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- Gallup Poll Finds Support for Disease Concept of Addiction
Gallup Poll Finds Support for Disease Concept of Addiction
- By Join Together
- Published 08/15/2006
- Addiction In The News
- Unrated
Join Together
Since 1991, Join Together has supported community-based efforts to advance effective alcohol and drug policy, prevention, and treatment.
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A poll of Americans who have family members with alcohol or other drug problems found that 76 percent believe that addiction is a disease.
The Gallup poll of 902 U.S. adults conducted for USA Today and HBO also found that most family members are optimistic that their loved ones will recover from their addiction, but about half said recovery is only possible with professional help.
About 22 percent of those polled said people with addictions can recover on their own, and only 2 percent said they believe people cannot recover fully from addiction.
Eighty-four percent of those polled said that alcoholics need to abstain completely if they are to maintain their recovery, while 13 percent said an occasional drink would be OK.
Roughly one in five Americans has an immediate family member with an addiction problem.




