ALCOHOL - Treatment of Alcoholism

Recognising you have a problem is the first step 

to beating alcohol dependency

To diagnose alcoholism a GP will look at symptoms and may examine you. They will also ask you questions about your drinking such as if you feel you should cut down your alcohol consumption, if you feel guilty about your drinking, if you are irritated by criticism of your drinking by others and if you drink first thing the morning.

Your answers will help them to recommend the most appropriate support group of alcohol treatment program to assist you in cutting down or stopping drinking entirely.

Evidence suggests cutting down on alcohol or ceasing drinking entirely is more achievable if it's supported in some way such as through a group, family support or through counselling.

Long-term support programs, such as Alcoholics Anonymous, will assist in someone with alcohol dependency abstaining from alcohol completely by providing:

• Medical care
• Counselling and therapy to help people learn to control thoughts and behaviours
• Mental health support

Source: http://www.bodyandsoul.com.au/

ALCOHOL - Risks of Alcoholism

Alcohol dependence increases your risk of 

developing serious health complications

There are many serious risk factors for alcoholics with regards to overall health and well-being. These include:

• High blood pressure
• Heart damage and stroke
• Liver disease
• Cancer
• Pancreatitis
• Alcoholic dementia
• Depression
• Problems with your sex life
• Brain cell damage
• Memory loss
• Tremors, brain and nerve damage
• Malnutrition and obesity
• Breast cancer and gynaecological problems

Source: http://www.bodyandsoul.com.au/

ALCOHOL - Symptoms of Alcoholism

There are many signs and symptoms 

that point to alcoholism

Some of the key signs that point to alcohol dependency include:

• Often drinking alone.
• Inability to stop drinking once you start.
• Feeling guilty after drinking.
• Trying to hide drinking.
• Making excuses to drink.
• Violent behaviour after drinking.
• Drinking to get through the day.
• Arguing about your drinking habits with friends and family.
• Anxiety at facing a social situation without alcohol.
• Neglecting other interests.
• Feeling that you can't cut down your drinking even if it's having a negative impact on you life.
• Physical symptoms include may include shaking, problems sleeping, a racing heart, nausea in the morning, sweating, anxiety, irritability.

Source: http://www.bodyandsoul.com.au/

ALCOHOL - Causes of Alcoholism

Alcoholism describes a physical addiction to alcohol 

and the overpowering need to drink regardless of 

any physical health problems it may cause

People with alcohol dependency habitually drink excessive amounts of alcohol over a long period of time. The illness can lead to adverse mental and physical health problems and often results in problems with relationships and work. 

If you suffer alcohol dependency drinking is no longer a choice and controls your daily life. You have an overwhelming urge to drink and cannot limit or stop drinking once you start.

While there is no known cause of alcoholism by research suggests it may be influenced by genetics. Other common factors include:

• Suffering low self-esteem
• Relationships difficulties
• Stress from work or home life
• Trauma from a past experience
• An underlying medical or mental health disorder such as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, anxiety or depression

Source: http://www.bodyandsoul.com.au/

ALCOHOL - The Truth About Alcohol

Alcohol is a drug.

It is classed as a depressant, meaning that it slows down vital functions—resulting in slurred speech, unsteady movement, disturbed perceptions and an inability to react quickly.

As for how it affects the mind, it is best understood as a drug that reduces a person’s ability to think rationally and distorts his or her judgment.

Although classified as a depressant, the amount of alcohol consumed determines the type of effect. Most people drink for thestimulant effect, such as a beer or glass of wine taken to “loosen up.” But if a person consumes more than the body can handle, they then experience alcohol’s depressant effect. They start to feel “stupid” or lose coordination and control.

Alcohol overdose causes even more severe depressant effects (inability to feel pain, toxicity where the body vomits the poison, and finally unconsciousness or, worse, coma or death from severe toxic overdose). These reactions depend on how much is consumed and how quickly.

There are different kinds of alcohol. Ethyl alcohol (ethanol), the only alcohol used in beverages, is produced by the fermentation of grains and fruits. Fermenting is a chemical process whereby yeast acts upon certain ingredients in the food, creating alcohol.

ALCOHOL CONTENT

Fermented drinks, such as beer and wine, contain from 2% alcohol to 20% alcohol. Distilled drinks, or liquor, contain from 40% to 50% or more alcohol. The usual alcohol content for each is:

Photo credits: Stockxpert

Beer 2–6% alcohol
Cider 4–8% alcohol
Wine 8–20% alcohol
Tequila 40% alcohol
Rum 40% or more alcohol
Brandy 40% or more alcohol
Gin 40–47% alcohol
Whiskey 40–50% alcohol
Vodka 40–50% alcohol
Liqueurs 15–60% alcohol

DRINKING AND DRIVING

Photo credits: Bigstockphoto

• In the United States in 2007, the death toll from teenage
  drunk-driving accidents was 1,393—nearly four fatalities every day of the year.

• Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death among teenagers in the US and are responsible for more than one in three deaths of American teenagers. Of the teen drivers killed on the road in 2006, 31% had been drinking, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The risk of a driver under the influence of alcohol being killed in a vehicle accident is at least eleven times that of drivers without alcohol in their system.

For most people, these are only statistics—shocking, perhaps, but only statistics. But for the families and friends of those who die as a result of teenage drinking and driving, each number represents a tragic loss.

Alcohol distorts a person’s perceptions and judgment. People under the influence of alcohol readily admit their reaction time is slower than when not drinking, and they take many chances they would never take when sober. Too often those chances are fatal.

UNDERSTANDING HOW ALCOHOL AFFECTS THE BODY

Alcohol is absorbed into the bloodstream via small blood vessels in the walls of the stomach and small intestine. Within minutes of drinking alcohol, it travels from the stomach to the brain, where it quickly produces its effects, slowing the action of nerve cells.

Approximately 20% of alcohol is absorbed through the stomach. Most of the remaining 80% is absorbed through the small intestine.

Alcohol is also carried by the bloodstream to the liver, which eliminates the alcohol from the blood through a process called “metabolizing,” where it is converted to a nontoxic substance. The liver can only metabolize a certain amount at a time, leaving the excess circulating throughout the body. Thus the intensity of the effect on the body is directly related to the amount consumed.

When the amount of alcohol in the blood exceeds a certain level, the respiratory (breathing) system slows down markedly, and can cause a coma or death, because oxygen no longer reaches the brain.

YOUNG PEOPLE VERSUS ADULTS. WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?

Photo credits: Stockxpert

A young person’s body cannot cope with alcohol the same way an adult’s can.

Drinking is more harmful to teens than adults because their brains are still developing throughout adolescence and well into young adulthood. Drinking during this critical growth period can lead to lifelong damage in brain function, particularly as it relates to memory, motor skills (ability to move) and coordination.

According to research, young people who begin drinking before age 15 are four times more likely to develop alcohol dependence than those who begin drinking at age 21.

For some teens, like Samantha, drinking seems to be a solution to problems they don’t want to face.

“When I was 13, friends would make fun of me if I didn’t have a drink. I just gave in because it was easier to join the crowd. I was really unhappy and just drank to escape my life.

“I went out less and less so started losing friends and the more lonely I got, the more I drank.

“I was violent and out of control. I never knew what I was doing. I was ripping my family apart.” 

Kicked out of her home at age 16, she was homeless and started begging for money to buy drinks. After years of abuse, doctors told her there was irreparable harm to her health.

“...I was only 16 but my liver was badly damaged and I was close to killing myself from everything I was drinking.” —Samantha

WHAT IS ALCOHOLISM OR ALCOHOL DEPENDENCE?

Alcohol dependence (alcoholism) consists of four symptoms:

• Craving: a strong need, or compulsion, to drink. 
• Loss of control: the inability to limit one’s drinking on any given occasion.
• Physical dependence: withdrawal symptoms, such as nausea, sweating, shakiness and anxiety, occur when alcohol use is stopped after a period of heavy drinking.

Serious dependence can lead to life-threatening withdrawal symptoms including convulsions, starting eight to twelve hours after the last drink. The delirium tremens (D.T.’s) begins three to four days later where the person becomes extremely agitated, shakes, hallucinates and loses touch with reality.

• Tolerance: the need to drink greater amounts of alcohol in order to get high.

An increasingly heavy drinker often says he could stop whenever he chooses—he just never “chooses” to do so. Alcoholism is not a destination, but a progression, a long road of deterioration in which life continuously worsens.

“When I went to quit drinking, I realized that alcohol had taken to my body in such a way that I couldn’t stop. I would shake like I was going to break, I would start to sweat, I couldn’t think until I had another drink. I couldn’t function without it.

“I spent the next 8 years in and out of detox and hospitals, trying to figure out what happened to me, how was it possible I couldn’t quit. It was the worst and longest nightmare.” —Jan

INTERNATIONAL STATISTICS

Alcohol kills more teenagers than all other drugs combined. It is a factor in the three leading causes of death among 15- to 24-year-olds: accidents, homicides and suicides.

