Sometimes alcohol is seen as a safer substance than illegal drugs because it is legal and is more socially acceptable. Unfortunately, alcohol is still a dangerous drug that can ruin a person’s health and even end lives. Since 1987, April has been designated Alcohol Awareness Month, a time that is dedicated to raising public awareness about the risks associated with alcohol misuse and decreasing the stigma around getting help.
At The Pavilion, in Williamsburg, Virginia, we want to ensure that people understand the potentially devastating impact that it can have on the lives of people who misuse it and the people whose lives they touch. We also know that recovery is possible and we want to help people who are struggling with alcohol use disorder and their families.
Trouble Caused by Alcohol
Despite perceptions that alcohol is less dangerous, it causes a lot of problems for individuals, families, and our society as a whole. More than 178,000 people die from excessive alcohol use each year, making it one of the leading causes of preventable deaths in the United States.
Some of the chronic conditions that are attributed to alcohol include:
- Liver diseases
- Cardiovascular diseases
- Various types of cancer
- Brain and nervous system problems, including seizures, depression and dementia
- Anemia
- Alcohol use disorder (AUD)
More than 13,500 people lost their lives in automotive accidents involving alcohol-impaired drivers in 2022. In 2020, alcohol was a factor in more than 17 percent of opioid-related deaths and contributed to at least 7 percent of emergency room visits. It is also known to increase the risk of suicide attempts and completed suicides, playing a role in approximately one in four suicide deaths. Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is the second most common mental health disorder in the United States. Additionally, alcohol misuse cost the United States around $249 billion in 2010.
How Sobriety Improves Lives
When people stop or reduce their alcohol intake, they see big changes in the areas listed above, but they also experience more subtle improvements, such as:
- Lower blood pressure
- Increased energy
- Better sleep
- Enhanced productivity
- Weight loss
Sometimes these small improvements add up to make a huge improvement to a person’s quality of life.
How You Can Help
Individuals have the power to positively impact our society’s understanding of the risks associated with alcohol use and to decrease the stigma people experience when they try to get help. Some things you can do to help include:
- Eliminating or at least limiting how much alcohol you consume:
- Consider what benefits you get from drinking and how you might get those same benefits in some other way
- Consider how alcohol is decreasing your quality of life, whether this includes reducing the money you could spend on other things, giving you hangovers, causing your health issues, or something else that isn’t making you happy
- Consider what benefits you might reap from getting sober or reducing your alcohol consumption
- Spend more time with people who don’t drink or who drink less, so you won’t feel as much pressure to drink
- Lean into your hobbies
- Plan activities for yourself and your loved ones, which don’t include alcohol
- Have a plan for how you will decline alcohol when it is offered to you
- Talking to your children about the dangers associated with alcohol misuse, binge drinking, and driving under the influence of alcohol. Even if they are young, there are age-appropriate ways to have these discussions.
- Participating in local alcohol awareness events in your community
- Sharing information on social media, about the dangers of alcohol and how to get treatment
- Supporting government initiatives that have been proven effective in curbing unsafe drinking trends
- Offering support for people you know, who might need help addressing their alcohol use:
- Encouraging them to complete a free screening
- Helping them to talk to their primary care doctor
- Ensuring they don’t try to detox alone
- Supporting them in accessing treatment
- Assisting them in finding recovery groups like AA or SMART Recovery
At the Pavilion, we offer treatment for a variety of behavioral health disorders, including mental illness and substance use disorders. We see the devastation alcohol causes in the lives of our patients, but we also get to experience the beauty of successful recovery journeys.
