April is Alcohol Awareness Month, and Addiction Recovery Care (ARC) is reminding Kentuckians that treatment and services are available if you or a loved one are struggling with alcohol use.
Excessive alcohol use is a problem in Kentucky and across the United States. Data from the National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics (NCDAS) indicates:
- An average of 2,206 annual deaths in Kentucky are attributable to excessive alcohol use.
- The 5-year average annual rate of excessive alcohol deaths per capita in Kentucky increased by as much as 40.2% from 2015 to 2019.
- 53.5% of excessive alcohol use deaths are from chronic causes, such as Alcohol Use Disorder.
- The CDC estimates 59,519 years of potential life is lost to excessive alcohol use each year.
Kentucky taxpayers spent $3.195 billion as a result of excessive alcohol use in 2010; adjusted for inflation, this is equivalent to $4.313 billion or $3.19 per drink in 2022.
“Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a chronic, but treatable disease,” said Matt Brown, Addiction Recovery Care’s Chief Administration Officer. “AUD is linked to many other health problems: depression, anxiety, high blood pressure, liver failure and even other substance use disorders. That’s why it’s so important for people to know that help is available and recovery is possible.”
According to SAMHSA’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 14.8 million people aged 12 or older had an Alcohol Use Disorder in 2018—more than seven times the number of individuals with an opioid use disorder. Data from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism found that, of the 14.8 million people with AUD, just 8 percent received treatment.
ARC hopes to change that and offers individualized treatment for people living with AUD.
“I encourage anyone struggling with alcohol use who needs treatment to reach out. ARC has a place for you right now, and resources are available to help get you on the road to recovery,” added Brown.