Did you know that underage drinking and alcohol abuse in Utah cost the state more than $357 million dollars in 2010?  It’s crazy to think about, but when you add youth injury, alcohol treatment, violence and traffic crashes, the numbers start to add up.

According to a recent report by the Underage Drinking Enforcement Training Center, there are approximately 60,000 underage drinkers consuming alcohol in Utah each year!  And, in 2009, underage drinkers consumed 5.5 percent of the alcohol in the state, which translates to $107 million in sales.  These numbers are staggering, especially because underage drinkers are more susceptible to long-term alcohol abuse behaviors.

Here are some more statistics.  According to the same report, in 2009, students grades nine through 12 reported the following statistics:

• 38.6 percent had at least one drink of alcohol on one or more days during their life.
• 11.5 percent had their first drink of alcohol, other than a few sips, before age 13.
• 18.2 percent had at least one drink of alcohol on one or more occasion in the past 30 days.
• 11.5 percent had five or more drinks of alcohol in a row (binge drinking) in the past 30 days.
• 2.7 percent had at least one drink of alcohol on school property in the past 30 days.

Information courtesy of the Underage Drinking Enforcement Training Center

What do we do about underage drinking in Utah?

First, parents should take an active role in their children’s lives. Know where your kids are, and what they’re doing.  Second, alcohol in the home should be locked up and secured.  Third, if an underage drinker asks you to buy alcohol for them, don’t!  Not only are you aiding an underage drinker, but it could get you one year in prison and/or a $2,500 fine.

Bottom line, underage drinking in Utah is a serious problem.  Do everything in your power to stop someone you know from underage drinking.  Who knows?  You may just save a life.

Here is a follow-up to one of our previous posts about prescription drug abuse.  The Center for Disease Control (CDC) recently published some very informative infographics about prescription drug abuse by state, where people generally find prescription drugs (here’s a hint-it’s generally in the home of someone you know, most likely a family member!), and other statistics.

Drug Overdose Rates

Here is an alarming image showing drug overdose rates by state.  According to information compiled in 2008, Utah has one of the highest overdose rates in the country!

Image courtesy of the CDC.

Common Sources for Prescription Drug Abuse

According to the CDC, prescription drugs are generally acquired by:

• 55% of people obtained them free from a friend or relative
• 17.3% are prescribed them by a doctor
• 11.4% bought them from a friend or relative
• 4.8% took them from a friend or relative without asking

There is a trend here.  A majority of people acquire prescription drugs from a friend or relative!  To help stop this epidemic, prescription drugs should be properly disposed of when treatment is completed.  If continued use of prescription medication is needed, proper care should be taken to ensure that you, or a loved one aren’t abusing.

Statistics Associated with Prescription Drug Abuse

Finally, we wanted to add this infographic on other risks associated with prescription drug abuse.

Image courtesy of the CDC.

As always, it’s never too late to seek help.  If you or someone you know is abusing prescription paid medication, we urge you to seek treatment at a certified Utah rehab center.

A lot of our recent posts have been about alcohol consumption and the holidays, and for good reason.  According to the United States Department of Transportation, from 2001 to 2005, an average of 45 people died each day during the holiday season.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving reports that drinking and driving spike during the holiday season, with alcohol being blamed for about 52 percent of fatal collisions on Christmas and 57 percent on New Year’s. The average yearly rate is 41 percent. In addition, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that more than 25,000 people will be injured as well.

What should you do?

First, always have a designated driver.  Second, if you see friends drinking, don’t let them drive!   Yes, they might be mad at you, but it’s better to have them mad then to not have them at all.  This is also true if you have been drinking.  Call a cab or a friend.  In fact, we heard on the radio today that a Utah law firm will reimburse you up to $35 if you call a cab, instead of driving drunk.  We think it’s a small price to pay.

Third, avoid driving in the early morning or late evening during the holidays.  Yes, this one’s a stretch, but that’s when fatalities are typically the highest.  Finally, if you do see someone driving erratically, report them to the police immediately.

We hope everyone had a fun and safe holiday season, and we wish all of you a happy New Year.  Please drink responsibly, and we’ll see you next year!

As we all know, the Holiday and New Year season is the time for parties, and some parties may have a keg.  Have you ever wondered just how much alcohol is actually in a keg?  We found this article on Cockeyed.com with some  keg statistics (that were taken from a “scientific study” that the writer performed). Here’s some interesting stats:

• The standard keg size is 15 1/2 gallons.
• The beer used in the “study” contained 4.9% alcohol. This means that there is enough alcohol in a keg to put 41 men over the legal drinking limit!
• It’s estimated that the alcohol in a keg contains more than 25,000 calories!

