Dec
10
Relapse
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There is no cure for alcoholism but there are treatments. There is counseling and medication for alcoholics. Many alcoholics need to detox first. Alcohol is actually one of the most dangerous drugs besides herione to detox from. It is possible to die during detox. Alcohol treatment works for many people, but relapsing is quite common and very sad. Like other chronic illnesses, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and asthma, there are varying levels of success when it comes to treatment. I think the best treatment when you are recovering from alcohol which i guess is pretty obvious is abstating from alcohol alltogether. I think once you have been an alcoholic and are trying to recover i think alot of times it is just impossible to ever have a drink again without going down that sad path you once were. I think alot of people relaspse after they have been sober for a while, thinking that one drink wont kill them and they are not alcoholics anymore. But self controlcan be very hard after just that one sip. When you are a recovering alcoholic you need to be very on point and aware of your surroundings. It is a lifelong struggle and a chronic disease. And i’m sure the temptation of drinking will always be there. There is actually eveidence that 90% of alcoholics are likely to experience at least one relapse within a 4 year recover period.
Dec
10
drinking and dating
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If you’re single and dating, you may find yourself spending a lot of time in restaurants or bars where alcohol is available. Drinking on dates can quickly become a habit. I know most of my blogs are all against alcohol, but i more so mean drinking in excess. I think alcohol actually can be good in the dating process, but again in moderation and responsibility. It lightens the mood,it makes you alot more open and i find it it somewhat tradition. You go out to dinner, the man orders the bottle of wine you have some drinks and laughs. I also believe that alcohol is not necesarry at all when you are dating, obviously. On the other hand now that i’m thinking about i have seen alcohol ruin alot of relationships and even during the dating process. You are dating someone everything is going well and you have one too many cocktails , you have now shown them a different side of you or said something you wouldnt have sober and since they dont already know you that well this can be a recipe for disaster. Next thing you know you are wondering why they arent calling. i guess it all comes down to what you can handle.
Dec
10
The Glamour of alcohol
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I find it scary in our day and age so influenced by advertisments and media how we have been brainwashed. We have been taught to think that alcohol and drinking is sexy. You knowthe ads im talking about. The young good looking men and women holding an alcoholic drink living there perfect lives relaxing on the beach. It is a very appealing image that advertisers know. It seems this generation as my dad says more than any other is more materialistic than ever and has a need for validation and care about image so much. Maybe being exposed to the media more than ever has something to do with it. Its like these adverisers arent just selling us a product they are selling an entire lifestyle. “Drink this and you will be surrounded with attractive people living the good life.” Maybe they should show the reality of a lonely consumer buying a bottle of wine taking it home and drinking it til they pass out. I dont think that would be too effective. Im not trying to say alcohol is evil by any means. Lots of people just go out to have a social drink or two and can handle it and live a happy normal likfe. I’m just thinking how sad it is how muchour media affects us. Its even true in the tobacco industry. Those ads of the beautiful women with a cigarette in their hand. The alcohol companies spend millions of dollars on advertising and for a reason.Though responsible use and moderation of alcohol can enhance our lives, we all know of too many cases where alcohol is misused. Perhaps even among your own family and friends you have seen alcohol abuse lead to heartbreaking problems. Some drinkers even sink into the pit of alcoholism, where their drinking becomes a life-and-death matter. This tragic reality is not portrayed in those slick advertisements showing beautiful people sharing good times.
Dec
10
alcoholism and depression
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Alcoholism and depression seem to go hand in hand to me. Research shows a strong relationship between alcohol and depression. Up to 40 per cent of people who drink heavily have symptoms that resemble a depressive illness. About 5 to 10 per cent of people with a depressive illness also have symptoms of an alcohol problem.It is now known that some of the systems that are involved in producing the symptoms of low mood, anxiety, poor sleep and reduced appetite in depression are also affected by alcohol. Alcohol can also actually cause thses symptomes ina heavy drinker. This is one explanation of why alcohol can cause depression. Also if you are already depressed and are drinking ,because you think it may solve your problem, alcohol will very well effect you differently than a non depressed person. Alcohol can further upset balances in the brain.Alcoholism may cause a relapse in people with depression And vice cersa. Depression may cause a relapse in alcoholism.Family history of depression or alcoholism puts a person at greater risk for developing either illness. Also, when alcohol is incolced in depresion it can lead to suicide. It is pretty common when there is a case of suicide for there to be alcohol involved. If you are feeling down or emotional i dont think it can be stressed enough to avoid alcohol, which just will make everything worse. It is so easy and common for people to turn to substance abuse when things are going wrong ,but this is 100% not the answer. There are many alternatives todealing with problems.
