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Concern over Ohioan’s pandemic alcohol use

Canton Repository - 9/21/2020

The number of people seeking treatment for alcohol use disorder appears to be growing in Ohio six months into the coronavirus pandemic.

The Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services doesn't keep real-time treatment stats, but Director Lori Criss said recovery groups and treatment providers have reported increased demand for alcohol treatment.

"The one piece of potential hope I hear in that is people are coming forward for help," Criss said.

Alcohol warning

Health officials have warned of a potential increase in mental health issues and substance use during the pandemic. Misuse of alcohol has been a specific concern.

"We know that alcohol is the second cause of overdose death after opioids," Criss said. "We know that alcohol use disorder is the most prevalent substance use disorder, but culturally the use of alcohol is seen as recreational and even made light of."

Excessive drinking leads to more than 93,000 deaths a year in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Excessive drinking ups the risk of violence, car crashes and injuries, and can increase the risk of cancer, liver or heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure and birth defects.

The CDC defines excessive drinking as binging -- five or more drinks for men, four or more for women, on one occasion -- or weekly consumption of 15 or more drinks for men, eight or more for women.

Before the pandemic, the average Ohioan drank 2 gallons of alcohol a year, a little less than the national average of 2.35 gallons a year.

Over the line

"Alcohol's very easy to get and socially accepted; you can get that snowball effect," said Wendy Hunter, senior director of detox and opiate treatment services at Canton-based CommQuest Services.

The 20-bed CommQuest detox at Aultman Hospital houses 12 to 14 patients on an average day.

Before the pandemic, 75 percent of those patients would have been detoxing from opiates, Hunter said.

But since June 1, the proportion of patients detoxing from alcohol has increased. Now, it's not uncommon for half or even three-fourths of the patients to be in detox for alcohol, Hunter said.

Some patients come to the detox after a relapse; others are seeking treatment for the first time.

"The consistent trend is the person who says, 'I drank before the pandemic but I didn't drink as much as I do now,'" Hunter said.

There are several reasons why a person might have started drinking more: Boredom, isolation, job loss, depression, stuck at home with family.

Social media promoted drinking, dubbing Gov. Mike DeWine's daily press briefings "Wine with DeWine," and working from home also was a factor, she said.

"How's their employer going to know they're drinking or not drinking?" Hunter said. "It's a lot easier to hide it. You would never know, as long as you were getting your work done, right? How would someone know that their person had cocktails at lunch?"

What to look for

The federal government's dietary guidelines define moderate drinking as no more than two drinks a day for men and one drink a day for women, with a drink being 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine or 1.5 ounces of 80 proof liquor.

Though drinking might seem like a remedy, it actually can increase anxiety and depression, interfere with sleep and worsen family issues.

Hunter said some good questions to ask are: Am I drinking to numb myself? Am I drinking more days than not? How much am I drinking before I feel euphoric? Do I feel "off" or sick until I have a drink?

Criss said OMHAS continues to put out the message that alcohol is an unhealthy, dangerous and deadly way to cope with emotional distress.

"If you find yourself using alcohol to help relieve anxiety or depression or to help with sleep, we urge you to reach out for help and to try other strategies like exercise and diet and healthy connection to others," she said. "(We're) really urging people to stay connected to family and friends who are supportive in really positive ways."

And if you know someone in recovery, check on how they're doing and give them support, Criss said.

Stark County Mental Health and Addiction Recovery Chief Executive John Aller said local treatment providers likely would be dealing with the impacts from the pandemic for the next year or more.

"We're concerned about people that are in recovery, even long-term recovery, making sure they're doing the things they need to do to stay clean and sober because COVID is a stressor," Aller said. "But we're also worried about people who haven't had to seek treatment in the past."

Getting help

Anyone who needs emotional support can contact the confidential Ohio CareLine at 1-800-720-9616 or text "4hope" to 741741 to reach the Crisis Text Line.

Local resources can be found under the care network tab at StarkMHAR.org.

Reach Shane at shane.hoover@cantonrep.com

On Twitter: @shooverREP

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