• Youth who drink are 7.5 times more likely to use other illegal drugs and fifty times more likely to use cocaine than young people who never drink. One survey found that 32% of the heavy drinkers over 12 were also illegal drug users.
• In 2005, 6.6% of the US population aged 12 or older, or 16 million people, reported heavy drinking (binge drinking on at least five days of the past thirty days).
• Of the 3.9 million Americans who received treatment for a substance abuse problem in 2005, 2.5 million of them were treated for alcohol use.
• Alcohol-related traffic deaths in the US were 12,998 in 2007. This is more than three times as many American soldiers who died in combat in the first six years of the Iraq war.
• There are 1.4 million drunk driving arrests in the US every year.
• A US Department of Justice study found that as many as 40% of violent crimes occur under the influence of alcohol.
• In 2005–2006, there were 187,640 National Health System alcohol-related hospital admissions in England.
• There were 6,570 deaths in England in 2005 from causes directly linked to alcohol use. In 2006, alcohol-related deaths in England rose to 8,758. This amounts to an annual increase of 7% from the previous year.
• According to one study, of the 490 million people in the European Union, more than 23 million are dependent on alcohol.
• In Europe, alcohol contributes to nearly one in ten of all cases of illness and premature deaths each year.
• 39% of all traffic deaths involved alcohol in 2005.
• 40% of violent crimes occur under the influence of alcohol.

SHORT-TERM EFFECTS OF ALCOHOL

Photo credit:
Stockxpert

Photo credit:
iStockphoto 

Depending on how much is taken and the physical condition of the individual, alcohol can cause:

• Slurred speech
• Drowsiness
• Vomiting 
• Diarrhea
• Upset stomach
• Headaches
• Breathing difficulties 
• Distorted vision and hearing 
• Impaired judgment 
• Decreased perception and coordination 
• Unconsciousness 
• Anemia (loss of red blood cells) 
• Coma
• Blackouts (memory lapses, where the drinker cannot remember events that occurred while under the influence)

LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF ALCOHOL

Binge drinking and continued alcohol use in large amounts are associated with many health problems, including:

• Unintentional injuries such as car crash, falls, burns, drowning 
• Intentional injuries such as firearm injuries, sexual assault, domestic violence
• Increased on-the-job injuries and loss of productivity 
• Increased family problems, broken relationships 
• Alcohol poisoning 
• High blood pressure, stroke, and other heart-related diseases 
• Liver disease 
• Nerve damage 
• Sexual problems 
• Permanent damage to the brain 
• Vitamin B₁ deficiency, which can lead to a disorder characterized by amnesia, apathy and disorientation 
• Ulcers 
• Gastritis (inflammation of stomach walls) 
• Malnutrition 
• Cancer of the mouth and throat

“My addiction built steadily and, before I realized it, I had become a morning as well as an afternoon drinker.

“I decided to stop drinking. I lay awake most of that night, and by noon the next day every bone in my body ached. In a blind panic, I nervously poured a glass full of gin, my hands shaking so violently that I spilled half the bottle. As I gulped it down, I could feel the agony gradually lessening. Then I finally knew the terrible truth: I was hooked. I couldn’t quit.”—Faye

THE YOUNGEST VICTIMS

When consumed by pregnant mothers, alcohol enters the bloodstream, passes through the placenta and enters the fetus (unborn child).

Alcohol can damage a fetus at any stage of pregnancy, but is most serious in the first few months. There is a risk of alcohol-related birth defects including growth deficiencies, facial abnormalities, and damage to the brain and nervous system.

Photo credit: Lisa Grissinger

A TRAIL OF TRAGEDY

Alcohol has claimed the lives of many gifted artists, musicians and writers over the past decades. These are just a few:

John Bonham (1948–1980): Excessive alcohol led to the tragic death of Led Zeppelin drummer John “Bonzo” Bonham, best known for his drum solo on the song “Moby Dick.” He was found dead of asphyxiation from vomit after a night of heavy drinking, on his way to rehearsals for an upcoming tour.

Steve Clark (1960–1991): Guitarist for Def Leppard. A heavy drinker, he died in his London home of a lethal combination of alcohol and drugs.

Michael Clarke (1946–1993): American musician, drummer for The Byrds. He died of liver failure after three decades of heavy alcohol consumption.

Brian Connolly (1945–1997): Scottish rock vocalist and lead singer for Sweet. His drinking problem caused him to leave the band in 1978; he reunited years later but his drinking had damaged his health and he died of liver failure in 1997.

Oliver Reed (1938–1999): British actor known for his roles in Oliver!, Women in Love, TheThree Musketeers and Gladiator. He died from a sudden heart attack during a break from filming Gladiator. He was heavily intoxicated after 3 bottles of rum, 8 bottles of beer and numerous doubles of whiskey.

