While there are certainly bigger picture issues at hand – including an increasingly hostile Middle East, tax reform, growing student loan debts, illegal immigration, and more – there’s still no excuse for putting this country’s public health problems on the back burner. And that’s exactly what alcoholism is: a public health issue.
The Truth About Alcoholism
Alcoholism comes with a stigma in this country. People view it as an irresponsible choice that only those with no sense of direction let befall them. However, the scientific truth is that alcoholism is a disease. Just like any other mental illness, affected individuals are often incapable of turning away from their negative addictions and subsequent behaviors.
This is something many within the medical community are coming to realize. According to Alcohol Rescue, a premier alcohol rehab and detox treatment center, “Alcohol abuse and alcoholism are now treated as medical conditions within the recovery community. As such, there are certain signs and symptoms that clinicians can look for to determine the severity of an alcohol problem.”
These symptoms include an uncontrollable desire to drink, a willingness to drink anything, an inability to focus on other responsibilities until the urge to drink is satisfied, and numerous physical withdrawal symptoms.
Why Should the White House Care?
As people start to recognize that alcoholism is a public health issue, it’s apparent that the White House needs to step in. Specifically, the next president needs to take a stand and prioritize this increasingly serious issue in our country.
Here are just a few of the reasons why:
- Alcoholism and pregnancy. According to the CDC, 1 in 10 pregnant women report drinking alcohol, despite the fact that Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) are widely publicized. The lifetime cost of an individual born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is estimated to be $2 million. When you consider that thousands of babies with FAS are born each year, you can see just how quickly this adds up.
- Alcoholism and traffic safety. It’s no surprise that alcoholism and binge drinking cause thousands of traffic accidents on American roads each year. In 2014, 9,967 people were killed in alcohol-impaired vehicle crashes. This number accounted for one-third of all traffic-related deaths.
- Alcoholism and incarceration. Because alcoholics have such an urge to drink, many will do whatever it takes to obtain alcohol (or the money to buy it). As a result, millions of abusers end of doing illegal things that ultimately put them behind bars. In a recent study, alcohol was alarmingly implicated in the incarceration of more than 50 percent of all inmates in the U.S.
As you can see, alcoholism isn’t some minor problem that can be swept under the rug. It’s a widespread societal issue that needs to be addressed. The next president of the United States can and should start the conversation.
It’s Time to Take Action
Huffington Post contributor Harris Zafar called for something to be done prior to the 2012 election: “While everyone discusses improving the economic health of our country during this election year, seemingly nobody is focusing on this problem where a significant portion of the American population is in an absent-minded drunken state every single week. What good is the creation of more jobs if people continue down this destructive path?”
While many good things have been done in the past four years, it would be inaccurate to say the issue of alcoholism in America has been given the proper attention. Hopefully the next president will take a unique approach to this matter of public health so that we can all benefit from a safer and healthier society.