Alcohol abuse affects our health and our body in a variety of ways.

Several key organs and internal functions can be irreparably damaged because of heavy drinking over an extended period of time. Chief among those areas at risk is the liver – one of our body’s most crucial organs. Once the liver is damaged by alcohol, a number of serious health problems can ensue – many of which eventually lead to death.

The liver is “in charge” of processing the alcohol that enters your body. A healthy liver is able to properly process about one drink (one ounce of alcohol) per hour. If you drink more than this, the liver is unable to do its job and body starts to become saturated with alcohol.

What happens when your body becomes saturated with alcohol? The unprocessed alcohol goes straight to your brain and causes the kind of behavior commonly associated with drunkenness (impaired judgment, loss of inhibitions, etc.).

But over time, a much bigger problem begins to occur.

When someone engages in heavy drinking over a long period of time, the liver becomes swelled and fatty. A fatty liver causes several key internal problems:

• It chokes off the supply of blood coming into the liver – which keeps oxygen and crucial nutrients from being delivered.
• The lack of oxygen and nutrients causes liver cells to sicken and die
• The live liver cells are replaced with scar tissue (this process is known as cirrhosis of the liver).

Once cirrhosis of the liver occurs, the individual is no longer able to properly tolerate alcohol because the liver lacks the proper cells to process and metabolize it.

How likely is a person to get cirrhosis of the liver?

Genetics play a big role in whether or not someone is stricken with cirrhosis of the liver. If the drinker has a history of the problem in his family, then he might show symptoms relatively quickly (in as little as a year of consuming 3-4 drinks per day).

On the other hand, there are some people who drink heavily on a regular basis for their entire lives and never get cirrhosis.

What happens if the liver fails because of excessive alcohol consumption?

The results can be fatal. The liver is a crucial part of our how our body functions. It is responsible for so many vital operations that we cannot live without it. The liver is:

• The largest organ in the human body
• Responsible for most of the blood flow between the intestinal tract to the heart
• The storage area for glycogen – the body’s breakdown of sugar which is used to generate energy
• Responsible for breaking down toxins that occur with the body’s metabolism.

One of the most prominent warning signs of cirrhosis of the liver is jaundice. Jaundice is characterized by a yellowing of the skin and the eyes.

Not only older people are candidates for cirrhosis of the liver. Young people just out of their teens (who have already been drinking for years) have experienced liver failure brought on by cirrhosis of the liver.

Article Source: Author: Scott Briggs

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Alcohol abuse can be a tricky term to use, considering that ‘abuse’ can have different meanings to different people. However, it is often understood as referring to the excessive use of alcohol, and causing problems or negative consequences. While it may not automatically mean addiction to alcohol, alcohol abuse remains as one of the topmost public health concerns facing our society today and is in fact, the most common substance that often causes chemical dependency.

Is it alcohol abuse or alcoholism?

Can you have an alcohol problem is still not be labelled as an alcoholic? Some experts say yes, alcohol abuse can occur without a person actually becoming an alcoholic. In alcohol abuse, the intake of alcohol can occur often and in big quantities but may not often result to alcohol dependency.

Alcoholism, on the other hand, is characterized by physical and psychological dependence, the lack of control over the frequency and amount of drinking, along with the strong craving to drink. Alcoholism is also marked with tolerance, a state where the amount of alcohol needed by the body to get the feeling of ‘high’ continually increases. Alcoholism is also chronic and may exhibit certain withdrawal symptoms.

Can alcohol abuse be inherited?

There are certain research studies that show the tendency of alcoholism or alcohol abuse to occur in families. It seems that a gene exists that predisposes an individual toward addiction to substances such as alcohol. However, this is not always the case. While certain genes may be to blame for alcohol abuse, lifestyle and the environment are also strong contributing factors.

Is there a specific group of people who are more likely to develop alcohol abuse?

Alcohol abuse does not depend on sex, race or nationality. However, certain generalities exist. More men, for example, have alcohol problems than women. There is also a higher incidence of alcohol abuse among people between 18 to 29 years old compared to people 60 years old and older.

Young people who start drinking alcohol earlier, say, at 13 or 14 years old, are more likely to develop alcohol problems when they get older, compared to people who start drinking when they are already adults.

Is there such thing as safe drinking?

Alcohol isn’t all bad, provided it is taken in moderate amounts. By moderate, we mean 1 to 2 drinks a day for men and less for women and people who are older. This type of alcohol drinking is possible if you do not have the proclivity toward addiction.

People taking medication or have certain diseases, for example, are advised to stay away from alcoholic drinks.

Is there a cure for alcoholism and alcohol abuse?

