RAVENNA, Ohio — Throughout the opioid crisis, deaths connected to heroin, fentanyl and multiple other combinations of synthetic pills and powders have been widely reported, but another drug is also killing people: alcohol.
In fact, Portage County Coroner Dr. Dean DePerro said a spike in the number of people dying from alcoholism is a disturbing trend.
Asked if it was alarming, DePerro said, "I think we've passed that point."
In a typical year, DePerro said the office investigates four or five chronic active alcohol deaths, but last year that number jumped to 11.
There have been fourteen cases so far in 2023— 12 men and two women between the ages of 47 and 71.
The cases reported to the coroner are only of a fraction of the alcoholism-related deaths that occur. DePerro estimated that for every case he sees, there are nine others in which private physicians sign death certificates.
The Portage County Coroner sometimes provides rulings on how a person died if he or she did not have a doctor.
Substance abuse experts said turning to alcohol more frequently during the three-year pandemic became a serious problem in Northeast Ohio because of fear, anxiety and isolation brought on by COVID-19, and those feelings have lingered for some.
"It seems the aftereffects with the pandemic are still with us. We have a lot of social isolation— isolation with individuals. I think, in this instance, alcohol has become a medication," DePerro said.
Tammy Hunter, the CEO of Town Hall II — a prevention, treatment and recovery center in Kent — said the number of people seeking treatment for substance abuse is way up.
Last year, they had 850 clients. There have already been about 1,000 clients in 2023, the most the agency has ever seen.
"It's a mixture of COVID, people struggling to manage stress and having a lot of responsibilities and not really having an outlet to manage," Hunter said. "There's a lot of trauma. Everyone's cycles of trauma are different on how they cope with it."
DePerro said a major focus right now is eliminating the stigma for those who need treatment.
"Reaching out for help, or if you know somebody who might need help, is the most important thing you can do," he said.
Hunter stressed if you don't know where to start, call the crisis lifeline at 988 or 330-678-HELP.
"Mental health and substance abuse treatment is healthcare. Reach out. Get help. People are there for you, whatever community you live in, someone is there to help you," Hunter said.
