New Poll Shows U.S. Adults Find Cigarettes Most Unsafe, Addictive Substance

TUESDAY, June 13, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Despite knowing cigarettes are unsafe and addictive, one in five U.S. adults report smoking every day, according to the results of a survey conducted by the American Psychiatric Association.

The annual survey, which complements the association’s Healthy Minds Monthly poll, was conducted April 20 to 22, 2023, and included a sample of 2,201 adults.

According to the results of the survey, 84 percent of respondents said cigarettes are unsafe and 87 percent acknowledged they were addictive, but still 21 percent reported smoking every day. This compares to 13 percent who said they use cannabis/marijuana daily, 8 percent vaping daily, and 7 percent using alcohol daily. Four percent use prescribed opioids daily and 2 percent said they use nonprescription opioids daily. Roughly half of U.S. adults thought addictions are a result of personal weakness (47 percent), but most (93 percent) agreed that substance use disorders can be treated. Furthermore, just over three-quarters agreed that addictions are medical disorders and that they are preventable (76 percent for both). Over half of respondents (58 percent) said they have seen, read, or heard about Narcan and/or naloxone before, but only one-third (35 percent) said they would know where to find it in the case of an opioid overdose.

"We can help prevent more Americans from other potentially addictive behaviors, like drinking alcohol and technology use," Petros Levounis, M.D., the president of the American Psychiatric Association, said in a statement. "We can also make sure that people know about our current safe and effective treatments for both substance use disorders and the behavioral addictions. Addiction treatment works."

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