Silent Abuse

Recent headlines screamed the ominous results of a survey revealing that one-third of Americans abuse alcohol.

Even worse, according to the report, is that most of them never seek help.

Such results may come as a shock to many people. Yet sadly, for families who know firsthand the problems caused by alcohol or other drugs, the report is nothing new.

"If anything, I think the reality is that practically every family in America has experienced the pain of a loved one -- father, mother, sibling, spouse -- with alcohol problems," Sis Wenger, the president of the National Association of Children of Alcoholics, told me. "It's truly the silent epidemic nobody wants to see, much less talk about, at least not openly."

Researchers reported in the "Archives of General Psychiatry" that about 18 percent said they had abused alcohol at some point over the course of their lives and another 13 percent said they were dependent on it at some point. The researchers used a commonly accepted definition of alcohol abuse that includes having one or more of these problems for a year:

-- Role Impairment, such as not meeting obligations at home or at work.

-- Hazardous use, such as driving while intoxicated.

-- Legal problems related to alcohol use.

-- Social or interpersonal problems due to alcohol.

Dependence is defined as having three or more of the following for a year:

-- Tolerance, often measured by an increase in consumption to achieve the same effect.

-- Alcohol withdrawal signs or symptoms.

-- Drinking more than intended.

-- Unsuccessful attempts to cut down on use.

-- Excessive time lost related to alcohol.

-- Impaired social or work activities due to alcohol.

-- Use despite physical or psychological consequences.

Whether indicators of abuse or dependence, these bottom-line benchmarks and warning signs are tough to ignore. So why is it that our society rarely talks about these problems? And what is keeping people who need help from getting it? According to the study, only about 24 percent ever seek treatment.

To me, the answers are obvious, and that's not because I work at a treatment facility. My perspective is personal. My family struggled with a loved one whose abuse of alcohol and other drugs blossomed into full-blown dependence over a 15-year period -- me.

I experimented with marijuana as a teenager and legally used alcohol when I was 18. I binged on alcohol in college and graduated to hard drugs. In my 20s, I hid my illegal drug use. By the time I was 30, I met every criteria for abuse and dependence.

But nobody spotted it until it was almost too late, because it was tough for my parents to believe their oldest son was a drunk or drug addict and impossible for my spouse to accept that I loved substances more than her. My church pastor thought I had a tortured soul. My boss thought I was just erratic at times.

Making it worse was that I lied and did everything possible to hide my use and abuse. I was ignorant of what ailed me, ashamed that I couldn't control it and terrified to death to admit it. And anyway, what would I have said? Alcoholics and drug addicts are homeless, live under bridges and do bad things. Not me.

Denial, ignorance, shame and stigma kept the truth from my family while driving me away from getting help. It took hitting bottom in a crack house to wake us all up. In 1994, I finally got treatment and eventually found the answer in recovery. I am among the lucky 24 percent.

But I shouldn't be. It is time for a national dialogue about the impact that alcohol and other drugs have on our communities. Around the dinner table and at community forums, schools and houses of worship, people need to come together to talk about the problem. By discussing the problem, we can promote the solution. And that's when we'll discover none of us is alone.

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William C. Moyers is the vice president of external affairs for the Hazelden Foundation and the author of "Broken," a best-selling memoir. The paperback edition was released in August 2007. Please send your questions to William Moyers at [e-mail]. To find out more about William Moyers and read his past columns, visit the Creators Syndicate web page at www.creators.com.
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