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Sunday, August 30, 2015

Pear juice, coffee, water, or Hair of the Dog won't cure alcohol hangovers


A July 2015 junk-science news article claimed pear juice cuts hangover symptoms.  A more recent news piece suggests that traditional hangover prevention tactics like loading up on greasy food or pounding water aren't really effective.  An article called Bourbon Legends on alcohologist.com back in 2013 debunked all those over the counter remedies, urban legends and old-wives tales about how to beat back the misery.  Instinctively, everyone knows there is no Holy Grail of hangover helpers, and one sure-fire prevention method. (Share the YouTube video or read the full article.)

Old tactics like 'Beer before liquor, never sicker' just defy math.  Having three beers before two shots of tequila or two shots before three beers still adds up to five drinks. The stomach and small intestine are responsible for absorbing the alcohol and make no distinction. All alcohol varieties metabolize at the same rate.

Other nutty experiments include eating pasta before bed, popping pain relievers and downing coffee. Eating before bed only widens the waistline. Popping acetaminophen (a.k.a. Tylenol) while or after drinking can permanently damage the liver. Drinking coffee only makes a wide-awake drunk.

It's merely urban legend that wine and diet drinks avoid hangovers. Wine – especially red wine – is actually worse than vodka, gin or other clearer drinks. Red wines contain tannins, which can turn a bad headache into an all-dayer.  A 2013 study appearing in Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research (see related examiner.com article) determined that diet sodas increase blood alcohol concentration (BAC) because of how the stomach processes the artificial sweeteners.

Throwing up only empties the stomach and it's too late anyway. Alcohol is absorbed very quickly by the stomach and small intestine linings, which may have already begun to speed the alcohol to the bloodstream well before the finger-in-the-throat trick. 'Hair of the Dog' fixes nothing.  Morning drinking is a sign of alcohol abuse and the disease of alcoholism. More alcohol never helped anyone. It only postpones the hangover, which has its worst symptoms when the BAC reaches .00.

The only proven cure is time... or just not drinking.

Visit alcohologist.com for a replay of CBS Sports' Power Up Your Health featuring Scott Stevens.  Host Ed Forteau led a discussion on risky myths of about "healthy" drinking.  Lucy Pireel's "All That's Written" included a feature on Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud called "When alcohol doesn't work for you anymore."  Details on the third literary award for Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud also can be found on www.alcohologist.com, plus the NEW book, Adding Fire to the Fuel, is now available. Download the FREE Alcohology app in the Google PlayStore today.

Sunday, August 23, 2015

Alcohol: A carcinogen hiding in plain sight


Alcohol is a carcinogen.  Even moderate alcohol use may substantially increase the risk of getting and dying from cancer.  Alcohol use accounts for about 3.5 percent of all U.S. cancer deaths annually, according to a study I summarized almost three years ago. Most deaths seemed to occur among people who consumed more than three alcoholic drinks a day, but those who consumed 1.5 beverages daily may account for up to one-third of those deaths, the researchers found.  (Video at YouTube and the online transcript)

Researchers examined seven types of cancers known to be linked to alcohol use: cancers of the mouth and pharynx, larynx, esophagus, liver, colon, rectum and female breast. Breast cancer accounted for the most common alcohol-related cancer deaths among women, contributing to 15 percent of all breast-cancer deaths. Alcohol remains the only dietary factor leading to an increased breast cancer risk.  Among men, cancers of the mouth, pharynx, larynx and esophagus accounted for the most alcohol-linked cancer deaths.

"The relationship between alcohol and cancer is strong, but is not widely appreciated by the public and remains underemphasized even by physicians," according to a Boston University alcohol researcher (see related 2013 article).  Alcohol is a big preventable cancer risk factor that has been hiding in plain sight.  Not just for those with the disease of alcoholism:  Alcoholics and “social” drinkers share the same cancer risk.  When it comes to cancer, there is no safe level of alcohol use.

News reports in August 2015 claimed the cancer link is new… however, it's been in all three books on www.alcohologist.com , predating the "breaking" news by five years – the first definitive links between alcohol and cancer go back to 1987 – and the connection between alcohol use and breast cancer has been examined since the 1920's. The toxin is listed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as a human carcinogen… and has been since 2000.  Yet, according to two studies, (one featured in an Examiner.com article 19 months ago) only 25 to 35 percent of the public knows this fact.

