Millions of Americans Have Alcohol Use Disorder, but Few Get Treatment

Many Americans struggle with their relationship to alcohol. As of 2022, the most recent year for which data is available, more than 29 million people in the United States ages 12 and up had alcohol use disorder (AUD).

Evidence-based methods, including therapy and Food and Drug Administration-approved medications, can help people reduce or stop their alcohol intake entirely, but just a fraction of people with AUD access treatment.

Unfortunately, because of the stigma associated with views about overdrinking and treating patients with AUD, in most cases there’s a long lag between when problems start to emerge with alcohol and the actual diagnosis and treatment.

Also, we’re not sure that primary care doctors are aware of these medications and how to prescribe them. There’s a lot of evidence now of providers screening for alcohol misuse, but then there’s very little subsequent intervention or referral of patients to treatment.

There are behavioral treatments that are very effective, including motivational interviewing, cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness, and group therapy. Alcoholics Anonymous as well as other 12-step programs can be effective if people go to meetings. And three medications are approved by the FDA for the treatment of AUD: naltrexone, disulfiram, and acamprosate.

OhioPRO Lunch & Learn Virtual Training: Professionalizing the Peer Support Workforce Community

Register today for the OhioPRO Lunch and Learn training series. This important training will provide certified peer attendees with 1 hour of continuing education credits that can be used toward their certification renewal. 

This month's training is on professionalizing the peer support workforce community. The following topics will be covered:

1. The value and importance of workplace communications, the essentials for all communications, and how to make your communications more effective.
2. Discussion on the modern workplace and communicating when working in remote, virtual, or hybrid work environments.
3. Highly Functional Team and impacts of emotional intelligence on your communication.

This training is on June 27th from 12-1:00 PM.

OhioPRO encourages all participants to access this training using the desktop version of Zoom or the Zoom mobile app. We can no longer produce certificates for participants who call in only using the phone number generated by Zoom. For more information on downloading Zoom for your computer or phone, please visit the official Zoom website.

To attend the training, register via the registration button below. Please share this information with other certified peers. If you have any questions, contact Michael J. Krause, Executive Director of OhioPRO, at [email protected]

OhioKAN Hosting a New Cohort of the Training for Adoption Competency (TAC) for Ohio-based Master's Level Mental Health Clinicians

OhioKAN is hosting a new cohort of the Training for Adoption Competency (TAC) for Ohio-based master's level mental health clinicians. We are seeking post-graduate clinicians who are currently working with people who've been adopted or who are in kinship or foster homes. TAC trainings will be held twice a month from August of 2024 to June 2025, from 9am to 12:30pm, virtually. Upon completion of the final assessment, TAC trainees will receive CEs through the NASW. If you are interested in joining this cohort, please see the attached flyer and apply online at TAC Training | OhioKAN Kinship & Adoption Navigator. If you have questions about the application process, please contact [email protected].

Biden-Harris Administration Expands Access to Mental Health and Substance Use Services with Addition of 10 New States to CCBHC Medicaid Demonstration Program

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in partnership with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), today welcomed 10 new states into the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) Medicaid Demonstration Program, after they successfully developed the necessary state-level infrastructure and worked with providers in their states to develop programs that meet CCBHC standards: Alabama, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Rhode Island and Vermont. The CCBHC Medicaid Demonstration Program provides states with sustainable funding that helps them expand access to mental health and substance use services, supporting President Biden’s Unity Agenda and the Biden-Harris Administration’s efforts to tackle the country’s mental health and addiction crises.

Click here to learn more!