NEWS RELEASE: Upcoming Alcohol Awareness Month about more than alcoholism, drunk driving

Orignal post on PRBuzz.com

April 2017's thirty-first observance of Alcohol Awareness Month is the first since the U.S. Surgeon General signaled a shift in alcohol policy. The Surgeon General's Report on Alcohol, Drugs, and Health marks the first time the office took on the health impact of alcohol use in a manner similar to the way the same office took on tobacco smoke in 1964. Award-winning alcohol and health writer, Scott Stevens, says, “All alcohol use impacts health, healthcare costs, and the economy. It's not just about impaired driving or the disease of alcoholism anymore. The dialogue on this drug is changing from what it does for the drinker, to what it does to the drinker.”

Stevens released I can't see the forest with all these damn trees in the way: The health consequences of alcohol December 2, immediately after the Surgeon General's “unprecedented” report. “Alcohol use is a cost driver for the health system because more long-term health consequences from moderate drinking are coming to light… while more ‘benefits’ of 'responsible' drinking are being debunked,” Stevens says. “I’ve championed this theme since my first book in 2010 and in each of the two books that followed.”

Among the scientific findings on alcohol use:

The carcinogen alcohol causes eight types of cancer. It is the only dietary link to increased breast cancer risk and the second-leading cause of oral cancers.

...Stroke risk doubles immediately on a single drink and remains elevated two hours later.

...Heart disease is not prevented by alcohol: It is caused by and worsened by alcohol use.

...Plus 60 more pages on the evidence-based health fallout from so-called moderate use.

Twenty-to-forty percent of hospital resources go to treating alcohol-related complications according to the National Council on Alcohol and Drug Dependence, Inc. (NCADD). The economy takes a $250 billion annual hit from alcohol costs, mostly lost productivity, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Stevens adds, “It's easy to see what causes the problems, is the problem. Alcohol's consequences aren't just for hard drinkers and certainly aren't limited to alcoholism or drinking and driving.This is a drug, a toxin, and a carcinogen in any amount. People routinely complain about healthcare costs and sagging productivity… over a beer or a shot. They’re not seeing the forest. Just the trees.”

The book is available at Amazon, other online and bricks-and-mortar booksellers, and the author's website www.alcohologist.com. It is the second release by the author in the past year, preceded by an educational DVD series, The A-Files: Alcohol A-Z.

Each of Stevens's three books includes a chapter on the health fallout of drinking alcohol. “It's not about discouraging drinking, except for the alcoholic. It's about making informed decisions about using alcohol based on evidence-based science. Informed decisions don't come from observational studies and wishful thinking.”

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About the Author

The noted journalist on alcoholism is a founding influencer of the world's largest medical portal, HealthTap.com. His books on the disease include 2010's What the Early Worm Gets, 2012's Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud, which earned finalist honors in the Indie Book Awards and USA Best Books Awards in 2013, and Adding Fire to the Fuel, a 2015 USA Best Books Awards Finalist and 2016 Book Excellence Award winner. He also created the Alcohology mobile app.

An addiction is anything you have to hide

(Originally posted on AddictedMinds.com)

A many-faceted challenge for families, interventionists, and other addiction pros alike is defining an addiction. We have textbook definitions. We have tests. But when it comes down to addressing the addiction with an addict in denial that he or she has one, we are consistently challenged with breaking down denial.
Signaling the problem, we turn to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM). The latest version is October 2016’s DSM-5. Its 11-part impersonal analysis for any substance use disorder:

1. Taking the substance in larger amounts or for longer than the you meant to
2. Wanting to cut down or stop using the substance but not managing to
3. Spending a lot of time getting, using, or recovering from use of the substance
4. Cravings and urges to use the substance
5. Not managing to do what you should at work, home or school, because of substance use
6. Continuing to use, even when it causes problems in relationships
7. Giving up important social, occupational or recreational activities because of substance use
8. Using substances again and again, even when it puts the you in danger
9. Continuing use, even when you know you have a physical or psychological problem that could have been caused or made worse by the substance
10. Needing more of the substance to get the effect you want (tolerance)
11. Development of withdrawal symptoms, which can be relieved by taking more of the substance.