Dec
10
People drink alcohol for all sorts of reason. I dont think anybody starts to drink and intends or wants to become an alcoholic, even though this seems to happen all the time. Common reason people drink are for social reasons, it reduces anxiety, it gives people confidence, forget about your problems, relives stress and worry, to even help you sleep and also for especially young people to fit in. All these reasons make it seem great to drink alcohol but in reality it just makes it all worse. In the short term it may seem like a great quick fix to basically self medicate yourself when you are dealing with something, but it really causes long term problems. Alcohol is a depressant as we all know so this temporary high you feel comes with a crash.
Over the last decade new research has shed light on the way alcohol affects the brain, and in the ways in which the brain is affected in depression. It is now known that some of the systems that are involved in producing the symptoms of low mood, anxiety, poor sleep and reduced appetite in depression are also affected by alcohol. This is one explanation of why alcohol can cause depression. Alcohol also effects your decision making. You can easily embarass yourself and do things you will regret when you are sober.Long term effects on your body also include liver damage, contributes to heart disease, kidney disease , damage to your nervous system justto name a few
Dec
10
buddhism and spirituality relating to 12 steps of alcoholis anonymous
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Dec
10
alcoholism
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Alcoholism is a widely debated idea if it is considered a disease or not. I have grown up in a family with a long line of alcoholism and I’m still not sure what to think.Nearly 14 million Americans have serious problems because of their drinking, including eight million men and women who suffer from alcoholism.Alcoholism can be clinically diagnosed and people with the disease typically experience many additional alcohol-related medical complications. Research demonstrates that treatment can save lives, restore families, reduce health care costs, increase productivity in the workplace and make our communities safer. Simply defined, a chronic disease is one that continues over a long time, progresses consistently or intermittently, and often can be managed. The causes of chronic disease can be complex and include hereditary factors. A patient may not experience many symptoms until the disease has advanced. A chronic disease doesn’t always follow a predictable course. Some patients may relapse more frequently than others. Treatment may require that patients change their behavior. In each of these respects, alcoholism strongly resembles such chronic diseases as asthma, diabetes and high blood pressure among adults.Although a single gene or set of genes has not been found that causes alcoholism, the risk for developing alcoholism is estimated to be 50 to 60 percent genetic and the percentage for diabetes and asthma is comparable.People who know they are at genetic risk for asthma, diabetes and high blood pressure can control certain risk factors. Similarly, individuals with family histories of alcoholism can reduce their risk by choosing not to drink or strictly limiting the amount that they drink.
Dec
10
genetics in alcoholism
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Researchers from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) argue that alcoholism is a genetically complex disorder, influenced by multiple genes interacting with each other and environmental factors to produce the disease. They maintain further that while alcoholism always has a genetic basis, individuals in different families will develop alcoholism under the influence of different predisposing genes. I personally feel genetics does have alot to do wiht alcoholism as genetics plays a part with other diseases. Genetic studies on alcoholism can lead the way to better treatments and prevention methods, the researchers contend. .Just two of the genes influencing predisposition to alcoholism were known. A defective allele (variant) of the gene ALDH2, common in Asian populations, had long been known to substantially (although not completely) protect carriers from developing alcoholism by making them uncomfortable or ill after drinking alcohol. The ALDH2 gene encodes aldehyde dehydrogenase, one of the two key liver enzymes involved in the metabolism of alcohol to its final end product, acetate. The illness resulting from the defective allele tended to prevent carriers from drinking enough alcohol to become addicted to it. Newer studies were beginning to suggest that alleles of ADH2 and ADH3, genes encoding two forms of liver alcohol dehydrogenase (the enzyme that carries out the first step in alcohol metabolism in the liver), also protected carriers from developing alcoholism, albeit to a lesser extent than did the defective allele of ALDH2. The protective alleles of ADH2 and ADH3, also common in Asian populations, encode forms of alcohol dehydrogenase that metabolize alcohol to acetaldehyde more rapidly than other forms of these enzymes do. This rapid metabolism leads to a greater buildup of this toxic product in the bloodstream after consumption of alcohol, thereby producing feelings of discomfort and illness and tending to discourage carriers of these alleles from consuming large amounts of alcohol.
Finally, there was a large controversy about the role in the etiology of alcoholism of a particular allele of DRD2, a gene encoding a particular form of brain receptor for dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that plays a central role in brain pathways and that mediates the rewarding properties of alcohol and other drugs of abuse. While a large number of papers had concluded that this allele was associated with alcoholism, an even larger number of papers had reached the contrary conclusion. Questions were raised about the methodological validity of a number of the studies and their corresponding findings, the reasons for the inconsistent findings, and—even when the validity of some of the findings was assumed—their precise biological significance.