The opioid crisis holds the attention of most Americans – and rightly so – but there’s another substance use problem in the United States that’s been around much longer – and it doesn’t seem to be going away any time soon. In fact, it’s getting worse.

While overdose deaths related to prescription and illicit opioids increased at dramatic and alarming rates over the past 10 years, there’s something most people don’t know. Alcohol-related deaths account for almost twice as many deaths per year than opioid overdose deaths.

That may come as a surprise, but the statistics from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAA), and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) say:

• In 2017, opioid overdose resulted in 47,600 deaths
• Between 2007 and 2017, alcohol-related deaths (updated 2023) averaged 88,000 per year – 46% more than opioid overdose deaths in 2017
  • Alcohol-related deaths among men averaged 62,000 per year
  • Alcohol-related deaths among women averaged 26,000 per year
• Between 2008 and 2017, alcohol-related driving fatalities averaged more than 10,000 per year; that’s about 30% of all driving fatalities each year

To put these statistics into context, tobacco causes the most preventable deaths each year (~480,000), a combination of poor diet and a sedentary lifestyle causes the second most preventable deaths each year (~365,000), and alcohol causes the third most preventable deaths each year (~88,000).

It’s critical to keep our attention on the opioid crisis, because, among other things, the rate of increase of opioid related deaths outpaces that of alcohol. But in terms of sheer numbers, we can’t forget that millions of Americans struggle every day with problem drinking. It’s a slower, quieter, and less dramatic problem than our current opioid crisis, compounded by the fact that drinking alcohol is a culturally accepted recreational activity common across almost all areas of our social lives.

Problem Drinking in the US: Facts and Figures

As bad as the opioid crisis is, it is important to understand that those who are fighting alcohol-related addictions also suffer. Their families and friends suffer. The entire country suffers. The economic burden of excessive alcohol use in the U.S. is staggering: in 2010, the latest year for which this data exists, the CDC placed the cost of problem alcohol use at $249 billion dollars.

Yes, that’s billion with a “b.”

There’s no way to truly quantify the human cost or the pain and suffering caused by prolonged alcohol addiction though. What we can do is offer solid facts and figures on the number of people in the U.S. who meet the clinical criteria for Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD).

The NIAA defines an AUD as:

“…a chronic relapsing brain disease characterized by an impaired ability to stop or control alcohol use despite adverse social, occupational, or health consequences. AUD can range from mild to severe, and recovery is possible regardless of severity.”

Here are the latest statistics on AUD prevalence in the U.S.:

• Adults (18+): 15.1 million total
  • 8 million men
  • 3 million women
• Adolescents (12-17): 623,000 total
  • 298,000 males
  • 325,000 females

There’s another fact hidden behind these numbers we want you to know – the number of people who meet the criteria for an AUD who seek treatment – but first, we want to make sure we’re all on the same page when we talk about what constitutes typical drinking, what constitutes problem drinking, and what type of drinking places an individual at risk of developing an AUD.

Types of Drinking Defined

Alcohol affects different people in different ways, depending on a variety of factors: height, weight, gender, genetics, metabolism, and others. Despite these potential variations, the NIAA and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) have clear criteria that help addiction professionals and laypeople alike determine which category of alcohol consumption an individual falls into.

Moderate Alcohol Consumption

• SAMSHA and NIAA define moderate consumption as 1 drink per day for women and 2 drinks per day for men.

Binge Drinking

• NIAAA defines binge drinking as a pattern of consumption that brings blood alcohol concentration (BAC) up to 0.08 g/dl. That means:
  • Around 4 drinks in about 2 hours for women
  • Around 5 drinks in about 2 hours for men
• SAMHSA defines binge drinking as drinking 5 or more alcoholic beverages on the same occasion on at least 1 day in the past 30 days.

Heavy Drinking

• SAMHSA defines heavy drinking as binge drinking on each of 5 or more days in the past 30 days

Risk of Developing an Alcohol Use Disorder

Data from the NIAA shows that people who have low risk for developing an AUD consume alcohol within the following limits:

• 3 drinks on any single day and no more than 7 drinks per week (women)
• 4 drinks on any single day and no more than 14 drinks per week (men)

People who drink more than what’s considered moderate consumption or more than what’s defined as low risk for developing an AUD should compare their drinking to the criteria above, give themselves an honest assessment, and ask themselves:

“Am I at risk of developing an alcohol use disorder?”

Please understand this blog cannot diagnose an alcohol use disorder: only a medical professional can do that. The information above offers useful criteria for placing drinking habits in context and allows individuals to understand their consumption in the same language clinical experts use when discussing alcohol and substance use disorders.

With that said, here’s a rule of thumb: if you’ve ever thought you drink too much or might have a problem with alcohol, follow up on that thought. Talk to a professional. Get a real assessment and decide how to manage your alcohol consumption in order to keep it within healthy parameters.

Now, about that hidden fact.

The Treatment Gap

We hinted at it above.

