Perhaps no greater opportunity for a vision of brain science impact on the community could be that of alcohol and drug abuse. These substances once taken to a certain level, can substantively, and sometimes permanently affect brain function.
Every community is affected by drug abuse and addiction, as is every family. According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA), substance abuse costs our nation $484 billion per year, almost 3 times that of cancer and more than 3.5 times that of diabetes [1]. The problem is getting worse. More people died from drug overdoses in 2014 in the US, more than in any year on record [2], 47,055 overdose deaths, a 1-year increase of 6.5% [3]
[1] National Institutes of Drug Abuse: Drug Abuse and Addiction: One of America's Most Challenging Public Health Problems
[2] Centers for Disease Control: Understanding the Epidemic
[3] Increases in Drug and Opioid Overdose Deaths — United States, 2000–2014 CDC Weekly, Jan 1, 2016 64(50);1378-82