Health Risks of Alcohol: Part 2

Continuing from my last post concerning some of the major health risks involved in alcohol abuse, I’m back with another list of 6 issues you might face if you were to continue succumbing to your addictive behavior.

Seizures

Heavy drinking has been known to cause epilepsy and can even trigger seizures in people who don’t have the disease. When a heavy drinker is going through withdrawal, one of the possible and often fatal results can be an unexpected seizure. Alcohol withdrawal is one of the only forms of withdrawal that truly can be fatal to almost anyone who suffers the heavier symptoms. Alcohol can also interfere with the medications used to treat convulsions.

Gout

 

Gout is an extremely painful condition that is caused by the formation of uric acid crystals in the joins. Although most cases are primarily hereditary, alcohol and other various factors of one’s diet can play a role in developing the condition. Alcohol is also known to aggravate an existing case of gout.

High Blood pressure

Alcohol often disrupts the sympathetic nervous system, which among other things, controls the constriction and dilation of blood vessels in response to stress, temperature and exertion. Heavy drinking, primarily binge drinking can cause blood pressure to rise over time. This effect can become chronic. High blood pressure can lead to many other unwanted health issues including kidney disease, heart disease and even a stroke.

Infectious disease

 

Drinking heavily suppresses the immune system, making it significantly easier for infections to take hold. This could include tuberculosis, pneumonia, HIV/AIDS and other various STD’s. Drinking too much too often can also lead to risky sex due to the nature of its inhibition suppressant. Those who drink heavily have been said to be facing a risk roughly three times greater than the average person of contracting a sexual transmitted disease.

Nerve damage

Heavy drinking has been known to cause a form of nerve damage known as alcoholic neuropathy. This condition often produces painful pins-and-needles sensations or numbness in the extremities. Other symptoms are muscle weakness, incontinence, constipation, erectile dysfunction, etc. Alcoholic neuropathy may arise because alcohol is toxic to nerve cells, or because nutritional deficiencies attributable to heavy drinking compromise nerve function.

Pancreatitis

 

In addition to causing stomach irritation, drinking can inflame the pancreas. Chronic pancreatitis interferes with the digestive process which may cause severe abdominal pain and persistent diarrhea. This condition can be cause by gallstones but it’s said that up to 60% of cases stem from alcohol abuse.

Of course, these are just a few of the many serious health risks we sign up for by continuing with our addictive behavior. Drinking poison (alcohol) is going to hurt your body. How much or in what way is very subjective but the fact is, we’re better off without it. If we can’t drink casually and have admitted that we need to stop even if only for personal reasons, it’s important to remember just how many serious health issues we’re avoiding by sticking to this wise decision. If it’s still something you’re not sure of, be sure to keep reading. There are new discoveries every day on how damaging alcohol abuse can be to our minds and bodies and this short list of 12 barely scratches the surface of what we already know. Recovery doesn’t have to be scary; it can be a rewarding and enlightening process. However the conditions we may face if we chose to continue with our addictive behavior are extremely scare and we would do well to remember that.

Health Risks of Alcohol: Part 1

It’s no secret that the consequences of our addictive behavior go beyond the personal and truly reap havoc with our bodies. Both our mental and physical health can be significantly damaged by alcohol and sometimes it’s important to step back and look closely at the health risks of continuing our addictive behavior.  Here are just 6 conditions that can be linked to chronic heavy drinking.

Anemia

Heavy drinking can cause the number of oxygen-carrying red blood cells to drop significantly. This condition (Anemia) can trigger a host of symptoms. Some of them including fatigue, shortness of breath and light headedness.

Cancer

As stated by Jurgen Rehm, PhD chairman of the University of Toronto’s department of addiction policy and senior scientist at the Center for Addiction and Mental Health. “Habitual drinking increases the risk of cancer”. Like most scientists he believes the increase risk comes when the body converts alcohol into acetaldehyde, a potent carcinogen. Cancer research also links alcohol use to mouth, pharynx, larynx, esophagus, liver, breast and colorectal region cancer. These risks rise even higher in heavy drinks who also smoke.

