2.21.25
My heart breaks for the alcoholics still suffering. Before going to rehab I didn’t understand that alcoholism is a disease. I thought I was just weak and lacked willpower, I felt alone. Alcoholism is the only incurable disease, luckily for me and others who are afflicted by the disease, it is treatable and manageable.
Lately, I have been curious about the statistics surrounding alcoholism, so I have been reading a lot about them.
- 15 million Americans suffer from alcohlism.
- Teen alcohol use kills more people each year than all illegal drugs combined.
- Alcohol disease-related deaths are approximately 178,000 each year.
These are depressing stats! Here are some that make me feel hopeful.
- Alcoholics Anonymous 1st edition was published in 1939 with approximately 100 members.
- Alcoholics Anonymous 2nd edition was published in 1955 with approximately 150,000 members.
- Alcoholics Anonymous 3rd edition was published in 1976 with approximately 1M members.
- Alcoholics Anonymous 4th edition was published in 2001 with approximately 2M members.
It amazes me how much time has passed since the 1st edition was published with very little change and the fundamentals are so powerful that it continues to reach alcoholics everywhere. It’s like they knew what they were talking about!
“Alcohol is cunning, baffling, and powerful”.
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