What addiction actually is

A short read

Before we start

This is general information about what addiction is and what recovery data shows. It is not treatment advice, and it does not describe what any one person should do. If this is about you or someone close to you, a doctor or a local service can do what a page cannot.

Sources

Kelly JF, Bergman B, Hoeppner BB, Vilsaint C, White WL (2017) — Prevalence and pathways of recovery from drug and alcohol problems in the United States population, Drug and Alcohol Dependence. 9.1% of US adults (about 22.35 million) have resolved a significant alcohol or other drug problem; 46% self-identify as in recovery; 53.9% report an assisted pathway, most commonly mutual-help (45.1%), then treatment (27.6%), then recovery support services (21.8%)