THE COMPLEXITY OF ALCOHOL
estimated 88,000 people die from alcohol-related causes annually,
making alcohol the third leading preventable cause of death in the
United States and the cause of 31% of overall driving fatalities. It
costs the United States $249.0 billion in economic losses each year.
Since it opened, The Healing Place has seen many drugs of
abuse come and go. In the early years, the self-report of men and
women seeking help was for primary alcohol abuse – 80% of the
men reported alcohol as their primary drug of abuse with 20%
reporting cocaine use. During the 80s, cocaine more and more
took its position alongside alcohol and marijuana. The 90s saw
the upsurge in crack cocaine. The turn of the century ushered in
prescription drugs, particularly narcotics. The past 10 years have
seen an extreme spike in the use of heroin and other synthetic
narcotics in our community.
The Healing Place has participated in an outcome study
conducted by the University of Kentucky Center on Drug and
Alcohol Research (CDAR) for the past 12 years. The most recent
report (2019) indicates that the clients were asked, at intake, how
old they were when they first began to use illegal drugs, when they
had their first alcoholic drink (more than a few sips), and when they
began smoking regularly. The age of first use for each substance
has remained steady for the past six fiscal years. Clients’ average
age of first alcoholic drink (13 years, six months) is consistently
younger than the age reported for illegal drug and tobacco use,
while smoking and drug use tend to co-occur at similar ages. Of
the individuals who used alcohol in the six months before entering
the recovery center, 93.7% used alcohol to intoxication and 84.9%
binge-drank alcohol. Of the individuals who used alcohol in the
six months before follow-up, 61.1% of clients reported alcohol use
to intoxication and binge drinking. These numbers have remained
consistent over the past 10 years. There have not been significant
differences noted between men and women.
The Healing Place has been providing residential recovery
services for men and women seeking help regardless of their
drug of addiction or substance use. Peer-based counseling, daily
responsibilities for self-care, work and group participation, and the
love and acceptance of fellow residents support efforts to break free
of the noose of addiction. The CDAR study reports that those clients
reporting alcohol as a primary showed a decline in use at follow-
up. Fifty-six percent of those surveyed reported any alcohol use at
intake, while 8% reported any alcohol use at follow-up (six months
after treatment). Fifty-two percent of those surveyed reported using
alcohol to intoxication at intake while 5% reported using alcohol
to intoxication at follow-up. Forty-eight percent of those surveyed
reported binge drinking alcohol at intake with 5% reporting binge
drinking at follow-up. According to the CDAR study, there have
been trends in alcohol use over the past seven years. In 2012, 78.2%
of those surveyed used alcohol in the six months prior to intake into
a recovery program. That number has decreased steadily over time
to reflect 56% of clients reporting alcohol use in the 2017 survey.
At the same time, those reporting alcohol use at follow-up has also
declined. In 2012, 17.6% reported alcohol use at follow-up with 8%
reporting alcohol use at follow-up in the 2017 survey.
It is difficult for us to predict the changes in the illegal drugs
that are and will be available on the street to those who take that
path. What is more predictable is that alcohol use and abuse is likely
to remain constant. The Healing Place will continue to provide
recovery services to those who seek our help, regardless of what
drugs/alcohol they may use.
Karyn Hascal is the Executive Director of The Healing Place and is on the GLMS
Board of Governors.
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CONTACT
Amanda Edmondson
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502.736.6330
[email protected]
OCTOBER 2019
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