The A-Files, Alcohol A-Z for Alcohol Awareness Month: Relapse

(See video and online article)

Twenty-six episodes of 'The A-Files' air throughout Alcohol Awareness Month on YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, Alcohologist.com and AddictedMinds.com, among other web and social media sites. Episode R covers relapse.... because alcoholism is a relapsing disease. That doesn't mean a person has to relapse, it just means a set-back on the road to recovery is not uncommon. Nine of ten people who quit drinking will relapse at least once. Similar relapse rates are found in other chronic, progressive and incurable diseases such as cancer or diabetes. Research from Edge Hill University in 2016 notes that even just smelling alcohol can make it harder for people to avoid it.

Alcoholics and non-alcoholics alike drink for the same reason: To relieve stress. Alcoholics, even those in remission, have a higher baseline level of the stress hormone, cortisol, so they are more sensitive to the same stress that so-called 'normal' people would just shake off. The cortisol research is what I used as a basis for the book, Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud, and came from a 2010 University of Liverpool study.

Common stress triggers include HALT… being Hungry, Angry, Lonely or Tired. Triggers also include using food or trying other drugs, like weed or pain killers, to overcome stress instead of drinking… bandaging the stress rather than addressing it. Other triggers stem from revisiting in sobriety the people, places and things we knew during our drinking careers. This book covers grief, guilt, forgiveness and shame as four underlying stressors. A 2013 University of British Columbia study is the first lab work to show that physical manifestations of shame – like slumped shoulders – can directly predict a relapse.

Don't blame the stress though. It's our response to stress: Going back to the old way of doing things, or employing new coping skills. I demonstrate it to non-alcoholics by asking them to fold their arms in front of them, then unfolding them, recrossing them with the bottom arm on top. It feels uncomfortable, and what the alcoholic is learning is how to make the uncomfortable, comfortable. Relapse isn't a required part of recovery, but it isn't the end of the road. It can be part of recovery, or it can be part of death if we pile on the shame rather than encouraging a person to stay clear of their drug of choice, alcohol.
The entire 26 episode HD series is available on disc, along with fact sheets, for helping professions. See the preorder special at tr.im/AFiles

Visit alcohologist.com for a replay of CBS Sports' Power Up Your Health featuring Scott Stevens.  Another interview is on Alcohol Awareness.  Syndicated radio program Savvy Central Radio did this interview, too. Lucy Pireel's "All That's Written" included a feature called "When alcohol doesn't work for you anymore."  Details on the third literary award for Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud and the first for Adding Fire to the Fuel also can be found on www.alcohologist.com. Download the FREE Alcohology app in the Google PlayStore today. Stevens also is the public relations officer with AddictedMinds.com 

Unexpected alcohol lapse traps in the medicine cabinet

The usual cast of characters that can escort a sober person down the trail toward a lapse goes by the initials PPT: People, Places and Things. For example, you hang out with the same 'ol crew of drinking buddies, what would you expect to happen? They'd just leave you alone? Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud encapsules PPT in a layer of four emotional stressors: Guilt, Shame, Grief and Forgiveness. There could be a relapse lurking in the medicine chest, as well. (Watch the YouTube vid or read the article)

Of course there are cough suppressants that contain alcohol, that's the easy one to figure out. When you're early in sobriety, feeling that familiar burn down the throat could bring on memories of the good old days – which really weren't that good, or you wouldn't be catching Sobriety :60 videos. Alcohol is alcohol, whether it comes in a shotglass or cough syrup.

Sleep aids aren't quite as obvious as relapse traps. Alcohol is a depressant. Sleep aids are depressants. The brain doesn't make such an exact distinction between the two, and historically, drinkers have used alcohol as a sleep aid – or excused their drinking by saying it helps them sleep. It isn't just the prescription sleep aid like abilify. It's also the over-the-counter one, and especially concoctions like Motrin PM or Tylenol PM. I'm guilty as hell on this one, it's in my night stand, too, until this segment is over.

What happens is this...You start using it... Then you “need” it a couple nights in a row. Then one pill isn't doing it, so we take three, because that's the way the alcoholic mind works. You may be developing a dependency, not so much on the actual chemical, but on the feeling of sedation. When the sleep aids don't work for you anymore, where does that leave a person? Back to alcohol. It's a slippery slope. There's another famous relapse acronym to go with PPT, it's HALT: Hungry, Angry, Lonely and Tired.

Here's the very alcoholic reason why I still have the Ibuprofen PM in my nightstand: Because it won't happen to me, the warning is only for those other guys. Right.

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.

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.

Keys to early sobriety success

A common error made by those who've never lived a day in their lives challenged by alcohol is that all someone who has a drinking problem needs to do is just stop drinking. There's some sort of finish line in their minds. Those of us who've quit or struggled to stay sober know with certainty there is no finish line.

