone in recovery from addiction; and the older a person was, the more likely he/she was to think less of someone who was in recovery, the less likely he/she was to feel comfortable with someone in recovery, and the less likely they were to believe that addictions could be prevented. Less than one-fifth of the respondents agreed that they would think less of a friend or relative in recovery; almost three-quarters of young adults believe that willpower could play a decisive role in recovery from addiction than does the general population; almost two-thirds of respondents agreed that substance addiction could be prevented; and people tended to view addiction to drugs differently than alcohol. Respondents were are more comfortable with someone in recovery for alcohol abuse than drug addiction; females were more likely than males to agree that individuals addicted to illicit drugs were more of a danger to society; and marijuana appeared to be less of an immediate issue with respondents than the other substances. Approximately three-quarters of the population believe that recovery is possible from marijuana, alcohol, and prescription drugs, while only 58 percent believe that a person can fully recover from addiction to other illicit drugs such as cocaine, heroin, or methamphetamines. Data were collected with a telephone survey from a national sample of 1,010 adults living in private households in the continental United States. Figures, appendices