This article provides an overview of the strategies being implemented by the Recover Alaska initiative in its mission to reduce excessive alcohol use and related harm in Alaska by influencing social norms and perceptions about alcohol use and abuse. Includes a list of online resources.[Introduction]
Working with the Media /
Alcohol Treatment Resources /
Alcohol Policy Advocacy /
Evaluation and Measuring Impact /
Conclusion /
Resource

Hall, Tiffany

Rivera, Marny

English

ScholarWorks@UA

University of AlAskA AnchorAgeAlAskA Justice ForumA PUblicAtion of the JUstice center  Summer/Fall 2016 Vol. 33, No. 2–3Make sure issue date and numberand copyright date are correct!Recover Alaska: Healing Alaska’s Alcohol ProblemsPlease see Recover Alaska, page 11INSIDE THIS ISSUE• Therapeutic Courts in the Alaska CourtSystem (page 2).• Alaska Felony Sentencing Patterns:Selected Findings (page 6).• Teens Acting Against Violence (TAAV) andthe 40 Developmental Assets (page 8).Marny Rivera and Tiffany HallAlcohol is used by a large segment of the population and is one of the most commonly abused substances. National surveys reveal that 7 out of 10 adults in the U.S. and Alaska drank alcohol in the past year and more than half of all adults report past month alcohol use. While alcohol is part of our social cul-ture and frequently plays a role in celebra-tions, it is often a factor in tragedies. The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence estimates that alcohol is a fac-tor in 40 percent of all violent crimes, and is often an element in non-stranger violence, including intimate partner violence, sexual assault, and child abuse.Excessive alcohol use has enormous so-cial and economic costs. In Alaska parental alcohol abuse has been cited by the Office of Children’s Services (OCS) as the reason for a child’s removal from the home in 31 to 47 percent of all maltreatment cases be-tween 2011 and 2015. Both parental alcohol use and removal of a child from the home have lasting consequences for the family and the community. Another consequence of excessive alcohol use is alcohol-induced mortality. The alcohol-induced mortality rate for all Alaskans has remained at least twice as high as the average U.S. rate for over a decade, and has remained at least six times as high for Alaska Natives. In 2014, the age-adjusted alcohol-induced mortality rate in Alaska was 17.8 per 100,000 Alaskans while the average rate for the U.S. was 8.5 per 100,000 (see Figure 1, page 11).  Many individual projects and programs have pre-viously been implemented to address the harmful consequences of alcohol use in our state. But until recently Alaska has lacked a coordinated, multi-pronged response to alcohol problems.Over the past few years an innovative approach—Recover Alaska—has  evolved to address Alaska’s alcohol-related problems. This initiative aims to reduce excessive alcohol use and related harm in Alaska by influencing social norms and perceptions about alcohol use and abuse. Through bringing together stakeholders statewide, Recover Alaska seeks more coordinated responses to alcohol-related issues. It also advocates for change in systems and for effective laws and polices about alcohol. Recover Alaska was developed by a group of knowledgeable and influential funding partners—Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority, Mat-Su Health Foundation, and Rasmuson Foundation. These organizations recognized the need for a comprehensive and coordinated approach to target alcohol problems in Alaska and brought together a statewide, multi-sector steering committee to consider strategies. Since then, South-central Foundation, Providence Health and Services, and the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services have joined in supporting the Recover Alaska initiative.This article provides a brief overview of the strategies being implemented by Recover Alaska to achieve its mission. An important element of the initiative is an evaluation plan to gauge the impact of this new approach to alcohol abuse.Editor’s GoodbyeWith this issue of the Alaska Justice Forum, my eight-year tenure as editor ends.  It has been my privilege to build on the foundation created by my predecessor, Antonia Moras, who edited this publication for over 20 years.  I want to thank all the university and community partners who have contributed to publishing Alaska justice research, especially our Justice faculty and staff, and guest authors.  And I also want to express my appreciation to all those in the Justice community, public and private entities, and individuals across the state, who have so generously given of their time to assist in answering questions and providing data for a variety of articles and topics. Lastly, I want to acknowledge the assistance of the Forum editorial board and the Justice Center Publication Specialist. With their help, the roughly drafted articles and statistical tables and charts are turned into a polished publication.“Leading Alaska to a safer, healthier, and more just society” is the Justice Center’s vision statement. The goal of the Forum is to contribute to that vision.  I have tried to ensure that the articles in the Forum continue to focus on the broad landscape of justice issues and look at the connection between public health and justice. My aim has always been to be an advocate for our readers so that research and information are presented in a way that is accessible and interesting to the general reader, as well as to specialists in the field, practitioners, and academics. By providing research and analysis on an array of justice topics to legislators, agencies, poli-cymakers, and the university and general community, the Forum serves an important role in Alaska.  