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Thursday, January 30, 2014

Dry January 31, 2014


"Alcoholism is fatal.  If drinking doesn't kill you immediately in an OD or accident, it will get you years later in other illnesses. Drinking often or in excess is like stepping out onto a highway: The truck just hasn't hit you yet."

A reminder into the home-stretch of Dry January: You're either not drinking or your not healthy, according to the Daily News. http://dfm.dailynews.com/article/actually-not-drinking-in-january-is-a-great-idea/ec3e63821b7e615757fd7f4b4ad28481

#DryJanuary


www.alcohologist.com

Details on the third literary award for Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud, plus the new radio interview replay is available at alcohologist.com... and please read the new interview with Scott Stevens at Christoph Fisher Books.  Mr. Fisher is an acclaimed international historical fiction novelist from the UK

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Dry January 30, 2014


"When an alcoholic says he's bored, that statement has more bullshit than a rodeo.  It's a warning sign all right:  A warning that he's spending way too much time thinking of himself."

A reminder into the home-stretch of Dry January: You're either not drinking or your not healthy, according to the Daily News. http://dfm.dailynews.com/article/actually-not-drinking-in-january-is-a-great-idea/ec3e63821b7e615757fd7f4b4ad28481

#DryJanuary

www.alcohologist.com

Details on the third literary award for Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud, plus the new radio interview replay is available at alcohologist.com... and please read the new interview with Scott Stevens at Christoph Fisher Books.  Mr. Fisher is an acclaimed international historical fiction novelist from the UK

New research: Crash risk jumps 46 percent with just one beer

Drivers who drink alcohol, but not enough to reach the legal threshold of 0.08 blood alcohol concentration (BAC), are still more likely to cause traffic collisions than those who are sober, according to a University of California San Diego study. The research published in January's Injury Prevention, examined crash data in what is being considered the first nationwide research on actual fatal and non-fatal car crashes caused by minimally buzzed drivers.

UCSD sociologist David Phillips and his team found drivers with a BAC of 0.01 percent are 46 percent more likely than a sober driver to be officially and solely blamed by accident investigators for causing a collision. They found that blame increases steadily and smoothly from 0.01 (a single drink) to 0.24 (three times the legal limit).

"We find no safe combination of drinking and driving—no point at which it is harmless to consume alcohol and get behind the wheel of a car," Phillips said. "Our data support both the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) campaign that 'buzzed driving is drunk driving' and the recommendation made by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to reduce the legal limit to BAC 0.05 percent. In fact, our data provide support for yet greater reductions in the legal (BAC)."

Phillips said police and judges -- along with the public at large -- treat 0.08 as "a sharp, definitive, meaningful boundary," and authorities don't impose severe penalties on those below that standard. "The law should reflect what official accident investigators are seeing," Phillips said.

During the entire year, an average of 25 people are killed each day by intoxicated motorists according to data from the NHTSA. One out of every 10 arrests for all crimes in the U.S. were for Operating While Impaired (OWI) – above the 0.08 standard – accounting for one out of every 80 licensed drivers.

Earlier lab studies find reaction time to be 1/5 of a second for an unimpaired driver. A heavy drinker or one with the disease of alcoholism may not "feel" impaired at minimally buzzed BACs, but the lab shows a definite deterioration of reaction time. With alcohol in the system, reaction time is slowed to 4/5 of a second at 0.06 BAC. At 60 mph, a second means 88 feet. A fifth of a second is 17.5 feet, 4/5 of a second is 70.4 feet. The car slamming on the brakes in front of an impaired driver is 53 feet closer, reaction-time wise, compared to an unimpaired driver.

Yet another study indicated at 0.02 to 0.05 BAC, the ability to see or locate moving lights correctly is reduced as is reaction time and the ability to judge distance. Even if not obviously impaired, at 0.05 BAC drivers are twice as likely to have a crash as before they started drinking...At 0.08 BAC drivers are five times more likely to have a crash than before they started drinking. Over 0.08, the crash likelihood jumps to 10 times that of a sober driver. The increase bears out in the new UCSD study of actual crashes as well.

A May 2013 hearing by the NTSB produced ideas for reducing drinking and driving deaths, among the ideas, lowering the limit legal for driving from 0.08 to 0.05 BAC. One hundred other countries have lower BAC limits for driving than the U.S. The idea is being debated around the country because the board has no authority to make the recommendation a law.

The last time the NTSB recommended a blood alcohol limit change, from 0.10 to 0.08, it took two decades and the threat of Congress withholding highway funds for the idea to become law in all 50 states. An Indiana state legislator, Senator Michael Crider, R-Greenfield, predicts that is what it will take again. "If you look at the percentile drops, it's a pretty significant drop in the legal driving limit for drunk driving. It's going to be something not necessarily real popular, based on what I saw last time."

Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), an expected ally of the proposed lower limit, is not behind it, instead focusing on its own three-pronged agenda for reducing impaired driving. The NHTSA also opposes the change to 0.05. Republican leaders on Capitol Hill say, "Leave it to the states to decide."
--from examiner.com (see full article)


www.alcohologist.com

Details on the third literary award for Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud, plus the new radio interview replay is available at alcohologist.com... and please read the new interview with Scott Stevens at Christoph Fisher Books.  Mr. Fisher is an acclaimed international historical fiction novelist from the UK

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Dry January 29, 2014




A reminder into the home-stretch of Dry January: You're either not drinking or your not healthy, according to the Daily News. http://dfm.dailynews.com/article/actually-not-drinking-in-january-is-a-great-idea/ec3e63821b7e615757fd7f4b4ad28481

#DryJanuary

Monday, January 27, 2014

Dry January 28, 2014


"The weight of scientific evidence demonstrates a link between alcohol and a greater risk of mortality for diseases of the immunological, nervous, cardiovascular, respiratory and digestive systems. Period."

A reminder into the home-stretch of Dry January: You're either not drinking or your not healthy, according to the Daily News. http://dfm.dailynews.com/article/actually-not-drinking-in-january-is-a-great-idea/ec3e63821b7e615757fd7f4b4ad28481

#DryJanuary

www.alcohologist.com

Details on the third literary award for Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud, plus the new radio interview replay is available at alcohologist.com... and please read the new interview with Scott Stevens at Christoph Fisher Books.  Mr. Fisher is an acclaimed international historical fiction novelist from the UK



Sunday, January 26, 2014

Dry January 27, 2014


"When the alcohol is gone we begin a struggle with guilt over things we did or failed to do or guilt over just having a disease.  Then we oversteer trying to prove we're not disappointing."

The New Year seems long ago already. Why did we quit again? HighlightPress.com remembers why... http://www.highlightpress.com/dry-january-quit-alcohol-for-31-days-change-your-life-forever/8524/mhoster

#DryJanuary

www.alcohologist.com

Details on the third literary award for Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud, plus the new radio interview replay is available at alcohologist.com... and please read the new interview with Scott Stevens at Christoph Fisher Books.  Mr. Fisher is an acclaimed international historical fiction novelist from the UK

Saturday, January 25, 2014

Dry January 26, 2014


"Parts of an alcoholic's personhood are traumatically lost to alcohol.  Hopes and aspirations end. And they don't quietly slip away to die.  They die in spectacular fireballs. They are major losses to grieve."

The New Year seems long ago already. Why did we quit again? HighlightPress.com remembers why... http://www.highlightpress.com/dry-january-quit-alcohol-for-31-days-change-your-life-forever/8524/mhoster

#DryJanuary

www.alcohologist.com

Details on the third literary award for Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud, plus the new radio interview replay is available at alcohologist.com... and please read the new interview with Scott Stevens at Christoph Fisher Books.  Mr. Fisher is an acclaimed international historical fiction novelist from the UK

Friday, January 24, 2014

Dry January 25, 2014


"The lion's share of medical research in the U.S. today goes toward cancer.  However, the accurate assessment, measurement and treatment (not mistreatment) of alcoholism will be the next great frontier in medicine because it impacts so many other illnesses."

The New Year seems long ago already. Why did we quit again? HighlightPress.com remembers why... http://www.highlightpress.com/dry-january-quit-alcohol-for-31-days-change-your-life-forever/8524/mhoster

#DryJanuary

www.alcohologist.com

Details on the third literary award for Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud, plus the new radio interview replay is available at alcohologist.com... and please read the new interview with Scott Stevens at Christoph Fisher Books.  Mr. Fisher is an acclaimed international historical fiction novelist from the UK

Thursday, January 23, 2014

Dry January 24, 2014


"Staying perpetually in grief does not prove you are more sorry."


The New Year seems long ago already. Why did we quit again? HighlightPress.com remembers why...http://www.highlightpress.com/dry-january-quit-alcohol-for-31-days-change-your-life-forever/8524/mhoster

#DryJanuary

www.alcohologist.com

Details on the third literary award for Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud, plus the new radio interview replay is available at alcohologist.com... and please read the new interview with Scott Stevens at Christoph Fisher Books.  Mr. Fisher is an acclaimed international historical fiction novelist from the UK

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Dry Janaury 23, 2014


"My own 'therapist' for a few years was Jack Daniels of Lynchburg, Tenn.  He never validated anything.  Invalidated plenty, including two marriages, a career, a bank account and a reputation.  But we didn't really talk much."

Dry January is an important initiative to stay alcohol-free and reduce the risks of harm caused by alcohol.  Each day's calendar page can be found on the Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud Facebook page and on Twitter @AlcoholAuthor. See more about quitting in 2014 on a feature at All That's Written.

Need a reason to keep on alcohol-free? Handbag.com gives you seven. (http://www.handbag.com/life/news/a411304/7-reasons-to-give-up-alcohol-for-a-month-and-embrace-being-sober.html)

#DryJanuary


www.alcohologist.com

Details on the third literary award for Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud, plus the new radio interview replay is available at alcohologist.com... and please read the new interview with Scott Stevens at Christoph Fisher Books.  Mr. Fisher is an acclaimed international historical fiction novelist from the UK

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Dry January 22, 2014


"Early sobriety was an annoyance because I couldn't think or assemble two coherent thoughts quickly.  While drinking, the whiskey blunted my judgment, but at least I could make bad decisions more rapidly."

