Alcoholism in Alaska: Impact, Statistics & Treatment Access

According to the Alcohol Addiction &Substance Abuse website, alcoholism can have a destructive effect on large and small communities in Alaska. In 2005, the number of people with alcohol abuse problems in Alaska numbered 39,000.

Treatment

• The availability of treatment for alcohol abuse within Alaska was minimal in 2005. Alcohol Addiction &Substance Abuse explains that of the 39,000 known alcohol abusers in Alaska, 37,000 failed to receive treatment in the state in 2005.

Native Alaskans

• The Alcohol Information website reports alcohol become widely available to Native Alaskans in the 1950s. The suicide rate in Alaska, which was similar to the national average in the '50s, rose dramatically in the 1970s after the introduction of alcohol.

Facts

• The Alcohol Information website explains the rate of fetal alcohol syndrome is 4.2 per 1000 births among Native Alaskans, the highest rate of any group in the U.S. population. Alcohol-related deaths among Alaska's native people are as high as 80 percent.