Cardiovascular disease

Heavy drinking, especially binge drinking which is an extremely common form of alcohol abuse with many, makes platelets more likely to clump together into blood clots can lead to heart attack or stroke. In a study published in 2005 by Harvard researchers, it was found that binge drinking doubled the risk of death among people who initially survived a heart attack.

Heavy drinking also has the potential to cause cardiomyopathy. This is a potentially deadly condition in which the heart muscle weakens and eventually fails. It also causes heart rhythm abnormalities such as atrial and ventricular fibrillation. Atrial fibrillation is when the heart’s upper chambers (atria) twitch chaotically rather than constrict rhythmically. This can cause blood clots that may trigger a stroke. Ventricular fibrillation can cause chaotic twitching in the heart’s main pumping chambers (ventricles). It may cause rapid loss of consciousness and without immediate treatment, death.

Cirrhosis

Alcohol is extremely toxic to liver cells. A common result of heavy drinking is the development of cirrhosis which is a sometimes lethal condition in which the liver itself is so heavily scarred that it is no longer able to function. It’s difficult to predict which drinkers will develop cirrhosis. Some heavy drinkers will spend their entire lives abusing alcohol and never develop the conditions while some who do not drink very much do in fact get it. For some undetermined reason, women seem to be more vulnerable than men.

Dementia

As people grow older, their brains begin to shrink. This happens on average at a rate of about 1.9% per decade. That’s considered normal, however heavy drinking greatly increases the speed of shrinkage of certain key regions in the brain resulting in memory loss and other symptoms of dementia.

Heavy drinking may also lead to subtle yet potentially debilitating deficits in the ability to plan, judge, solve problems and perform other aspects of “executive function” which are the abilities that allow us to maximize our function as humans.

In addition, heavy drinking can also cause such significant nutritional deficiencies that they themselves trigger other forms of dementia.

Depression

It’s long been known that heavy drinking plays a heavy part in the depression of many. Surely we’ve all found that though it has the potential to make you feel better short term, the long term effects cause a more drastic slip into sadness, depression and anxiety.

Aside from the changes  in our brain chemistry caused by alcohol abuse, we tend to make further bad life choices while under the influence that often make our living conditions and circumstances worse. It truly Is a downward spiral that we owe it to ourselves to get out of.

More to come soon..

6 Reasons Why it's Great to Get Sober

1. Feeling healthy feels great

Now before I go on, getting sober in itself doesn't necessarily mean getting healthy. Too often people replace their addictive behavior with overeating or indulgence in other self destructive activities. It is important when going into recovery to be mindful of these things and focus not only on sobriety but your physical health and well being.

That said, a sober body and mind feels remarkably better than that of an abused one. Alcohol is literally poison that you ingest into your bloodstream which causes havoc on your organs, brain and central nervous system. When we stop pouring poison into our bodies they tend to respond in amazing ways. Our bodies have a fascinating ability to heal and it's not long after putting down the bottle that your eyes begin to clear, your skin and hair looks healthier and your energy levels go up.

During withdrawal, you may not feel this way. It does take some time for your body in the early stages of recovery to reach a point where you notice these feelings. When you do though, you may find it's the best you've felt in years. On top of looking better and feeling better your mind will become sharper.

2. Saving money

Lets face it, alcohol is not cheap. Even the lousy stuff adds up over time. Say you only drink the cheapest vodka on the shelf, you're still hypothetically spending a minimum of $5 a day in order to maintain that lifestyle. That bare minimum adds up to $150 a month extra in your pocket. Most of us however likely spend much more than that on our drugs of choice.

Everyone is different in this regard but it's safe to suggest we can all save thousands per year by simply choosing not to drink. This opens up a variety of options one can pursue with their saved money. It may just become easier to make bill payments, pay off your car, mortgage or credit card debt. Perhaps invest it in your future or even use some of it to join a gym or a club that promotes healthy living.

We could all use a little more coin in our pockets, you'll find your wallet expanding once you chose to put down the bottle and walk the road of recovery.

