Observing Alcohol Awareness Month in Recovery
April is Alcohol Awareness Month. When you’re in recovery from an addiction to alcohol, you probably are well aware of the problems it can cause you and your family. When observing Alcohol Awareness Month in recovery, you can help spread the word about alcohol’s impact on a person’s mental and physical health, as well as the economic implications of alcohol addiction.
Observing Alcohol Awareness Month
When you’re in recovery, encouraging others to observe Alcohol Awareness Month can be important to your success and to their health and well-being. The month’s organizers encourage everyone to reach out to others with information about alcohol use and alcoholism as a preventable disease. You could be instrumental in helping a friend or family member recognize their own addiction and seek treatment for themselves.
For young people in your life, in particular, it’s critical to help them understand the impact of their alcohol use. Alcohol continues to be the number one drug of choice for youth in the US, and in fact is more likely to kill young people than all illegal drugs combined.
Leading Cause of Preventable Death
In the US, alcohol is the leading cause of preventable death, either directly or as a contributing factor to diseases and accidents. Data shows that over 95,000 people die every year from a cause attributable to excessive alcohol. That averages out to 261 people dying every day from a health issue or an incident that is linked to alcohol use and abuse.
Deaths attributed to alcohol included those from liver and heart disease, cancer, cirrhosis, traffic accidents, and suicide. The total includes those who were killed because of someone else’s drinking, such as children and passengers in a car involved in an accident caused by alcohol.
Facts About Alcohol Consumption
As you observe Alcohol Awareness Month, it’s helpful to understand how significant the issue of alcohol addiction is in this country, so you can share the information with others. Encouraging your friends and family to understand more about the effects of alcohol can help educate them as to the importance of appropriate treatment and recovery.
The 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) found that 85.6% of adults over the age of 18 drank alcohol at some point in their lifetime, 69.5% drank in the past year, and 54.9% drank in the past month. The survey also found that 25.8% of adults over the age of 18 engaged in binge drinking in the past month and 6.3% engaged in heavy alcohol use in the past month.
Addiction is Treatable
Another fact to understand and to share with others during Alcohol Awareness Month is that addiction to alcohol is a treatable disorder. Research on the science of addiction has led to treatment methods that help people stop using alcohol and resume productive lives, generally referred to as being in recovery. You are probably there now, and you want others to understand how they can treat their addiction as well.
The Recovery Process
As you no doubt understand at this point, stopping the use of alcohol is just one part of a long and complex recovery process. Addiction can cause serious consequences in a person’s life, including major health issues and daily functioning at work, at home, and with friends. Recovery helps a person improve their mental and physical health and regain their life. Even those individuals who may have severe or chronic substance use disorders can overcome their illness with appropriate treatment.
In recovery, you see the positive changes and values that you regained in treatment become part of your new lifestyle. Many people report that handling their stresses and negative feelings without the use of alcohol or other substances and living a life that enables them to contribute to family, to work, and to their community are critical aspects of their recovery.
SOBER AUSTIN HAS THE RESOURCES YOU NEED FOR RECOVERY
During Alcohol Awareness Month, it’s important to know the facts and to share them with others in your life. At Sober Austin, we provide the resources they need to overcome their addiction and move forward with a successful recovery. We also understand that life can be even more challenging during the coronavirus pandemic. The dangers of denial are greater, though, so it’s important to know when it’s time to get help and how to get that help for their addiction. Browse our site to learn more about finding support in Austin. Please feel free to contact us directly by calling (737) 250-8024 or emailing contact@soberaustin.com.