Most consider addiction to be an illness, but 4 out of 10 report a lack of willpower or discipline: Source: University of Chicago NORC Summary: A new study shows that the number of Americans who now view opiate addiction as a major problem in their community has increased dramatically in the past two years alone. “As part of national efforts to address the huge problem of opiate addiction, it’s important to know the level of awareness and understanding of Americans who are at the center of an increasingly costly epidemic,” said Caitlin Oppenheimer, NORC Senior Vice President of Health. Forty-four percent say opiate addiction indicates a lack of willpower or discipline; 32 percent say it’s due to character defects or parental rudeness; and less than one in five Americans is willing to work closely with a friend, colleague or neighbor who is addicted to prescription drugs. More and more Americans are becoming aware of the growing problem of opiate addiction Knowledge of this addiction has increased dramatically since 2016. More and more Americans are aware of the growing problem of opiate addiction: the number of people who are aware of this problem has increased significantly since 2016. “More Americans are aware of the growing problem of opiate addiction: since 2016, the number of people who know about opiate addiction has increased significantly. According to a new study by the Associated Press-NORC Public Affairs Research Center, the number of Americans who now view opiate addiction as a major problem in their community has increased significantly only two years ago. Forty-three percent of Americans now see drug addiction as a major problem, up from 33 percent in 2016. The majority of Americans report having experienced using various types of drugs, and 13 percent have seen a close relative or friend die from an opiate overdose. “The number of people who are aware of the seriousness of the opiate epidemic in this country is growing,” said Trevor Thompson, vice president of public affairs research at NORC. The results are just one of many elements of a study that looks at American attitudes and awareness about the opiate epidemic in particular, and about dependency in general, and how to deal with the crisis. Most consider addiction a disease, but 4 out of 10 report a lack of willpower or discipline. “ScienceDaily.
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