Signs, signs, everywhere signs

The DSM 5 allows clinicians to specify how severe the addiction is, depending on how many of the 11 signs are present. Two or three symptoms indicate a mild substance use disorder, four or five symptoms indicate a moderate substance use disorder, and six or more symptoms indicate a severe substance use disorder.

BOOM! That was easy.

Now tell the addict he or she is one and needs help. The 947 pages of the American Psychiatric Association’s ‘bible’ do little for that discussion. Assume very few people under the influence of a mind-altering drug have the capacity to use that same mind to analyze (honestly) the symptoms.

A simple pair of personal questions gets at the a-ha moment the impersonal DSM can’t get at eyeball-to-eyeball:
Are you hiding your use? Why?

The answers are C-R-I-T-I-C-A-L to making change. You can get at any of those 11 DSM criteria with those two questions. We hide use because we don’t want anyone to see. Or judge. Or evaluate us on a DSM scale. We don’t want them to see because we don’t want to hear that it’s “wrong” or “shameful” or fill-in-the-blank. Yet, family sees. Counselors see. The addict needs that vision and it comes from that introspection. And very few – if any – are ever asked directly what they are hiding, and why are they hiding it.

Scott Stevens is the author of four alcohol books including the December 2016 release, I Can’t See The Forest With All These Damn Trees In The Way: The Health Consequences of Alcohol. Buy the new BookLocker title now on Amazon (viewbook.at/prehab), alcohologist.com, and everywhere books are sold. Stevens also heads up BlogTender LLC, a content marketing firm headquartered in Lake Geneva, Wis.

Photo by Vasilisa Karpova, used with permission.

Study: 33 million have an 'I-Don't-Have-a-Problem' alcohol problem

Researchers from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) asked 36,000 adults about lifetime drinking habits, including current or within the past year. In the study published June 3 online in JAMA Psychiatry, 14 percent of adults were current or recent problem drinkers, or nearly 33 million nationally. Thirty percent – almost 69 million – had been at some point in their lives.

The study uses a newer classification of alcohol use disorders from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-5) released in 2013. Using the older DSM-IV definition, the rates of problem drinking were still higher: 13 percent for current or recent problem drinking and 44 percent for lifetime prevalence – up from 9 percent and 30 percent in the agency’s 2001-02 survey.

Alcohol abuse and the disease alcoholism (see, Know the Difference) are often untreated, partly due to society's stigma on those with alcohol use disorders, and in part due to denial. According to recovery book Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud, “people with the disease of alcoholism often point to others as having a problem, but they personally don't have one, because it is the only disease that convinces the carrier that he/she doesn't have it.”

The study's author, the NIAAA's Bridget F. Grant, says, “This study highlighted the urgency of educating the public and policy makers about alcohol use disorder and its treatments, destigmatizing the disorder, and encouraging among those who cannot reduce their alcohol consumption on their own, despite substantial harm to themselves and others, to seek treatment.” The numbers may be low, too. In a Nov. 18, 2011 ABC News/Gallup Poll, 67 percent of Americans admitted to having ever abused alcohol. The CDC puts the number at 61.2 percent currently drinking frequently and 14 percent former regular drinkers. Drinking problems were most prevalent among men, whites and Native Americans. Low-income adults, those younger than 30 and those who never married also relatively high rates. Problem drinking also was more common among city dwellers than those in rural areas, while the West and Midwest had higher rates than other regions.

NIAA director, George Koob, said it’s unclear why problem drinking has increased but that many people underestimate the dangers of excessive alcohol. “Many won’t seek help because of stigma and denial, and many don’t realize that medications and behavior treatments can help.” A new alcoholism recovery book,Adding Fire to the Fuel, is being released at the REEL Recovery Film Festival in San Francisco June 13 and addresses the stigma of alcohol use disorders. “It's a disease: Same kind of chronic, progressive, incurable-but-treatable, primary and fatal classification as cancer or diabetes. When we handle people with those other diseases with empathy, and dish out distaste to alcoholics or recovering ones, we create a social and economic problem that's passed its tipping point,” notes the author.

The new book looks at the stigma around alcoholism and alcoholism recovery as a $226 billion annual problem hiding in plain sight. “The story of alcohol and America's affair with it keeps it from being recognized as the problem. Instead, people with the disease of alcoholism are considered the problem. 'Alcoholic' is a pejorative today. That's ripe for change.”

