May 11

Religiosity in Adolescence may Deter Alcohol Use

Posted on May 11, 2013 by Coach

: Image via Wikipedia

During the teen years, adolescents have ample opportunity to experience initiation into alcohol consumption. While research has shown that many environmental factors such as the number of drinking friends, family income level and parental involvement all contribute to how adolescents decide whether to drink, there are also biological factors at play.

More at Religiosity in Adolescence may Deter Alcohol Use | Addiction Treatment.

Adolescent Development and Alcohol (recoveryissexy.com)
Can alcoholism be cured? (recoveryissexy.com)

Alcoholism Is …

Posted on May 10, 2013 by Coach

Alcoholism is a chronic, progressive, and often fatal disease.
It is a primary disorder and not a symptom of other diseases or emotional problems.

The chemistry of alcohol allows it to affect nearly every type of cell in the body, including those in the central nervous system. After prolonged exposure to alcohol, the brain adapts to the changes alcohol makes and becomes dependent on it. The severity of this disease is influenced by factors such as genetics, psychology, culture, and response to physical pain.

Signs of alcoholism or alcohol dependence include the following:

The only indication of early alcoholism may be the unpleasant physical responses to withdrawal that occur during even brief periods of abstinence.
Alcoholics have little or no control over the quantity they drink or the duration or frequency of their drinking.
They are preoccupied with drinking, deny their own addiction, and continue to drink even though they are aware of the dangers.
Over time, some people become tolerant to the effects of drinking and require more alcohol to become intoxicated, creating the illusion that they can “hold their liquor.”
They have blackouts after drinking and frequent hangovers that cause them to miss work and other normal activities.
Alcoholics might drink alone and start early in the day.
They periodically quit drinking or switch from hard liquor to beer or wine, but these periods rarely last.
Severe alcoholics often have a history of accidents, marital and work instability, and alcohol-related health problems.
Episodic violent and abusive incidents involving spouses and children and a history of unexplained or frequent accidents are often signs of drug or alcohol abuse.

Alcoholism can develop insidiously, and often there is no clear line between problem drinking and alcoholism. Eventually alcohol dominates thinking, emotions, and actions and becomes the primary means through which a person can deal with people, work, and life.

Self-talk May Help Impulsive Actions

Posted on May 9, 2013 by Coach

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The Inner voice plays role in self-control

Talking to yourself might not be a bad thing, especially when it comes to exercising self-control.

New research out of the University of Toronto Scarborough – published in this month’s edition of Acta Psychologica – shows that using your inner voice plays an important role in controlling impulsive behaviour.

“We give ourselves messages all the time with the intent of controlling ourselves – whether that’s telling ourselves to keep running when we’re tired, to stop eating even though we want one more slice of cake, or to refrain from blowing up on someone in an argument,” says Alexa Tullett, PhD Candidate and lead author on the study. “We wanted to find out whether talking to ourselves in this ‘inner voice’ actually helps.”

Tullett and Associate Psychology Professor Michael Inzlicht, both at UTSC, performed a series of self control tests on participants. In one example, participants performed a test on a computer. If they saw a particular symbol appear on the screen, they were told to press a button. If they saw a different symbol, they were told to refrain from pushing the button. The test measures self control because there are more “press” than “don’t press” trials, making pressing the button an impulsive response.

The team then included measures to block participants from using their “inner voice” while performing the test, to see if it had an impact on their ability to perform. In order to block their “inner voice,” participants were told to repeat one word over and over as they performed the test. This prevented them from talking to themselves while doing the test.

“Through a series of tests, we found that people acted more impulsively when they couldn’t use their inner voice or talk themselves through the tasks,” says Inzlicht. “Without being able to verbalize messages to themselves, they were not able to exercise the same amount of self control as when they could talk themselves through the process.”

“It’s always been known that people have internal dialogues with themselves, but until now, we’ve never known what an important function they serve,” says Tullett. “This study shows that talking to ourselves in this ‘inner voice’ actually helps us exercise self control and prevents us from making impulsive decisions.”

Press release from EurekaAlert!

NB; The inner voice may be helpful to some people in reducing drinking. If one repeats to oneself a limited number of drinks throughout the day one may exercise the self control necessary.

The Power of Humility (recoveryissexy.com)
Reduce Fatigue by 65% (recoveryissexy.com)

Alcohol Increases Breast Cancer Repeat Risk

Posted on May 8, 2013 by Coach

Alcohol consumption increases risk of breast cancer recurrence

Moderate to heavy consumption of alcoholic beverages (at least three to four drinks per week) is associated with a 1.3 times increased risk of breast cancer recurrence. Women who are post-menopausal or overweight may be most susceptible to the effects of alcohol on recurrence. Drinking less than three drinks per week was not associated with an increased risk.

