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Rushford: Despite Opioid Epidemic, More People Seeking Help For Alcohol Abuse

October 05, 2018

Much attention has been paid to the scourge of heroin, opioid addiction and related overdose deaths, but clinical supervisors at Rushford locations say the clients they see are primarily suffering from alcohol use disorder.

“Eight-one percent of our clients last month were treated for alcohol problems and only 13 percent for opiates,” says Michelle Voegtle,  manager and clinical supervisor of the Rushford location in Avon.

“Alcohol abuse affects people from all economic, social and demographic backgrounds,” adds Jack Ryan, manager and clinical supervisor of Rushford in Glastonbury, a facility that also sees more admissions due to alcohol than opiates.

“They are definitely from all walks of life – we have had lawyers, medical professionals and ‘soccer moms,’” he notes.

While the nation’s opioid troubles have been escalated to what public health professionals deem crisis proportions, Dr. J. Craig Allen, medical director of Rushford, says alcohol remains a much more prevalent and even deadlier concern.

“On a yearly basis, alcohol kills nearly twice as many people as opioids, but because this has been going on for centuries, it’s become part of the culture,” he explains. “With opioids, the rapid rise in overdose deaths is new and the sudden nature of death by overdose, as opposed to gradually succumbing to alcohol’s ills over the course of years, is more striking and garners front-page coverage.”

He also says alcohol use remains a significant problem for adolescents and in high school and college, where most of the misuse is in the form of binge drinking (five or more drinks in a short period of time). In the young adult population, alcohol is linked to thousands of sexual assaults and “date rapes,” other physical assaults and 80 percent of homicides.

The physical and emotional effect of drinking is widespread, Dr. Allen adds.

“Alcohol damage goes far beyond blackouts, accidents and altercations,” he says. “Over time, organs – including the liver, heart, pancreas and brain – become involved and there is a direct relationship between alcohol consumption and various types of cancers.”

In England, where residents drink more per capita than in the United States, there has been an organized national effort to have people reexamine their alcohol use and consider reducing or stopping use altogether. A campaign started this month – “Be Sober in October” – is aimed at encouraging people to see how they feel, think and sleep after stopping their alcohol intake.

The good news, according to Dr. Allen, Voegtle and Ryan, is that people can find help for alcohol use disorder, including the effective Medication Assistance Close to Home (MATCH) program offered through Rushford. MATCH pairs counseling with outpatient medication treatment for clients dependent on drugs or alcohol.

While Voegtle says many Avon clients, perhaps in response to the opioid crisis, fear taking another drug, MATCH provides medication management during and after a client stay.

“Medication management is especially helpful for alcohol users who find it hard to stay sober in an outpatient level of care,” Ryan says.

For more information on treatment for alcohol use disorder or MATCH, click here.