(NewsNation) — As the country grapples with an opioid epidemic that was responsible for taking more than 100,000 lives last year, most Americans say they’d know how to get help for a loved one living with addiction.
That’s according to a new poll from the American Psychiatric Association, which found 71% of Americans believe they would know how to help. Most would refer a family member to recovery treatment (73%) or initiative a conversation about it (74%).
When asked what treatment method they would recommend, respondents were most likely to say in-patient treatment (24%) or help groups like Alcoholics Anonymous (23%). About 19 percent said they had no opinion or didn’t know what treatment would recommend.
“It’s promising, especially during Recovery Month, that Americans show such openness to talking with loved ones who may have substance use disorders or behavioral addictions,” APA President Petros Levounis said in a statement. “The public’s recommendations for treatment indicate a level of familiarity with certain methods of recovery — mutual help groups, Alcoholics Anonymous for example, or rehab — which are well-known in popular culture. This is good news, but at the same time, physicians like me need to continue to educate patients and families about other safe and effective methods of treating addiction, such as medications and cognitive behavioral therapy.”
An estimated 109,680 overdose deaths occurred last year, according to numbers released in May by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That’s about 2% more than the 107,622 U.S. overdose deaths in 2021, but nothing like the 30% increase seen in 2020, and 15% increase in 2021.
The synthetic opioid fentanyl has been a driving factor behind the increase. Drug overdose deaths involving fentanyl more than tripled from 2016 to 2021 in the United States, according to data from the CDC.
According to the APA poll, adults age 18-34 (44%) are twice as likely as adults 65 or older (22%) to say they know someone they suspect currently struggles with addiction. Younger adults were also more likely than older adults to say they would initiate a conversation about it.
A majority of Americans said they’d reach out to a doctor (53%) or family member (51%) to get help for someone struggling with addiction.
The Associated Press and The Hill contributed to this report.
