Walker Center CEO explains why some people may not ask for help when struggling with alcoholism

April is alcohol awareness month, KMVT wanted to see just how common alcohol addiction is in the Magic Valley, and why some people may be hesitant to seek help

There's a number of reasons why people may not ask for help when it comes to alcohol abuse, which is where places like the Walker Center come in, CEO Deborah Thomas said.

"If you or you’re concerned about someone, have an expert like a certified addiction counselor, licensed professional counselor, an addictionologist do an assessment and then what we look for is the best dosage of care for the least amount of restriction and money,” Thomas said.

While there are treatment options, education plays a role as well, Thomas said.

"What we offer are educational classes, so if you've made a mistake and you need some more knowledge, maybe about the volume of alcohol, or what alcohol does when you drink, we offer education classes,” Thomas said.

One of the biggest problems stopping people from getting help is the stigma surrounding alcoholism, said Dr. Ron Larsen with Optum Idaho.

"The difficulty is that we can always look around and see someone who seems to drink more than we do,” Larsen said.

Thomas agreed.

"One is they don't think that they have a problem," Thomas said. "We're the last ones to know anything about ourselves, so not having awareness that there really is a problem. The other barrier is people are ashamed or embarrassed that they didn't think they'd be out of control."

There's one other thing that stops people as well.

"There's so much about our society that thinks it’s about will power, that you should just stop doing whatever the behavior is, and that's not true. It's a progressive illness, where you need a medical intervention,” Thomas said.

Thomas also said the first step is speaking up and being open to getting help.

"Just having the courage to ask is important.” Thomas explained.

Thomas also said they see about 500 patients each year, at both their Twin Falls and Gooding locations.