The book includes a graph delineating the differences between alcohol abuse and alcoholism. People interested in evaluating their own alcohol consumption can take any number of self-tests (see related video, Alcoholism Screening Explained). Naturally, the most recommended assessment isn't one done alone, but by a medical or counseling professional. The DSM-5 lists 11 criteria for alcohol use disorders. In the past year, have you:

1. Had times when you ended up drinking more, or longer than you intended?

1. More than once wanted to cut down or stop drinking, or tried to, but couldn’t?

1. Spent a lot of time drinking? Or being sick or getting over the aftereffects?

1. Experienced craving — a strong need, or urge, to drink?

1. Found that drinking — or being sick from drinking — often interfered with taking care of your home or family? Or caused job troubles? Or school problems?

1. Continued to drink even though it was causing trouble with your family or friends?

1. Given up or cut back on activities that were important or interesting to you, or gave you pleasure, in order to drink?

1. More than once gotten into situations while or after drinking that increased your chances of getting hurt (such as driving, swimming, using machinery, walking in a dangerous area, or having unsafe sex)?

1. Continued to drink even though it was making you feel depressed or anxious or adding to another health problem? Or after having had a memory blackout?

1. Had to drink much more than you once did to get the effect you want? Or found that your usual number of drinks had much less effect than before?

1. Found that when the effects of alcohol were wearing off, you had withdrawal symptoms, such as trouble sleeping, shakiness, irritability, anxiety, depression, restlessness, nausea, or sweating? Or sensed things that were not there?

“If you have any of these symptoms, your drinking may already be a cause for concern,” reads the manual, however any two or more of the criteria constitutes an alcohol use disorder as identified in the NIAAA study.

Visit alcohologist.com for a replay of CBS Sports' Power Up Your Health featuring Scott Stevens.  Host Ed Forteau led a discussion on the health risks and myths of health benefits of 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 an interview with Christoph Fisher Books.  Mr. Fisher is an acclaimed international author from the UK, among his works is the Alzheimer's book "Time to Let Go."  Download the FREE Alcohology app in the Google PlayStore today.

The Sobriety :60+:OD, car wrecks, cirrhosis combined cause less than 1/3 of alcohol-related deaths

OD, car wrecks, and cirrhosis are only the tip of the alcohol-related death iceberg. Read the transcript and share the youtube video.

Visit alcohologist.com for a replay of CBS Sports' Power Up Your Health featuring Scott Stevens.  Host Ed Forteau led a discussion on the health risks and myths of health benefits of 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 an interview with Christoph Fisher Books.  Mr. Fisher is an acclaimed international author from the UK, among his works is the Alzheimer's book "Time to Let Go."  Download the FREE Alcohology app in the Google PlayStore today.

UM study: Alcohol detectors in all cars would cut impaired driving crash deaths 85 percent

Researchers at the University of Michigan Injury Center and the school's Transportation Research Institute studied the impact of installing alcohol ignition interlock devices in all newly purchased vehicles over a 15-year period. According to the March 19 UM news release, 85 percent of crash deaths attributable to alcohol-involved motor vehicle crashes would be eliminated by the device.

The study authors conclude, “That would mean preventing more than 59,000 deaths. Another 1.25 million nonfatal injuries would also be prevented, as the nation would see a reduction of 84-89 percent. When it comes to dollars, all these lives saved and injuries prevented would save society $343 billion over 15 years. In fact, the cost of installing the devices would be recouped after just three years.”

This is the first study that models the impact of a universal policy installing alcohol interlocks on all new vehicles sold in the U.S. It was based on data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System and the National Automotive Sampling System's General Estimates System.

Though the injury prevention benefit was apparent for all ages, drivers who are closest to the legal drinking age would likely be the most significant beneficiaries of alcohol interlocks. Among drivers ages 21 to 29 years, about 481,000 deaths and injuries would be prevented, nearly 35 percent of total deaths and injuries for all age groups. Drivers under 21 who engaged in drinking while driving would also benefit substantially, with nearly 195,000 deaths and impaired driving ("drunk driving") injuries potentially prevented.