There is no magic pill, drug, cream or ointment that will cure alcoholism. However, it can be treated. For alcoholism the first step is to stop drinking and then get specialist treatment as well as attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.

The efficacy of treatments is highly dependent upon an individual’s willingness to avoid or control alcohol intake and the frequency of exposure to circumstances that lead to alcohol use.

Alcohol abuse on the other hand can be curtailed simply by reducing the amount of drinking and some times getting counselling.

About the Author; The author, Bill Urell MA.CAAP-II, is an addictions therapist at a leading addiction recovery. treatment center. He teaches healthy life styles and life skills.

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Alcohol addiction and physical reliance on alcohol occurs slowly.

Over time, drinking alcohol changes the balance of a few chemicals in your mind, like gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA), which reduces impulsiveness, as well as glutamate, which excites nervous system. Alcohol even raises the level of dopamine in the mind, which is linked with the agreeable features of drinking alcohol. Extreme, long-term drinking could increase or deplete the levels of a few of these chemicals, making your body to desire for alcohol to reinstate good feelings or to keep away from the negative feelings.

Other factors could lead to unnecessary drinking which adds to the addiction procedure. These comprise:

• Genetics: Some genetic factors might cause an individual to be susceptible to alcoholism or additional addictions.
• Emotional state: High level of anxiety, stress or emotional ache can direct some individuals to drink alcohol to chunk out the disorder. Certain stress hormones could be linked with alcoholism.
• Psychological factors: Having low confidence or despair might make you more possible to abuse alcohol. Having a close partner or friends who drink frequently however who not abuse alcohol might be able to endorse extreme drinking on your fraction. It might be hard for you to distance yourself from these "enablers" or in any case from their drinking habits.
• Cultural and social factors: The stunning way that drinking alcohol is represented in publicity and in media might send the message that it is OK to drink extremely.

Risk factors

Stable drinking over time could produce a physical reliance on alcohol. Drinking over 15 drinks per week for men or 12 drinks in a week for women augments the risk of rising confidence on alcohol. Though, drinking by itself is only one of the peril factors that add to alcoholism. Additional risk factors comprise:

• Age: People who start drinking at an early age by age 16 or earlier are at a high danger of alcohol reliance or abuse.
• Genetics: Your hereditary makeup might augment your danger of alcohol need.
• Sex: Men are more probably to turn out to be needy on or neglect alcohol than are women.
• Family history: The danger of alcoholism is high for citizens who had a parent or parents who abused alcohol.
• Emotional disorders: Being harshly unhappy or having anxiety places you at a larger risk of abusing alcohol. Adults with concentration deficit/hyperactivity chaos also might be more probably to turn out to be reliant on alcohol.

Although a lot of people imagine otherwise, alcoholism is treatable disease. Medications, self-help and counseling groups are amongst the therapies which can give continuing support to facilitate you improve from alcoholism.

Article Source: About the Author; Dennis Draking

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People talk to clergy about alcohol abuse

Majority of those who used services from clergy also used professional services at some point

Persons with alcohol problems are finding comfort in speaking about their situation to clergy, a new study shows.

Among 1,910 people with any alcohol-related problems, 14.7% said they used clergy services. The study also indicates the majority of those who used services from clergy also used professional services at some point; only 0.5% used clergy services exclusively for their alcohol use-related problem.

Although professional services are used more commonly, these findings show that clergy services are an important part of the overall system of care for persons with alcohol problems.

Researchers sought to examine the prevalence of use of clergy services among those adults who received help for an alcohol use problem in the United States, as well as characteristics and correlates of individuals with alcohol-related problems who used clergy services compared to individuals who used other types of services. Researchers also examined the degree to which individuals who receive help from the clergy receive other types of services as well.

The factors that were associated with an increased likelihood of clergy service used included

• being Black, (although whites were not excluded)
• aged 35-54 years,
• a lifetime history of alcohol abuse and dependence,
• major depressive disorder and
• personality disorder, according to the data from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions.

Individuals who met criteria for alcohol dependence (alcoholism) were more likely to have used clergy services for alcohol use-related problems than individuals who never met this criteria or who only met criteria for alcohol abuse.

"This may in part reflect the fact that individuals who meet criteria for alcohol abuse by definition have experienced legal, occupational, and/or social problems due to their alcohol consumption, and may be more likely to enter treatment through the legal system, employee assistance programs, or social services," says lead author Amy Bohnert, Ph.D.

What makes ministers, priests and rabbis ideal are they are involved in their communities, know their congregants well, and see them on a regular basis, researchers say.

