National Alcohol Awareness Month

The goal of National Alcohol Awareness Month is to increase the awareness and understanding about the causes and effective treatments of one of our nation’s greatest public health problems. Encouraging communities to focus on alcoholism education, alcohol-related issues and support for those seeking recovery are other important ways to bring attention to the matter. 

Since the pandemic started, data shows that many adults increased their alcohol consumption. This may have been caused from the isolation, uncertainty, anxiety and even boredom many faced. People felt the need to self-soothe. For the people who were already having problems coping with alcohol, the pandemic may have caused them to have a relapse.

The Department of Health and Human Services has the following alcohol recommendations:

• 2 drinks or fewer in a day for men

• 1 drink or fewer in a day for women

Drinking too much alcohol increases the risk for a variety of physical and mental health problems such as liver disease, stroke, suicide, cancer and alcohol dependence. If you already have a family or personal history of cardiovascular disease, trauma, substance use disorder, mental illness or cancer, you can be even more vulnerable to these and other alcohol-related illnesses.

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism has some great topics on their website about alcohol’s effects on health. https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohols-effects-health There are many social media campaigns this month about the causes of alcoholism and the risks of becoming dependent. 

If you are someone you know may be having problems with the overindulgence of alcohol perhaps reworking some habits is a good way to start. 

• Try replacing alcohol with other drinks such as a healthy smoothie, mocktails, club soda, alcohol-free beer, sparkling water with lime, or one of the many other non-alcoholic drinks at the store

• Go to bed earlier and get extra rest instead of drinking alcohol night after night while watching television

• Since many people drink heavy over the weekend, give it a try not to drink for Friday, Saturday and Sunday

• Spring is here and it’s time to get outside as our weather starts to get better, so go for a healthy walk with friends instead of meeting after work at the bar

There are also many motivational apps out there now to help cut back or quit drinking. Some of these manage it with evidence-based education and progress tracking with meditations and games to help. There are also coaching calls and videos on some of these.

If you have noticed family or friends drinking more than they normally do, bring it up in conversation. Talk with your teens and college students about alcohol misuse and that it isn’t a coping mechanism for stress. Behavioral therapy and counseling are important for treatment of alcohol issues. Discuss with your primary care physician if you think you may have a problem.

The key to change is building new, healthy habits in whatever you’re trying to change. This can be said for a variety of things whether you’re trying to eat better, exercise more or cut down on alcohol consumption. 

https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/index.htm