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Putnam County Alcohol Abuse Essay

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Alcohol is the best part of Putnam County. For many people, this statement is true. They believe that alcohol brightens their lives by bringing joy and fun times. However, the idea that alcohol improves people’s lives is inherently false. Alcohol creates addictions that consume the lives of countless men, women, and children. People start using alcohol because it dominates Putnam County’s culture. After one drink, it is easy to continue the habit and become addicted. Once people become addicted, alcohol begins to destroy their physical, mental, and cognitive health. If people do realize the harm that alcohol causes, it is unlikely that they will receive treatment or even be aware of treatment options. Despite Putnam County's high rate …show more content…

A study performed at the University of Washington found that 33.1% of males in Putnam County binge drink (County Profile p. 7). This is an alarming statistic because one out of three local men commonly drink excessive amounts of alcohol. In addition to the men, 19.8% of females in Putnam County binge drink (County Profile p. 7). This statistics indicates that alcohol is a large problem in Putnam County. Alcohol abuse isn’t only affecting one gender; it is attacking everyone of every gender. Additionally, alcohol abuse is continuing to spread throughout the county. According to Bridget Fischer, from the Putnam County Health Department, “In 2021, 61% of residents reported binge drinking vs. 44% in 2016”. The health department’s data demonstrates that local alcohol abuse isn't improving. Rather, it is continuing to consume the lives of more men and women. The increased rate of binge drinking is concerning, because Putnam County already has a high rate of alcohol abuse and that rate is going to continue to increase. If the trend continues, then the county’s health will continue to decrease, there will be more alcohol related crimes, and more people will become addicted to …show more content…

The first treatment option for alcohol abuse is prevention. In Putnam County, schools follow a drug prevention program called Red Ribbon Week. Red Ribbon Week attempts to promote a drug free lifestyle to students. If prevention does not succeed, alcohol abuse can be treated by medication, group therapy, individual therapy, and hospital detoxes (Wood). These treatment options offer alcoholics numerous resources and flexibility, allowing them to choose the best treatment option for them. It is important to offer different treatment options because people have different availability, income, and goals. For the best possible results, people need the treatment option that best suits their needs. Furthermore, the goal of alcohol treatment can vary from managing consumption, permanent abstinence, brief periods of abstinence, relapse prevention, and harm reduction (Singer and Piotrowski). These goals allow for alcohol abusers to get the most out of their treatment. With different goals in mind, it allows for the most efficient use of resources. If patients don't plan on permanently quitting alcohol, then they can focus on treatments that provide them with temporary abstinence. This system ensures that resources aren’t wasted, but rather used to their fullest

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