Excessive drinking straining health, social systems across Manitoba

It’s a problem that’s bringing more Manitobans to the hospital and heavily impacting social services around the province.

A new study released Monday by the University of Manitoba shows an alarming number of those in the province are high-risk drinkers and forced into relying heavily social services, the justice system and healthcare.

The study tracked 53,000 Manitobans who were diagnosed with an alcohol use disorder over a 25 year period.

It found those who are high-risk drinkers access three times more emergency care, are hospitalized twice as much and have a five times greater chance of moving into social housing than those who are not.

For women, Health Canada defines a high-risk drinker as someone who has more than two drinks in one sitting, or 10 per week.

For men, it’s anything exceeding three alcoholic drinks in a sitting, or 15 per week.

The study shines a light on the impact drinking is having on branches of the healthcare system.

Author Dr. Nathan Nickel believes it especially shows the province has a major problem addressing and offering access to treatment centres.

“We as a society are missing opportunities to spot early warning signs and to intervene to treat Manitobans with alcohol-related illnesses,” Dr. Nickel said. “It comes down to identifying them sooner and then reducing that wait time to get them into services.”

Dr. Nickel said by the time many high-risk alcohol users are diagnosed, it’s often too late.

“Once we identify individuals with an alcohol-use disorder, their highest risk of dying is during the first year after they receive diagnosis.”

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Addictions advocates across Manitoba agree that there is a major issue with how addictions and treatment are handled.

St. Boniface Street Links founder Marion Willis said that issue is magnified by ineffective treatment once diagnosed.

“We need long-term strategies,” Willis said. “We need strategies that diagnose and detox and strategies for long term residential care.

“Until we start looking to address the root causes, treatment will only ever just be 28 days of education and a bit of a band-aid. It won’t ever resolve actually anything.”

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