Alcohol Addiction Dangerously Common Among Middle-Aged People
Alcohol addiction and abuse are killing people at alarmingly high rates, and the numbers are almost as dire as the opioid epidemic, according to research recently released by the National Institutes of Health.
In 2017, the total deaths in America attributed to alcohol reached 72,558 in 2017, just a few thousand fewer than the 75,000 opioid overdoses from the same year. The deaths from alcohol have steadily increased from 35,914 in 1999. From 1999 to 2017, a million people died from the effects of alcohol addiction.
Binge drinking numbers have also gone up in recent years.
“Alcohol is not a benign substance, and there are many ways it can contribute to mortality,” NIAAA Director Dr. George F. Koob said about the research. “The current findings suggest that alcohol-related deaths involving injuries, overdoses, and chronic diseases are increasing across a wide swath of the population. The report is a wakeup call to the growing threat alcohol poses to public health.”
Binge Drinking Common in Mid-Life
People age 45-74 were found to have the highest rates of alcohol addiction-related deaths. They also report high rates of binge drinking. According to ABC News, “In 2017, binge drinkers ages 35 to 44 consumed a high of 593 drinks per person, up from 468 in 2011. Adults ages 45 to 64 had a smaller, but similar, increase.”
In the study from NIAAA, a death was identified as caused by alcohol addiction if an alcohol-induced cause was listed as the underlying cause or as a contributing cause of death. Liver disease, alcohol overdoses, and alcohol-related accidents were all considered alcohol-related deaths.
When a person addicted to alcohol gets sober, they can face withdrawal symptoms that make it dangerous to go “cold turkey”. Instead, we recommend that anyone who is addicted to alcohol use a professional detox program to help monitor your health and help you make important decisions about your recovery plan.
Getting Help for Alcohol Addiction
Alcohol abuse and addiction are not uncommon for people in their mid-lives. In fact, it’s common for people age forty or over to enter into drug or alcohol treatment. Recovery is an option for anyone who is willing to get started.
You may have tried to get help in the past but been unable to commit to a recovery program. Or maybe your addiction is affecting your family life, and you want to get yourself together again.
We can help! Addiction can wear down a person’s body, mind, and soul. We offer a calm, serene and safe environment to help yourself take time to detox, begin healing and plan your next steps in recovery. Please give us a call to learn more about our amenities and programs: US (949) 279-1376 • MX (612) 153-5726.