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Summit culture sends mixed messages about alcohol
Alcohol, marijuana, cocaine are the most widely used drugs in the county, officials say
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Abuse prevention advocates say Summit County’s culture of events and tourists provides bad influences for local youth. And Colorado’s rate of illicit drug use is already among the highest in the nation, officials said.
Summit Daily/Mark Fox
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By LORY POUNDER
summit daily news
Summit County, CO Colorado
March 27, 2008
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FRISCO — Where tourism drives the economy, events often take center stage.
“In Summit County so much focus is on alcohol,” Kathy Davis, MA, program coordinator at Colorado West in Frisco, said, adding that it becomes normalized in a way that is different from other areas. “We’re unique in that we’re isolated. It’s a huge part of our culture and so there’s a lot of mixed messages.”
This is hardest on the youth, she continued. It’s tough “to carry a hard line when everything going on in the community is based on consuming alcohol.”
In Summit County, alcohol, marijuana and cocaine are the most widely used drugs. And Colorado’s rate of these drugs and other illicit drug use is among the highest in the nation, officials said. Yet, the state ranks 49 out of 50 for dollars spent on treatment.
On last year’s county-wide health assessment, mental health and substance abuse were two needs that topped the list, Davis said. So, while the community is starting to speak up about the need for additional treatment, it is something that would require funding and wouldn’t happen quickly, she added.
Recently, the new Summit Detox/ Crisis Stabilization Unit in the Medical Office Building in Frisco expanded the level of care offered in the county, but there are still “pretty wide gaps in the continuum of care” for substance abuse, Davis said. In order for someone to seek inpatient treatment, they have to leave the county, which can be frightening, she said. There are also no half-way houses.
The detox center moved out of the Summit County Jail Jan. 16 and into the facility that has eight beds, including two in the crisis stabilization room. Since it opened, there have been a number of nights when seven or eight of the beds have been full, Davis said.
After the first quarter of being open, Colorado West will be looking at some of the numbers from the new facility. The suspicion is that about half of those who come to detox are local residents and half are visitors and that the ratio of men will be much higher than women, Davis said.
The new facility offers a more therapeutic atmosphere for someone in need of detox verses having to go to the jail or emergency room, Davis said. Also, they are able to seek more treatment and there is a safety component.
By not planning ahead, people sometimes find themselves out late with no way of getting home, and often times people underestimate the heightened effects of alcohol at altitude, Davis said.
“They find themselves alone at night and they try to walk,” she said. “It’s such a tragic issue ... They (police) bring them to detox because they need these people to be safe.”
Lory Pounder can be reached at (970) 668-4628, or at lpounder@summitdaily.com.
Mental Health awareness
The Summit County chapter of Mental Health America is working to raise awareness about mental health and reduce stigmas. As part of that education, each month, local professionals will shed light on a mental health topic.
Substance abuse facts
• 26.6 percent of American adults will be drug or alcohol dependent in their lifetime (35.4 percent of males, 17.9 percent of females)
• Consumers spend about $104 billion on alcohol per year in the US
• Alcohol’s cost to society is about $99 billion per year
• Colorado’s rate of alcohol, marijuana and other illicit drug use is among the highest in the nation
• Colorado ranked 49 out of 50 for dollars spent on treatment
Source: Jeanette Kintz, LPC, CAC III, substance abuse coordinator at Colorado West
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