Dry January is an important initiative to stay alcohol-free and reduce the risks of harm caused by alcohol.  Each day's calendar page can be found on the Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud Facebook page and on Twitter @AlcoholAuthor. See more about quitting in 2014 on a feature at All That's Written.

Need a reason to keep on alcohol-free? Handbag.com gives you seven. (http://www.handbag.com/life/news/a411304/7-reasons-to-give-up-alcohol-for-a-month-and-embrace-being-sober.html)

#DryJanuary


www.alcohologist.com

Details on the third literary award for Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud, plus the new radio interview replay is available at alcohologist.com... and please read the new interview with Scott Stevens at Christoph Fisher Books.  Mr. Fisher is an acclaimed international historical fiction novelist from the UK

Monday, January 20, 2014

Dry January 21, 2014


"There are very few symptoms of liver damage until it becomes a crisis because the liver has no pain nerves to tell you it is hurt.  If the liver had nerve endings, NONE of us would have a second drink."

Dry January is an important initiative to stay alcohol-free and reduce the risks of harm caused by alcohol.  Each day's calendar page can be found on the Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud Facebook page and on Twitter @AlcoholAuthor. See more about quitting in 2014 on a feature at All That's Written.

Need a reason to keep on alcohol-free? Handbag.com gives you seven. (http://www.handbag.com/life/news/a411304/7-reasons-to-give-up-alcohol-for-a-month-and-embrace-being-sober.html)

#DryJanuary


www.alcohologist.com

Details on the third literary award for Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud, plus the new radio interview replay is available at alcohologist.com... and please read the new interview with Scott Stevens at Christoph Fisher Books.  Mr. Fisher is an acclaimed international historical fiction novelist from the UK

Sunday, January 19, 2014

Dry January 20, 2014


"Cortisol (stress hormone) and stress are not the cause of relapse. Relapse is the result of how you react to stress.  As Woodrow Wilson said, 'You have to cite the driver, not the automobile.'."

Dry January is an important initiative to stay alcohol-free and reduce the risks of harm caused by alcohol.  Each day's calendar page can be found on the Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud Facebook page and on Twitter @AlcoholAuthor. See more about quitting in 2014 on a feature at All That's Written.

Need a reason to keep on alcohol-free? Handbag.com gives you seven. (http://www.handbag.com/life/news/a411304/7-reasons-to-give-up-alcohol-for-a-month-and-embrace-being-sober.html)

#DryJanuary


www.alcohologist.com

Details on the third literary award for Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud, plus the new radio interview replay is available at alcohologist.com... and please read the new interview with Scott Stevens at Christoph Fisher Books.  Mr. Fisher is an acclaimed international historical fiction novelist from the UK

Saturday, January 18, 2014

Dry January 19, 2014


"Shop for a counselor by studying their areas of expertise, e.g. a family counselor might not have addictions experience.  If your river is the Mississippi, you're not going to benefit much from a Nile River guide."

Dry January is an important initiative to stay alcohol-free and reduce the risks of harm caused by alcohol.  Each day's calendar page can be found on the Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud Facebook page and on Twitter @AlcoholAuthor. See more about quitting in 2014 on a feature at All That's Written.

Need a reason to keep on alcohol-free? Handbag.com gives you seven. (http://www.handbag.com/life/news/a411304/7-reasons-to-give-up-alcohol-for-a-month-and-embrace-being-sober.html)

#DryJanuary


www.alcohologist.com

Details on the third literary award for Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud, plus the new radio interview replay is available at alcohologist.com... and please read the new interview with Scott Stevens at Christoph Fisher Books.  Mr. Fisher is an acclaimed international historical fiction novelist from the UK

Friday, January 17, 2014

Dry January 18, 2014


"One of the differences between alcoholism and most other chronic diseases that is so difficult to communicate is that with alcoholism, when you are the sickest and most acute, you don't feel sick because you are getting alcohol."

Dry January is an important initiative to stay alcohol-free and reduce the risks of harm caused by alcohol.  Each day's calendar page can be found on the Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud Facebook page and on Twitter @AlcoholAuthor. See more about quitting in 2014 on a feature at All That's Written.

Does quitting really make a difference? Doctors at Boston U think so. As pointed out in this Futurity article and in Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud, the cancer risk from alcohol is very real. (http://www.futurity.org/don%E2%80%99t-ignore-the-risks-of-moderate-drinking/)

www.alcohologist.com

Details on the third literary award for Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud, plus the new radio interview replay is available at alcohologist.com... and please read the new interview with Scott Stevens at Christoph Fisher Books.  Mr. Fisher is an acclaimed international historical fiction novelist from the UK

Thursday, January 16, 2014

Dry January 17, 2014



"A person who is antisocial without the alcohol is not the same as someone who has had antisocial behavior only while drinking.  The two require different treatment. There isn't a one-size-fits-all answer."

