Some Alcoholism Statistics for 2009

It’s a sad fact that most people who come into the rooms of Alcoholics Anonymous do not hang around for long. It’s estimated that only 4% of alcoholics even make it to AA in the first place, and out of those 4% who do, only 2% decide to stay on. The fellowship is like a revolving door for many as they attempt to get a grip on a sober lifestyle. The true percentages of drunks who actually get to stop drinking and manage to stay stopped is a bit hit and miss, but out of all the treatments available, it’s always thought that AA offers the best chance of achieving long term sobriety, but compared to what?

Although most recovering alcoholics have found their sobriety in the rooms of AA, there must surely be others who have found quality sobriety and longevity in serenity through other means. When AA was founded back in the 1930’s, AA was most likely the only place known that had half a chance of working for active alcoholics, but there have been many alternatives to getting sober in recent times. I don’t personally know of any alcoholics who have got sober and remained sober through other methods or programs, but that doesn’t mean to say that there aren’t any, it’s just that I’m not familiar with them.

Parents, distraught wives or husbands and so on, are the people who are mostly troubled and alarmed by today’s Alcoholism Statistics, and it’s often the alcoholic himself who is the only one that refuses to acknowledge his problem. Being exposed to reports on Alcoholism Statistics is not enough to scare those heavily dependent on the juice. Just as we are constantly exposed to the dangers of smoking, most of these facts and figures fall on death ears until such times that the one with the problem wants to listen and do something about his or her malady.

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Alcoholism Statistics for Alcoholics Anonymous

It’s important to point out that Alcoholism Statistics can vary considerably from counties and states, country to country, and continent to continent. Most of the stats outlined here are based mainly on Western Societies, namely North America, Australasia, and Western Europe. If anything, sadly the picture is far grimmer in second and third world countries despite the best efforts of AA worldwide.

The estimate (based on numerous surveys), suggest that those who attended AA for their very first time, just 19% of them are still there after 30 days! Only 5% remain after a full 12 months. For those who stick around for the first year, the chances of them continuing on for another 12 month increase significantly. As each year passes, so do the chances of continuing on their path of continued recovery.

You’ll see I use the term recovery and not recovered. Different folks interpret this differently, but many alcoholics believe that once and alcoholic always an alcoholic, which is why you will see members attending AA meeting for years and even decades after finally putting the plug in the jug.

Alcoholism is recognized as an illness, and the 12 step program of action, along with the fellowship of AA members, is the medicine needed to keep recovering drunks away from that first drink. In AA, the concept is simple, and you will often hear people say; ‘Don’t pick up that first drink, and you won’t get drunk!’ Yes, it’s simple enough to understand alright, but not always easy to grasp. This is why recovering alcoholics need to maintain their sobriety by following the suggested 12 steps program in order to continue with their recovery.

On with Alcoholism Statistics

Apparently, 1 in every 10 people is alcoholic or has major difficulty controlling their drinking. Alcoholism has always been a problem within societies, ever since man first learnt how to crush grapes, but it’s an even more serious problem in today's modern society. There’s more to being a problem drinker than just being drunk and disorderly. The statistics linking alcohol with fatalities, serious injuries, broken homes, and major health problems, really are quite dreadful.

The other sad fact concerning alcoholic behavior is that the drinker will most likely have a negative impact on at least 4 to 5 other lives, be they family, close friends, or acquaintances, etc. If the alcoholic is unable to stop and stay stopped, there is a very good chance that he or she will die from a premature alcohol related death. In the USA alone, it is estimated that alcohol contributes to at least 100,000 deaths annually. Obviously, this problem is far, far, greater on a global scale.

When is Enough, Enough?

Needing to stop drinking to protect health, wealth, or relationships, does nothing to sway the mind of the active alcoholic unless he himself wants to quit. Needing to should be warning enough, but its only wanting to, when a drunk has a real chance of sobriety. It’s a disease of denial. Addiction, of any kind, is perhaps the only form of disease that tells you, you haven’t got it! But with so much help and information surrounding alcohol addiction these days, this exposure is getting drunks educated about their condition, whether they want to hear about it or not.

Alcoholism Statistics are everywhere; on TV documentaries and movies, in newspaper and magazine articles, in doctors waiting rooms, and online. This explosion of facts, stats, and information has seen the average age of those seeking treatment for the first time come down to the 26-34 age group, and even some teens are now getting sober and staying sober, something that was unheard of just a generation ago.

Alcoholism Statistics for Road Accidents

There’s no question of doubt that driving under the influence impairs a drivers judgement. Collective data has shown that on average there’s one alcohol-related traffic accident approximately every 30 minutes. About 78% of fatal road accidents which happen between the hours of midnight and 3 AM involve alcohol. All the negative Alcoholism statistics highlight the real dangers of driving while under the influence, and they report staggering numbers for unnecessary deaths, especially in the younger age groups between the ages of 21 to 24 years. It’s very tragic and very unnecessary.