Over the past four years, the number of alcohol-related visits to hospital emergency departments in Mecklenburg County has risen each year, with more than 10,000 visits projected this year. About 75% of last year's visits were tied to alcohol intoxication. In Charlotte, health care experts assess what might be driving the increase, the impacts of excessive drinking, and how support programs are helping people in recovery.
Felix, 67, visited a barber on Elizabeth Avenue near uptown one recent morning. The cleaner wore a pair of gloves as he chatted with the barber.
“Cutting and styling hair almost killed me,” Felix said. “I made so much money, and growing up, nobody told me, 'Felix, save your money.'”
WFAE is not using Felix’s full name so he can talk openly about his alcohol use. The former barber says he used to make $1,800 to $2,400 a week. But he spent much of that income on his habits.
“I drank almost every day,” Felix said. “But also at that time, early on, drugs were my problem.”
Felix says he turned to crack cocaine and drank excessive alcohol, like wine, beer, or whatever he could get that would get him high.
“Alcohol was cheaper than the drugs, and alcohol was legal, so it was a natural progression, and it was easier to get and maintain, and cheaper,” Felix said.
Felix says he was drinking about a fifth of liquor a day.
“There were a few arrests, DWI. It affected my relationships with my children and wife. I ended up getting a divorce because of my alcohol and drug usage,” Felix said. “In the end, she didn’t want any money or child support; all she wanted was me gone. That’s how bad it got for me, my family, and my household.”
Felix says he used alcohol and drugs to cope.
“To feel better and to deal with life,” Felix said. "Not necessarily that life was tough or rough at that time. And then my peers and everybody I was around, that’s what they did.”
Felix says family members steered him toward treatment. He turned to Alcoholics Anonymous programs — and he’s been attending meetings for more than 25 years. Felix says he no longer drinks or does drugs. He credits the support of an AA sponsor with helping him stay sober.
“It gives me someone to talk to that I can relate to,” Felix said. “I don’t have to figure this recovery thing, recovery process, I don’t have to figure it out completely and all by myself.”
The road to recovery can begin in hospital emergency departments, where stretchers move between patient rooms. In Mecklenburg County, alcohol-related emergency department visits have climbed each year, from about 7,000 in 2022 to more than 9,700 last year. Care providers feel that increase. Bess Goodson is a physician assistant with Atrium Health in Southeast Charlotte.
Goodson treats patients with addictions to opioids and alcohol. State Health and Human Services data show that Mecklenburg County has one of the highest rates of alcohol-related emergency department hospital visits in North Carolina.
“I think the COVID pandemic started a lot of this because people weren’t allowed to go out. And they kind of self-isolate,” Goodson said. "And I think when that happens, I just think addiction in general gets worse because they don’t have their normal interactions. And I think that’s a huge component of why people drink when they’re depressed.”
Economic pressures have also added to the strain.
“Financial situations have gotten tougher the last couple of years; everything is so expensive,” Goodson said. "And I think people drink to cope with stress, so I think those two things are the biggest factors I see.”
Despite the increased volume of visits, Goodson says she’s pleased that people are coming forward.
“Over the last few years, mental health and addiction have become more open, and people talk about it more,” Goodson said. “So I feel as if people are less scared and stigmatized about getting help. So I think that’s a huge thing that I’m seeing. And I’m glad people are actually getting the help.”
Jeff, 54, wears a bright red shirt inside an AA meeting of about 50 people south of uptown. Jeff said he’s been in and out of recovery for 37 years. He said he began to drink in excess in his late teens.
“I really enjoyed it. I really enjoyed drinking,” Jeff said. “It was a lot of fun at the time. All my friends in high school. And in my early days of college, they all drank.”
Jeff said he used to binge-drink — 8 to 20 drinks a day. He often blacked out. He said that his relationship with alcohol affected his family.
“I was drinking at home. I would try to sneak drinks when my ex-wife would go to sleep, ”Jeff said. “I would try to sneak and drink; my kids never really saw me doing it, but it affected them.”
AA meetings and support from others have helped Jeff recover.
“This is not a self-help program. This is a mutual help program. This is how I help other people, and they help me,” Jeff said. ”I come here to get help, and then in return, I offer my help back, and that creates a network, and that creates a community.”
Jeff said he has been sober for over two years. After years of struggling with alcohol, he wants others to know they can recover, too.
“So my message is, no matter how hopeless it feels, give it another try, or if you’ve never given it a try, give it a try," Jeff said. "You have nothing to lose.”