Dry January is an important initiative to stay alcohol-free and reduce the risks of harm caused by alcohol.  Each day's calendar page can be found on the Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud Facebook page and on Twitter @AlcoholAuthor. See more about quitting in 2014 on a feature at All That's Written.

Does quitting really make a difference? Doctors at Boston U think so. As pointed out in this Futurity article and in Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud, the cancer risk from alcohol is very real. (http://www.futurity.org/don%E2%80%99t-ignore-the-risks-of-moderate-drinking/)

www.alcohologist.com

Details on the third literary award for Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud, plus the new radio interview replay is available at alcohologist.com... and please read the new interview with Scott Stevens at Christoph Fisher Books.  Mr. Fisher is an acclaimed international historical fiction novelist from the UK

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Dry January 16, 2014



"Wondering why an alcoholic goes back to alcohol after getting sober is like wondering why, when we give a little boy two die-cast cars, the first thing he does is SMASH them into each other."

Dry January is an important initiative to stay alcohol-free and reduce the risks of harm caused by alcohol.  Each day's calendar page can be found on the Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud Facebook page and on Twitter @AlcoholAuthor. See more about quitting in 2014 on a feature at All That's Written.

Does quitting really make a difference? Doctors at Boston U think so. As pointed out in this Futurity article and in Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud, the cancer risk from alcohol is very real. (http://www.futurity.org/don%E2%80%99t-ignore-the-risks-of-moderate-drinking/)

www.alcohologist.com

Details on the third literary award for Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud, plus the new radio interview replay is available at alcohologist.com... and please read the new interview with Scott Stevens at Christoph Fisher Books.  Mr. Fisher is an acclaimed international historical fiction novelist from the UK

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Dry January 15, 2014


"In early sobriety, you're the firewood that's been drying a while, but not quite ready for the fireplace."

Dry January is an important initiative to stay alcohol-free and reduce the risks of harm caused by alcohol.  Each day's calendar page can be found on the Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud Facebook page and on Twitter @AlcoholAuthor. See more about quitting in 2014 on a feature at All That's Written.

Does quitting really make a difference? Doctors at Boston U think so. As pointed out in this Futurity article and in Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud, the cancer risk from alcohol is very real. (http://www.futurity.org/don%E2%80%99t-ignore-the-risks-of-moderate-drinking/)

www.alcohologist.com

Details on the third literary award for Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud, plus the new radio interview replay is available at alcohologist.com... and please read the new interview with Scott Stevens at Christoph Fisher Books.  Mr. Fisher is an acclaimed international historical fiction novelist from the UK

Monday, January 13, 2014

Dry January 14, 2014



"We're all capable of accepting the consequences for our own actions.  It isn't up to a shamer to put us in our places over our shortcomings because they have some backward idea about how we lack willpower or morals."

Dry January is an important initiative to stay alcohol-free and reduce the risks of harm caused by alcohol.  Each day's calendar page can be found on the Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud Facebook page and on Twitter @AlcoholAuthor. See more about quitting in 2014 on a feature at All That's Written.

Does quitting really make a difference? Doctors at Boston U think so. As pointed out in this Futurity article and in Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud, the cancer risk from alcohol is very real. (http://www.futurity.org/don%E2%80%99t-ignore-the-risks-of-moderate-drinking/)

#DryJanuary


www.alcohologist.com

Details on the third literary award for Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud, plus the new radio interview replay is available at alcohologist.com... and please read the new interview with Scott Stevens at Christoph Fisher Books.  Mr. Fisher is an acclaimed international historical fiction novelist from the UK

Sunday, January 12, 2014

Dry January 13, 2014



"Grief, forgiveness, guilt and shame are threats to recovery like cholesterol is a threat to the heart."

Dry January is an important initiative to stay alcohol-free and reduce the risks of harm caused by alcohol.  Each day's calendar page can be found on the Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud Facebook page and on Twitter @AlcoholAuthor. See more about quitting in 2014 on a feature at All That's Written.

Sometimes, about a week or two in, the idea of a lifestyle change like Dry January loses the sheen of newness. Why keep up the effort? The Parent Herald explains some of the health benefits of sticking to the change. (http://www.parentherald.com/articles/3523/20140105/janopause-act-quitting-alcohol-january-make-healthier.htm)

www.alcohologist.com

Details on the third literary award for Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud, plus the new radio interview replay is available at alcohologist.com... and please read the new interview with Scott Stevens at Christoph Fisher Books.  Mr. Fisher is an acclaimed international historical fiction novelist from the UK

Saturday, January 11, 2014

Dry January 12, 2014



"We presently spend more in America on pills for erectile dysfunction than on alcoholism treatment and prevention.  When every $1 spent on alcohol education, research and care returns $1.93 to the economy, thinking with our boners might not be the best way forward."

Dry January is an important initiative to stay alcohol-free and reduce the risks of harm caused by alcohol.  Each day's calendar page can be found on the Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud Facebook page and on Twitter @AlcoholAuthor. See more about quitting in 2014 on a feature at All That's Written.

