A Vulnerable Population:

People Who Abuse Alcohol

Javi Perez, John Fernandez, Becca Hitchcock
 People Who Abuse Alcohol

Definition: The population of all individuals, regardless of

demographics, that abuse alcohol.
 Demographics

In 2015, a reported 26.9% of Americans aged 18 or older

engaged in binge drinking in the past month and a reported
7.0% engaged in heavy alcohol use in the past month

(National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism [NIAAA], 2017)

 Demographics: Age

(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration [SAMHSA], 2013-a)

 Demographics: Gender

(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration [SAMHSA], 2013-a)

Demographics: Race/Ethnicity

(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration [SAMHSA], 2013-a)

 Health Disparities
Among People Who Abuse Alcohol
What is a health disparity? A health disparity is a higher burden of
illness, injury, disability, or mortality experienced by one population
group relative to another usually associated with discrimination or
marginalization
Health Disparity #1: Incidence of rape among people
who abuse alcohol
Health Disparity #2: Age-adjusted alcohol-induced
mortality rate

(Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, 2012)

 Health Disparity #1

Incidence of rape
In general, individuals who drink heavily experience a higher
incidence of being sexually assaulted compared to individuals
who do not drink.
The more frequently an individual engages in heavy drinking
episodes, the more likely they are to be assaulted.
Individuals who engage in heavy drinking episodes are
assaulted more severely than individuals who are sober upon
being assaulted.

(Gilmore, Lewis, & George, 2015)

 Health Disparity #2

Age-adjusted mortality rate

In the United States, the 2014 age-adjusted
alcohol-induced mortality rate was 8.5% for all
races/genders compared to the non-alcoholic
age-adjusted mortality rate of 0.72% for all
races/genders.

(Bartlett, Brown, Shattell, Wright, & Lewallen, 2013)

 Health Care Disparities
Among People Who Abuse Alcohol
What is a health care disparity? As opposed to health disparities,
healthcare disparities are differences between groups in health
insurance coverage, access to health care, care offered, care
received, and quality of health care.

Healthcare disparity #1: Attitude of health care

providers toward individuals who abuse substances
(including alcohol)

(Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, 2012)

 Health Care Disparity #1

Attitudes of health care providers

Many nurses still hold negative views of individuals who
abuse substances (including alcohol).
Nurses are found to be more judgmental than other
health care workers.
Negative attitudes of health care providers have a
negative impact on the care these patients receive.

(Kochanek K.D., M.A., Murphy S.L., B.S., Xu J., Tejada-Vera B., 2016)
 Nursing Intervention for Culturally Competent
Care of People Who Abuse Alcohol

Referral & Follow-up (Minnesota Wheel): Refer clients to

the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Association (SAMHSA) help hotlines and self-help services.
After referral, the PHN will follow-up with the client
between 6-24 months.
Rationale: Brief interventions such as referring clients
to help hotlines and addiction help services reduce
binge drinking over the course of 12 months by up to
30%. One study cites that alcohol use continues to
decrease over the course of 48 months when follow-
ups are continually performed after interventions.
(US Department of Health & Human Services), (Substance Abuse and Mental
Health Services Administration [SAMHSA], 2013-b)
 References
Bartlett, R., Brown, L., Shattell, M., Wright, T., & Lewallen, L. (2013).
Harm reduction: Compassionate care of persons with
addictions. Medsurg Nursing : Official Journal of the Academy of
Medical-Surgical Nurses, 22(6), 349358.
Gilmore, A. A., Lewis, M. A., George, W. H. (2015). A randomized
controlled trial targeting alcohol use and sexual assault risk among
college women at high risk for victimization. Behaviour Research and
Therapy 74, 38-49. doi:10.1016/j.brat.2015.08.007
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. Helping patients with
alcohol problems. Retrieved from https://www.csam-asam.org/sites/
default/files/pdf/misc/PractitionersGuideFINAL.pdf
Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. (2012). Disparities in health and
health care: Five key questions and answers. Retrieved from
http://kff.org/disparities-policy/issue-brief/disparities-in-health-an
d-health-care-five-key-questions-and-answers/
 References
Kochanek, K.D., M.A., Murphy, S.L., B.S., Xu, J., Tejada-Vera, B.
Deaths: Final data for 2014. National vital statistics reports; vol
65 no 4. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics.
2016. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/
nvsr65/nvsr65_04.pdf
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. (2017).
Alcohol facts and statistics [web page]. Retrieved from
www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohol-health/overview-alcohol-
consumption/alcohol-facts-and-statistics.
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. (n.d.). Minority
health and health disparities [webpage]. Retrieved from
www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohol-health/special-populations-co-
occurring-disorders/diversity-health-disparities.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
[SAMHSA]. (2013-a). Results from the 2012 national survey on
drug use and health (NSDUH) H-47: Mental health findings. Retrieved
from www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/
NSDUHresults2012/NSDUHresults2012.pdf.
 References
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
[SAMHSA]. (2013-b). Behavioral Health Treatment Services. Retrieved
from https://findtreatment.samhsa.gov/