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‘We have a huge issue’: Alcohol-related death rate in Tennessee up 98% over 10 year period, data shows

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — One expert is encouraging Tennesseans to talk more about an often overlooked issue impacting the Volunteer State to help spread awareness and expand the number of resources available.

The alcohol-related death rate in Tennessee increased 98% from 2012 to 2022, compared to the U.S. average of 70%, according to data from KFF.

Elliot Pinsly, CEO of the Behavioral Health Foundation told News 2 the problem has been somewhat overshadowed by another epidemic.

“We’ve focused on opioids for very good reason. All sorts of issues have arisen from this opioid epidemic, but we’ve had an alcohol epidemic that has not gone away,” Pinsly said. “We have a huge issue. We have an underserved population of individuals that don’t have access to the same amount of funding related to substance use disorder.”

Pinsly explained the pandemic is one contributing factor to the rise in the alcohol-related death rate in Tennessee, but it’s not the only reason.

“We had a lot of isolation and a lot of stress, and the data we’re looking at is only through 2022, so around that time seeing those rises, it makes sense, but the data was also rising even before then, so the pandemic alone is not the explanation here,” Pinsly said.

The increased availability of alcohol has also played a role, according to Pinsly. There are now more kinds of alcohol on the market, including seltzer drinks, and they’re sold in more places, like grocery stores, and at sporting events and festivals.

Certain laws have also contributed to the increased availability of alcohol.

“We had liquor by the drink rules change and ways that you can actually deliver alcohol to people that were not allowed pre-pandemic, so we’ve had policy changes there related to the health emergency that have caused greater access to alcohol for some people,” Pinsly said.

Pinsly believes because the problem isn’t talked about as often as other substance use issues, those struggling likely aren’t aware of all the resources available for alcohol use disorder recovery, including certain medications, harm reduction techniques, and contingency management, which is an evidence-based treatment that offers incentives, including money, to treat individuals struggling with substance use disorder and help them toward recovery.

“Because recovery is possible, we need to help people get there, we need to provide hope for folks with the right services in place, evidence-based treatment,” Pinsly said. “We know these services exist and they’re available. Some are available in Tennessee, others are not, like contingency management for example, where we need to bring the best services to people and give them a chance at hope and recovery.”

For a list of alcohol use disorder recovery resources in Tennessee, click here.