Sometimes, about a week or two in, the idea of a lifestyle change like Dry January loses the sheen of newness. Why keep up the effort? The Parent Herald explains some of the health benefits of sticking to the change. (http://www.parentherald.com/articles/3523/20140105/janopause-act-quitting-alcohol-january-make-healthier.htm)

www.alcohologist.com

Details on the third literary award for Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud, plus the new radio interview replay is available at alcohologist.com... and please read the new interview with Scott Stevens at Christoph Fisher Books.  Mr. Fisher is an acclaimed international historical fiction novelist from the UK

Friday, January 10, 2014

Dry January 11, 2014



"Rather than moving forward to recovery, a Dry Drunk chooses the power of anger over feeling like the ornament at the bottom of the Christmas storage box.  They are usually a bigger pain in the ass than when they were drinking."

Dry January is an important initiative to stay alcohol-free and reduce the risks of harm caused by alcohol.  Each day's calendar page can be found on the Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud Facebook page and on Twitter @AlcoholAuthor. See more about quitting in 2014 on a feature at All That's Written.

Sometimes, about a week or two in, the idea of a lifestyle change like Dry January loses the sheen of newness. Why keep up the effort? The Parent Herald explains some of the health benefits of sticking to the change. (http://www.parentherald.com/articles/3523/20140105/janopause-act-quitting-alcohol-january-make-healthier.htm)

www.alcohologist.com

Details on the third literary award for Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud, plus the new radio interview replay is available at alcohologist.com... and please read the new interview with Scott Stevens at Christoph Fisher Books.  Mr. Fisher is an acclaimed international historical fiction novelist from the UK

Thursday, January 9, 2014

Dry January 10, 2014




"Alcohol is like an old girlfriend who winks at you or sends an email out of the blue.  You KNOW better.  You know to keep walking or hit delete.  Relapse is when you fail and strike up the conversation again."

Dry January is an important initiative to stay alcohol-free and reduce the risks of harm caused by alcohol.  Each day's calendar page can be found on the Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud Facebook page and on Twitter @AlcoholAuthor. See more about quitting in 2014 on a feature at All That's Written.

Sometimes, about a week or two in, the idea of a lifestyle change like Dry January loses the sheen of newness. Why keep up the effort? The Parent Herald explains some of the health benefits of sticking to the change. (http://www.parentherald.com/articles/3523/20140105/janopause-act-quitting-alcohol-january-make-healthier.htm)

www.alcohologist.com

Details on the third literary award for Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud, plus the new radio interview replay is available at alcohologist.com... and please read the new interview with Scott Stevens at Christoph Fisher Books.  Mr. Fisher is an acclaimed international historical fiction novelist from the UK

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Dry January 9, 2014



"Once you're labeled as an alcoholic, some will use that as the yardstick by which your future performance is measured. Shamers look at you as if you were something they'd scrape from a shoe after a dog show."

Dry January is an important initiative to stay alcohol-free and reduce the risks of harm caused by alcohol.  Each day's calendar page can be found on the Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud Facebook page and on Twitter @AlcoholAuthor. See more about quitting in 2014 on a feature at All That's Written.

Sometimes, about a week or two in, the idea of a lifestyle change like Dry January loses the sheen of newness. Why keep up the effort? The Parent Herald explains some of the health benefits of sticking to the change. (http://www.parentherald.com/articles/3523/20140105/janopause-act-quitting-alcohol-january-make-healthier.htm)

www.alcohologist.com

Details on the third literary award for Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud, plus the new radio interview replay is available at alcohologist.com... and please read the new interview with Scott Stevens at Christoph Fisher Books.  Mr. Fisher is an acclaimed international historical fiction novelist from the UK

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Dry January 8, 2014


"Alcohol is a mass killer and is the defining public health issue for the 21st century. Driving under the influence, while tragic, has statistically little to do with that conclusion."

Dry January is an important initiative to stay alcohol-free and reduce the risks of harm caused by alcohol.  Each day's calendar page can be found on the Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud Facebook page and on Twitter @AlcoholAuthor. See more about quitting in 2014 on a feature at All That's Written.

Sometimes, about a week or two in, the idea of a lifestyle change like Dry January loses the sheen of newness. Why keep up the effort? The Parent Herald explains some of the health benefits of sticking to the change. (http://www.parentherald.com/articles/3523/20140105/janopause-act-quitting-alcohol-january-make-healthier.htm)

www.alcohologist.com

Details on the third literary award for Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud, plus the new radio interview replay is available at alcohologist.com... and please read the new interview with Scott Stevens at Christoph Fisher Books.  Mr. Fisher is an acclaimed international historical fiction novelist from the UK

CDC: Health pros don't screen for alcohol problems, even in risky patients

Only one in six adults – and only one in four binge drinkers – say a health professional has ever discussed alcohol use with them according to a Jan. 7 Vital Signs report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Even among adults who binge drink 10 or more times a month, only one in three have ever had a health professional talk with them about alcohol abuse or the disease of alcoholism.