ALCOHOL: A SHORT HISTORY

Fermented beverages in early Egyptian civilization. Photo Credit: GoddessGift

Fermented grain, fruit juice and honey have been used to make alcohol (ethyl alcohol or ethanol) for thousands of years.

Fermented beverages existed in early Egyptian civilization, and there is evidence of an early alcoholic drink in China around 7000 B.C. In India, an alcoholic beverage called sura, distilled from rice, was in use between 3000 and 2000 B.C.

The Babylonians worshiped a wine goddess as early as 2700 B.C. In Greece, one of the first alcoholic beverages to gain popularity was mead, a fermented drink made from honey and water. Greek literature is full of warnings against excessive drinking.

Several Native American civilizations developed alcoholic beverages in pre-Columbian1 times. A variety of fermented beverages from the Andes region of South America were created from corn, grapes or apples, called “chicha.”

In the sixteenth century, alcohol (called “spirits”) was used largely for medicinal purposes. At the beginning of the eighteenth century, the British parliament passed a law encouraging the use of grain for distilling spirits. Cheap spirits flooded the market and reached a peak in the mid-eighteenth century. In Britain, gin consumption reached 18 million gallons and alcoholism became widespread.

The nineteenth century brought a change in attitudes and the temperance movement began promoting the moderate use of alcohol—which ultimately became a push for total prohibition.

In 1920 the US passed a law prohibiting the manufacture, sale, import and export of intoxicating liquors. The illegal alcohol trade boomed and by 1933, the prohibition of alcohol was cancelled.

Today, an estimated 15 million Americans suffer from alcoholism and 40% of all car accident deaths in the US involve alcohol.

1. 1.pre-Columbian: before the arrival in America of Christopher Columbus in 1492.

Source: http://www.drugfreeworld.org/drugfacts/alcohol/a-short-history.html

ALCOHOL - Alcoholism

Alcoholism, or alcohol dependency, is the powerful need 

to drink large quantities of alcohol on a regular basis

 

Alcoholism may be caused by an inherited predisposition towards drinking or may be due to factors such as stress or depression.

The illness can lead to a number of serious health and mental problems.

Treatment includes professional diagnosis and cutting down or abstaining alcohol with the help of therapy programs and management by professional support groups or support through friends and family.

Source: http://www.bodyandsoul.com.au/health/health+az/alcoholism,23116

ALCOHOL - What alcohol is really doing to you

Think that nightly glass of wine isn't doing you any harm? 

This research may surprise you

Everyone knows tobacco is a deadly carcinogen, but how many of us realise that alcohol is considered a potential cause of cancer? Startling new research shows that just one drink a day can drastically increase your risk of cancer. Those who drink seven or more standard drinks a week are almost three times as likely to get cancer of the oesophagus as those who drink less than one drink a week. Even those consuming one to six drinks a week are 67 per cent more likely to get stomach cancer than those who have less than one drink a week, according to the study of 3571 Canadian men published in the journal Cancer Detection And Prevention.

Cancer Council Australia CEO Professor Ian Olver warns that there is no totally safe level of drinking. He says it's only fairly recently that scientists have discovered that alcohol is a risk factor for some of the most common cancers, including bowel and breast, and not just the rarer forms, such as mouth cancers. "That makes it a risk factor for a far greater proportion of the population," Professor Olver says.

"Once you start getting into the common cancers, everyone has to understand that alcohol is a risk." Think you're not at risk because you only drink wine? Professor Robin Room, acting director of Turning Point Alcohol and Drug Centre in Melbourne, says growing evidence suggests that wine is no different from other forms of alcohol.

Almost 3000 Australians were diagnosed with cancer caused by excessive consumption of alcohol in 2005. More women than men are victims and the numbers appear to be rising. Paula Green*, 54, a mother of twins from NSW, gave up alcohol 21 years ago after drinking heavily for about 20 years. She was shocked to be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2003, and even more so when she learned that alcohol is a key factor in the disease. "I was pretty horrified - I realised that things could have been so different," says Green, who is recovering from her battle with booze with the help of Alcoholics Anonymous.

"I think alcohol was one of many factors [that caused the breast cancer], but a very important one. I gave up drinking because I was concerned about the health effects, but I didn't realise until after I was diagnosed that alcohol is actually a trigger for breast cancer." Alcohol has been estimated to cause between three and 12 per cent of breast cancer cases. The Canadian study emphasises that the more you drink, the greater your risk of developing cancer is.

