Most Americans recognize alcohol abuse as a public health emergency. They want to see the issue addressed. Nonetheless, many people remain underinformed about safe drinking limits and the treatment options that could save lives.
A national survey of 1,000 Americans released by Another Way Recovery Services has revealed a startling gap between public concern and public knowledge. While 72% of respondents believe alcohol abuse should be treated as a public health emergency, only 22% know that no amount of alcohol is completely safe for long-term health. And although the survey shows strong support for increasing treatment access, fewer than 36% of Americans are familiar with outpatient or at-home recovery options.
Greg Bolan, CEO at Another Way Recovery Services, discusses the survey findings and what they mean for the future of alcohol abuse treatment in America.
Q. Your survey shows that 72% of Americans believe alcohol abuse should be treated as a public health emergency. What does this level of concern tell us about where we are as a society?
Greg Bolan: Alcohol consumption has long been a societal norm within American culture, and the majority of the population remain uneducated about just how addictive ethyl aclohol—a psychoactive drug—can be. So the fact that 72% of Americans now view alcohol abuse as a public health emergency doesn’t point to moral scruples or calculated caution; it shows how deeply the issue has touched the personal lives of real people. Nearly everyone has witnessed, directly or indirectly, the devastation that alcoholism can cause, and Americans have begun to recognize the crisis for what it is.
Q. Only 22% of survey respondents know that no amount of alcohol is completely safe for long-term health. Why do you think there is such a significant gap between public perception and medical guidance on alcohol consumption?
Greg Bolan: This gap stems from a blatant lack of education about what constitutes “safe” drinking. Alcohol has been promoted for centuries as a harmless—even beneficial—part of social life in America. The result is a population that rarely thinks twice about drinking and was never informed that even moderate consumption can affect their long-term wellbeing. The medical community, meanwhile, has known the risks for many years. Bridging the knowledge gap today will require clear, deliberate education campaigns that challenge the assumptions of the culture.
Q. The survey found that 90% of Americans support increasing access to Alcohol Use Disorder treatment, yet less than 36% are familiar with outpatient or at-home recovery options. What needs to change to close this awareness gap?
Greg Bolan: Treatment for alcoholism has been defined by institutionalization for more than thirty years. Patients are removed from their everyday environments and placed in inpatient facilities—what we call the “treatment bubble”—free of relapse triggers or abnormal stressors of any kind. The trouble is that these facilities fail to prepare patients for re-entry to the real world, where unresolved guilt, damaged relationships, and the same old triggers and stressors await. I know firsthand how hopelessly overwhelming this transition can be.
Outpatient and at-home recovery options allow patients to overcome—not escape—their triggers with constant medical and clinical support. If we want to close the awareness gap, we need to make these benefits known to a population who believes that treatment and institutionalization are synonymous.
Q. Americans clearly prefer positive approaches like treatment access and education over restrictive measures like raising the drinking age or increasing taxes. What does this preference reveal about how the public wants to address the alcohol crisis?
Greg Bolan: It shows that society is more thoughtful than it’s often given credit for. Americans understand that raising taxes or the drinking age will not ultimately reduce alcohol consumption. Those who want to drink alcohol will always find a way. People want constructive, compassionate solutions like accessible treatment and proactive education that will give their loved ones a second chance and keep vulnerable Americans from taking an uninformed risk.
Q. At-home detox and recovery services offer privacy and convenience, but many people still don’t know these options exist. How can the healthcare system and policymakers better promote these alternatives to traditional inpatient rehabilitation?
Greg Bolan: As with all innovations, the key is to make people aware that this new option is a viable alternative to the status quo. Care providers like Another Way Recovery Services and healthcare organizations generally must inform Americans that at-home detox and recovery programs can be highly effective when done legally and under strict medical supervision. They offer unparallelled privacy and one-on-one care that is virtually unheard of in traditional treatment of Substance Use Disorder. And—critically—such treatments may already be available within Americans’ insurance networks today. Only when people understand that safe, supervised recovery really can take place at home will we begin to see true effects of this potentially life-saving approach.
The survey results are clear: Americans want solutions to the alcohol abuse crisis. They want better access to treatment. They want to be educated about risks. And they want options that fit their lives. Closing the gap between concern and knowledge could be the first step toward saving American lives.
Learn more at Another Way Recovery Services.
