Looking at 2020: Alcohol Abuse Awareness

Alcohol Abuse Awareness: The year 2020 was unprecedented. No one could have guessed that when the virus that causes COVID-19 first emerged, it would spread worldwide, causing a pandemic. It was a first for several generations. The virus left us unprepared, unknowing, and unable to prevent its spread.

When we finally took action, it was a drastic change of lifestyle. We were left with an intense feeling of isolation. Some worked from home due to the stay-at-home mandate, and some even lost their jobs. The government enacted social distancing suggestions and laws, making it challenging to see extended family or friends. Mask mandates also took over, and that feeling of isolation collided head-on with claustrophobia.

There was a particular group that unfortunately struggled in a very exceptional way. This group included those who increased their alcohol consumption as a way to cope with these lifestyle changes. It became a genuine concern, considering increased alcohol consumption leads to the risk of developing alcohol use disorder (AUD). According to a research letter titled “Changes in Adult Alcohol Use and Consequences During the COVID-19 Pandemic in the US,” there was an overall 14% increase in alcohol consumption from 2019 to 2020. It goes on to confirm that COVID-19 played a prominent role in that, citing an astronomical change in women’s behavior following the start of the pandemic – that their alcohol consumption increased by 41% from the 2019 baseline.

Stress, Alcohol Abuse, and 2020

With all of the mentioned life changes, stress impaired so many individuals during 2020. Stress plays a prominent role in a person’s decision to drink. It acts as a crutch – as a way to find relief from difficult emotions. Uncertainty and stress affected frontline workers, those working from home, parents who had to manage their children’s schooling, and those who lost a loved one due to COVID-19. With so much to juggle for so many, alcohol seemed like an easy out.

This mindset, however, is a dangerous one. Developing an addiction to drinking is very real and ruins lives. It afflicts you with long-term physical and mental health effects. Building awareness and arguing for the prevention of alcohol abuse can help prevent AUD.

What Is Alcohol Abuse Awareness?

Alcohol abuse is a national crisis that has only worsened since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. It has progressed bad enough through our population that it earned its own month – the month of April is National Alcohol Awareness Month – and sponsored by the National Council for Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD).

The dangers of alcohol are real. AUD is classified as three varying levels of excessive drinking, including abuse, dependency, and addiction. The dangers of alcohol are present in each of the three levels of excessive drinking. Recreationally binge drinking is a standout introductory behavior demonstrated by those first experimenting with excessive drinking.

Alcohol abuse has adverse effects on both your physical and mental health as well as your day-to-day life.

Heavy drinking affects your brain over time by impairing its functions, such as your fine motor skills, or causing lapses in your memory. Alcohol abuse causes actual physical harm to your body, too. For instance, long-term heavy alcohol consumption can result in liver cancer or cirrhosis.

While in the throes of AUD, you see the effects alcohol has on your life. These manifest as strained relationships with loved ones, including children; developing mental health disorders; the inability to perform at work or in school; your lack of presence in your family’s home life; sowing doubt and distrust with friends or family; and the strain it causes on your financials.

Who Is Affected by Alcoholism?

Persons who have the potential of being affected by alcoholism will meet the criteria of various factors. These include:

• Psychological factors
• Personality factors
• Personal choice factors
• Drinking history factors
• Genetic factors
• Familial factors
• Environmental factors
• Religious factors
• Social and cultural factors
• Age factors
• Educational factors
• Career factors

Some specific risk factors that can potentially lead to a person developing AUD include:

• The consumption of more than 15 drinks per week for men or 12 drinks for women
• Binge drinking
• Having a family member that also suffers from AUD
• Suffering from a mental health disorder such as PTSD, depression, or anxiety
• Getting peer pressured to drink
• Becoming overwhelmed with stress
• Living with a family where drinking is a regular part of life

Particular groups of people who are at greater risk of developing AUD include:

• Young adults in college partaking in heavy episodic drinking
• Children predisposed to alcohol by their mother when pregnant
• Adolescents participating in underage binge drinking
• Veterans who experience PTSD or other mental health disorders
• Persons experiencing homeless
• Professionals working in high-stress environments

Terryle’s Story of Overcoming Addiction

From an example of one of our own alumni, Terryle, who celebrated his third year sober with the help of Real Recovery Sober Living, we get a better look into what factors into a person’s risk for developing AUD.

Following college and an injury that kept him from pursuing his passion for dance, Terryle’s struggle with alcohol mainly occurred as binge drinking. He describes himself early in his addiction as a “functioning alcoholic,” able to maintain jobs and go for periods of time without drinking. His addiction, however, worsened when he got into a relationship where his partner would be in rehab on several occasions. His drinking worsened when his partner would relapse.