"It is often difficult to penetrate these age groups with effective public health interventions and policies to prevent drinking and driving," said lead author Patrick Carter, assistant professor at the medical school. "By capitalizing on recent technological advancements that make alcohol-detecting sensors seamless to the driver and applying such technology more broadly to all newly built vehicles, we can actually have a substantial injury prevention impact among traditionally hard-to-reach high-risk populations."

The research was supported by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the univeristy's Injury Center.

In 2012, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recommended a passive alcohol detector for all cars (see related story). "Technology is the game-changer in reducing alcohol-related crashes on our nation's roadways," said Deborah A.P. Hersman, NTSB chairman, in a statement posted on the NTSB web site. "Achieving zero alcohol-impaired driving-related deaths is possible only if society is willing to separate the impaired driver from the driving task."

Critics worry that such systems have not yet been perfected and that they may not distinguish the driver's breath from that of a passenger, among other concerns.

The book, What the Early Worm Gets first made a call for this passive type of detection in 2010. “Some Americans will balk at this as an intrusion. If we, as a country, say preventing intoxicated driving deaths is a priority, mandating this safety equipment the way seatbelts and airbags are required is a no brainer. If we say 'hands off MY booze just test the bad guys,' drinking and driving deaths are no priority... 3/4 of impaired drivers who cause death or injury have no prior convictions.

“This is a put-up-or-shut-up moment for communities that claim keeping the streets free of impaired drivers is a prime concern. The only reason the detectors won't entirely eradicate mixing gasoline and alcohol is that the legal limit to which they'll be set is .08 BAC while motor skills, reaction time and judgment begin to be impaired at .02.”

(See entire article)

Visit alcohologist.com for a replay of CBS Sports' Power Up Your Health featuring Scott Stevens.  Host Ed Forteau led a discussion on the health risks and myths of health benefits of 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 an interview with Christoph Fisher Books.  Mr. Fisher is an acclaimed international author from the UK, among his works is the Alzheimer's book "Time to Let Go."  Download the FREE Alcohology app in the Google PlayStore today.

Physical withdrawal from alcohol in The Sobriety :60+

It's the only drug withdrawal other than benzodiazepines that can kill a person. Find out the physical symptoms on YouTube  or read the transcript.

Visit alcohologist.com for a replay of CBS Sports' Power Up Your Health featuring Scott Stevens.  Host Ed Forteau led a discussion on the health risks and myths of health benefits of 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 an interview with Christoph Fisher Books.  Mr. Fisher is an acclaimed international author from the UK, among his works is the Alzheimer's book "Time to Let Go."  Download the FREE Alcohology app in the Google PlayStore today.

The Sobriety :60 #17 looks at alcohol's role in flu and pneumonia

Alcohol use compromises immune health (19th century discovery) but here's how new science has pegged the link between flu and booze, plus how drinking makes pneumonia worse. Read the article or watch the video on YouTube youtu.be/80D_eaLtbD0
www.alcohologist.com

Visit alcohologist.com for a replay of the Bringing Inspiration To Earth show feature with Scott Stevens. 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 an interview with Scott Stevens on Health Media Now and one at Christoph Fisher Books.  Mr. Fisher is an acclaimed international author from the UK, among his works is the Alzheimer's book "Time to Let Go."  

The Sobriety :60 #16 - Alcohol doesn't warm you, it increases hypothermia risk

The extreme cold temperatures bring about a warning or two about hypothermia, including the sixteenth episode of The Sobriety :60. (video) (article)

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 temperatures as warm as 40, it doesn`t take long for your body to fall below 94 degrees.

One of the leading causes of hypothermia is alcohol abuse. When temperatures are in the 40s and lower, it’s important to wear clothing appropriate for cold weather. However, bundling up doesn’t do much to counter alcohol in the system. Alcohol gives a sensation of warmth, especially at higher concentrations. The sensation is not actual warming. Alcohol thins blood and increases blood flow near the skin. It's called vasodilation in doctorspeak. The blood near the skin cools in the extreme temperatures, leading to hypothermia.

