Philadelphia is a major city in the northeastern U.S., where drug and alcohol addiction has increased in recent years. While opioids are plaguing that region of the country, alcohol continues to pose a threat to public health.
Alcohol is reported to cause an estimated 88,000 deaths each year. These deaths may include long-term health issues, overdose, and motor vehicle accidents. Alcohol can also cause long-term substance use issues that can contribute to a community’s health care burdens. Learn more about the need for alcohol rehab access in Philadelphia.
Philadelphia Alcohol Rehab Statistics
Alcohol is a commonly used recreational substance. In fact, most people have tried it at least once in their lifetime. The 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health found that more than 86 percent of adult Americans reported drinking at some point in their lifetime. Not everyone who drinks develops an alcohol problem, but binge drinking can increase your risk of developing a disorder.
In Pennsylvania, about 18 percent of residents report binge drinking. Binge drinking is defined as drinking to the point of elevating your blood-alcohol concentration to 0.08 g/dL. That usually takes four to five drinks within two hours, depending on your age, size, sex, and other factors.
The Philadelphia Department of Public Health found that higher alcohol sales were associated with higher rates of violence in a given area.
Substances Commonly Mixed with Alcohol
Many alcohol overdose deaths are associated with polydrug use or mixing alcohol with other substances like opioids, depressants, and stimulants. Mixing alcohol and drugs is sometimes done on purpose to enhance a substance’s pleasurable effects or counteract negative effects.
Alcohol works against stimulants to counteract certain effects like anxiety and paranoia. However, it can also encourage users to take higher doses because they don’t feel the effects as intensely as they usually do.
Opioids and depressants can potentiate with alcohol, which means the substances intensify each other’s effects. This can cause an overdose with relatively low doses of each individual drug. Dangerous depressants to mix with alcohol can include benzodiazepines, barbiturates, and opioids like heroin and fentanyl.
Philadelphia's Alcohol Rehab History and Rankings
The buying and selling of alcohol in Philadelphia have been impeded by laws dating back to the Prohibition era, in which Pennsylvania outlawed alcohol a year before the rest of the nation. Some of these state laws only began to loosen up in 2016 when bars were allowed to sell wine. However, there’s still a 3-liter limit. For decades, it was illegal to sell wine and spirits to customers directly. However, consumers found ways around many of these laws anyway.
As Philadelphia’s alcohol laws loosen, access to drug rehab remains essential to public health.
Quick Treatment Facts
Alcoholism is a substance use disorder that can quickly progress into an addiction. Addiction is a chronic disease that affects the reward center of the brain and causes compulsive drinking. Alcohol addiction is often identified through continued drinking despite consequences, such as health issues or strained relationships.
Addiction can be treated effectively through a series of therapy options that address physical, psychological, and social needs. Addiction treatment should also be personalized based on your needs rather than one standardized treatment plan.
When you enter alcohol rehab, you should meet with medical and clinical professionals to create your treatment plan. Each week, the plan should be reassessed and changed to address the current needs of the person receiving treatment.
