Much attention has been directed to the opioid epidemic – and rightly so – as it has caused more than 320 deaths in Rhode Island last year alone. While this statistic is shocking, it’s important to note that alcohol is still the drug of choice over all other drugs – over opioids and heroin, over marijuana, over cocaine – and we are losing too many people to alcohol abuse.
The intent of this column is not to diminish the much-needed attention given opioids and other serious substances. The intent lies in reminding us that alcohol is a substance that is abused at a higher rate, and that there are myths we need to “bust” around substance use disorder, treatment, and recovery, to ensure everyone gets the help they need.
Myth 1: More people die from opioid overdoses than from alcohol.
Fact: Each year in the U.S., 95,000 people die from alcohol-related causes, with opioid deaths at 85,000. In reality, alcohol-related deaths are much higher than reported because they are often masked as liver failure, falls, seizures, car accidents, hemorrhages or other alcohol-related medical conditions. Newport County and the State of Rhode Island are certainly not immune from this. RI has the highest rate of death due to alcohol poisoning in New England. Most alcohol poisoning deaths are white men between the age of 35-64 (78%) but increasingly younger men and women are at risk with a rise in binge drinking.