September is the
National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery month. It’s to promote the hopeful
and healing message of recovery. Fear of job loss, humiliation, cost and
insurance barriers present obstacles to those who need treatment. So this month
could be helpful.

Alcoholism is a topic that receives a lot of attention
but is not understood realistically. Most people think that alcoholics are
jobless homeless people and although there are many of those, that is not the “typical
alcoholic”. In fact the typical alcoholic is a middle-class person who works or
goes to school, has a family and attends worship services on Sunday. Alcoholism
is a medical disorder, its not defined in terms of how someone feels or thinks
but in terms of the pattern of behaviors related to alcohol consumption. It’s a
medical condition that can medically be treated just as illnesses would. Did you
know that treatment for substance use or disorders are just as effective as
treatment for other chronic conditions such as high-blood pressure, asthma and
diabetes.

Investing
in treatments for substance use disorder is just as good as investing in a
safer healthier community. Alcohol is responsible for increased violence and
crime, decreased worker productivity, and deaths and injuries resulting from
drinking and driving accidents. And drinkers aren’t the only ones that pay,
everyone splits the bill. For every $1 spent on treatment, $7 is saved in
social costs.

Alcoholism
is known as a family disease. Every individual with a drinking problem disrupts
the lives of at least 4 other people. It’s important for the family and
everyone else to get involved in recovery. When a person in the justice system
finds treatment the outlook is remarkable. Re-arrest rates drop from 75% to
27%. Treatment has enormous effects in reducing the cost burden of the
community.

Treatment
works!!