Talking with a patient about their alcohol use is an important first step in screening and counseling, which has been proven effective in helping people who drink too much. Alcohol use can lead to many health and social problems, including heart disease, breast cancer, sexually transmitted diseases, fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, traffic crashes and violence and ranks as the third-leading cause of illness worldwide. (See related article)

“Drinking too much alcohol has many more health risks than most people realize,” said CDC Director Tom Frieden, M.D. “Alcohol screening and brief counseling can help people set realistic goals for themselves and achieve those goals. Healthcare workers can provide this service to more patients and involve communities to help people avoid dangerous levels of drinking.” But it's just not done often according to the study.

The CDC says if the screening is recommended for all adults and it can reduce the amount of alcohol consumed on an occasion by 25 percent among those who drink too much. As with other prevention measures like blood pressure, cholesterol and breast cancer screening and flu vaccination, it has also been shown to improve health and save money.

The CDC report echoes concerns raised in a similar report a year ago in the Annals of Family Medicine. That study concluded that doctor’s intuition misses most patients with alcohol abuse or the disease of alcoholism in all but a quarter of the cases. (See “Journal: Doctors not catching alcohol-use disorders”)

Through the Affordable Care Act (or Obamacare), alcohol screening and brief counseling can be covered by most health insurance plans without co-pay and addiction-related treatment is covered to the same level as other medical/surgical procedures.
(from examiner.com, see full article)

www.alcohologist.com

Details on the third literary award for Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud, plus the new radio interview replay is available at alcohologist.com... and please read the new interview with Scott Stevens at Christoph Fisher Books.  Mr. Fisher is an acclaimed international historical fiction novelist from the UK

Economy's downturn five years ago impacting alcohol use today


The recession of 2008-2009 has a long reach when it comes to alcohol use disorders, aka alcohol abuse and the disease of alcoholism. New research in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research indicates some Americans still struggle to make ends meet and those who turned to alcohol because of it are suffering from alcohol use disorders today.
 
The study examines the relationship between economic loss and alcohol problems, finding that men and middle-aged Americans are at higher risk for “multiple, adverse alcohol outcomes.” The research team notes that despite higher taxation in many states, the price of alcohol has gone down in recent years and this may make it easier for economically challenged people stressed out by the recession to buy alcohol. “It’s understandable when a person is in such a terrible place, fearing for his economic future, and feeling responsible for his family,” the researchers conclude.
 
“Research suggests that economic downturns can have severe impacts on stress and mental health,” said Nina Mulia, of the Alcohol Research Group of the Public Health Institute. “A 2009 study of 26 European Union (EU) countries found a rise in unemployment led to significantly higher suicide rates among people under age 65. Additionally, a 2011 longitudinal study using U.S. data showed that increased unemployment was linked to declining psychological health. Furthermore, a recent review of many individual-level studies concluded that job loss is associated with a greater risk for depression and anxiety symptoms.” 
 
Drinking – for alcoholics and non-alcoholics alike – is a common response to stress, depression and anxiety. Ironically, a separate 2013 study found self-medicating depression with alcohol, a depressant, causes more depression. "I don't know that the average person realizes that heavy drinking can induce mood problems," said lead researcher Marc A. Schuckit, M.D., of the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine. A third of depression episodes are tied to alcohol consumption. (See “Journal: Alcohol causes depression rather than curing it”)
 
“This new study brings us a long way towards confirming how much economic shocks impact peoples’ health,” adds Laura Schmidt, of the University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine. “It emphasizes the role of economic stress – what it’s like to lose a job, a house, a retirement ‘nest egg’—and how much that impacts a person’s state of mind and leads to problems with drinking.”
(from examiner.com, see full article)
 
 

Details on the third literary award for Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud, plus the new radio interview replay is available at alcohologist.com... and please read the new interview with Scott Stevens at Christoph Fisher Books.  Mr. Fisher is an acclaimed international historical fiction novelist from the UK

Monday, January 6, 2014

Dry January 7, 2014


"The value of counseling is unquestioned in recovery just like it is for people with cancer. Not for answers why we have the disease but for how to live with it and communicated through it."

Dry January is an important initiative to stay alcohol-free and reduce the risks of harm caused by alcohol.  Each day's calendar page can be found on the Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud Facebook page and on Twitter @AlcoholAuthor. See more about quitting in 2014 on a feature at All That's Written.

Sometimes, about a week or two in, the idea of a lifestyle change like Dry January loses the sheen of newness. Why keep up the effort? The Parent Herald explains some of the health benefits of sticking to the change. (http://www.parentherald.com/articles/3523/20140105/janopause-act-quitting-alcohol-january-make-healthier.htm)

www.alcohologist.com

Details on the third literary award for Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud, plus the new radio interview replay is available at alcohologist.com... and please read the new interview with Scott Stevens at Christoph Fisher Books.  Mr. Fisher is an acclaimed international historical fiction novelist from the UK

Sunday, January 5, 2014

Dry January 6, 2014


"My values, or the things I said I valued, collided with my reality.  That's guilt.  Something had to change."

Dry January is an important initiative to stay alcohol-free and reduce the risks of harm caused by alcohol.  Each day's calendar page can be found on the Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud Facebook page and on Twitter @AlcoholAuthor. See more about quitting in 2014 on a feature at All That's Written.