"Clergy are in a unique position to notice changes in behavior over time," says Brian Perron. "Their roles as senior leaders of churches, their embodiment of important tenants of their faiths, and their formal roles as caregivers of their congregations also lend clergy considerable credibility, particularly within African American communities. Clergy are often seen as being deeply committed to their congregants and willing to honor desires for confidentiality."

Article: The American Journal on Addictions, Volume 19, Issue 4 (p 345-351) From a press release at Eurekalert

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Large decline in impulsivity in early adulthood related to decrease in alcohol consumption

Previous studies have found that the personality trait impulsivity, or a lack of planning and forethought regarding behaviors, is associated with alcohol use and alcohol-use disorders. For most individuals, impulsivity decreases during emerging and young adulthood. Some, however, do not "mature out" of impulsivity. Now, University of Missouri researchers have found that individuals who exhibited the largest declines in impulsivity from ages 18-25 also exhibited the sharpest decreases in alcohol consumption during this time frame. Understanding why some individuals "mature out" of impulsivity and others do not could lead to improved treatment for alcohol-use disorders.

"In the past, psychologists have viewed impulsivity as a consistent trait over a person’s lifetime," said Andrew Littlefield, a doctoral student in clinical psychology and lead author on the paper. "Now, there is growing evidence that there are pronounced changes during emerging and young adulthood, roughly from the ages 18 to 35. Our study found that there are substantial individual differences in personality change. These differences appear to relate to the range of alcohol use measures and alcohol-related problems."

Researchers used data from a longitudinal study of individuals at risk for alcohol dependence. The individuals were assessed at ages 18, 25, 29 and 35 using self-reported measures of personality and alcohol involvement starting their freshman year of college. From this information, researchers were able to measure the differences in level, stability and change in impulsivity and how it related to alcohol consumption. The researchers used the measures to cluster individuals who exhibited similar patterns of personality stability and change during the 17-year timeline.

"These findings provide clear evidence that at least some individuals undergo significant changes in impulsivity across time," Littlefield said.

In the future, the researchers hope to determine why individuals exhibit individual differences in impulsivity. By examining the relationships between the clusters and alcohol use, they hope to gain a better understanding of the other factors that might promote or inhibit impulsivity development.

"Future studies could examine why some individuals make significant changes in impulsivity across time whereas other individuals’ level of impulsivity remains relatively stable," Littlefield said. "Identifying factors that enhance or inhibit seemingly beneficial changes in personality may inform treatment approaches that could facilitate decreased impulsivity. Changes in personality have been previously linked to several life and work experiences, including relationship and work satisfaction."

The study, "Developmental Trajectories of Impulsivity and their Association with Alcohol Use and Related Outcomes During Emerging and Young Adulthood I," will be published in Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research in August.

From EurekAlert

A woman in her 30s in Gwangju (Korea) recently died while on a so-called booze diet. She was under extreme pressure to lose weight, and after 10 days of only drinking alcohol for dinner while skipping breakfast and lunch, her system packed up.

Those on a liquor diet drink alcohol to lose weight, skipping breakfast and lunch and eating only side dishes with a drink for dinner. Some then throw up to ruin their appetite for the next morning. The method may appeal to those who want to lose weight fast, but it is perilous. "It’s such a dreadful way to lose weight," says Prof. Cho Kyung-hwan of the Department of Family Medicine at Korea University’s Anam Hospital. "It should never be recommended, and no one should listen when it is."

Two out of every 10 Koreans have less than the normal amount of the enzyme that breaks down alcohol, which is why their face reddens or they keel over after just one glass. If such people go on a booze diet, they can die. But even those who have enough enzymes are in danger as the booze diet badly hurts their stomach and esophagus.

Full story at; Deadly Perils of the Booze Diet

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In a Spanish hospital, 7% of patients died during 539 episodes of withdrawal.

Most patients who are experiencing alcohol detoxification do not require acute care or specific treatments. For the few with symptoms that are severe enough to require hospitalization, mortality has decreased substantially since the introduction of benzodiazepines more than 40 years ago, but deaths still occur.

To determine risk factors for death, researchers in Spain reviewed medical records for 539 hospitalizations (436 patients) for alcohol withdrawal during 16 years at a single hospital. All patients received clomethiazole, a sedative with efficacy for alcohol withdrawal (not approved for use in the U.S.)

Alcohol withdrawal was the reason for hospitalization in 62% of cases; in the rest, withdrawal developed after admission for other causes. In the 539 cases, 71% of patients had or developed delirium tremens (DTs), 41% developed seizures, and 7% died.

In a multivariable analysis, the following factors were associated with death:

• hepatic steatosis,
• cirrhosis,
• DTs at diagnosis of withdrawal,
• comorbidities (e.g., hypertension, heart disease, bronchial pathology, diabetes, epilepsy), and
• need for intensive care unit admission and intubation, particularly in the presence of pneumonia.