3. Regaining the trust of family and friends

In most cases if you've reached a point where your addictive behavior is effecting your life in such a way that you're seeking help in recovery, there's a good chance you've hurt, offended or let down someone you care about at some point. Unfortunately, one of the many negative consequences of addictive behavior is lack of responsibility and trustworthiness. We're prone to lying or manipulating people we care about in order to continue to drink or take drugs. Our brains reach a point that they are no longer functioning at a normal level and we become people that others don't particularly want to associate with.

When you manage to put the bottle down and focus on recovery, more often than not we find even those we hurt willing to help and forgive. Some take longer than others, however it is the nature of people to want to help and support those they love. It may take some time, rebuilding broken bridges can be difficult. The harder you work towards sobriety the more people will see it and often respect you for it.

On top of rebuilding the relationships that may have been hurt by our addiction, we are now free to pursue new and wonderful relationships. Often when in an addictive and drugged state we shut out most of the world. Or perhaps just let in others who's lives are focused around self destructive choices. You'll be feeling, looking and thinking better and suddenly finding that others really like sober and honest people. Who knew?

4. Change in perspective

Sure, those first few drinks may give you a buzz and a short termed joyful boost but generally those of us who drink constantly are not happy people. We can become vicious and hateful even, as the alcohol reaps havoc on our brains. We don't notice the little intricacies that make life wonderful and often we reject everything that we don't agree with.

I for one became very hateful towards people who had different thoughts or opinions than I. Still to this day I'm stubborn and opinionated but not to the point of thinking everyone who had a different mindset towards politics, religion or society were idiots. As months of sobriety passed so did much of my anger and disdain towards the world. I, personally am a rather cynical person. However I'm no longer an unhappy one. I've learned acceptance. I may not agree with how things are, yet I can accept those things and move on.

Like it or not, the majority of things in this world are subjective and you're not right all the time. Most importantly, that's absolutely okay! It is a difficult perspective to have when shrouded in a haze of drunken frustration and depression. The sober and clean mind is an open one.

5. Time is on your side

How often, even when drinking did you think of fun activities that you'd like to take part in only to find yourself passed out or sleeping until midday whenever you had "free" time. Or, perhaps all you ever cared about was getting a fix and you never really considered all the cool stuff there is to do in this big yet small world. Now that you're sober and have all that access energy, there's a lot of time to fill and it can be done with some pretty fantastic things.

As a personal example, I really enjoy kayaking with my wife along the cost of Florida. It's great exercise and even the first time I went out I saw and experienced things that were so far beyond any experience sucking back the contents of a bottle ever granted me. Visiting symphonies or simply going out to dinner once a week and not only being able to stomach the food but the ability to remember every wonderful moment.

6. No more blackouts

Blackouts were becoming so constant for me, that even the moments leading up to me buying a bottle became fuzzy the next day. That constant wondering what happened, why I was waking up in a strange place or the couch. The uncertainty as to what damage I'd caused this time was absolutely terrifying. I've woken up in hospitals and I've woken up in jail with absolutely no memory of how I got there.

I'm fortunate in that all the chaos and havoc I've caused has been reparable and not too severe. That can not be said for all who drink themselves into a state of waking unconsciousness. I can think back to parties even in my youth, I recall the feeling of enjoyment yet I can not remember the moments themselves. What point is there to experiencing anything if you can not assign memory to them. As we age, memory can begin to fade. However as teenagers, young or even older adults there's no logical reason to enhance or speed up this process.

Going out for the evening and waking up the next day not only feeling refreshed from a proper sleep but able to recall the entirety of the evening in full is one of the greatest experiences someone new to sobriety can have. To me, it was one of the earliest and most reassuring gifts of a sober lifestyle. Weeks that consisted of a day or two of memory now have 7 full days of good and bad. As a sober person, I can enjoy the good and make the best of the bad without crippling under the weight of it.

Sobriety isn't easy, but it is the most rewarding path anyone can take. I've covered 6 reasons that sobriety is great but they are countless and subjective. You'll discover there are things that are specific to your circumstances but I can promise they will all be positive. Keep on keeping strong!