Once his AUD worsened due to frequent blacking out, Terryle quit and switched to club drugs, similarly abusing their effects. Terryle was living near-homeless “out of a hotel, scared for [his] sanity, freedom, and [was] lost.” He eventually admitted himself into a 30-day rehab treatment program, but even that was not enough. He reverted to old behaviors.

His addiction and relationship worsened, and he moved to New York, where he became even more engrossed with drugs. Only at his lowest point did Terryle reach out for help, finally calling Patrick (our founder) and getting himself into Real Recovery.

Terryle’s story shows us that he was affected by multiple risk factors, including personal choice, drinking history, and social and psychological factors. Occasional binge drinking cascaded into regular alcohol abuse and experimentation with different drugs, resulting in him reaching a low point in his life.

Alcohol Abuse During 2020

Alcohol abuse expanded in the US during 2020 and has even persisted into 2021 due to more people developing AUD. As per the research letter, “Changes in Adult Alcohol Use and Consequences During the COVID-19 Pandemic in the US”:

• Alcohol sales increased by 54% for the week ending March 21, 2020
• Alcohol was consumed one day more per month by 3 of 4 adults compared to the 2019 baseline

Regular alcohol abuse became harmful enough that the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that alcohol use during the pandemic might potentially exacerbate health concerns and risk-taking behaviors due to the co-occurrent issues.

In addition to the WHO’s statement, evidence in the research letter stated that “excessive alcohol use may lead to or worsen existing mental health problems, such as anxiety or depression.” The authors of the research letter further advocated for “health systems” to more greatly “educate consumers” about developing AUD during the pandemic.

Facts About Alcoholism

In an article published by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), titled “Alcohol Facts and Statistics,” the growing effect of alcohol in our society becomes ever evident. Most Americans are introduced to alcohol at a young age, whether at home or from peers. Alcohol is used for various effects: in social settings, to relieve stress, and to celebrate. That is why it does not come as a surprise to find out that 85.6% of people ages 18 and older have drunk alcohol at some point in their lifetime.

In 2019 alone, 25.8% of people ages 18 and older (this includes 29.7% of men and 22.2% of women in this age group) engaged in binge drinking. For those who drink heavily, 6.3% of people ages 18 and older (this includes 8.3% of men and 4.5% of women in this age group) admitted their experiences.

Spreading awareness about alcohol abuse is important as it can help prevent the development of AUD and, in turn, reduce these numbers provided. In-patient and out-patient rehab and Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) are always viable options for persons seeking help.

What Is Considered Alcohol Abuse?

Understanding what alcohol abuse is, is essential to identifying early on and implementing treatment and prevention from further development. What is considered alcohol abuse? The NIAAA defines how you can better understand different types of drinking:

• Drinking in Moderation: Two drinks or less a day for men and one drink or less a day for women.
• Binge Drinking: A pattern of drinking alcohol that brings blood alcohol concentration (BAC) to 0.08% or higher. This corresponds to five or more drinks for men, or four or more drinks for women, in about 2 hours.
• Heavy Alcohol Use: Defined as more than four drinks on any day or more than 14 drinks per week for men, more than three drinks on any day or more than seven drinks per week for women, or binge drinking on five or more days in the past month.
• Alcohol Use Disorder: Binge drinking and heavy alcohol use can increase an individual’s risk of AUD.

From the previously mentioned article, “Alcohol Facts and Statistics,” a trend, called “High-Intensity Drinking,” is emerging. High-intensity drinking is defined as “consuming alcohol at levels that are two or more times the gender-specific binge drinking thresholds.”

Further in this article is defined who in the United States experiences AUD.

• For ages 12 and older: 14.5 million experience AUD, including 9 million men (6.8% of this age group) and 5.5 million women (3.9% of this age group).
• For ages 12 to 17: An estimated 414,000 adolescents experience AUD, including 163,000 males (1.3% of this age group) and 251,000 females (2.1% of this age group).

It is no wonder why an estimated 12.7% of the U.S. population has alcohol use disorder (AUD) with how widely available alcohol is in the modern world. Acceptance of alcohol use in almost every facet of life is a factor of this. You are more than a statistic, however, and you have the power to get help. Treatment for AUD requires acceptance of your disease and the drive to want to get better.

Our facilities at Real Recovery Sober Living offer a better lifestyle for those in recovery. Achieving successful long-term sobriety is about living life with stability and community. Getting sober is not a one-person job. It takes a support system. Our facilities provide a safe and stable environment for your ongoing recovery. Our program is led by those in recovery who know the intense struggle that is addiction. If you have questions about treatment with us, we are available over the phone at (727) 290-9156.

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