Suppose I told you that a lot of people were dying from something and most people didn’t know it?
Suppose I told you that a shockingly high number of people were dying from a disease, and most people had no idea?
Suppose I told you that more Americans died last year from this epidemic than died in any single war we’ve ever fought? Would you be surprised?
I saw an article in my news feed recently that noted that 632,000 Americans died last year from tobacco, alcohol and drug addictions. The data was compiled by the Centers for Disease Control. I have attached links to the CDC report at the bottom of this page.
632,000 deaths a year in the U.S. Think about that. By comparison, the most Americans who died in any war was the Civil War, where 620,000 died. Those 620,000 who died in the Civil War died over the course of four years (April 1861-May 1865).
About 1,264,000 Americans have died in all wars combined.
What this means is that every year, more Americans die from addictions than died in the entire Civil War. Every two years, we lose as many Americans to addictions as we have lost in all of our wars.
That is appalling.
The World Health Organization just released a report entitled “Global Status Report on Alcohol and Health 2018”. In the report, they estimate that 3 million people died worldwide in 2016 from alcohol abuse.
Three million.
In 2017, Alcoholics Anonymous estimated its total membership at just under 2.1 million people.
That means that more people (many more) are dying every year, than are members of AA.
Whatever we are doing isn’t working. Whatever we are doing isn’t enough. It isn’t enough for the 3 million people who died of alcohol abuse last year.
I will continue to do everything that I can to spread the news that there is a solution available for those who want help and are willing to work for it.
The Recovering Urchin
CDC references
https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/fast_facts/index.htm
https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/alcohol-use.htm
https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2018/p0329-drug-overdose-deaths.html
WHO reference page XV
http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/274603/9789241565639-eng.pdf?ua=1
AA Membership
