Alcohol’s effects burden Alaska

This editorial originally appeared in the May 10, 2015, edition of the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

There’s one phrase that shows up more often than any other in public safety reports about crimes of violence, sexual assault and the ugliest events in Alaska life: “Alcohol is believed to be a factor.” Whether in regard to murder, domestic abuse or fatal accidents, the addendum shows up with chilling regularity. It’s a problem Alaska has struggled with since long before statehood. And it’s an issue the state and its residents can’t afford to see continue at epidemic levels.

Alaska has one of the highest rates of alcoholism in the U.S. Fourteen percent of the state’s residents suffer from alcohol addiction, according to figures from the state Department of Health and Social Services. That’s twice the national average of 7 percent. And it means that more than one of every 10 Alaskans are alcoholics, a statistic so troubling it seems a wonder the state functions as well as it does.

The number of people plagued by alcohol addiction in Alaska is even more difficult to confront when you consider that alcoholism is a disease that profoundly affects not just those who drink but also their families, friends and those they regularly encounter. Rates of domestic violence and sexual assault are far higher among those with substance abuse issues. Children in families where a parent is an alcoholic are four times more likely to become alcoholics themselves.

One of the reasons why it’s been so hard for the state to get a grip on its alcohol problem is there’s no one reason why people drink to excess or become alcoholics.

Alaska can be a difficult place to live for many, given its long, cold winters with little daylight to give residents hope. In some parts of the state, a lack of economic opportunity and shifting roles have left members of our communities without a sense of purpose.

And, as mentioned before, there’s a sort of inertia to addiction that’s difficult to overcome — having higher rates of alcoholism means that without changing the fundamental issues contributing to the problem, those rates are likely to persist. Some of the most powerful environmental factors are ones that are exceedingly difficult to change.

But throwing up our collective hands with regard to the issue is unacceptable. Half of Alaskans who commit suicide do so after they’ve been drinking. A 2010 McDowell Group study estimated the annual cost of alcohol and drug abuse to the state’s economy at $1.2 billion. That’s more than $150,000 per Alaska resident, a staggering sum.

Attempts to reduce the state’s alcohol problem have met with varying degrees of success. More than 100 Alaska villages have tried “damp” or “dry” status to reduce the amount of alcohol that can be consumed locally. Unfortunately, the amount of alcohol that still makes its way into communities regardless of legal status mutes any benefit that the control measures might otherwise deliver.

Other programs, like in-custody rehabilitation for those convicted of alcohol-

related offenses or wellness courts that deal with alcohol offenses in a more personal manner, deal with alcohol abusers after their problems have already surfaced, which can be difficult, costly and less effective than targeting those who haven’t yet started drinking.

But those attempting to find solutions deserve credit — alcohol abuse and the problems it causes are difficult and discouraging to deal with. No solution is likely to work without an honest accounting of the issues we face: Alcohol abuse is widespread, dangerous and costly.

We need to talk about it, we need to acknowledge its effects and we need to help those who suffer from it to get help and stay clean. It’s a problem so big it will take work by all of us.