Is Alcoholism and Addiction a problem here in Atlanta?  Here are some facts and figures for you on Alcoholism and Addiction, so maybe you can decide…

• An estimated two thirds of the American population consumes alcohol.
• 1 out of 13 adults in the U.S. abuse alcohol or have an alcoholism problem.
• Over three million American teenagers aged 14 to 17 have an alcohol problem.
• According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), from 2007-2008 approximately 7% of GA residents used an illicit drug other than marijuana in the previous month.
• According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health services Administration (SAMHSA), in 2005 the illicit drug most often causing GA residents to seek treatment for drug abuse was cocaine, followed by marijuana, and other opiates.
• There are approximately 80,000 deaths attributable to excessive alcohol use each year in the United States (this makes excessive alcohol use the 3rd leading lifestyle-related cause of death for the nation).
• Excessive alcohol use is responsible for 2.3 million years of potential life lost (YPLL) annually, or an average of about 30 years of potential life lost for each death.

So based on the facts and figures, if you ask me, yes, alcoholism and other forms of addiction are problems worth talking about here in the United States and specifically in Georgia.  Some questions you might be asking are: What are the causes of addictions?  Do the causes vary for different populations and should treatment be different based upon the population?

I’ll be going more in depth starting Monday with a two-part series addressing alcoholism and addiction.  In the meanwhile, if you want to read more statistics on alcohol and drug use and prevention, one good site is www.cdc.gov.

Mary Overstreet, LAMFT

moverstreet@ GROWcounseling.com