Did you know April is Alcohol Awareness Month?

Georgia HOPE wants to do our part to increase outreach and education regarding the dangers of alcohol use disorders and issues related to alcohol. Our families and communities need to know the resources, information, and options available to address this issue. You can learn more Alcohol Awareness Month here.

Connection is the Opposite of Addiction

Anyone with any association in the substance use world, knows that fact. To learn more about social isolation implications during Covid-19, alcohol.org conducted a survey of 3,000 people working from home across the U.S. to see how this is impacting drinking during the workday. They found that 33% of Georgians surveyed say they’ve had alcohol during the work hours while at home. The national average was 32%. Around one-fifth of people surveyed said they stockpiled alcohol for self-isolation. Here are some other statistics on alcohol use in the U.S.

• 6 people die every day in the U.S. from alcohol poisoning
• More than 4,300 people die every year as a result of teenage alcohol use
• As many as 1.3 million underaged youth engaged in binge drinking within the past month
• Youth who start drinking before age 15 years are 6 TIMES more likely to develop alcohol dependence or abuse
• More than 16 million Americans over the age of 18 were living with an alcohol use disorder and about 623,000 young people between the ages of 12 and 17 were struggling as well National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

These are scary statistics. Individuals with problematic drinking behaviors are among the most vulnerable populations right now. Not only does drinking weaken the immune system, studies show that there is a clear relationship between anxiety and alcohol use.

So What Can You Do?

1. Address the issue before it becomes the problem – talk to your teens
   • Show you disapprove of underage drinking
   • Show you care about your child’s health, wellness and success
   • Show you’re a good source of information about alcohol and other drugs. Here’s a good place to start
   • https://www.shatterproof.org/blog/5-things-know-about-alcohol
   • Show you’re paying attention and will discourage risky behavior
   • Build your child’s skills and strategies for avoiding drinking and drug use
2. Be an example for your family and friends to show them healthier methods/activities to relieve stress
   • Stretch, take a walk, organize a game night, meditate, get outdoors, make fun mocktails
3. Take this quiz to better understand your drinking patterns: https://alcoholscreening.org/

Know the Resources

1. Many programs are offering virtual meetings online
   • https://americanaddictioncenters.org/virtual-meetings
2. Helpful websites with information and resources
   • https://www.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/virtual-recovery-resources.pdf
   • https://www.alcohol.org/
   • https://www.shatterproof.org/
   • In many communities there are drug-free coalitions to assist in decreasing substance use.
     • Here are a few:
       • https://ccapsa.org/
       • http://www.bartowagainstdrugs.com/
       • https://www.cherokeefocus.org/drugfreecherokee
3. At Georgia HOPE we offer substance use treatment for adolescents and adults in early intervention, relapse prevention and outpatient services including: individual and family therapy, group therapy, skill building, resource linkage, peer support, and co-occurring disorder medication management and treatment. https://gahope.org/.