Among the alcohol/cancer links cited in these books from various evidence-based studies were:
• “significantly” higher risks for cancers of the pharynx, oral cavity and larynx. In fact, a previous episode demonstrated alcohol is the second-leading cause of mouth cancers.
• alcohol users are 1.6 times more likely to develop pancreatic cancer, the most fatal of cancers.
• an estimated 75 percent of esophageal cancers in the U.S. are attributable to alcohol consumption.
• breast cancer risks increase 10 percent for every 10 grams of alcohol consumed daily. That’s about one drink, as reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) November 2, 2011. Women who consumed even “modest” amounts of alcohol (equivalent to 3-6 glasses of wine per week) were linked with a 15 percent increase of developing the disease. Researchers also found that the increased risk of breast cancer for those who drank at least two drinks daily was 51 percent higher compared to women who never drank alcohol.
• Men who consumed an average of more than four drinks per day were 65 percent more likely to develop stomach cancer than men who were very light drinkers or abstainers.

Stevens is Director of Marketing for The Manor.  Visit alcohologist.com for a replay of CBS Sports' Power Up Your Health featuring Scott Stevens.  Host Ed Forteau led a discussion on risky myths of about "healthy" drinking.  Lucy Pireel's "All That's Written" included a feature on Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud called "When alcohol doesn't work for you anymore."  Details on the third literary award for Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud also can be found on www.alcohologist.com, plus the NEW book, Adding Fire to the Fuel, is now available. Download the FREE Alcohology app in the Google PlayStore today.

Sunday, August 16, 2015

Nearly one in five older adults drink daily, but not without greater risk than those younger than 65


A July 2014 study by consumer analysts, The Mintel Group, concludes 18 percent of people over age of 65 drink daily. (Share the video or read the transcript). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says one in ten in this age group is a binge drinker. Not every daily or binge drinker is alcoholic, however there are considerations aside from the disease of alcoholism:
There’s a three times higher rate of depression compared to non-drinking seniors;
Drinkers have a three times greater risk of hip fracture; and
Drinkers past the retirement age have a 16 times greater likelihood of a suicide attempt compared to a non-drinker.
There are drug interactions as well, as highlighted in a previous episode, and as people age they generally are prescribed more medications and take more over the counter remedies. All in, more than 120 meds have an adverse reaction to alcohol.
Statistics on alcohol-related deaths in older adults are not entirely accurate, although they point to a higher toll than the under-60 crowd. Take for example, a retiree who has a wicked fall following a drinking episode or an alcohol/drug interaction. The medical examiner's “cause of death” would be a head injury. What caused the head injury? Or more to the point, what caused the fall? Back to an earlier stat: Why do drinkers have a higher likelihood of hip fracture? Not just because old age weakens bone, but because alcohol compromises an already compromised sense of balance.
A July 2015 British Medical Journal study noted that those over age 50 who are active, social and well-off are drinking more – a “middle class phenomenon” which may be a hidden health and social problem in otherwise successful older people.

What may skew all the stats on the extent of drinking in older adults is that maybe they’re drinking the same as ever before (which would be bad news or no news) but now they’re wise enough to admit to problem drinking and seek help for alcohol use disorders that nobody solves on their own (and that's good news).

Visit alcohologist.com for a replay of CBS Sports' Power Up Your Health featuring Scott Stevens.  Host Ed Forteau led a discussion on risky myths of about "healthy" drinking.  Lucy Pireel's "All That's Written" included a feature on Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud called "When alcohol doesn't work for you anymore."  Details on the third literary award for Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud also can be found on www.alcohologist.com, plus the NEW book, Adding Fire to the Fuel, is now available. Download the FREE Alcohology app in the Google PlayStore today.

Sunday, August 9, 2015

Environment and culture combine with genetics to influence alcoholism


There is a genetic predisposition to alcoholism (watch the YouTube video). Doctors have known for years there are genetic components to this disease. Six years ago while researching my first book, the evidence was clear on genetics, even if heredity wasn't as clear a picture. The human genome project shed light specifically on which genes and chromosomes are flawed in alcoholics. Chromosomes 4Q and 11, for example, have been indicated.