Remember, if you’re going to drink this Holiday season, please do so responsibly and don’t abuse alcohol. Use a designated driver, and drink in moderation.

It’s pretty common for many people to drink more heavily during the holiday season.  In our previous post, we discussed holiday-related depression for people recovering from drug and alcohol addiction. With this post, we want to discuss the risks associated with heavy drinking.  Our goal is to encourage people to drink responsibly, and not abuse alcohol or substances this holiday season.

According to the Center for Disease Control, heavy drinking (drinking more than two drinks per day on average for men or more than one drink per day on average for women), or binge drinking (drinking five or more drinks during a single occasion for men or four or more drinks during a single occasion for women), can lead to increased risk of health problems such as liver disease or unintentional injuries.

In addition, a recent Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey has shown that more than half of U.S. adults drank alcohol in the past 30 days. The survey also shows that approximately 5 percent of the total population drank heavily, and 15 percent of the population had participated in binge drinking.

Finally, the most startling statistic is that from 2001 to 2005, there were approximately 79,000 deaths in the U.S. each year due to excessive alcohol use. This was the third leading lifestyle-related cause of death of U.S. adults.

Our goal with this post was not to scare people, but to encourage people to drink responsibly, and in moderation this holiday season. We at Turning Point Centers, a Utah alcohol program, also want to promote the use of designated drivers, and to wish everyone happy holidays and a happy New Year.

For most people, the holiday season is a time of joy and happiness, filled with parties, presents and family functions.  For some, however, this time of year can be hard to bear.  Whether it’s because of stress, loneliness or anxiety about the future, holiday depression can happen to anyone at any time.

A recent article on Depression-Guide.com highlights some important facts about holiday depression. These include:

• Seniors are more prone to holiday depression.
• Women are more susceptible to holiday depression than men.
• Depression and suicide rates are at their highest during the holidays.
• People who don’t view themselves as depressed (but actually are) have a tendency to be stressed, drink more alcohol, eat too much food, and may have headaches or difficulty sleeping.
• Post-holiday sadness can occur after all the festivities are over.

What to do about holiday depression:

First off, if you feel that you’re depressed, do everything possible to not be alone for the holidays!  Other ways to fight depression include listening to non-holiday music, simplifying your gift-card or gift-giving routine, scaling back on decorating, and more.

Remember, if you or someone you know is suffering from depression, whether or not it’s related to the holidays, it’s never too late to seek help.  Even if you don’t contact Turning Point Centers, we encourage you to seek help from a proper treatment facility.

People sometimes ask us what makes Turning Point Centers different from other drug and alcohol addiction treatment facilities.  Yes, we’re a dual-diagnosis treatment facility.  Yes, we’re a licensed vivitrol injection facility.  But, that’s not what sets us apart. What does set us apart is the fact that many on our staff previously suffered from drug and alcohol addiction and were treated at Turning Point.  But what’s most important is that they believed in the Turning Point treatment process so much, that they stayed on to help others make conquer their addictions and destructive behaviors. Click here to see some of our staff members tell their stories about recovering from addiction.

The Center for Disease control today released new findings on prescription drug overdoses.  According to the latest findings, prescription drug abuse has skyrocketed in the past decade.  Some of the other stats include:

• Prescription painkiller overdoses killed nearly 15,000 people in the US in 2008. This is more than 3 times the 4,000 people killed by these drugs in 1999.
• In 2010, about 12 million Americans (age 12 or older) reported nonmedical use of prescription painkillers in the past year.
• Nearly half a million emergency department visits in 2009 were due to people misusing or abusing prescription painkillers.
• Nonmedical use of prescription painkillers costs health insurers up to $72.5 billion annually in direct health care costs.

The entire article can be read here.  Information courtesy of the Center for Disease Control.

If you have a friend or family member suffering from alcohol addiction, confronting them about their problem can be one of the hardest things you’ll have to do.  Taking that first step can seem daunting, because you don’t want to push that person away–you want to help them.

If you don’t know where to begin, read this article from Healthfinder about how to start the conversation about alcohol addiction:

http://healthfinder.gov/prevention/ViewTool.aspx?toolId=37

Remember, it’s never too late to seek help.

Turning Point Centers’ new 14,000-square-foot drug and alcohol rehab facility in Sandy, Utah, is now open.  We had an open house and ribbon-cutting event last week, and the turnout was fantastic.  Special thanks go out to the Sandy Chamber of Commerce, the Sandy City Fire Department for attending.

The new Bell Canyon Utah rehab facility sits on five and a half acres, and has 12 beds. Our new property also includes a barn and arena currently being developed for equine therapy that should be available in Spring 2012. There is also a gym and a racquetball and basketball court on site.

Check out this video walk-through tour of our new facility: Turning Point Bell Canyon Facility Tour.