Whether you’re toasting champagne for a celebration, attending a sporting event with friends or going to happy hour with coworkers – it can be difficult to tell when you’ve reached the limit from having a good time to having too much to drink. Social settings can often be a temptation for encouraging excessive drinking. But how can you tell when social drinking or having fun puts your health and safety at risk?

National Institutes of Health defines alcohol use disorder (AUD) as a “medical condition characterized by an impaired ability to stop or control alcohol use despite adverse social, occupational, or health consequences.” Considered a brain disorder, AUD can be mild, moderate, or severe. Individuals are usually placed at an increased risk for AUD if they began drinking at an early age, have genetic and family history of alcohol problems or have mental health conditions/ history of trauma.

Alcohol use disorder is an issue that is affecting millions of Americans each day. In 2019, an estimated 14.5 million people in the United States had an AUD, according to Yale Medicine. Furthermore, the CDC estimates excessive alcohol use leads to over 95,000 deaths in the U.S. every year.

According to the New Jersey Drug and Alcohol Abuse Treatment Substance Abuse Overview 2021 for Atlantic County, there were 2,076 substance abuse treatment admissions for Atlantic County residents with the primary drug being alcohol. This accounts for 28 percent of all admissions, second only to heroin. Of those numbers, 452 residents were from Atlantic City, 242 from Egg Harbor Township and 155 from Pleasantville. These were the top three Atlantic County municipalities for substance abuse admissions in which alcohol was the primary drug.

Alcohol use disorder has increasingly become an issue in recent years and often is overlooked, according to Michael Santillo, Director II of JBRC. The focus has been on opioid use disorder because of the number of overdose deaths, but alcohol use disorder is a huge issue that has worsened because of the stressors surrounding COVID-19,” said Santillo.

Luckily, evidence-based treatment is readily available at JBRC. We provide a full continuum of care to help guide individuals on their road to recovery. We offer Traditional Outpatient Programs, Intensive Outpatient Programs (IOP), medication-assisted treatment and Residential Treatment Services for alcohol use disorder. We’re dedicated to helping anyone in recovery find a community by offering a calendar of social events so people can experience life together and have fun along the way.

“We also integrate 12-step programs and spirituality in our track for alcohol use disorder,” said Santillo. “These components are oftentimes a very important step in recovery.”

If you or someone you know is struggling with an addictive disorder, please call JBRC today. For Residential Services – Residential Detox/Withdrawal Management, Short-term Residential or Long-term Residential, please call 609-345-0110. For Outpatient Programs – Opioid Treatment Program, Intensive Outpatient Program or Standard Outpatient Program, please call 609-345-2020, extension 6182, 6180 or 6179.