Addiction and Brain Connections

Addiction is no small factor in our society nor is it a simple issue with easy answers.  Many aspects surrounding addiction to this day remain a mystery. However, some scientists in Massachusetts say they’re developing a greater understanding on the role of the brain when it comes to addiction. Their work continues to show that addiction is a complex brain disease that is extremely subjective, however it raises hopes about potential treatments.

One of the findings among many discovered by the University of Massachusetts Medical School scientists is that addiction seems to permanently affect connections between certain areas in the brain. “Hard-wiring” the brain to support addiction, making it far more difficult to treat permanently.

Most of the studies being done involve nicotine, one of the most addictive substances in the world. Dr. Joeseph DiFranza, a family doctor and professor of family medicine and community health at the medical school, studies the brain activity of smokers using MRIs. He suggests that what occurs in the brain when someone craves a cigarette is the same thing that happens when a person is hungry. In turn, the brain will not quiet down until the need is met.

“We put people in the [MRI] who haven’t smoked overnight and these specific areas of the brain become activated,” he said. “The more the person reports they’re craving a cigarette, the more activation there are in these regions of the brain. This is not something that we understood even a year ago. We thought craving was [based] on cues.”

Through his studies DiFranza discovered that addiction affects the connections in the brain, sometimes permanently. In certain cases he says the brain is in fact supporting the addictive behavior. As cravings increase, connections from the anterior cingulate (the region of the brain where cravings originate) to the frontal cortex (responsible for self-control)

“They’ve lost about two-thirds of the nerve fibers connecting the part of the brain responsible for the self control to the part where the craving is generated,” said DiFranza. “So people face some major obstacles when they quit because their brain is actually hard-wired now to support that addiction.”

What scientists have yet to discovery is exactly why certain people become addicts while others do not. Like many things in this world, it’s a highly subjective disease. What this means, the scientists say, is that addiction treatment must be individualized to take into account that addiction itself changes the brain.

Dr. Jean King, professor of psychiatry and associate provost for biomedical science research, says with addiction it’s not likely that there will ever be one “cure.”

This is why in recovery, it’s always important to seek out various forms of recovery and treatment. No one method will work for everyone. Finding one suited for you is the most important and rewarding thing one can do for themselves.

Read More: http://commonhealth.wbur.org/2014/07/addiction-brain

Playing The Tape Forward

There are many tools designed to help deal with the psychological difficulties associated with the recovery process. Several designed specifically to help deal with urges, which are not only dangerous but extremely common in early and later stages of recovery. One tool I like is called “Playing the tape forward”. It’s very simple and straight forward and seemingly obvious yet something we don’t often let ourselves do.

When we get an urge, we generally begin to play out the familiar process in our heads. We begin with how we’re going to obtain acquire the drug or bottle, where we’re going to drink it. How we’re going to hide it.. our thought process seems to stop there. Sure we can think lightly about the consequences that may occur but generally we don’t let ourselves focus on the negative and instead focus on our desire.

Next time you’re feeling an urge, play it all out like this. Think about how you’re going to get your drug of choice, where you’re going to take/drink/smoke it, what you’ll do. Then based on all of your past experiences think thoroughly about everything that will follow. Surely you’ve been through it all before and generally it all plays out the same way.

Here’s a specific example: Going to obtain the alcohol, sneak it into the house and drink it in the bathroom. Try to cover it up with mouth wash, however it likely won’t work. Will end up in an argument with loved ones, will be told to leave. Now I have to find a place to sleep for the night and wake up in a strange place feeling like crap. Now, sick and tired from the drink I have to try and figure out a way to apologize for my actions. Feeling that guilt, take note that this is how it always happens…

By going through the whole familiar process in your head before you give in to the urge, you may find yourself more capable of stepping back and being mindful of how poor the choice to use will be. Urges happen to all of us, but they come and go like waves. Use this tool to get through the next one and you’ll be grateful you chose to abstain.

Relapse? Be Strong - Move on!

One of the most common sources of anxiety, primarily in the first year of recovery can be the fear of a relapse. Unfortunately, people who have never suffered from addiction have a difficult time understanding or empathizing with what one is going through, especially in that first crucial year. Between the expectations of our loved ones and even the design of some treatment programs we can come to consider relapse in itself a complete failure. As though all our progress is somehow forfeit due to a slip along the path to sobriety.

