Alcohol and Drug Addiction Stats

From a recent report by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University:

· 15.9% (40.3 million) have the disease of addiction - more than  have heart conditions (27.0 million), diabetes (25.8 million) or cancer (19.4 million).

· 31.7% (80.4 million), while not addicted, engage in use of addictive  substances in ways that threaten health and safety (risky users).

· More than 20% of deaths are attributable to tobacco, alcohol and other drug use.

· Addiction and risky use are causal and contributing factors in more than 70 other conditions requiring medical care and drive a wide range of costly social consequences.

-via MS