It is a progressive, disease without a cure. The quit date is just a start.

If you quit as a New Year's resolution, by the Fourth of Dry July, biologically, your body has begun to repair some damage. Insomnia, headaches, dizziness, fogginess, trouble with balance, problems with hand/eye coordination and reflexes are in the rear-view mirror or at least a whole lot better for most recoverers in that six months. But a lot rides on four factors:

1) Diet and exercise

2) Stress management

3) Depression care

and of course 4) the severity of the drinking prior to the quit date.

Nothing can be done about that last one: Nobody has the luxury of rewriting history. But the first three require attention in those first six months and beyond. Diet and exercise are crucial: Neither got more attention while drinking. If you do nothing else, eat veggies and fruit and take a daily walk. Doing so will help with stress management and depression care.

On the stress side, alcoholics have a higher level of the stress hormone cortisol, as detailed in Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud. Non-alcoholics and alcoholics alike drink for the same reason, to alleviate stress. You have a hole in your routine now that you've taken alcohol out of it. Plug something into that hole, whether it is exercise, spirituality, self-help meetings like 12-step groups or Women for Sobriety, etc.

Depression is a chicken and egg thing for alcoholics: How much was there before the alcohol and how much was caused by the alcohol? Let a professional help. Talking is cathartic, especially in recovery. And so is a balanced brain chemistry. Hard-line 12-steppers say you cannot take an anti-depressant and call yourself sober. (Archaic thinking… based on more bullcrap than you'd find at a rodeo.) Trust me, those dinosaurs are hard to come by and none of them know the first thing about the neurochemicals dopamine and serotonin. Just find a different meeting and follow a doctor's orders, including anti-depressants as prescribed. Most of the older recipes are available as generics for $4 these days.

Post-acute withdrawal can last a while – six to sixty months – but not everyone goes through it, and it beats the alternative of going to your own funeral. Quit in Dry July and imagine where you'll be by Christmas.

See the entire transcript with video or 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 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.

The Eyes Have It: Vermont study connects eye color and alcoholism

People with blue eyes might have a greater chance of becoming alcoholics, according to a new study by genetic researchers at the University of Vermont. The work is the first to make a direct connection between a person’s eye color and alcohol dependence and appears in the July 1 2015 issue of the American Journal of Medical Genetics Part B: Neuropsychiatric Genetics.

The study of 1,263 genetic profiles contributes another piece of evidence that alcohol dependency has a genetic foundation. The study profiles were pulled from a database that only contains genetic profiles of people diagnosed with at least one psychiatric illness, which includes an addiction to, or dependence on, drugs or alcohol. Li and associates filtered the database for patients with alcohol addiction or dependence and European ancestry. European Americans with light eye colors, including blue, green and gray, had higher incidences of alcohol dependency than those with dark brown eyes, and that blue eyes were most strongly associated with the condition. The data showed that people with blue eyes were also more likely to have genes associated with alcohol dependence.

Previous research indicated that eye color can be associated with all sorts of specific health conditions. Recovery book, What the Early Worm Gets, also indicated human genome study results implicate flaws in chomosomes 4q and 11 in a higher risk for the disease of alcoholism and contributed to the variability of alcoholism from person to person. Georgia State University concluded fifteen years ago that people with lighter eyes consumed more alcohol. The Vermont researchers now connect eye color to higher probability of the disease.

Geneticists have also known for a while that many people of Asian descent have a different version of the aldehyde dehydrogenase, the enzyme which metabolizes alcohol. Asians commonly have dark eye coloring and have a very low incidence of alcohol dependence and the disease of alcoholism. That isn't to say there aren't alcoholics of Asian descent or that those with dark eyes won't/can't be alcoholic, only that statistically (and genetically) the prevalence is lower than light-eyed men and women of European ancestry. “These are complex disorders,” lead researcher Dawei Li says. “There are many genes, and there are many environmental triggers.”

(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 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.

Alcoholism is a progressive disease

Drinking again is like reaching into a bag of snakes.  Alcoholism is progressive and persists even once sober, no matter how long.  Read the transcript at  or share the YouTube vid.

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.

Alcohol use increases risk of, worsens, osteoporosis

Alcohol's threat to bone and cartilage, explored in the new episode. Share the YouTube video https://youtu.be/i7KJIF1nZnA or read the transcript. The video joins the 35 more on the Alcohology app for Android devices.


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+ episode 24 looks at why treatment matters even when it's not "successful"

When the focus is on treatment method or success rate stats, the point is entirely missed.  Read the transcript and see the new YouTube video.   The segment is also found on alcohologist.com and the NEW Alcohology app, free for Android devices.  http://youtu.be/-141Of-UTgg


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." 

Listen to the Life Changing Insights with Dr. Alan Simberg segment on alcoholism

Life Changing Insights with Dr. Alan Simberg featured Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud and author Scott Stevens during a 12/2 segment.  Dr. Simberg led a discussion on the health risks and myths of health benefits of drinking.  A replay is available on the homepage of www.alcohologist.com and also at BlogTalkRadio.