The New Scientist editorial "Is Dry January really worth it" explains some of the overwhelming positives to putting down the booze or avoiding relapse if you're already sober.
(http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg22129502.600-our-liver-vacation-is-a-dry-january-really-worth-it.html#.UsQHnH7nbIV)

www.alcohologist.com

Details on the third literary award for Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud, plus the new radio interview replay is available at alcohologist.com... and please read the new interview with Scott Stevens at Christoph Fisher Books.  Mr. Fisher is an acclaimed international historical fiction novelist from the UK

Saturday, January 4, 2014

Dry January 5, 2014


"Pitying myself over how lousy my guilt made me feel made me lose sight of how lucky I really was.  It was time to let it go and find out how much shock absorber I had left in me."

Dry January is an important initiative to stay alcohol-free and reduce the risks of harm caused by alcohol.  Each day's calendar page can be found on the Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud Facebook page and on Twitter @AlcoholAuthor. See more about quitting in 2014 on a feature at All That's Written.

The New Scientist editorial "Is Dry January really worth it" explains some of the overwhelming positives to putting down the booze or avoiding relapse if you're already sober.
(http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg22129502.600-our-liver-vacation-is-a-dry-january-really-worth-it.html#.UsQHnH7nbIV)

www.alcohologist.com

Details on the third literary award for Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud, plus the new radio interview replay is available at alcohologist.com... and please read the new interview with Scott Stevens at Christoph Fisher Books.  Mr. Fisher is an acclaimed international historical fiction novelist from the UK

The deadly mix of alcohol and cold weather

Dang, it is cold outside and getting colder in many regions.  In parts of the United States, we're looking at -70 degree Fahrenheit wind chills this weekend.  Alcohol, does NOT help warm you up.  It just might kill you.

The extreme cold temperatures bring about a warning or two about hypothermia. Hypothermia is a potentially fatal condition causing a change in your total body core temperature. A normal body temperature is 98.6 degrees, plus or minus one degree. But, with the extreme cold temperatures, it doesn`t take long for your body to fall below 94 degrees.

Hypothermia can cause problems with metabolism, organs and blood flow as well as disorientation or confusion. Symptoms of hypothermia include shivering, exhaustion, confusion, fumbling hands, memory loss, slurred speech and drowsiness.

One of the leading causes of hypothermia is alcohol abuse. When temperatures are this low, it’s important to wear clothing appropriate for extreme cold weather. However, bundling up doesn’t do much to counter the alcohol in the system. Alcohol abusers and those with the disease of alcoholism experience a sensation of warmth due to the alcohol, especially at higher concentrations. The sensation is not actual warming. Alcohol thins blood and increases blood flow near the skin, particularly in the extremities. The blood near the skin cools in the extreme temperatures, leading to hypothermia.

"Usually the instances you see are people who are intoxicated. You know, zero to negative 10 degrees is very unfriendly to drunk people. You know if you passed out in Orlando tonight, you`d probably get hypothermia and likely survive. If you passed out, tonight, in the Midwest, you wouldn`t survive it. It`s just the nature of it," said Dr. Lane Lee, Trinity Health Trauma Surgeon.
www.alcohologist.com

Details on the third literary award for Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud, plus the new radio interview replay is available at alcohologist.com... and please read the new interview with Scott Stevens at Christoph Fisher Books.  Mr. Fisher is an acclaimed international historical fiction novelist from the UK

Friday, January 3, 2014

Dry January 4, 2014


"Shamers may not think an alcoholic belongs in heaven, but guess what:  I want to go anyway.  So who's the one with the problem?"

Dry January is an important initiative to stay alcohol-free and reduce the risks of harm caused by alcohol.  Each day's calendar page can be found on the Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud Facebook page and on Twitter @AlcoholAuthor.

The New Scientist editorial "Is Dry January really worth it" explains some of the overwhelming positives to putting down the booze or avoiding relapse if you're already sober.
(http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg22129502.600-our-liver-vacation-is-a-dry-january-really-worth-it.html#.UsQHnH7nbIV)

The regular weekly SATURDAY REWIND will return in February.

www.alcohologist.com

Details on the third literary award for Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud, plus the new radio interview replay is available at alcohologist.com... and please read the new interview with Scott Stevens at Christoph Fisher Books.  Mr. Fisher is an acclaimed international historical fiction novelist from the UK

Thursday, January 2, 2014

Dry January 3, 2014


"Of all the characters who march across the stage of your recovery, misinformed manipulators with outdated views of the disease are the most dangerous."

Dry January is an important initiative to stay alcohol-free and reduce the risks of harm caused by alcohol.  Each day's calendar page can be found on the Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud Facebook page and on Twitter @AlcoholAuthor.