That's of grave concern, because binge drinking is rising in Australia, particularly among young women. One alarming study by Turning Point found that the rate of alcohol-induced hospital admissions among women in Victoria aged 18 to 24 almost doubled from 1998 to 2006. And the really bad news for women? Drinking the same number of drinks per day as a man carries a much greater health risk.

If a man and women both down 10 drinks a day, the woman is far more likely to fall victim to cancer or liver cirrhosis, because of physiological differences between the genders, including different fat-to-water ratios. "Don't assume you can drink as much as a man," warns Professor Ann Roche, director of the National Centre for Education and Training on Addiction at Flinders University in Adelaide. "We simply cannot metabolise alcohol as effectively as men."

On the flipside, light drinking may protect against cardiovascular disease. But you only need half a standard drink a day, or one every second day, and experts say very few people drink so little. "If you really are sticking to only a glass of wine a night, at this point the best guess is that the benefits with respect to heart disease will outweigh the risks from cancer," Professor Room says. But Professor Olver warns that drinkers need to understand that any alcohol is doing some harm. "People have got to know that although with one glass a day the harm is  fairly minimal, it's not zero."

Alcohol is a risk factor for:

• Cancer of the mouth, pharynx, larynx, oesophagus, breast, bowel, liver, pancreas, stomach, lung, prostate.
• Liver cirrhosis.
• Stroke.
• Cardiovascular disease.

What are you risking?

Increases risk of lip, oral and pharyngeal cancers

                            MEN .... WOMEN
1 DRINK A DAY ....... 31% ..... 33%
2 DRINKS A DAY .... 67% ..... 72%
3 DRINKS A DAY .... 108% ... 118%
6 DRINKS A DAY .... 253% ... 288%
10 DRINKS A DAY ... 457% ... 551%

Liver cirrhosis

                          MEN .... WOMEN
1 DRINK A DAY ....... 21% ..... 32%
2 DRINKS A DAY .... 45% ..... 73%
3 DRINKS A DAY .... 72% ..... 125%
6 DRINKS A DAY .... 171% ... 364%
10 DRINKS A DAY ... 338% ... 969%

Breast cancer

Women
1 DRINK A DAY ....... 8%
2 DRINKS A DAY .... 17%
3 DRINKS A DAY .... 26%
6 DRINKS A DAY .... 58%
10 DRINKS A DAY ... 115%

Source: National Health and Medical Research Council's Australian Guidelines To Reduce Health Risks From Drinking Alcohol

Sourceof this publishing: http://www.bodyandsoul.com.au/

ALCOHOL - Why giving up alcohol keeps you young

Nutritionist and Ocsober ambassador Lola Berry reveals the secrets of youth...

We all want to retain our youthful looks, and I myself have just turned 28 and am doing a range of things from avocado face masks to cutting back on alcohol to keep my skin looking fresh and glowing.

As great as the avocado masks are, ageing has so much to do with what we fuel our bodies with and also what we don't put into our bodies.

Don't be afraid of good fats

Incorporating good fats are a great start and will help to keep us looking young and glowing. However, this doesn't mean loading up on fatty foods! No, you've got to be smart about your choices, go for things like walnuts, avocado, coconut oil, flax seeds and eggs. These are the good healthy ways to keep you looking young!

Stock up on antioxidants

These help to prevent free radical damage and ranging of the body. This is where your blueberries, garlic and broccoli come into play, and why you always see them on any "superfood list" as they keep you feeling and looking great!

Avoid the bad and the ugly

Now for the stuff to avoid, starting with trans fats. That's the stuff in many take away foods, chocolate bars and most processed junk food. Next up, refined white sugars, these guys kill white blood cells which are your body’s natural bodyguard.

Go alcohol-free once in a whileAnd finally alcohol, this stuff not only places loads of stress on the liver (which is our main organ of elimination) but it also ages us, and quick! I try and drink as little as possible and partake in alcohol free months such as Ocsober to give my body a break and detox before the summer months.  So swap those G & T's for something a little lighter like sparkling water and lime. They may not be quite as enjoyable but once Ocsober is over, the odd glass of red wine is OK and will give your body a nice hit of polyphenols, which is another goodie when it comes to heart health.

And finally...

This may seem all too hard, and even I (a certified health nerd) struggle sometimes. However, it's great to know your taste buds change every 14 to 21 days so it won’t take you too long to get used to a new clean way of living. Your body with thank you by giving you a more youthful look, so it seems pretty worth it to me!

Find more about Lola Berry - Ocsober ambassador, author and nutritionist at www.lolaberry.com.au.

Source: http://www.bodyandsoul.com.au/