MIDLAND, Texas — Decades ago, when people thought of alcoholism, they probably imagined someone who just didn't know when to stop drinking.
According to The Springboard Center in Midland, nowadays people struggling with alcoholism are usually also struggling with other kinds of addictions.
“So, in the past, you were much more likely to have your purely drinking alcohol alcoholic," said Nate Isaacks, business development specialist for The Springboard Center. "An alcoholic was generally just defined as somebody who consumed alcohol and there was very little introduction to drugs. Today what we’re seeing is a little bit of a different trend. You rarely find somebody who solely drinks alcohol. Typically, when somebody’s consuming alcohol there’s also the drugs that go hand and hand with it.”
Stimulants in particular are often used by alcoholics as a means of trying to bring them back up after drinking.
Though alcoholism is an issue present all over the country, Isaacks said it’s more of an issue in West Texas.
“Nationally speaking, alcohol, you’re seeing roughly 31% of people who go to treatment are there for alcohol," Isaacks said. "Here in the Permian Basin, it’s almost twice that, it’s about 58% and one reason being it’s just socially more acceptable out here as opposed to drugs.”
The reasons why someone might fall into the cycle of addiction are varied, but Isaacks said peer pressure to drink is a big factor.
“What we’re really seeing it’s just kind of a societal thing," Isaacks said. "Some people are kind of brought up in it, it’s what they’re used to, it’s what their friends are doing and a lot of times what their parents did.”