Symptoms of hypothermia include shivering, exhaustion, confusion, fumbling hands, memory loss, slurred speech and drowsiness. Symptoms of too much booze include exhaustion, confusion, fumbling hands, memory loss, slurred speech and drowsiness. The drunk mind says, AH I'LL BE OK. The hypothermic mind says, "WHOA, I better start shutting down metabolism and some organs."  Point is, you won't know the difference if you don't bundle up, layoff the booze or both.

Fahrenheit or Celsius, zero degrees is very unfriendly to intoxicated people. 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. 

Some people will drink in the cold because they think it 'warms them up.' But it can kill you.
www.alcohologist.com

Visit alcohologist.com for a replay of the Bringing Inspiration To Earth show feature with Scott Stevens. 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 an interview with Scott Stevens on Health Media Now and one at Christoph Fisher Books.  Mr. Fisher is an acclaimed international author from the UK, among his works is the Alzheimer's book "Time to Let Go."  

Teen drinking under parent's eye not harmless: Damages brain, encourages trouble

The European model of letting teens experiment with drinking at home – with meals or socially – doesn’t stand up to its alleged benefits of keeping them free of danger or educating them about responsible use. New research from Australia’s National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre suggests rethinking when parents permit young people to use alcohol because of damage to the brain.

The popular European theory has parents claiming 'they're better off drinking at home with me where I can supervise' in the belief this somehow protects teens from binge drinking later. The Research Centre studied 2000 families over four years and proved it doesn't work.

In the U.S. a 2011 Monitoring the Future Survey found one third of U.S. eighth graders and seven of 10 high school seniors had tried alcohol. Thirteen percent of eighth graders and 40 percent of twelfth graders drank during the past month. The Australian study found teenagers whose parents supply alcohol in early adolescence are three times as likely to be drinking full servings of alcohol at age 16 as children in families that do not supply alcohol.

Teen drinking, however, alters DNA, damages a developing brain, and can lead to health and behavioral trouble later on, according to the Australian study. (See related 2013 examiner article on Alcohol and DNA.) John Scott from Australia’s DrinkWise says: "We'd advise that parents delay for as long as possible, acknowledging that many parents know that their kids are going to start drinking or sneaking the occasional drink, but we'd say delay as long as possible."

Aside from the negative health outcomes, Ian Hickie from the University of Sydney’s Brain & Mind Research Institute says the assumed behavioral benefit of having kids ‘learn’ to drink at home doesn’t hold water: "In fact, it's the opposite, you've probably normalized the behavior and probably increase the chance that they'll drink irresponsibly in another place."

"Underage drinking should not be a normal part of growing up. It's a serious and persistent public health problem that puts our young people and our communities in danger," said U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Administrator Pamela S. Hyde. "Even though drinking is often glamorized, the truth is that underage drinking can lead to poor academic performance, sexual assault, injury, and even death." Teen drinking also can lead to alcohol abuse as an adult or the disease of alcoholism.

Oh, yeah… it’s also illegal in the U.S. and, in most jurisdictions, against the law for parents to supply it.

Parents have the biggest influence on their teen's drinking, and their vulnerable developing brains. Hickie adds, "It's important for you to say 'I'm concerned because your brain's still growing, I'm concerned that you won't get the maximum brain function at the end of the day.

“Being a responsible drinker comes down to making good decisions. To make good decisions, you need a brain that's reached full potential,” he concluded.

www.alcohologist.com

Visit alcohologist.com for a replay of the Bringing Inspiration To Earth show feature with Scott Stevens. 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 an interview with Scott Stevens on Health Media Now and one at Christoph Fisher Books.  Mr. Fisher is an acclaimed international author from the UK, among his works is the Alzheimer's book "Time to Let Go."  

The Sobriety :60 - Senior Health

A new survey puts the number of drinking adults aged 65 and older at 18 percent.  Here are a few other alcohol-related health considerations for seniors in 60 seconds.  http://youtu.be/MfRph1jObVY

Visit alcohologist.com for a replay of the Bringing Inspiration To Earth show feature with Scott Stevens. 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 an interview with Scott Stevens on Health Media Now and one at Christoph Fisher Books.  Mr. Fisher is an acclaimed international author from the UK, among his works is the Alzheimer's book "Time to Let Go."  