We hope to engage our readers in a conversation about these issues and to keep the conversation going. I am grateful to have been a part of this process.— Barbara ArmstrongAlaska Justice Forum 33(2–3), Summer/Fall 2016 11Recover Alaska(continued from page 1)Please see Recover Alaska, page 12Working with the MediaRecover Alaska has partnered with television, radio, print, and online media to increase coverage of alcohol-related issues in Alaska, and has also utilized social media to engage and inform Alaskans. This strategy involved moving from passive monitoring and reactive media stories on alcohol-related issues to a targeted effort designed specifi-cally to influence social, political, and media environments around alcohol. As part of this partnership, reporters developed in-vestigative journalism pieces on the impact of alcohol in Alaska in a 2013–2014 series of Anchorage Daily News articles entitled “State of Intoxication.” In 2015, the Fair-banks Daily News-Miner began a year-long project entitled “Paths to Recovery,” which focused on finding solutions to Alaska’s alcohol problem.Recover Alaska has also provided fi-nancial and other support for a “Be [You]” social norms media campaign launched by the Alaska Wellness Coalition in 2015. One of the prominent media messages included “78% of Alaska teens do not drink.” This statewide media campaign sought to use positive messaging presented in television commercials, radio ads, and social media sites to challenge the misconception that most teens drink alcohol—such miscon-ceptions can actually increase unhealthy behaviors. Data from the Youth Risk Be-havior Survey (YRBS) show that youth use of alcohol in Alaska has actually declined over the period 2009–2015. Nonetheless, a number of youth still use alcohol, and prevention and education strategies need to be directed to this group.Another Recover Alaska social norms project, created in partnership with the FM radio station KNBA 90.3, is the “Day 001—Voices of Recovery” series. This campaign features a website and an eight-part video and radio series celebrating true stories of Alaskans overcoming alcohol addiction. The project launched in early 2016. The videos aired on broadcast TV throughout Alaska, as well as on social media across the state and around the world. A diverse range of Alaskans including professionals, artists, and students tell their personal stories of recovery in the form of mini-documentaries, reflecting on where their recovery journeys have taken them. The video series aims to show other Alaskans struggling with alcohol addiction that recovery is possible and that living a sober life is achievable.Alcohol Treatment ResourcesThere is substantial unmet demand for alcohol use treatment in Alaska. Between 2010 and 2014 an average of about 48,000 Alaskans aged 12 or older (7.3%) abused or were dependent on alcohol according to estimates from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Among the roughly 48,000 Alaskans who abused or were dependent on alcohol only about 11 percent reported that they received treatment for alcohol use in the past year while 89 percent did not receive treatment. To address the dearth of informa-tion about treatment options and to connect Alaskans in need of alcohol treatment with treatment services, Recover Alaska launched a one-stop referral source for alcohol abuse prevention and treatment services. The Recover Alaska Resource Center (RARC) is a specialized resource navigation system that consists of a full-time information and referral specialist at the statewide phone line 2-1-1 administered by United Way of Anchorage, as well as a dedicated website at www.recoveralaska.org. RARC provides confidential referral information for assess-ment and appropriate treatment options. On the RARC website visitors can find infor-mation and FAQs about alcohol, personal stories of recovery, news and events, and a self-administered alcohol use screening tool.RARC will be collecting data on the extent of treatment services needed and the ability of Alaskans to access alcohol abuse assessment and appropriate treat-ment services. This data will be used to improve RARC resources and ultimately to increase the number of Alaskans who receive appropriate levels of alcohol abuse treatment services based on their need.  The hope is to connect Alaskans with the various treatment and support resources currently available to them.  Through this project Recover Alaska hopes to better understand the services needed in order to advocate for increased treatment resources such as early intervention, outpatient, and residential/inpatient services.Alcohol Policy AdvocacyRecover Alaska is working to coordinate local and statewide coalitions to mobilize and advocate for the passage of local and state laws and regulations involving key alcohol-related issues. The goal is to inform local policymakers and state legislators about alcohol-related problems and proven policy solutions such as increasing alcohol tax rates, enforcing age-related restrictions on purchase, and allocating resources to appropriately fund prevention efforts and enhance substance abuse treatment capac-ity. During the 2016 legislative session, Recover Alaska worked with other health and safety representatives and alcohol in-dustry members in support of Senate Bill 