Delaware has seen one of the steepest rises in alcohol consumption and sales nationwide in recent years, according to data from the National Institute of Health.
Like with drug use, experts say the isolation and stress of the pandemic has led to increased drinking, oftentimes in larger quantities.
And while the everyday impacts of COVID-19 have lessened for many, the availability of substance use disorder treatment in Delaware — and the means to accurately monitor the community’s usage of it — is still recovering.
What happened in Delaware?
Data from the Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health shows that the number of Delawareans accessing publicly funded treatment for substance use disorder fell between 2019 and 2021, though the 2021 data is likely incomplete.
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The capacity of providers to accept patients also diminished in accordance with pandemic health guidelines, DSAMH Deputy Director Frances Marti explained. This meant that even if the demand was higher, it simply couldn’t be met.
Both inpatient and outpatient treatment centers also regularly closed throughout 2020 and 2021 as guidelines changed and staff or patients got sick.
“There was so much instability with the providers themselves,” Marti said.
Many publicly funded treatment programs assist people with all forms of substance use disorder, whether it be for misuse of alcohol or drugs. DSAMH reported that alcohol use disorder was the primary diagnosis for about 19% of Delawareans accessing this treatment.
It is the second most common reason for admission, beaten only by opioid addiction.
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DSAMH Senior Addiction Psychiatrist Dr. Jaakko Lappalainen said people with alcohol use disorder are oftentimes less likely to enter treatment because they may be able to “function” in daily life.
Binge drinking for decades
Oftentimes, the people Lappalainen sees with alcohol use disorder have been binge drinking for decades. Self-reported heavy drinking increased by about 17% among Delawareans over 65 in 2021, according to DSAMH. People between the ages of 45 and 54 also reported increases in heavy drinking.
These same demographics are the most likely to be hospitalized for alcohol use disorder, as their age means they typically have the most health risks. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention findings also show that people between 55 and 64 years old have the highest rate of alcohol-induced deaths, with alcoholic liver disease as the most common underlying cause of death.
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And while alcohol-induced deaths are overall on the rise, they are nowhere near as common as drug overdoses, especially as more potent drugs like fentanyl and xylazine spread throughout the supply chain. Lappalainen said this — combined with the fact that drug use typically escalates more quickly — can contribute to the sense of heavy drinking not being as much of an issue.
“A lot of people drink heavily, but they don’t think they have a problem,” Lappalainen said. “So (even) if the drinking escalated during the COVID years, I don’t think it changed the perception of the dangers of drinking heavily.”
The CDC defines binge drinking as having five or more drinks on one occasion for men or having four or more drinks on one occasion for women. Almost 13% of Delawareans reported binge drinking in 2021, according to a CDC survey, and 5% met the criteria for heavy drinking — at least 14 drinks weekly for men or at least seven drinks weekly for women.
While more recent data has not yet been released, Marti said it will likely reflect that treatment admissions have returned to at least pre-pandemic numbers.
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“We have the capacity to take people, (and) we know they’re out there,” Marti said. “It’s about getting them help.”
How to access treatment
She recommended that anyone seeking alcohol use disorder treatment for themselves or a loved one should visit one of DSAMH’s four Bridge Clinics to be quickly connected to resources that best fit their needs.
Delawareans with health insurance can also find providers using TreatmentConnection.com.
Anyone without health insurance may qualify for publicly funded programs. More information about these programs is available on the DSAMH website or by calling 833-9-HOPEDE.
Send story tips or ideas to Hannah Edelman at hedelman@delawareonline.com. For more reporting, follow them on Twitter at @h_edelman.