Laboratory test results were not significant predictors.

Comment: The report confirms that people with more-severe alcohol withdrawal and medical comorbidities are those most likely to die. Early recognition, prompt pharmacological management, and continued monitoring likely can lower risk.

— Richard Saitz, MD, MPH, FACP, FASAM. Published in Journal Watch General Medicine April 13, 2010. Citation: Monte R et al. Analysis of the factors determining survival of alcoholic withdrawal syndrome patients in a general hospital. Alcohol Alcohol 2010 Mar/Apr; 45:151.

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The US Centres for Disease Control  urges pregnant women not to drink alcohol any time during pregnancy.

• There is no known safe amount of alcohol to drink while pregnant.
• There is also no safe time during pregnancy to drink and
• There is no safe kind of alcohol to drink while pregnant.

Women also should not drink alcohol if they are planning to become pregnant or are sexually active and do not use effective birth control.

This is because a woman could become pregnant and not know for several weeks or more. In the United States half of all pregnancies are unplanned.

Why is Alcohol Dangerous during Pregnancy?

When a pregnant woman drinks alcohol, so does her unborn baby.

Alcohol in the mother’s blood passes through the placenta to the baby through the umbilical cord. Drinking alcohol during pregnancy can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, and a range of lifelong disorders, known as foetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs).

Read more about the characteristics and behaviors of children with FASDs and how much alcohol is too much to drink during pregnancy.

FASDs are 100% preventable

If a woman doesn’t drink alcohol while she is pregnant, her child cannot have an FASD. Learn more about FASDs.

Watch a video about living with FASDs.

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Female drinkers lose brain volume more quickly than men, according to researchers at the University of Heidelberg in Germany.

The BBC reported May 15 that researchers took brain scans of 150 women – about half of them alcoholics – and found that the heavy drinkers have smaller brains.

Female alcoholics were found to lose the same brain volume as male alcoholics, but suffered atrophy much more quickly.

"Women typically start drinking later in life and consume less" said lead study author Karl Mann. "But there is evidence for a faster progress of the events leading to dependence among female alcoholics and an earlier onset of adverse consequences of alcoholism. This suggests that women may be more vulnerable to chronic alcohol consumption."

From Join Together Online

Mann, K., Ackermann, K., Croissant, B., Mundle, G., Nakovics, H., & Diehl, A. (2005) Neuroimaging of Gender Differences in Alcohol Dependence: Are Women More Vulnerable? Alcoholism: Clinical and Epidemiological Research, 29(5): 896-901.

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One in four children exposed to family alcohol abuse or alcoholism

A study in the January 2000 issue of the American Journal of Public Health reports that approximately one in four U.S. children (19 million children or 28.6 percent of children 0-17 years) is exposed at some time before age 18 to family alcohol dependence (alcoholism), alcohol abuse, or both.

"The design and methods of today¹s report provide the most precise estimate to date of children affected by family alcohol problems," said Enoch Gordis, M.D., Director, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. "Given the prevalence of alcohol abuse and alcoholism in the U.S. adult population, however, the number of exposed children shocks but regrettably does not surprise."

Estimated adult alcohol use disorders (alcohol abuse and alcoholism) and children exposed to those disorders were based on a survey of 42,862 people conducted in conjunction with the census.

Researchers used the Alcohol Use Disorders and Associated Disabilities Interview Schedule (AUDADIS) to assess the presence of alcohol dependence characterized by;

• impaired control over drinking,
• tolerance,
• withdrawal syndrome when alcohol is removed,
• neglect of normal activities for drinking, and
• continued drinking despite recurrent related physical or psychological problems)
• and alcohol abuse; characterized by clinically significant impairment or distress that does not entail physical dependence) according to standard diagnostic criteria.

NIAAA earlier reported that 7.1 percent of American adults (14 million persons aged 18 and older) met standard diagnostic criteria for alcohol dependence or alcohol abuse.

Approximately 18.2 percent of adults were estimated to experience an episode of alcohol abuse or dependence at some time during their lives.

Research has shown that families with an alcoholic member live in environments that are disorganized and unstable. Children of alcoholics may be neglected or abused and frequently face economic hardship and social isolation. They also are vulnerable to psychopathology and medical problems, including an increased risk for themselves developing alcohol abuse or alcohol alcoholism.

According to Dr. Gordis, "These findings once again call attention to the enormous impact of alcohol in our country and the need to confront its personal,  social, health, and economic consequences head on."

From a press release at EurekAlert

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