Alcohol is Canada’s biggest drug problem. So why aren’t people getting help?
https://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/alcohol-use-disorder-9.7357272
Alcohol is Canada’s biggest drug problem. So why aren’t people getting help?
https://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/alcohol-use-disorder-9.7357272
24 Comments
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Because the government is in the alcohol distribution business.
Because the harm done by alcohol is chronic, mostly.
When it is acute, I.e. when someone drinks and drives, or gets drunk and beats someone to death, we do something. We don’t do much, and maybe we don’t do enough, but we apply the justice and healthcare systems as best as we can.
If someone could do a bit of fentanyl after work, if opioids could be sold over the counter in measurable doses that people could easily gauge the effects of (e.g. the ‘one standard drink’ model), then they would likely be treated like alcohol is.
If alcohol was responsible for the proliferation of tent cities, or the inclusion of overdose kits on th walls of high schools, or the post-apocalyization of downtown cores across the country, we would likely treat it the way we treat those other drugs.
Because life is hard.
Until it isn’t profitable for the people in charge, it’ll stay the same
Big alcohol has the best PR people and lobbiests. So they prevent a lot of proper investigations from happening or being released if they do. Pop culture is sponsored by booze.
The problem is two-fold.
Alcohol abuse is often the coping mechanism, not the real problem. Need to improve things like housing, affordability and third space communities.
Secondly, what help? Unless you have money, you aren’t getting anything meaningful. Plus, the person still has to return to their previous life and problems, surrounded by liquor stores all over the place.
Countries like Italy have groups who do not care about police budgets, like the Mafia, proactively keeping fentanyl out of their country.
I couldn’t imagine how good life is without the booze. Wishing everyone the strength to try.
The profits outweigh any other outcome
Even Jesus made water into wine
Resources and the cost of rehab, cheaper to just keep drinking for most
Isn’t there like a million alcohol treatment programs? How about these people start helping themselves. The government doesn’t have a magic wand to cure addictions.
Because the government sells the booze and collects taxes on the sales.
Best thing you can for yourself is completely cut it out of your life.
In my hometown, alcohol (and tobacco) is a serious issue. Violence is not uncommon, and the theft/muggings of even rubbing alcohol and original listerine are things that people are wary of.
Thing is, access to help isn’t really the issue. It’s the accessibility of alcohol. I’m not suggesting prohibition, but with nearly 50% of the population ingesting harmful levels of alcohol, I’m not entirely sure what to do.
Alcohol is not considered a drug socially, and even if people drink a lot, in most circles it is deemed acceptable or people just don’t want to talk about it.
People have to want to be better otherwise it just won’t happen. It also doesn’t help those in active addiction when most everything socially feels it involves alcohol.
It is a priority to government and in particular public health departments. I will never forgive them closing outdoor farmers’ markets during COVID and keeping liquor stores open.
I think that Canada needs to ban gambling ads like they did smoking ads before they tackle alcohol.
Help is out there, everywhere. It’s called Alcoholics Anonymous. Not even the government can make alcoholics quit.
But society has changed in that people don’t question us when we decline alcohol.
Who writes this kind of garbage? They sound like they don’t live here.
The people of Canada love their drink. This writer should just leave them to it and stop being a puritan. Pointless hand-wringing.
Considering the demand for alcohol is dropping with the new generation, we are going in the right direction. All that is left is to help those that have addiction or on track to become addicts.
The government likes money