Aggressive teens -- even the girls -- more prone to drinking and are drinking more

A Finnish study released Aug. 6 in the Journal of Adolescence finds teenagers who behave aggressively are more likely to drink alcohol and in larger quantities than their peers. According to the researchers, this study found aggressive behavior to be more common in teen girls compared to boys aged 13- to 18-years-old.

"The findings raise questions about a possible change in the behavior of adolescent girls and their vulnerability during adolescent social and emotional development," says Eila Laukkanen, lead researcher, in a University of Eastern Finland news release.

The study investigated the association between aggressive behavior or other psychosocial problems and alcohol use among more than 4,000 Finnish teens. The results indicate that smoking and attention problems also increase the probability of alcohol abuse. Among girls, parental divorce and earlier onset of menstrual periods also are associated with drinking.

The study made no mention whether the behavior turned aggressive because of poorer judgment caused by alcohol consumption, or if the drinking was an outgrowth of underlying aggressive attitudes.

A related article in the same journal a decade earlier performed an analysis of studies evaluating the connection between violent video game content and teen aggression. The article, one of the most downloaded pieces from the journal, made the not-quite-unexpected conclusion that the violent games are “significantly linked” to increases in aggressive behavior and thoughts, as well as cardiovascular arousal and decreases in helping behavior. “Experimental studies reveal this linkage to be causal. Correlational studies reveal a linkage to serious, real-world types of aggression.”

Child psychology experts are quick to add that teen aggression can stem from other causes, not just gaming. Stress from peer pressure can cause acting out. Physical changes can result in confusion, frustration and anger. Teens can also react with hostility due to real or perceived academic and extracurricular overload. According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, some other factors related to teen aggression include being the victim of physical and/or sexual abuse, exposure to violence in the home/community/media, as well as socioeconomic factors like poverty, single parenting or family unemployment. Aggression can be related to brain damage from head injury.

Regardless of the cause of the aggression, the new Finnish study did note that the proportion of teens turning to alcohol was unchanged compared to earlier surveys, but the ones who are drinking may be consuming more. More than one in four 12- to 20-year-olds in the United States have had a drink in the past month according to a Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) report. The rate of minors drinking in the nation was 26.6 percent. (See “Report: 1 in 4 minors are drinking alcohol”)

Underage drinking leads to higher incidence of crime and alcohol use disorders such as alcohol abuse and the disease of alcoholism in adults. Although there has been progress in reducing underage drinking in recent years, particularly among those aged 17 and younger, the rates of underage drinking are still “unacceptably high” according to SAMSHA.
(see full article)

www.alcohologist.com

imagerymajestic photo, used with permission

Visit alcohologist.com for a replay of the Bringing Inspiration To Earth show feature with Scott Stevens. 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 an interview with Scott Stevens on Health Media Now and one at Christoph Fisher Books.  Mr. Fisher is an acclaimed international author from the UK, among his works is the Alzheimer's book "Time to Let Go."  

Excess drinking damages lungs, not just liver

Heavy drinkers are at a much greater risk of developing lung problems, like pneumonia and life-threatening acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), according to new research from Philadelphia's Thomas Jefferson University. Researchers suspect those with the disease of alcoholism are more susceptible to these lung diseases because the immune system in the lung is no longer strong enough to protect from infection and damage, the June 30 report concludes.

Similar to how alcohol begins to destroy the liver, researchers discovered that one of the keys to immune system failure in the lung is a build-up of fat. “We call it the alcoholic fatty lung,” says lead researcher Ross Summer, M.D. “The fat accumulation in the lungs mimics the process that causes fat to build up and destroy the liver of alcoholics.” The unique finding offers the possibility of a new treatment.

When people drink, liver cells begin to produce fat, possibly as a defense mechanism against the toxicity of the alcohol or because the body fuels itself on alcohol calories rather than fats. Over extended and frequent alcohol exposure, the fat accumulates and heavy drinkers develop “fatty liver disease.” The fat impairs liver function but can also cause scarring that eventually leads to liver failure.

The lungs also contain cells that make fat to coat the inner lining of the lung to keep the airways properly lubricated during breathing. Dr. Summer and colleagues explored whether these cells might behave in a similar way to liver cells after extended alcohol exposure by also accumulating fat.

