Many people fall into addictive lifestyles and become hooked on alcohol, drugs, or certain behaviors. Some people ease into this lifestyle, while others go headfirst. There is no discrimination when it comes to alcohol addiction. People young and old and rich and poor become addicted to alcohol and drugs. In many ways, society is trying to decrease the amount of people who have an addiction to alcohol. At the same time, society is failing to help with this issue in other ways.

Studies on Alcohol Consumption

Unfortunately, alcohol addiction is an age-old problem that people are not going to fix any time soon. Researchers have conducted many studies on alcohol use and abuse. A study posted on The Lancet examined alcohol use in adults. The study also developed a forecast that predicted how alcohol consumption will look by 2030.

According to the forecast, alcohol use will significantly increase by 2030. The study also discussed other predictions and findings about alcohol use:

• Alcohol use globally increased between 1990 and 2017 and will increase until 2030.

• Lifetime alcohol abstinence, or people who choose not to drink on a permanent basis, has decreased around the world by about three percent from 1990 to 2017. It may decrease another three percent to about 40 percent by 2030.

• The number of current alcohol drinkers has increased, since 45 percent of people were current drinkers in 1990, while 47 percent were current drinkers in 2017.

• The number of people who drinker on a current basis is projected to be about 50 percent by 2030.

• During 1990, nearly 18.5 percent of the adults in the study were heavy episodic drinkers and by 2030, this number may rise to 23 percent.

These are alarming figures. If the predictions are true, by the year 2030, we could be seeing huge increases in not only the number of drinkers but also the number of alcohol-related injuries and deaths.

Researchers also noted that the number of alcoholic beverages the average person drinks may also increase. By 2030, people fifteen years old and older may go drinking from 1.05 alcoholic beverages a day to drinking 1.2 alcoholic beverages a day. We need to develop and implement cost-effective policy procedures to reduce alcohol abuse.

Much research has been funded through the Center for Addiction and Mental Health and the World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Addiction and Mental Health. Scholars need to conduct more research to tackle this problem and treat it before it becomes even worse.

More Needs to Be Done  

Cost-effective policy procedures do need to be implemented to start reducing the impact of alcohol abuse. This is a long and complicated process. It takes time.

While more needs to be done, there are many things that people may do to help reduce alcohol use:

• Develop affordable programs to help people who suffer from alcohol addiction find the help they need.

• Educate people about the dangers of alcohol addiction, possibly when children are in elementary school and before the age of ten years old.

• Inform today’s youth, adolescents, and college students about the dangers of binge drinking (the practice of drinking many drinks in a short amount of time).

• Provide details about addiction rehab programs and detox centers.

• Offer free or affordable community resources that discuss how to have fun without alcohol or seek help if somone has a problem with alcohol.

These are just some of the ideas that could help to reduce the amount of alcohol consumption and reduce the number of alcoholics in this world. While such programs may take time, effort, and money to implement, more communities, states, and federal governments could be working on ways to make these initiatives happen.

Rehab Center Programs   

In response to the increase in alcohol consumption, rehab centers can do things a little differently as well. Since some people attending rehab center programs relapse after they leave, programs could change to help clients achieve lasting sobriety. Some recommended changes for rehab center programs include the following:

• Provide more affordable services or apply for grants to cover more rehab center costs.

• Conduct more extensive reviews and assessments before people leave rehab programs.

• Give additional incentives to clients who stay in programs longer. Longer stays may reduce the amount of people who relapse after leaving the programs.

• Offer more aftercare help and support, such as calling recovering alcoholics or drug abusers once or twice per week for few months after they leave their treatment facilities.

• Encourage recovering alcoholics to return to rehab center programs to volunteer to help new clients. This may give them a sense of self-worth and help them feel more involved in the recovery community.

• Connect recovering alcoholics with all the services they will need in their communities to help them stay sober and making these connections before they leave the rehab centers

These are just some of the ways that rehab center programs may help reduce the amount of alcohol consumption in this world. By doing some or all of these things, rehab centers could also help reduce the amount of recovering alcoholics who relapse after leaving rehab center programs. When rehab centers work with recovering alcoholics, even after their programs have ended, they can do their part in reducing alcohol abuse.

Some scholars predict an alarming increase in the amount of alcohol consumption until 2030. While the percentages may not seem huge, they are still significant.

Alcohol abuse creates many dangers. Despite the potential harm, many people consume alcohol. Many are not even eighteen years old, and drinking may be particularly harmful to young people who have brains and bodies that are still growing. It is important to do things to try to reduce the amount of alcohol use. This article includes some ideas and plans that may help make alcohol reduction a reality.

Do you have an addiction to alcohol? If so, do not waste another day without assistance. Choose to take positive action today. Make the call to an alcohol treatment center to receive the help you need right away.