Lawmakers must avoid band aid approach to stemming alcohol abuse

OPINION – As California policy makers, community leaders and advocates work to address the state’s growing problem of addiction, it is critical that alcohol use disorder, also known as alcoholism, is taken under equal consideration as opioid and methamphetamine abuse. Left unchecked, alcohol use disorder – the most common type of substance abuse in the U.S. – will continue to devastate families and communities, incurring huge humanitarian and financial costs to our state.

A medical condition characterized by an impaired ability to stop or control alcohol use despite adverse impacts, the disease is a public health emergency that continues to pose a significant threat to all Californians. AUD causes more than 15,000 deaths in the state each year, and this figure growing. Research reveals that during the Covid pandemic, alcohol use disorder-related deaths increased by 25 percent in 2020 and by 22 percent in 2021. And while the Covid state of emergency has been lifted, increased alcohol use related to the pandemic lingers, impacting the physical and mental health of millions.

In 2020 the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reported that nearly four million California adults qualified as suffering from alcohol use disorder, and that 93 percent of the afflicted are not receiving the help they need to recover. According to a study published in the Journal of Hospital Medicine, California has one of the highest readmission rates in the country for patients with alcohol-related disorders, with 24.7 percent of these patients being readmitted within 30 days of their initial discharge. A “bandaid” approach to AUD – only addressing it when the patient is in crisis – is not working.

Left unchecked, alcohol use disorder – the most common type of substance abuse in the U.S. – will continue to devastate families and communities, incurring huge humanitarian and financial costs to our state.

The consequences of untreated AUD in California are clear. Alcohol-related losses in workplace productivity, health care costs, criminal justice expenses, and motor vehicles crashes cost California taxpayers over $35 billion each year. AUD is a driver of broken lives and broken families, and plays a significant role in the state’s massive homeless problem.

To begin to effectively address this devastating and growing problem, California lawmakers must prioritize increasing awareness and ensuring access to effective care. To achieve this, AUD treatment must have parity with other healthcare conditions and we must combat the stigma of seeking help for this insidious disease. This will include ensuring that in every setting of care, providers become aware of the signs of dangerous alcohol use, are trained in assessing and identifying alcohol used disorder, and can offer options for treating the disease.

What does effective treatment look like? It means having enough facilities to accept people with AUD who want help. It means having an infrastructure to provide follow-up care and support for people who become sober. It means keeping all treatment options on the table, including the use of FDA-approved medications. And it means having a broad education program to let all Californians, including the unhoused, know how and where to find treatment – and that there is no shame in seeking it.  With April being Alcohol Awareness Month, it’s a good time to ensure lawmakers are cognizant of the damaging impacts of AUD and work to address it.

Robb Layne is Executive Director of the California Association of Alcohol and Drug Program Executives (CAADPE)