BY HERBERT PRUITT, PG&E UTILITY
FOCUS ON ALCOHOL TESTING
The Forgotten Impairment: Prevalence of Alcohol Use in Society and Use Compared to Drugs
drug use than alcohol abuse. However, many studies and research have shown that alcohol is the most abused drug. According to the 2013 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) report, 52.2 percent Americans drink alcohol—60.1 million of those are binge and 16.5 million are heavy drinkers. Te same report estimates 9.4 percent Americans use illicit drugs representing 24.6 million. Illicit drug use is illegal and not broadly accepted as a social norm; alcohol, on the other hand, is both legal and socially accepted in the United States today with 136.9 million individuals consuming alcohol. Tis is why a balanced intervention approach is necessary. Some people who drink alcohol and use
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illicit drugs migrate from causal or social use to abuse or dependence. Of the 21.6 million dependent users of drugs and alcohol, 14.7 million abuse alcohol alone and 4.3 million use illicit drugs alone. In some cases, individuals have a dual dependency. Terefore, focusing solely on illicit drug testing and intervention does not fully address the safety risk generated by alcohol abuse. Based on the U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services data, drug and alcohol use and misuse are prevalent in American society. Most individuals suffering from alcohol dependence or abuse did not receive treatment or believe they have a problem. Teir alcohol dependence goes untreated and in many cases, these individuals present a safety risk to themselves, co-workers, and the public. When it comes to alcohol, approximately
17 million adults in the United States suffer from Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD). When
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rganizations tend to focus more of their intervention, testing, treatment, and enforcement efforts on illicit
alcohol usage becomes severe, the individual is diagnosed with AUD if he or she meets at least 2 of the 11 symptoms listed below: (1) Drinking alcohol oſten in larger amounts or over a longer period than planned, (2) Persistent desire or unsuccessful efforts to cut down or control alcohol use, (3) Excessive time is spent in activities necessary to obtain alcohol, use alcohol, or recover from its effects, (4) Craving or a strong desire use alcohol, (5) Recurrent alcohol use resulting in a failure to fulfill major obligations at work or home, (6) Continued alcohol use despite having persistent or recurrent social or interpersonal problems caused or exacerbated by the effects of alcohol, (7) Important social, occupational, or recreational activities are given up or reduced because of alcohol use, (8) Recurrent alcohol use in situations in which it is physically hazardous, (9) Alcohol use is continued despite knowledge of having a persistent or recurrent physical or psychological problem that is likely to have been caused or exacerbated by alcohol, (10) Tolerance increase the amount of alcohol required to achieve intoxication or desired effect, and (11) Characteristic withdrawal syndrome for alcohol. Te severity of AUD ranges from mild, moderate, or severe depending on how many symptoms are identified in an individual. Binge and heavy drinkers are not
necessarily suffering from AUD based on the criteria outlined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) listed above. Te amount of alcohol consumed by individuals, however, creates societal impact in the areas of economics and public safety. When you consider the top percentile, 73.85 drinks are consumed and in the ninth percentile, 15.28 drinks are consumed per week. Seventy-six
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percent of alcohol poisoning deaths occur in adults between the ages of 34 between the ages of 34 and 64. Te Center for Disease Control (CDC)
estimated economic impact at 223.5 billion dollars in 2006. Te CDC considers criminal justice, healthcare, motor vehicle crashes, and workplace productivity in its calculation. All of these categories are important, but motor vehicle crashes (6 percent) and workplace productivity (72 percent) are of particular interest for employers. Motor vehicle crashes accounted for 6 percent of the estimated 223.5 billion impacts, however, that still represents 13.4 billion dollars. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), crashes caused by drunk drivers cost the nation $47 billion in 2010. In 2013, 31 percent of motor vehicle fatal
crashes were classified as alcohol-impaired- driving-crashes resulting in the deaths of 10,076 individuals and 290,000 injuries. Twenty-nine million people reported driving under the influence of alcohol and a person got injured in a drunken driving crash every two minutes (Source: SAMHSA). Te CDC reports that on average a drunk driver has driven drunk 80 times before his or her first arrest.
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