Apr 28

Causes and Risk Factors of Alcoholism

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alcoholic 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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Apr 27

Shaun Marsh’s biggest challenge is staying fit

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Shaun Marsh’s biggest challenge is staying fit: Tom Moody – The Times of India.

MELBOURNE: Australian batsman Shaun Marsh’s mentor Tom Moody, who helped him battle alcoholism early in his career, says the cricketer’s biggest challenge now is to fight through the nagging injury problems that are hampering his rise. 

Marsh, who returned to the Australian team for the opening Test against India after battling a back problem, was out for a duck on the first day on Monday. 

Moody, a former Australian all-rounder, had counselled Marsh into giving up the bottle to save his promising career and now that the 28-year-old has recovered from alcoholism, he has the new challenge of keeping himself fit enough for regular cricket. 

Full story at; Shaun Marsh’s biggest challenge is staying fit: Tom Moody – The Times of India.

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Apr 26

Seniors and Alcohol

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Elderly man using wall to hold himself steady Senior Health site offers information about older adults and alcohol use

Having a drink now and then as you get older is not usually thought to be harmful, but alcohol can be a problem for older adults, especially if they take certain medications, have health problems or don’t control their drinking. Alcohol Use and Older Adults, http://NIH Senior Health.gov/alcoholuse/toc.html, the newest topic on NIH Senior Health, provides helpful information about the effect alcohol may have on our bodies, health and lifestyles as we age.

  • Aging lowers the body’s tolerance for alcohol, and older adults can develop problems with alcohol even though their drinking habits haven’t changed.
  • Older adults can experience the effects of alcohol, such as slurred speech and lack of coordination, more quickly than when they were younger.
  • If you’re older and you drink, it is important to understand the implications this may have for your health, safety, relationships and lifestyle.

The newest topic on NIH Senior Health provides an excellent overview of these issues in a format that is tailored for older adults.

Besides information on alcohol and aging, NIH Senior Health also discusses how much is safe to drink for most older men and women, what precautions to take if they’re on medication and how to get help if drinking is a problem.

Older people are increasingly turning to the Internet for health information. In fact, more than 70 percent of online seniors look for health and medical information when they go on the Web.

NIH Senior Health (http://NIH Senior Health.gov/alcoholuse/toc.html), which is based on the latest research on thinking and aging, features short, easy-to-read segments of information that can be accessed in a number of formats, including various

  • large-print type sizes,
  • open-captioned videos and an
  • audio version.

Additional topics coming soon to the site include long-term care, anxiety disorders and peripheral arterial disease.

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Apr 25

Work Addiction

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New method to measure work addiction

Researchers from Norway and the United Kingdom have developed a new instrument to measure work addiction: The Bergen Work Addiction Scale

Researchers from Norway and the United Kingdom have developed a new instrument to measure work addiction: The Bergen Work Addiction Scale. The new instrument is based on core elements of addiction that are recognised as diagnostic criteria for several addictions.

Some people seem to be driven to work excessively and compulsively. These are denoted as work addicts – or workaholics.

In the wake of globalisation, new technology and blurred boundaries between work and private life, we are witnessing an increase in work addiction, Doctor Cecilie Schou Andreassen from the Faculty of Psychology at the University of Bergen (UiB) says.

Andreassen leads the team that has developed the new instrument, which is the first of its kind worldwide. With her background as a clinical psychologist specialist and her work as a consultant for the private sector, she is familiar with the real-life implications of work addiction.

A number of studies show that work addiction has been associated with insomnia, health problems, burnout and stress as well as creating conflict between work and family life, Andreassen says.

The Bergen Work Addiction Scale is presented in an article in the renowned Scandinavian Journal of Psychology.

By testing themselves with the scale, people can find out their degree of work addiction: non-addicted, mildly addicted or workaholic, Andreassen explains.

12,135 Norwegian employees from 25 different industries participated in the development of the Bergen Work Addiction Scale. The scale was administrated to two cross-occupational samples. The scale reflects the seven core elements of addiction: Salience, mood modification, tolerance, withdrawal, conflict, relapse and problems.

The results show the scale as reliably differentiating between workaholics and non-workaholics.

Scandinavian Journal of PsychologyThe scale may add value to work addiction research and practice, particularly when it comes to facilitating treatment and estimating prevalence of work addiction in the general population worldwide, according to Andreassen.

About the scale: Seven basic criteria

The Bergen Work Addiction Scale uses seven basic criteria to identify work addiction, where all items are scored on the following scale:

(1) Never, (2) Rarely, (3) Sometimes, (4) Often, and (5) Always:

  • You think of how you can free up more time to work.
  • You spend much more time working than initially intended.
  • You work in order to reduce feelings of guilt, anxiety, helplessness and depression.
  • You have been told by others to cut down on work without listening to them.
  • You become stressed if you are prohibited from working.
  • You deprioritize hobbies, leisure activities, and exercise because of your work.
  • You work so much that it has negatively influenced your health.

Andreassen’s study shows that scoring of “often” or “always” on at least four of the seven items may suggest that you are a workaholic.

Journal reference: Andreassen, C. S., Griffiths, M. D., Hetland, J. & Pallesen, S. (2012). Development of a work addiction scale. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology.

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Apr 25

Premature birth risk ‘linked to drinking during pregnancy’

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Women who drink alcohol during pregnancy are more likely to give birth prematurely or have a miscarriage, a new study has revealed.

The research, published in the journal BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, looked at the amounts of alcohol women consumed during the early stages of their gestation and the effect this had on their unborn child.

Premature birth risk ‘linked to drinking during pregnancy’ | International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics.

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Apr 24

Alcohol Increases Breast Cancer Repeat Risk

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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.

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Apr 23

28% of Kids Exposed to Alcoholism

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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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Apr 22

Clergy Vital For Alcohol Abusers

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Palm leaves 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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Apr 21

Addictions counselor explains ‘substance abuse continuum’

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Carter explained the “substance abuse continuum,” which outlines varying stages of alcohol addiction, and how individuals in those stages respond to negative consequences, such as being arrested for a DUI.

Here’s how Carter explained the five stages:

  1. No alcohol use or abstinence
  2. Non-problem alcohol users
  3. Alcohol misuse
  4. Alcohol abuse
  5. Alcohol dependence or alcoholism

Full story at; Addictions counselor explains ‘substance abuse continuum’ / LJWorld.com.

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Apr 20

Female Heavy Drinkers have Smaller Brains

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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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