At the bottom of every person’s dependency, there is always pain. Discov- ering the pain and healing it is an essential step in ending dependency. —Chris Prentiss, The Alcoholism and Addiction Cure Whitney Houston, Robin Williams, Amy Winehouse, Philip Seymour Hoffman, John Belushi, and so on, the roster of famous people whose deaths have been linked to drug or alcohol abuse seems endless. But they are just the tip of the iceberg considering how pervasive drug and alcohol abuse continues to be around the world. Whether we are talking about alcohol, barbiturates, ecstasy, cocaine, heroin, morphine (along with all of the other opioids), amphetamines, or the host of designer drugs being introduced on a regular basis, substance abuse continues to be a global epidemic affecting every country on Earth. In 2015 alone, available statistics report 307,400 deaths worldwide from substance use though the true number of drug- and alcohol-related deaths that occur each year seems impossible to know for certain. But the true economic and social impact of substance abuse is far greater. Though many substance abusers seem able to function to some extent despite their dependence issues, the financial and social costs linked to substance abuse can be astronomical. They can include lost work days, an overburdened health-care system, automobile accidents, workplace injuries, violent crime associated with substance use, and the Introduction
Previous Page Next Page