Photo courtesy to The Magdalen House
In the Dallas-Fort Worth area alone, over 657,000 people, or one in nine, struggle with alcoholism, with only 10% seeking help while the rest suffer from the deadly disease, Lisa Kroencke, Chief Executive Officer for The Magdalen House said.
Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson proclaims September as Recovery Month for alcoholism awareness. Not only does this mark the first time the city has recognized alcoholism as a disease, this initiative will help to educate and destigmatize alcoholism that has been an ongoing issue for decades.
Alcoholism is deadly, and it is deemed a mental illness that affects a broad age spectrum, from 18 to 80, Kroencke said.
Kroencke emphasizes the importance of educating the population of active alcoholics. This provides a better chance for struggling individuals and their families to understand this as a disease, achieve help, and ultimately save lives.
Various limiting factors keep alcoholics from accessing assistance in achieving and maintaining sobriety. Many individuals simply lack the resources needed. A critical resource gap is insurance coverage for treatments, which typically covers 130-day treatment necessary to achieve and sustain a year of recovery.
“For it to be successful, and by successful I mean to achieve sobriety and sustain one year of recovery. It takes four to five times in a formal treatment setting for that to take place,” she said.
Unfortunately, by the time a person is serious about their recovery and wants to stop drinking for good, they lack insurance needed to go to a formal treatment facility, she said.
Enter The Magdalen House, a DFW nonprofit dedicated to helping individuals achieve sobriety and sustain recovery from alcoholism, no cost, led by a 12-step spiritual principles. It is the only nonprofit in the Dallas-Fort Worth area to offer comprehensive recovery services without insurance or state funding and 100% free of charge, she said.
Next Step
For those ready to take the next step, The Magdalen House Next Step program provides structure and education to alcoholic women striving to achieve sobriety. The three-phase nonresidential recovery program for alcoholic women lasts approximately three months. It consists of recovery education, group meetings, mentorship, and more.
Although the program is tailored to women recovering from alcoholism, the nonprofit recognized a need for a men’s program, and in August, The Magdalen House launched a men’s program into phases. The Next Step program will begin on Oct. 2.
Kroencke is appreciative that the mayor acknowledged alcoholism as a disorder and established a month dedicated to raising awareness. Not enough people recognize alcoholism as a disease, but she is hopeful this will break the stigma and create more advocacy and funding for people to receive help.
“Education around alcoholism as a mental illness and as a disease will break down the barriers so people can ask for help,” she said.
