Assembly Concurrent Resolution
No. 61
CHAPTER 67
Relative to Alcohol Awareness Month.
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Filed with
Secretary of State
May 24, 2023.
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LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
ACR 61, Waldron.
Alcohol Awareness Month.
This measure would proclaim April 2023 as Alcohol Awareness Month. The measure would request the Governor, the California Health and Human Services Agency, the State Department of Health Care Services, the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, and other relevant state entities to prioritize increasing public and provider awareness of the health risks associated with alcohol consumption and the availability of treatment for alcohol use disorder in California, as specified.
Digest Key
Fiscal Committee:
NO WHEREAS, Alcohol Awareness Month is a public health program organized by the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence as a way of increasing outreach and education regarding the dangers of alcoholism and issues related to alcohol. The program started in April 1987; and
WHEREAS, The disease of addiction continues to devastate California’s communities and remains a public health emergency that continues to pose a significant public health and safety threat to the state, costing over 15,000 lives each year; and
WHEREAS, In addition to opioids and heroin, abuse of other dangerous substances, including alcohol, is on the rise, and the disease of addiction is not exclusive to any one substance; and
WHEREAS, Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a chronic brain disorder that is characterized by an impaired ability to stop or control alcohol use despite adverse social, occupational, or health consequences and often goes untreated; the number of individuals affected by AUD during the COVID-19 pandemic has risen significantly and the dangers of excessive alcohol use should not be ignored; and
WHEREAS, AUD affects every community, and alcohol consumption is the fourth leading cause of preventable death in the United States; and
WHEREAS, The federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reports that AUD was the most common substance use disorder among adults in the United States in 2020, affecting roughly 28,300,000 people; and
WHEREAS, In 2020, the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reported that around 3,848,000 California adults qualify as suffering from AUD and around 3,602,000 California adults need, but are not receiving, AUD treatment at a special facility. This means that approximately 93 percent of California adults suffering from AUD are not receiving the treatment they need for AUD; and
WHEREAS, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report states that in California there were approximately 15,443 deaths attributed to alcohol each year from 2015 to 2019; and
WHEREAS, The Department of Health Care Access and Information reports that from 2008 through 2017 there was a 66.7-percent increase in alcohol-related emergency department visits and a 36.9-percent increase in alcohol-related emergency department admissions; and
WHEREAS, The CDC has reported that, in 2010, excessive drinking cost California over $35,000,000,000, which breaks down to $940 per person in California. These costs result from losses in workplace productivity, health care expenses, criminal justice expenses, and motor vehicle crashes. About $2 of every $5 of the economic costs of excessive alcohol use were paid by federal, state, and local governments; and
WHEREAS, In 2020, the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, sales of alcohol increased by 2.9 percent, the largest annual increase in over 50 years. For those who were drinking more during the pandemic, research suggests that stress, anxiety, and previous alcohol misuse were contributing factors; and
WHEREAS, Meeting people where they are in their recovery journey is a critical component of public health and every setting of care should be aware of the signs of dangerous alcohol use and trained in identifying, assessing, and treating alcohol use disorder; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate thereof concurring, That the Legislature proclaims April 2023 as Alcohol Awareness Month to draw attention to the needs of Californians with AUD and to educate the public, health care providers, and policymakers about the tools that are available to prevent alcohol abuse; and be it further
Resolved, That the Legislature respectfully requests that the Governor, the California Health and Human Services Agency, the State Department of Health Care Services, the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, and other relevant state entities prioritize increasing public and provider awareness of the health risks associated with alcohol consumption and the consumption of alcohol with other substances, including the risks of alcohol overdose and AUD, and the availability of treatment for AUD in California, including FDA-approved medications and treatment in primary care, hospital, and criminal justice settings; and be it further
Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.