It’s important to understand that almost everyone stumbles along this path at times and relapse is something experienced by the vast majority of people in recovery. Be it small or large, it’s something that can and often does happen.. It is NOT a failure.. It is no reason to feel guilty or ashamed. It is however, something which we can learn from. We need to step back and recognize it for what it is. Be mindful of the experience, take note and observe the circumstances that lead to the relapse itself and use what you’ve learned to become stronger should you find yourself facing similar challenges again.

Do not beat yourself up over it. You’ve abstained for 68 hypothetical days but on an unfortunate night found yourself slipping to your old routine and reaching for that bottle? Do not fret, you have NOT lost those 68 days. They are still with you, they are an accomplishment to be proud of and all part of the journey you’ve started. It's just as important for loved ones to educate themselves to better understand the trials you face and how they can be there for you. In doing so they can better understand that should you relapse, the world does not end.. It is not about them, it's about you. So get up, brush yourself off and move forward should you fall. Next time you will be better equipped to deal with whatever it was that tripped you along the way..

“Why do we fall Master Wayne? So we can learn to pick ourselves up!” – Alfred Pennyworth

Help for Alcoholics and Drug Addicts in Florida

Floridians: What Is This Drug Addiction, What is Alcoholism?

First of all, Alcoholism is so common in Florida because alcohol is just so darn easy to obtain. Start out drinking at an early age, and it's highly likely you'll get into other drugs, and quite possibly become an Addict. Has this already happened to you? Do you find yourself sobbing, "I NEED HELP." or asking, "Why can't I stop drinking / using?" 

Almost every store in Florida which sells food - also sells booze. No wonder so many people in the state are picked up for DUI, public disturbance, reckless endangerment, the list goes on...

photo credit: Globefill Inc.

According to the authors at WebMD.com, et al. "Drug addiction is a chronic, often relapsing brain disease that causes compulsive drug seeking and use, despite harmful consequences to the drug addict and those around them."

Drug addiction is classified as a brain disease because drug and alcohol abuse leads to changes in the structure and functionality of the brain. Although it is true for most people the initial decision to take drugs is completely voluntary, over time the changes in the brain caused by drug use and abuse can affect a person's self-control and ability to make good life decisions, and at the same time it can create an intense impulse to keep taking drugs.

It is because of all the changes in the brain that it is so challenging for one who is addicted to quit abusing drugs. Fortunately, there are treatments which can and will help people to counter addiction's powerful disruptive effects and regain lost control. Research shows that combining addiction treatment medications, when it is possible, with types of behavioral therapy commences the most empowering methods to ensure treatment and recovery success for most patients.

Treatment approaches which are tailored specifically to each patient's drug abuse usage patterns and any concurrent medical, psychiatric, and social problems can lead to sustained recovery and a life without alcohol and/or drugs. As with other chronic diseases, such as asthma, diabetes, or heart disease, addiction can be managed quite effectively.Yet, it is quite common for an addict to relapse and begin using and abusing alcohol and drugs again. Relapse does not mean failure; but, it indicates that the treatment should be revisited and adjusted, or that different treatment will be needed to help the person back on the road to recovery. 

Understanding the Alcoholic or Addict isn't Simple

A common human conviction is that drug abusers ought to just have the capacity to quit taking medications at any given time that they are ready to change their own conduct and control the drive to drink or use drugs.

Numerous individuals don't comprehend why those with "addictive personalities" wind up dependent on drugs or how medications change the mind to prompt compulsive drug abuse. They wrongfully view medication misuse and habit as a social issue only, and may portray the individuals who take drugs as weak of willpower.

What the vast majority don't understand is the unpredictability of drug addiction habits (or alcoholism / alcohol addiction) - how it is an illness which affects the brain - and as a result of that, halting drug misuse is not just a question of resolution.

Through investigative scientific advances, we know significantly more now about how medications function in the brain, and we likewise realize that drug addiction can be effectively treated to help people stop abusing drugs and resume meaningful and productive lives. Transformations by the Gulf is in Florida, ready to help.

