While the opioid crisis both nationally and locally grabs the headlines, alcohol abuse is still a common occurrence amongst Floridians today. While it’s true other drugs are impacting our society more than ever—alcoholism still plays a role in declining health, and death.
However, there have been alarming statistics from reports that show alcoholism in Florida is still here.
Read on to find out more about alcoholism in Florida, who it’s affecting, and how to get help for alcohol abuse today.
Alcoholism in Florida: The Statistics
In 2018 (most recent) “Drugs Identified in Deceased Persons by Florida Medical Examiners Annual Report,” pushed November 2019, it was found that:
“The most frequently occurring drugs found in decedents were ethyl alcohol (5,140), benzodiazepines (4,624, including 1,654 alprazolam occurrences), cocaine (2,856), fentanyl (2,703), cannabinoids (2,590), morphine (1,863), oxycodone (1,181), amphetamine (1,103), methamphetamine (1,056), and fentanyl analogs (1,052).”
Source: Drugs Identified in Deceased Persons by Florida Medical Examiners Annual Report
Other drugs, such as cocaine and fentanyl, caused the most deaths in Florida, but alcohol remained to be the most present at the time of death.
Source: Drugs Identified in Deceased Persons by Florida Medical Examiners Annual Report
In terms of binge drinking amongst adults, there has been a slight increase, which may explain the occurrence of alcohol in deaths.
Source: PATTERNS AND TRENDS OF SUBSTANCE USE WITHIN AND ACROSS THE REGIONS OF FLORIDA
Among the youth, around high school age, alcohol use has been on the decline. In Florida, is it below the national average.
Source: PATTERNS AND TRENDS OF SUBSTANCE USE WITHIN AND ACROSS THE REGIONS OF FLORIDA
This is good news in terms of alcohol not being the “go-to” for underaged youth. However, binge drinking is still an issue, which may lead to addiction at an older age. The most recent data (2017) from the “Patterns and Trends of Substance Use Within and Across the Regions of South Florida” suggests there has been a spike in binge drinking amongst the youth in most recent years.
Source: PATTERNS AND TRENDS OF SUBSTANCE USE WITHIN AND ACROSS THE REGIONS OF FLORIDA
Another trend that has been picking up speed: more young girls initiated alcohol use than boys. According to the Substance Abuse Trends Alert by the Florida Alcohol & Drug Abuse Association:
“In 2018 indicate that girls in Florida were more likely than boys to report having ever used alcohol (38.9% vs. 34.1%, Figure 1), suggesting a higher initiation rate of underage drinking among girls than boys. The higher rate of lifetime alcohol use in 2018 suggests potentially higher rates of alcohol use among girls in 2019.”
Conclusion
While alcohol is the most acceptable in society, as it’s used for social gatherings and celebrations, it can also be abused. This can lead to many problems, as there are dangers to the body with having an alcohol addiction.
Alcoholism in Florida is still an issue, but it doesn’t have to be for you.
If you or someone who is suffering from alcohol addiction, seek professional help now by calling On Call Treatment FL at 1-(855-492)-1515.