The New Scientist editorial "Is Dry January really worth it" explains some of the overwhelming positives to putting down the booze or avoiding relapse if you're already sober.
(http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg22129502.600-our-liver-vacation-is-a-dry-january-really-worth-it.html#.UsQHnH7nbIV)

www.alcohologist.com

Details on the third literary award for Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud, plus the new radio interview replay is available at alcohologist.com... and please read the new interview with Scott Stevens at Christoph Fisher Books.  Mr. Fisher is an acclaimed international historical fiction novelist from the UK

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Dry January 2, 2014


"Relapse can drive off additional people or people who were just coming back to your side, but it also kills a belief that everyone attempting sobriety shares: I've had my last drink.  You relapse and you're bumping a really fresh wound."

Dry January is an important initiative to stay alcohol-free and reduce the risks of harm caused by alcohol.  Each day's calendar page can be found on the Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud Facebook page and on Twitter @AlcoholAuthor.

The New Scientist editorial "Is Dry January really worth it" explains some of the overwhelming positives to putting down the booze or avoiding relapse if you're already sober.
(http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg22129502.600-our-liver-vacation-is-a-dry-january-really-worth-it.html#.UsQHnH7nbIV)

www.alcohologist.com

Details on the third literary award for Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud, plus the new radio interview replay is available at alcohologist.com... and please read the new interview with Scott Stevens at Christoph Fisher Books.  Mr. Fisher is an acclaimed international historical fiction novelist from the UK. 

Resolutions, part V: Alcohol leaves lasting legacy in brain and heart



New Year’s often brings resolutions to quit or cut back and/or avoid relapse. Quitting or cutting back can be as life-changing as pledges to work out more in 2013 or promises to get a new job for the new year. Here are additional long-term brain and heart considerations about alcohol use disorders, quitting and staying sober. If you don’t have the following conditions now, there are provable connections to getting them years after abstinence.

Heart disease
Heart disease is a leading cause of death in the U.S. and carries a definite link to alcohol misuse despite French studies showing low amounts of red wine benefiting the circulatory system. Acetaldehyde – a byproduct of the metabolism of alcohol – causes hypertension, a.k.a. high blood pressure. In a 2007 Medical University of South Carolina study, 120 alcohol users charted lower blood pressure only 12 weeks after abstaining.

Alcohol itself raids the body of vitamin B (Thiamin) which is essential for a healthy heart. B-deficiency enlarges the heart and creates distended neck veins, narrow pulse pressure, elevated diastolic blood pressure (the second number in your BP) and peripheral edema. Acetaldehyde also physically weakens muscle, the heart being your body’s most important one. Think of how the tongue muscle is weakened from drinking (slurring) and leg muscles are weakened (wobbliness) and the same thing is happening to the heart muscle. However, with the heart, the weakening causes damage that accumulates.

Acetaldehyde also increases cholesterol, especially triglycerides. High cholesterol is a leading indicator of heart trouble on the horizon and the number one condition treated with prescription drugs in the U.S.

Brain damage/mental disease
Cadaever brains have provided conclusive evidence of a brain atrophying (shrinking) after alcohol misuse. However, Dr Ernest Noble of University of California—Irvine says, “Brain damage caused by alcohol, in relatively small quantities can affect the ability of brain cells to make proteins and RNA . . . essential for metabolism and organization of all cells as well as their ability to duplicate themselves.” A former social drinker, he quit drinking at all upon conclusion of his study.

A 2012 study similarly indicates that moderate drinking reduces the production of new brain cells by 40 percent. The November 8, 2012 journal, Neuroscience, reports the level of alcohol intake was not even enough to impair the motor skills of the rats in the study, however, the decrease in the brain’s ability to create new cells could have profound effects on learning and memory later. The area of the brain that produces the neuron cells is the hippocampus, which is associated with learning and memory. Affecting this part of the brain might not be something immediately noticeable, but over time, weekly drinking could have so dramatically reduced the neurons that learning or remembering things becomes more difficult. The study indicates that people don’t have to be alcoholic to do damage to brain structures and that social drinking may be more harmful to people than is currently perceived by the general public.

The impact on mental health and the many fingers of the mind are varied. On one hand there are those who endure years of heavy drinking with the mind’s fingers remaining as nimble as a pianist’s. Others emerge not so deft. It is believed alcohol increases the chances for Alzheimer’s and earlier onset of dementia. Stanford University research in 2010 also proved that alcohol abuse and the disease of alcoholism cause deficits in working memory and visio-spatial abilities (think: coordination) even after abstinence.

Sociologist William Anixter pointed out in 1990 before the Anxiety Disorders Association’s Washington, DC, conference that 80 percent of Alcoholics suffer from depression. The unanswered question more than two decades later is how much of that was there organically and how much was caused by the alcohol/acetaldehyde. A 2007 study does make the connection between alcoholic liver disease and the mind. The frontal cortex—responsible for reasoning and memory—is more impaired in patients when they have cirrhosis.
--Adapted from Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud


Image: Adamr
www.alcohologist.com

(The usual weekly post, SUNDAY SNIPPET, will return 1/5)

Details on the third literary award for Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud, plus the new radio interview replay is available at alcohologist.com... and please read the new interview with Scott Stevens at Christoph Fisher Books.  Mr. Fisher is an acclaimed international historical fiction novelist from the UK. 

 

www.alcohologist.com