Dear Readers,
April is a time to honor Alcohol Awareness Month
Alcohol Awareness Month started in April of 1987 as a way to draw attention to the causes and deleterious effects of alcoholism to help individuals, families, and communities deal with problematic drinking. One of the biggest endeavors of Alcohol Awareness Month is to reduce the stigma that continues to surround alcohol and other substance abuse in general. Denial is an incredibly common trait among those struggling with alcoholism, for those that love the ones who struggle.
Alcoholism in the United States
A few stats on the prevalence of alcohol abuse & addiction in the U.S.:
In a study conducted in 2018, an estimated 14.4 million American ages 18+ met criteria for Alcohol Use Disorder according to the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual-5th Edition)
Across the nation, 26.45% of individuals 18+ reported engaging in binge drinking in the past 30 days (~4 drinks/women & ~drinks/men in a 2-hour time span)
6.6% engaged in heavy alcohol use defined as “binge drinking on 5 or more days in the past month”
Yearly, an estimated 88,000 people die from alcohol related causes (i.e., alcohol impaired driving fatalities; alcoholic liver disease; Korsakoff Syndrome, etc.)
What does this mean?
These numbers tell us that alcohol use and abuse continue to impact our society, and addiction awareness is necessary in order to protect ourselves and those we love. If you or someone you know is struggling with alcohol abuse or addiction, please know that treatment is available and recovery is possible. The first step in creating change is to reduce the stigma, and acknowledge an unhealthy relationship to alcohol.
It’s okay to seek help!
Below are some useful resources for yourself or someone you love that is struggling with alcohol use:
1. “Two Pillars of Recovery” Workbook”
2. “The Wisdom to Know the Difference Workbook”
3. Sober Support Networks
AA (Alcoholic Anonymous)
SMART Recovery (Self-Management and Recovery Training)
Recovery Dharma
4. Support Networks for Friends/Family:
Al-Anon & Alateen
SMART Recovery Family and Friends
Broken No More
5. Specialized Intensive Treatment for Alcohol Use Disorder
Center for Motivation and Change
BlueCrest Recovery Center
Essex Health and Wellness Recovery Center
6. Individual Psychotherapy
Contact me for support!
If you or someone you know could benefit from a personalized, comprehensive, evidence-based psychotherapy for alcohol or other substance use related disorders, please reach out to me at DrAmandaAster@gmail.com, 973-233-5433, or visit my website at www.DrAmandaAster.com. You are not alone and recovery is possible!
Fellow Mental Health Professionals: Let’s Collab!
As an aside from this month’s important content, I am deeply passionate about mental health and working with fellow professionals to provide resources and support to our community. If you are a mental health or healthcare practitioner and are interested in collaborating with me on social media content, please feel free to email me at DrAmandaAster@gmail.com. Thanks!
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*Peace, Love, & Fierce Acceptance*
Dr. Amanda Aster-McKenna, Psy.D.
(She/Her/Hers)
NJ Licensed Psychologist #5888, Private Practice, Montclair, NJ
Adjunct Professor, Kean University, Department of Advanced Studies in Psychology
Manager, New York City Chapter of the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science
Board Member, Mental Health Association of Essex and Morris