We’re ready to give you the one set of statistics that’s the most alarming of all those related to alcohol consumption in the U.S.:

• Only 6.7% of adults with an AUD received treatment for their AUD
  • 7.4% of men
  • 5.4% of women
• Only 5.2% of adolescents (12-17) with an AUD received treatment for their AUD
  • 5.1% of males
  • 5.3% of females

In raw numbers, this means that of the 15.1 million adults with an AUD, only about one million got treatment. And of the 623,000 adolescents with an AUD, only about 30,000 got treatment. That leaves more than 14 million adults and more than half a million adolescents struggling with an untreated, potentially relapsing disease. That bears repeating:

14.5 million Americans are not getting the help they need for a disease that’s related to 88,000 preventable deaths a year.

That gap is far too large. And it needs to be addressed. Not only because living with addiction is psychologically and emotionally debilitating for both the addict and their loved ones, but also because excessive alcohol use leads to a host of other problems. The CDC indicates that excessive alcohol consumption increases likelihood of:

1. Chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, some cancers, heart disease, stroke, and liver disease.

2. Risky sexual behavior which can result in unintended pregnancy, HIV infection, and other sexually transmitted diseases.

3. Injury and death due to motor vehicle crashes.

4. Violence, injury, and/or death due to intimate partner violence, sexual assault, suicide, drowning, and other alcohol-related accidents.

Closing the Treatment Gap

As we work to erase the stigma around addiction in general through education, awareness, and open, honest dialogue, it’s also important to recognize that in doing so, we’re working to improve – and in some cases, save – the lives of millions of Americans. The mission is not abstract. The people we’re talking about are our family members, our co-workers, and our friends. They’re our neighbors and the people we see at the grocery store.

They’re all of us.

Misuse of alcohol affects everyone, and when we help people struggling with an alcohol use disorder, we help our society and culture as a whole. It’s part of making the world a better place to live, not just for ourselves, but for everyone.

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Like clockwork, a new year is upon us accompanied by the eagerness to make a fresh start. January is the time of year for making resolutions and setting goals, and those in recovery from addiction are no strangers to taking strides to make big changes in their everyday lives. It is important to develop measurable goals as well as identify a support network as you map out goals for the year.

Similar to personal development objectives, addiction recovery goals should use SMART Criteria: the goals should be specific, measurable, agreed, realistic and time based. If goals are too vague and without a time line, you may have a difficult time making progress and achieving your goals. It is important to understand what you are trying to achieve in order to accomplish your personal goals.

Many of the goals people in recovery make are centered around staying sober. It is not uncommon for people to make new goals, resolutions and aspire to change things around the first of the year. Around this time, a person admittedly wants to dedicate him or herself to a new journey and path to recovery. The desire for recovery is a step in the right direction but in order to make lasting effect it should be followed by a commitment for subsequent action steps. For example: A patient was released from treatment after 30 days and now agrees to attend an outpatient program. That patient’s commitment to their recovery is to commit to attending a 5-6 day PHP program in their community, to check in with their sponsor, and to keep up to date with their treatment plan goals. They can set that goal with their treatment provider for 30 days and then measure the patient’s progress at the end. In this example there is a specific goal, that is measurable achievable, realistic and time based.

Another important factor in setting goals is to be able to have a support system in place; such as a loved one, friend, sponsor, who can work together with you and help you stay committed. They can be there during moments when you may feel like you are falling, slipping, or simply want to give up.

Goal setting is another way for you ensure that you can be successful in your recovery journey and have a level of accountability.  Remember Greg Reid’s famous words; “A dream written with a date becomes a goal. A goal broken into steps becomes a plan. A plan backed by action makes your dreams come true.”

Here’s to the New Year, goal setting, and making your recovery journey and dreams come true!

The post New Year, New You. The Importance of Goal Setting in Recovery. appeared first on Pinnacle Treatment Centers.

It also speaks to the men and women at the forefront of the opioid crisis and their hero-like work to treat individuals and their families. However, it also is clear that treatment options are scarce without a full continuum to rely upon.

West Virginia is a close-knit state in which families are born and remain. Full disclosure, my kin come from Charleston, where my grandfather was a physician and many of my family were born and died there. Much of my formative time was spent in those hills. My cousin (like many others) has been challenged with heroin addiction and returned to her small town of birth. While she has the resources to get help, her life has been bleak.

Talbot’s piece explains that the state has the highest number of deaths by overdose in the country – it also speculates as to why. The state has been challenged economically without much hope for its citizens.

Predictably individuals became addicted to painkillers (prescribed by doctors) and then found that street drugs were cheaper. Most alarmingly, though – is the lack of resources available to those who are ready to recover.

Importantly, folks in the know understand that a quick detox and return to from whence one came only leads back to the challenges that lead to addiction in the first place. Recovery is much more than detox and medication-assisted treatment (MAT.) Folks must be treated as total people, from the inside out.

This means entry in a program that supports spiritual, emotional, physical and psychological needs. This means working with counselors who care and work on root issues while breaking cycles.

Sadly, folks in the state must often drive hours to get help (Note, that www.pinnacletreatment.com does have treatment available near state lines.)

I believe in a place called West Virginia. It gave life to me and many of my relatives. Hopefully, suffering residents will travel for treatment. Where there is treatment, there is hope.

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