Based on these findings, Marilyn L. Kwan, Ph.D., staff scientist in the Division of Research at Kaiser Permanente, Oakland, Calif., suggested, “women previously diagnosed with breast cancer should consider limiting their consumption of alcohol to less than three drinks per week, especially women who are postmenopausal and overweight or obese.”

Previous research has shown that consumption of alcohol is associated with an increased risk of breast cancer, but there are limited studies to date about alcohol’s role in patient prospects and survival among those already diagnosed with breast cancer. Kwan and colleagues examined the effects of alcohol on cancer recurrence and mortality in the Life After Cancer Epidemiology (LACE) Study.

Information on wine, beer and liquor consumption was documented via questionnaire. Each year, participants also filled out information on health outcomes, including recurrence of breast cancer, which was then verified by their medical records.

After eight years of follow-up, Kwan and colleagues found 349 breast cancer recurrences and 332 deaths. Among drinkers (50 percent of the study population), wine was the most popular choice of alcohol (90 percent), followed by liquor (43 percent) then beer (36 percent). Increased risk of cancer recurrence was most predominant among those who consumed two or more glasses of wine per day.

The increased risk of recurrence appeared to be greater among participants who were postmenopausal and overweight or obese, and was present regardless of type of alcohol. Alcohol consumption was not associated with overall mortality.

“These results can help women make a more informed decision about lifestyle choices after a diagnosis of breast cancer,” said Kwan.

From a press release by EurekAlert.

Female Heavy Drinkers have Smaller Brains

Posted on May 7, 2013 by Coach

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.

Risky Drinking

Posted on May 6, 2013 by Coach

What are the harms associated with drinking to intoxication?

Drinking to intoxication can put you into situations that might be dangerous, embarrassing, or which you may later regret. Every time you drink, you are at risk of causing harm to yourself or others. Risky and/or high risk drinking can result in both short and long-term harms, including:

Short-term harms

The risks associated with short-term harm can include immediate health and social problems, such as:

injuries from violence (as a perpetrator, a victim, or a witness);
pedestrian and road accidents (death/severe injury);
drowning;
trauma related admissions to hospital emergency departments;
alcohol poisoning;
social and personal consequences such as the impact on families and social embarrassment;
loss of valuable items ie phone or wallet; and
having unprotected sex and placing yourself at greater risk of a sexually transmitted infection (STI) and/or an unwanted pregnancy.

Long-term harms

Risky and high risk drinking during early adulthood may also have serious longer-term consequences, including:

social problems, such as spending more time drinking than pursuing other interests;
brain damage, including the inability to learn and remember things;
depression and suicidal thoughts;
the development of chronic disease, including some cancers and heart disease;
cirrhosis of the liver; and
dependence on alcohol.

Levels of risk

The 2009 Australian Alcohol Guidelines (AAGs) provide a framework for categorising low risk, risky and high risk drinking for both short and long-term harm.

The level of risk associated with drinking both in the short term and the long term depends on a variety of factors. But generally:

Low risk levels define a level of drinking at which there is a minimal risk of harm.
Risky levels are those at which the risk of harm is significantly increased beyond any possible benefits.
High risk drinking levels are those at which there is substantial risk of serious harm, and above which risk continues to increase rapidly.

Guidelines at a glance

For healthy men & women:

Drinking no more than 2 standard drinks on any day reduces the lifetime risk of harm from alcohol-related disease or injury.
Drinking no more than 4 standard drinks on a single occasion reduces the risk of alcohol-related injury (arising from that occasion).

More at; The Drinking Nightmare

Alcohol & Women’s Health

Posted on May 4, 2013 by Coach

Excessive Alcohol Use and Risks to Women’s Health

Although men are more likely to drink alcohol and drink in larger amounts, gender differences in body structure and chemistry cause women to absorb more alcohol, and take longer to break it down and remove it from their bodies (i.e., to metabolize it). In other words, upon drinking equal amounts, women have higher alcohol levels in their blood than men, and the immediate effects occur more quickly and last longer. These differences also make women more vulnerable to alcohol’s long-term effects on their health.

Reproductive Health

National surveys show that about 6 out of every 10 women of child-bearing age (i.e., aged 18–44 years) use alcohol, and slightly less than one-third of women who drink alcohol in this age group binge drink.
In 2008, about 7.2% of pregnant women used alcohol.
Excessive drinking may disrupt menstrual cycling and increase the risk of infertility, miscarriage, stillbirth, and premature delivery.
Women who binge drink are more likely to have unprotected sex and multiple sex partners. These activities increase the risks of unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.