What Happens to Men vs. Women Who are Intoxicated
from Alcohol or Drugs?

Men often become excessively boisterous or violent under the influence of too much alcohol or drugs. The surge of dopamine (the brains happy, carefree 'drug') creates a feeling of invincibility and freedom that sober living just can't offer.

Women, on the contrary, often will become overly emotional and even sad before hitting the point of sloppy-no-return from drinking and using drugs. They too lose all inhibition, gain confidence, and often will let men take advantage of them, which they would not normally do sober.

Drugs & Alcohol and the Brain

 

Drugs are chemicals which creep into the brain's systems of communication and disrupt the way nerve cells originally send, receive and process information. There are at least two ways that drugs are able to do this: by overstimulating the "reward circuit" of the brain - and/or imitating the brain's natural chemical messengers.

Some drugs, such as weed (pot, dope etc...) and heroin (H. Horse, dope...), have a similar structure to chemical messengers, called neurotransmitters, which are naturally produced by the brain. Because of this similarity, these drugs are able to "trick" the brain's receptors and activate nerve cells to send altered messages.

Other drugs, such as cocaine (coke, crack, etc) or methamphetamine (meth, crank, speed, crystal meth, etc...), can cause the nerve cells to release abnormally large amounts of natural neurotransmitters, or prevent the normal synthesis and cycle of these brain chemicals, which is needed to shut off the signal between the neurons. This disruption produces a severely amplified message which disrupts normal brain patterns.
 

Nearly all drugs, directly or indirectly, target the reward center by overloading the brain with dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter present in regions of the brain that control movement, emotion, motivation, and pleasure perception. The over-stimulation of this system, which normally responds to natural behaviors which are linked to survival (eating, family time, etc), produces euphoric effects in response to the drugs. This reaction sets in motion a pattern that "teaches" people to repeat the drug abuse behavior. As a person continues the abuse of drugs, the brain adapts to the dopamine surges by producing less dopamine or reducing dopamine receptors. The user must therefore keep abusing drugs to bring his or her dopamine function back to ''normal'' or use more drugs to achieve a dopamine high.

Long-term drug and alcohol abuse causes changes in other brain chemical systems and circuits, as well. Brain imaging studies of drug-addicted individuals show changes in areas of the brain that are critical to judgment, decision-making, learning and memory, and behavior control. Together, these changes can drive an abuser to seek out and take drugs compulsively -- to become addicted to drugs.

Some People Become Addicted
to Alcohol and Drugs While Others Do Not

No one factor will predict whether or not a person will become addicted to alcohol or drugs. Addiction risk factors are influenced by a person's biological makeup, environment and stage of development. The more risk factors an individual has, the greater the chance that taking drugs can lead to addiction. For example:

• Biology. Genes that people are born with - in combination with environmental influences -- account for about half of their addiction vulnerability. Additionally, gender, ethnicity, and the presence of other mental disorders may influence risk for drug abuse and addiction.
• Environment. Environment includes many different influences - from family and friends to socioeconomic status and quality of life, in general. Factors such as peer pressure, physical and sexual abuse, stress, and parental involvement can greatly influence the course of drug abuse and addiction in a person's life.
• Development. Environmental factors interact with critical developmental stages in a person's life to affect addiction vulnerability, and adolescents experience a double challenge. Although taking drugs at any age can lead to addiction, the earlier that drug use begins, the more likely it is to progress to more serious abuse. And because adolescents' brains are still developing in the areas that govern decision making, judgment, and self-control, they are especially prone to risk-taking behaviors, including trying drugs.

Prevention Is the Most Successful Treatment of All

Alcoholism and drug addiction and dependence are preventable illnesses. Research has demonstrated that programs which include the family, schools, groups, and media are powerful in decreasing drug and alcohol abuse. Although it's known that social variables influence drug abuse and alcohol misuse patterns, when adolescents see drug addiction as unsafe, they tend to steer clear of drugs and alcohol. It is fundamental to help our youth and the overall population to understand the dangers of alcohol and drug abuse and for parents, teachers, and doctors to continue sending the message that drug abuse can be prevented if an individual never misuses drugs.