September has been declared Alcohol and Drug Recovery Month by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) and Governor Gretchen Whitmer, according to an MDHHS notice. They join community networks to celebrate recovery and raise awareness of recovery-focused care systems that help prevent and manage substance use disorders in Michigan.
“Like other chronic and recurrent diseases such as diabetes, asthma or heart disease, a substance disorder can also be treated successfully.” said Whitmer. “This month, in Recovery from Alcohol and Addiction, we are again committed to providing multiple treatment points to Michigandians struggling with substance use disorders – from advanced telehealth services to drug therapies. When Michigans with mental illness or substance abuse disorders seek help, they deserve to be received with the knowledge and compassion so that everyone can heal and successfully manage their ailments. “
The press release states that substance use disorder is a chronic, often recurrent brain disease that, despite harmful consequences for the person and those around them, leads to compulsive drug addiction and drug use.
The above statement is an example of what Keweenaw County Sheriff Curt Pennala said in May 2021 regarding the need for a public discussion about a better understanding of mental illness and the stigma associated with it. As set out in the Upper Peninsula Community Health Needs Report published in 2018 (page 177):
“Note the term ‘illness’ used above” is the report. “Addiction has not always been viewed as such by the medical community or society at large. It was viewed as the result of a free choice by the addicted individual or as a result of weakness in self-discipline or character. As such, addiction carried a significant stigma that continues to this day. Alcoholism was first recognized as a disease by the American Medical Association (AMA) in 1956, and addiction itself was defined as a disease in 1987. “
Alcohol isn’t the only source of addiction that categorizes the term “Malfunction” however, as mentioned in the MDHHS press release:
The United States is in the midst of an opioid epidemic that kills nearly 48,000 people each year from opioid overdoses. An opioid can be a prescription drug or an illegal substance like heroin.
“Tobacco, alcohol, prescription opioids, and illegal drugs are costly to our nation.” the release states, “That costs about $ 820.5 billion annually and the costs associated with crime, labor productivity, and health care are rising.”
The upper peninsula is not exempt from state and national statistics. The UP Needs Assessment Study found that the UP was feeling the effects of the statewide opioid epidemic with increasing use, overdoses, and the highest rates of abstinence syndrome in newborns in Michigan (prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns). Dealing with the crisis will require a full and coordinated effort, including a continuum of care approach from promotion and prevention to treatment and recovery and addressing social causes, the assessment report said.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention released key findings from the National Health Interview Survey in August 2020, including:
“Of the adults aged 18 and over, 5.1% drank heavily (consumption of an average of more than 14 alcoholic drinks per week for men and more than seven drinks per week for women in the past year)”. While 5.1% may sound small to many, the UP Health Needs Assessment Study found that the percentage of heavy drinkers was more than double the national average. Both statistics were collected in the same year.
“14 percent of UP adults are heavy drinkers and 12.9 percent are heavy drinkers.” found the UP study. “Both types of excessive alcohol consumption can lead to negative health consequences in the short and long term.”
In the long term, substance use disorder can lead to psychological and physical effects such as paranoia, psychosis, immunodeficiency and organ damage that require treatment to resolve them.
“In 2019, over 1.3 million people aged 12 and older in Michigan had used an illegal drug in the past month.” indicates the MDHHS, and “615,000 people aged 12 and over in Michigan were in need of treatment for illicit drug or alcohol use – 7.3% of the population.”
“Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recognition and Recovery Month allows us to celebrate those who have successfully managed their illness and also to highlight the need to provide resources, dignity and treatment to those affected by substance use disorder . “ said Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, MDHHS Chief Medical Executive and Chief Deputy for Health. “It is important to educate Michigans about how recovery is possible, welcome, and celebrated not just in the present but for the rest of their lives.”
A person’s treatment and recovery are based on their strengths, talents, coping skills, resources, and inherent values. It is aimed at the whole person and their community and is supported by peers, friends and family members. The support of tele-health services has enabled thousands of Michigan residents to safely participate in prevention, treatment, and recovery support services that would otherwise have been inaccessible.
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source https://www.bisayanews.com/2021/09/13/gov-whitmer-declares-september-as-alcohol-and-drug-addiction-recovery-month-news-sports-jobs/
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