[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 54 (Wednesday, March 28, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Page S4056]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. BIDEN (for himself, Mr. Kennedy, and Mr. Enzi):
  S. 1011. A bill to change the name of the National Institute on Drug 
Abuse to the National Institute on Diseases of Addiction and to change 
the name of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism to 
the National Institute on Alcohol Disorders and Health; to the 
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Mr. BIDEN. Mr. President, for nearly 35 years I've been working on 
this floor to address the all too real public health and safety issues 
associated with drug and alcohol addiction. Stiff prosecution of 
trafficking and possession of illegal drugs is important; but just as 
critical is an intense focus on prevention and treatment. To this end, 
if we are to be successful in this fight, we--you, me, all of us--must 
understand that addiction is a neurobiological disease, not a lifestyle 
choice. The frank and constructive approach to help those struggling 
with the disease of addiction, and to protect society from the crime 
and violence that sometimes accompany drug trafficking and use, is 
through treatment. We must continually work hard to resist the 
counterproductive social stigma that too often brands addicts and 
thereby encourages them to slip into seclusion rather than seek 
treatment. As such, we must begin to change the nature of public 
discourse about addiction by more appropriately naming our own research 
institutes to reflect this reality: Addition is a preventable and 
treatable disease.
  Today, I rise to introduce legislation recognizing this reality that 
addiction is a disease and not a chronic, stigmatizing life-sentence. 
The Recognizing Addiction as a Disease Act of 2007 changes the names of 
two institutes at the National Institutes of Health: the National 
Institute on Drug Abuse will become the National Institute on Diseases 
of Addiction, and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and 
Alcoholism will become the National Institute on Alcohol Disorders and 
Health.
  These name changes accomplish two important objectives. First, they 
remove the pejorative term ``abuse'' from the institutes' names and 
properly help to distance that notion from the disease of addiction. 
Second, the new names more clearly link the concepts of addiction and 
disease, a connection that scientific study clearly supports. 
Identifying addiction as a neurobiological disease will diminish the 
social stigma, discrimination, and the personal shame that is often a 
barrier to seeking treatment, and it will further a common 
understanding of diseases of addiction.
  The 2005 National Survey on Drug Use and Health reported that 
addiction affects 23.2 million Americans in our country, of whom only 
about 10 percent are receiving the treatment they need. Many are 
deterred from seeking such treatment because of the social stigma 
associated with admitting to a drug or alcohol dependency. This bill is 
a small but important step towards remedying this problem, fighting 
drug use, and successfully treating addiction.
  Addiction is now understood to be a disease because scientific 
research has shown that alcohol and other drugs can change the brain's 
structure and function. Advances in brain imaging science now make it 
possible to see inside an addict's brain and pinpoint the parts of the 
brain affected by drugs or alcohol. These insights will enable the 
development of new approaches to prevention and treatment. In fact, we 
now have data indicating that excessive alcohol use and alcohol 
dependence (alcoholism) are not separate diagnostic categories, but 
exist along a single continuum of alcohol-disorders associated with 
increased frequency of a harmful drinking pattern.
  Today's introduction of this legislation is timely. Two weeks ago HBO 
premiered an important new documentary movie, Addiction, which presents 
an encouraging look at addiction as a treatable disease and the film 
chronicles the major scientific advances that have helped us better 
understand and treat addiction. The Institutes collaborated with HBO to 
create this eye-opening documentary that seeks to help Americans 
understand addiction. HBO's Addiction Project will acquaint viewers 
with available evidence-based medical and behavioral treatments. This 
is especially important for disorders like addiction that for many 
years were treated outside the medical mainstream. From emergency rooms 
to living rooms to research laboratories, the documentary follows the 
trail of an illness that affects one in four families in the United 
States.
  The facts surrounding addiction are self-evident. With nearly 1 in 10 
Americans over the age of 12 suffering from some form of substance 
dependency, addiction takes an emotional, psychological, and social 
toll on the country. The economic costs of substance dependency and 
addiction alone are estimated to exceed a half trillion dollars 
annually in the United States due to health care expenditures, lost 
productivity, and crime.
  I am proud to say that my friends and very distinguished colleagues 
Senators Kennedy and Enzi, chairman and ranking member of the Health, 
Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, respectively, are cosponsors 
of this important bill.
  Today, the Recognizing Addiction as a Disease Act of 2007 takes a 
small but important stride towards helping those struggling with 
diseases of addiction.
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