165—Alcohol: Board; Minors; Marijuana Checks. The bill was passed, changing the penalties for minors consuming alcohol of-fenses and the composition of the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board.Evaluation and Measuring ImpactThe agencies and staff involved with the Recover Alaska initiative realize that changing social norms and behavior regarding alcohol use in Alaska will take time, but Recover Alaska has already begun Figure 1. Alcohol-Induced Mortality Rate in Alaska and U.S., 2000–2014Rate per 100,000 population (age-adjusted).Source of data: Alaska Department of Health and Social Services' Indicator-Based Information System for Public Health (AK-IBIS), http://ibis.dhss.alaska.gov/indicator/view/AlcInducedDth.HAR.html (as published 26 Oct 2016)0.010.020.030.040.050.060.070.080.02000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014Rate per 100,000 populationYearAlaska Native peopleAll AlaskansU.S. nationally12  Alaska Justice Forum 33(2–3), Summer/Fall 2016Non-Profi t OrganizationU.S. PostagePAIDAnchorage, AlaskaPermit No. 107Alaska Justice ForumJustice CenterUniversity of Alaska Anchorage3211 Providence DriveAnchorage, AK 99508Return service requestedRecover Alaska(continued from page 12)documenting the initiative’s successes and planning strategies to measure its impacts. Early in the process Recover Alaska contracted with an evaluation team that is compiling data on social norms and perceptions, alcohol consumption, and consequences of alcohol use in Alaska. This alcohol-related data will be presented in a dashboard format.  The dashboard will describe alcohol-related problems in Alaska and serve as a baseline from which to measure the short- and long-term impacts of Recover Alaska’s efforts. The evaluation team is led by Dr. David Tarcy of Alaska Research and Evaluation Services. Other team members include Dr. Marny Rivera, faculty in the UAA Justice Center, and Dr. Dale Cope in the Center for Assessment and Accountability Research and Design in Kansas.ConclusionRecover Alaska’s multi-agency, multi-pronged approach actively involving the media is one of the fi rst efforts of this type in Alaska.  This initiative—focused on alcohol-related problems—is unique na-tionwide because of its committed partners including state agency commissioners, Na-tive corporations, legislators, judges, health organizations, and private foundations.  The evaluation project will focus on a multi-year period and will provide constructive, ongoing information, and assess both the process and outcomes of Recover Alaska at the state level.Marny Rivera is an associate professor in the Justice Center. Tiffany Hall is the executive director of Recover Alaska. This research was funded in part by the Alaska Children’s Trust, Alaska Community Foundation, Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority, Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, Annie E. Casey Foundation, Bristol Bay Native Corporation, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, Doyon Limited, Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, Knight Foundation, Mat-Su Health Foundation, Providence Alaska Health and Services, Rasmuson Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Southcentral Foundation, Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, and Wells Fargo. The fi ndings and conclusions presented are those of the authors and do not necessarily refl ect the opinions of these foundations. ResourcesIf you are interested in learning more or would like to get involved, please visit RecoverAlaska.org or contact executive director Tiffany Hall at thall@recoveralaska.org.Alaska Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) (http://dhss.alaska.gov/dph/Chronic/Pages/brfss/default.aspx)Alaska Department of Health and Social Services(http://dhss.alaska.gov/Pages/default.aspx)Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority (http://mhtrust.org/)Alaska Offi ce of Children’s Services (http://dhss.alaska.gov/ocs/Pages/default.aspx)Statistics (http://dhss.alaska.gov/ocs/Pages/statistics/default.aspx)Alaska State Legislature. (2016). Senate Bill 165: Alcohol: Board; Mi-nors; Marijuana Checks (SB 165). 29th Alaska Legislature. (http://www.legis.state.ak.us/basis/get_bill.asp?session=29&bill=SB165).Alaska Wellness Coalition (https://alaskawellness.org/)Alaska Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) (http://dhss.alaska.gov/dph/chronic/pages/yrbs/yrbs.aspx)Anchorage Daily News. (2013–2014). “State of Intoxication” (series). (https://www.adn.com/section/projects/state-of-intoxication/).Day 001: Voices of Recovery (http://www.day001.org/)Be [You] (http://beyoualaska.com/)Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. (2015–2016). “Paths to Recovery” (series). (http://www.newsminer.com/news/akrecovery/). Mat-Su Health Foundation (http://www.healthymatsu.org/)National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (https://www.ncadd.org/)Providence Health and Services (http://www2.providence.org/Pages/default.aspx)Rasmuson Foundation (http://www.rasmuson.org/)Recover Alaska (http://recoveralaska.org/)Recover Alaska Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/recoveralaska/)Recover Alaska Resource Center (http://recoveralaska.org/gethelp/)Southcentral Foundation (https://www.southcentralfoundation.com/)

Recover Alaska: Healing Alaska's Alcohol Problems

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Recover Alaska: Healing Alaska's Alcohol Problems

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