Promoting treatment to address problematic alcohol use
How Pelago's care program addressed problematic drinking use in a manufacturing-led workforce
51.5k
Lives covered
8/10
rating from enrolled participants
80%
of all enrolled engaged actively for 30+ days
88%
of those who booked an initial call enrolled
Angie, Pelago Member
A shifting relationship with alcohol
Angie, a manager at a manufacturing company, had gradually increased her alcohol consumption over the years. Recently, she began drinking daily and struggled to control it. This had negative effects on her family life, weight, and self-esteem. She also developed intense cravings for alcohol between drinking episodes, causing anxiety and concern. Despite multiple attempts to quit on her own, Angie couldn’t sustain sobriety. She realized she lacked effective tools to manage stress, navigate social settings, and cope with alcohol cravings.
A new approach to managing drinking
Angie was offered the Pelago program through her employer’s health benefits program. With the support of her counselor, Megan, combined with the medication she was prescribed by her Pelago physician to help curb cravings for alcohol, Angie began working towards her goal of reducing her alcohol use and drinking responsibly. In counseling, Megan worked closely with Angie to help her learn and implement new coping strategies, including mindfulness meditation to help manage stress and cravings, exercising regularly, replacing alcohol with nonalcoholic beverages such as tea when she needed to unwind, journaling about her progress towards her goals, having difficult conversations with family members about how they could support her goals, and posting positive affirmations in parts of her house that previously triggered desires to drink (such as the liquor cabinet).
Angie has now successfully transitioned to the social, weekends-only drinker she used to be, and when she does drink, she only consumes one or two beverages, which is a fraction of the amount she used to. She is losing weight, feeling better about herself, and noticed that she is more present and engaged when she spends time with her family.
‘‘In addition to feeling great about my decreased alcohol consumption I have learned a lot about myself and valuable tools to help with all the things life throws at me. The Pelago program offers a flexible alternative to alcohol use that is the perfect fit for my needs.’’ - Angie, Pelago Member
Turnkey implementation
Pelago was rolled out to organization employees via a multi-channel awareness campaign. The Pelago team ran on-site pop-up clinics, mailed postcards, posters, telephone calls, word-of-mouth referrals, and raffles to drive participation.
Early success indicators
In this case study, we examined changes in alcohol use within the first 30 days of Pelago care. Key outcome metrics included changes in alcohol use frequency (i.e., the number of days in the past 30 on which participants consumed alcohol) from the month prior to initiating treatment to the end of the first month, and changes in the quantity of alcohol consumed on each day when drinking occurred (i.e., the World Health Organization-defined risk drinking level).
Industry-leading outcomes
80%
of enrolled participants reduced their alcohol use frequency by 30% or more within the first 30 days
57%
of those who continued to drink reduced their WHO risk drinking level by at least one level within 30 days
62%
reduction in alcohol use frequency within the first 30 days of care
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