After extended exposure to alcohol in rats, the researchers noticed that lung's fat-secreting cells doubled their production of triglycerides (a cholesterol) and increased free fatty acids by 300 percent compared to rats fed a non-alcoholic diet. The researchers also observed more fats in lung macrophages, which are immune cells that normally rid lungs of bacteria and sick cells. “It’s likely that the macrophages try to engulf the excess fat in order to protect the cells in the lung, but in doing so, they become less effective sentinels against infection and disease,” said Summer.

If the same process can be observed in humans – research that Dr. Summer is currently exploring – it would suggest that lipid-lowering “fibrate” drugs could be useful in treating alcohol-related pneumonia and in preventing the development of ARDS. Fibrates are not the same as the commonly-prescribed cholesterol-lowering statin drugs such as the brand Lipitor. Fibrates reduce the production of triglycerides and can increase HDL (good) cholesterol. Examples include the brands Atromid, Tricor and Lopid.

--(see full article)

www.alcohologist.com

Scroll down for the replay of the April 13 Sound Health Options show feature with Scott Stevens. 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 can be found on www.alcohologist.com, plus an interview with Scott Stevens on Health Media Now and one at Christoph Fisher Books.  Mr. Fisher is an acclaimed international author from the UK, among his works is the Alzheimer's book "Time to Let Go."  

National Kidney Month: Alcohol damages kidneys, can cause failure

A single drink affects the normal function of a person's kidneys in a chain of events that begins with alcohol displacing water in the body. March is National Kidney Month, and the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) reports that alcohol use – from a single binge to constant use with the disease of alcoholism – is one of the more complex ways kidneys are damaged from the body's delicate balance of water.

Alcohol alters the filtering ability of the kidneys. The organs filter about 200 quarts (189 liters) of blood daily. The body gets rid of cellular waste through them, ultimately in urine, and the organs also regulate the concentrations of sodium, potassium, magnesium, chloride and phosphate.

Sodium and potassium are needed within the body to maintain water concentrations within the cells. Magnesium is used for enzyme activity. Chloride is needed for nerves. Phosphate ions help to maintain a stable pH and sugar in the blood. All are thrown into imbalance with a single drink. Ironically, low potassium increases thirst... and what beverage is nearby? More alcohol.

Even though alcohol displaces water, the drug at the same time signals the brain to stop releasing a certain hormone (vasopressin or ADH) which in turn makes a person urinate more, getting rid of the water.

Urination can be induced 20 minutes after a person consumes alcohol, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) publication on kidney damage and alcohol, More water leaving the body affects all the concentrations of the chemicals ions in the body. Research indicates that older people overcome this suppression of ADH more quickly than younger people do. So younger drinkers can lose more water in their urine than older people do.

The kind of alcohol consumed can either increase or decrease the concentrations of nutrients in the blood stream. When a person drinks beer, large amounts of water enter the body. That lowers the nutrient concentration. When a person drinks hard alcohol, it has less water and has a more severe drying effect and the nutrient concentrations can increase. This drying effect also can harm the normal function of cells and other organs.

Alcohol impacts muscle cells, too, causing them to release phosphate.

According to the NKF, there are more than 26 million Americans who already have kidney disease, and most don’t know it because there are often no symptoms until the disease has progressed. Kidney disease is the 9th leading cause of death in the country. (Alcohol is the third leading cause of death, see related examiner.com article.) Today there are more than 95,000 people waiting for kidney transplants and more than 590,000 people have diagnosed kidney failure in the U.S.
--from examiner.com, see full article
www.alcohologist.com

Scroll down for the replay of the Dr. Jeanette Gallagher show feature with Scott Stevens. 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 can be found on www.alcohologist.com, plus the interview with Scott Stevens at Christoph Fisher Books.  Mr. Fisher is an acclaimed international historical fiction novelist from the UK.  
 

SAVE THE DATE:  Scott Stevens will be part of the opening night symposium for the REEL Recovery Film Festival San Francisco.

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

Welcome to Christmas 2.0

This is the Christmas 2.0 -- the first sober version -- for many people in recovery. Congratulations on the gift you've given yourself and loved ones and please pass on a little courage to those who are still working on the old version.