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.

Sober Radio to feature alcoholism recovery book Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud

Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud author, Scott Stevens, is Chuck Duncan's guest this weekend on AM1590's Sober Radio. Listen to the broadcast in the Chicago area at 6am CST Saturday and Sunday, stream it at 1590WCGO.com or listen to the podcast later.  The host and guest, both in recovery, talk alcohol and health, alcoholism, sobriety, relapse and recovery as part of WCGO-AM's weekly Sober Radio program.

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."  

Sober for October T-Shirts LAST CALL! Sale ends midnight 10/15.

New for 2014, Sober for October t-shirts.  $13 each with FREE domestic shipping.  Mens or Womens S-2X in lime, orange or white with the black Sober for October logo in black on the front. Order yours today... because every alcoholic quits drinking eventually, some just aren't alive that day. Available exclusively at www.alcohologist.com/how-to-order.php

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 - Alcohol, offenders and victims

Alcohol use at the time of the crime is what 56 percent of crime victims, and 37 percent of offenders have in common.  Episode #8 - Alcohol and crime, can be found at http://youtu.be/uVzFw1F9ZHg

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 - Alcohol and healthcare costs

Twenty to 40 percent of general hospital beds are used for managing alcohol-related health complications.  Here's a minute on the top driver of healthcare costs. Episode #5 - Healthcare Overhaul can be found at http://youtu.be/j7Xif-Azh0g

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."  

Recovery Month program on Quantum Leap radio, 9/2

Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud author Scott Stevens will join host Cathy Bilsky to talk alcoholism, relapse, sobriety and recovery at 9:30 CDT Tuesday, 9/2. Listen live at www.freedomslips.com by clicking the PLAY button on "Studio B." A replay will be available after the program.

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 - Stroke

Drinking, drinking often or drinking to excess is the cause of one-in-five strokes.  Here's a minute on alcohol as a stroke risk factor. Episode #4 - Stroke can be found at http://youtu.be/nfmSiLgWXUM

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."  

Alcoholism is fatal: Recovery Month begins tomorrow

"Alcoholism is fatal.  If drinking doesn't kill you immediately in a wreck or OD, 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" -- from Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud

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."  

Bored is NOT an excuse to drink: Two days to Recovery Month

"When an alcoholic says he's bored, that statement has more BS than a rodeo. It's a warning sign all right:  A warning that he's spending way too much time thinking of himself."
-- from Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud

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 only way is through it: Three days to Recovery Month

"You cannot go from drinking to recovery by skipping the pain any more than you can go from Kindergarten straight to college." -- from Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud

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 flu hits drinkers harder as alcohol attacks T cells

Medical professionals have known for years that alcohol consumption and alcohol use disorders – the disease of alcoholism for example – impair a drinker's immune system. A new University of Iowa study pinpoints a specific influenza-fighting T cell as being “exquisitely sensitive to alcohol.” Results were published Aug. 26 online in an “Early View”of the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.

Previous research had demonstrated an increase in the severity of flu virus infections was due, in part, to a failure to mount a robust T cell response. T cells find and kill infected cells. The new rodent study further examines chronic drinking's damage to CD8 T cells, finding that some functions of CD8 T cells become limited or reduced. “It is well known that chronic alcohol consumption compromises the human immune system," explained lead researcher Kevin Legge in a news release. “Alcohol attacks the CD8 T cell immune response on two separate levels: limiting the number of cells that can fight the infection, and limiting the ability of the remaining cells to fight."

University of California Riverside biomedical sciences associate professor, Ilhem Messaoudi, commented on the finding: "It has also been known since the 1800's that alcohol use disorders are associated with increased susceptibility to lung infection – both viral and bacterial – including community acquired pneumonia, tuberculosis, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Understanding the mechanisms underlying the increased susceptibility to lung infection and injury in individuals with alcohol use disorder is extremely important."

The Iowa researchers spiked the drinking water of mice with alcohol for eight or 12 weeks. Mice were infected with the flu and the research team charted the activation of the CD8 T cells in both the lung-draining lymph nodes and lungs.

"T cells utilize multiple tools – called effector functions – to limit and control pathogens," said Legge. “We show that alcohol may have distinct effects on the effector ability of CD8 T cells, limiting or reducing some functions while leaving other effector functions intact. It is known that triggering of each specific effector pathway requires precise signals. Therefore, further mapping of which effector functions are altered, coupled with examination of pertinent molecules, could yield promising drug targets for reversal of the effects of alcohol on this important adaptive immune cell population."

For instance, new vaccines, more efficient at eliciting CD8 T cell responses, could be developed specifically for drinkers, especially those with the disease of alcoholism.
-- (See complete article)

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."