But just because a person has a genetic predisposition doesn't mean they're drinkers dying for a drink or alcoholics dying from one. There are millions of Americans with flawed chromosomes who don't even know it because they don't drink alcohol. You cannot have the disease of alcoholism without having exposure to alcohol. Regardless of DNA. Just like you can have a genetic predisposition to certain cancers, and live a cancer-free life. They're also millions of alcoholics who find out the hard way their genetic makeup is flawed, experience the disease, and now choose total abstinence to manage the incurable condition.

Beyond genetics, there are other factors that come into play when a person chooses alcohol, and when alcohol turns on them. Two of the most important ones are environment and culture.

Environment means the surroundings in which they were raised. In my case, every family gathering we had – birthdays, holidays, Sundays, Mondays, Tuesdays, etc. – included alcohol. Also, my father would come home from work and pop open an ice-cold can of PBR. That's how a man finished his day of work. Other children grow up an environment where they see mom having a glass of wine to calm down or relieve stress and they learn in that environment that's what you do to relieve stress.


What is meant by culture is that we are bombarded with advertisements and social situations that glorify the feel-good part of this drug. It is the cultural norm in the U.S. and many countries to drink socially, and abstinence is considered abnormal and is stigmatized. The point is, genetics don't put the bottle in your hand. Your parents don't put the bottle in your hand. Your friends and coworkers don't put the bottle in your hand. Whether you have the disease of alcoholism, or just don't want to find out if you do, don't take the first drink. And if you are drinking why take the next one?

Visit alcohologist.com for a replay of CBS Sports' Power Up Your Health featuring Scott Stevens.  Host Ed Forteau led a discussion on risky myths of about "healthy" drinking.  Lucy Pireel's "All That's Written" included a feature on Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud called "When alcohol doesn't work for you anymore."  Details on the third literary award for Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud also can be found on www.alcohologist.com, plus the NEW book, Adding Fire to the Fuel, is now available. Download the FREE Alcohology app in the Google PlayStore today.

Sunday, August 2, 2015

Four signals of alcohol-related liver damage


If the liver had pain nerves, nobody would ever take a second drink.  The stuff is that toxic. Spill a drop in a cut or an accidental splash in the eye will demonstrate what I mean.  The liver is a resilient, tough toxin eradicating giant, but it will let you know when it's had enough punishment. (Read the transcript or share the YouTube video )

Here are four tells of alcohol-related liver damage.
1) Waste elimination issues.  Bloody or black stool is a sign you've damaged something.  See a doctor immediately. Dark urine, light-colored diarrhea are more common.  They're caused by your body dumping bile, which it over produces to combat the toxin.  The yellow is from bilirubin, a pigment in the bile. Urine will be dark when you're dehydrated.  Another issue associated with alcohol.  But consistently dark urine is a warning sign your liver is in danger.  Also, bilirubin is eliminated in sweat. A white shirt will look yellow in the arm pit.

2) Bilirubin also makes you appear jaundiced, which is a yellowing of tissues.  The first place you'll notice this is not the skin, but the whites of the eyes.  Fingernails also can yellow.

3) A swollen and/or sensitive abdomen is a telling sign you're pretty far down the path on alcohol-related liver damage.  The liver becomes fatty.  It's located mostly behind the ribcage, and when it swells in size it will force your other entrails down to the softer belly.  Cirrhosis also builds up fluid in the abdomen as well.

4) If you tire easily or feel fatigued, blame the alcohol.  It doesn't just clobber your sleep, as covered in previous episodes of The Sobriety :60+.  The body also is working overtime and channeling energy to remove alcohol and its toxic byproduct just to survive.  This is the most common symptom, and most overlooked one until it is joined by some of the other ones.

These conditions can be the results of other health challenges, but if you're a drinker, the obvious solution is usually the right one: Quit.  What causes problems, is one.

Visit alcohologist.com for a replay of CBS Sports' Power Up Your Health featuring Scott Stevens.  Host Ed Forteau led a discussion on risky myths of about "healthy" drinking.  Lucy Pireel's "All That's Written" included a feature on Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud called "When alcohol doesn't work for you anymore."  Details on the third literary award for Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud also can be found on www.alcohologist.com, plus the NEW book, Adding Fire to the Fuel, is now available. Download the FREE Alcohology app in the Google PlayStore today.