Alcohol and Pregnancy

Women who drink alcohol while pregnant increase their risk of having a baby with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD). The most severe form is Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS), which causes mental retardation and birth defects.
FASD are completely preventable if a woman does not drink while pregnant or while she may become pregnant.
Studies have shown that about 1 of 20 pregnant women drank excessively before finding out they were pregnant. No amount of alcohol is safe to drink during pregnancy. For women who drink during pregnancy, stopping as soon as possible may lower the risk of having a child with physical, mental, or emotional problems.
Research suggests that women who drink alcohol while pregnant are more likely to have a baby die from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). This risk substantially increases if a woman binge drinks during her first trimester of pregnancy.
The risk of miscarriage is also increased if a woman drinks excessively during her first trimester of pregnancy.

Other Health Concerns

Liver Disease: The risk of cirrhosis and other alcohol-related liver diseases is higher for women than for men.
Impact on the Brain: Excessive drinking may result in memory loss and shrinkage of the brain. Research suggests that women are more vulnerable than men to the brain damaging effects of excessive alcohol use, and the damage tends to appear with shorter periods of excessive drinking for women than for men.
Impact on the Heart: Studies have shown that women who drink excessively are at increased risk for damage to the heart muscle than men even for women drinking at lower levels.
Cancer: Alcohol consumption increases the risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, liver, colon, and breast among women. The risk of breast cancer increases as alcohol use increases.
Sexual Assault: Binge drinking is a risk factor for sexual assault, especially among young women in college settings. Each year, about 1 in 20 college women are sexually assaulted. Research suggests that there is an increase in the risk of rape or sexual assault when both the attacker and victim have used alcohol prior to the attack.

More at; Alcohol Fact Sheets

Alcohol Most Harmful Drug

Posted on May 3, 2013 by Coach

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A group of British scientific experts has concluded that when combining its effects on the individual and on society, alcohol far outpaces other substances as the most harmful drug, the Associated Press reported Nov. 1.

The Independent Scientific Committee on Drugs, meeting via an interactive workshop, used multicriteria decision analysis to evaluate drugs’ effects on the body and their impacts on society, including effects on families and on costs in areas such as health care and corrections. Heroin, crack cocaine and methamphetamine were ranked in the analysis as the most lethal drugs to the individual, but alcohol, heroin and crack were judged most harmful to others.

The combined harm score for alcohol was the highest, at 72 out of a possible 100, followed by heroin (55) and crack (54).

The authors explained that the rankings, based on 16 criteria, do not correspond to how drugs are currently classified in the United Kingdom. For example, last year the British government increased penalties for possession of marijuana, a drug that ranked far below alcohol and other illegal drugs in the experts’ assessment of overall harm.

“What governments decide is illegal is not always based on science,” said Wim van den Brink, professor of psychiatry and addiction at the University of Amsterdam.

Yet study co-author Leslie King, an adviser to the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs, urged against interpreting the results as a call for alcohol prohibition. “Alcohol is too embedded in our culture and it won’t go away,” King said.

The findings were published online Nov. 1 2010 in The Lancet.

From Join Together

Harm Reduction-or Harm Continuation? (recoveryissexy.com)
Alcohol and your health make informed choices (alcoholcoach.com)

Time to Develop Alcoholism

Posted on May 2, 2013 by Coach

How Long Does It Take Alcohol Dependence To Develop?

About 1 in 7 adults who have had alcohol dependence, commonly known as alcoholism, developed it less than a year after having their first drink, according to a nationwide survey of U.S. adults aged 18 or older.

About a quarter of people who have had alcohol dependence developed it less than 2 years after their first drink,
about a third in less than 3 years, and
about half in less than 5 years.

In the United States, most people have had their first drink by the time they leave high school. This fact, combined with the relatively rapid onset of dependence in many drinkers, helps to explain why alcohol dependence is found most commonly in young adults. About 1 in 9 people aged 18–24 have alcohol dependence, more than twice the proportion of any other age group.

The survey also shows that alcohol dependence occurs only rarely among drinkers who always stay within the following limits:

for men, no more than 4 drinks on any single day and 14 per week;
for women, no more than 3 drinks on any day and 7 per week.

Alcohol Abuse and the Liver

Posted on May 1, 2013 by Coach

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

Alcohol Coach.com

Alcohol or Addiction Sponsorship or Coaching to Reduce or Stop Drinking

Religiosity in Adolescence may Deter Alcohol Use

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Alcoholism Is …

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Self-talk May Help Impulsive Actions

The Inner voice plays role in self-control

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Alcohol Increases Breast Cancer Repeat Risk

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Female Heavy Drinkers have Smaller Brains

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Risky Drinking

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