Posts Tagged ‘Alcoholics’

Hawaii has one of the nation’s highest rates of alcohol addiction but ranks as the state with the least drug dependence, according to a federal government survey released yesterday.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration www.samhsa.gov

More than four out of 100 people over 12 years old in Hawaii are addicted to alcohol, says the study from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration, an agency within the U.S. Health and Human Services Department.
That puts Hawaii ahead of only Montana and the District of Columbia, and worse than the national average of 3.4 per 100 people.

For more information about or help with Alcoholism and to break the addiction cycle phone Michael Larroque at 866-515-5032 or visit hawaiiislandrecovery.com.

One of the most important parts of drug and alcohol treatment is structure. Once upon a time people used to be able to simply go to AA meetings or NA meetings, get a sponsor, and get sober from drugs and alcohol. In the beginning, treatment was seen as not entirely necessary by people in Alcoholics Anonymous. The primary question people in AA asked was, “Why pay for treatment when AA is free?” As time went by the answer to this question became obvious to most people in AA. Treatment provides structure for the alcoholic and addict. This is especially important for young people suffering from drug and alcohol addiction. When I say “young” people, I mean people from the ages of 17 to 29 years old. In the past, when AA was developed, there was not as much of a sociological problem with the young adults of America as there is today. Today the TWIXTERS are entering the work force later, graduating from college later, and getting married later. Simply put, the adults of the 30′s, 40′s, 50′s, and even 60′s were not experiencing the dilemma that many young adults are experiencing in this day and age. Young adults are lost today. They are frightened of the future. They don’t know what they want to be or who they want to be so they live the lives of people they see on TV. When young adults begin to drift off into the abyss of adulthood between the ages of 18 and 29 years old, they are drawn to drugs and alcohol to cope with the feelings they are having. The Structure offered in drug and alcohol treatment allows these TWIXTERS to get a foothold in life and helps bring them back down to earth. The daily routing of drug and alcohol treatment provides TWIXTERS with something to do, because most of them are do not have careers and most have not completed their college educations. This is different than it was in the past. People went to college, got careers, got married, had kids, all by the time they were 24 years old. Now that age has increased and there is a large gap between 18 and 29 years old where young adults feel lost and without purpose. So one of the main objectives in drug and alcohol treatment is not only to help a young adult get sober, but to help them develop a life worth living and more importantly, worth getting sober for.

What Is Alcohol Abuse

What are drinking problems? How serious is alcohol abuse among young people? What is the trend in drunk driving? What help is available for alcoholism?
To some college students, heavy drinking that leads to vomiting is not alcohol abuse but simply having a good time and being “one of the gang.”
To many whose religion requires abstinence, simply tasting an alcohol beverage is not only alcohol abuse but a sin.
To many activists, a married couple quietly enjoying a drink with their dinner is guilty of abusing alcohol if they happen to be twenty years of age.
To the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, an accident is alcohol related (and implicitly caused by alcohol abuse) if a driver who has consumed a drink is sitting at a red light and rear-ended by an inattentive teetotaler.
In American Society
Our historical background and multi cultural population have created wide and strong disagreements in American society over what constitutes alcohol abuse.
Our Colonial tradition taught us that alcohol is the “good gift of God” to be used and enjoyed by all, including small children.
Our temperance and Prohibition experiences taught us that alcohol is “demon rum,” the cause of almost all poverty, crime, violence, and other problems. So convinced were they that alcohol was the cause of virtually all crime that, on the eve of Prohibition, some towns went so far as to sell their jails. Temperance systematically promoted both fear and hostility toward alcohol beverages, much of which continues to this day.
Repeal of Prohibition left us with a society in which the majority of people enjoy alcohol beverage in moderation, but a large minority (today about 1/3) of the population abstains. And a substantial proportion of American abstainers favor imposing prohibition again on the entire population . The prohibition impulse has never died and has re-emerged in a different form today.
Alcohol policy actually results not from science, logic, or evidence, but from a continuing struggle between those who wish to use alcohol beverages and those who don’t want them to. Repeatedly throughout our national life, movements have emerged to promote abstinence by persuasion, but failing to succeed, they have then resorted to coercion. The current neo-prohibition movement attempts to reduce consumption in general and to prevent it entirely among targeted groups, such as those under the age of 21.

And Young People
Prohibition for those under the age of 21 currently enjoys wide support in the United States and is imposed by force of law. Often it is enforced with a vengeance. “Carter Loar, a senior at Park View High School in Loudoun County, Virginia was suspended for ten days in February for violating the school’s alcohol policy.” Carter’s violation was using mouthwash at school. School officials confiscated the contraband and “He was charged with violating the school’s alcohol policy which prohibits the possession or use of alcohol on school property. As part of his ten day suspension, Carter was required to attend a three day Substance Abuse Program sponsored by Loudoun County.”
Mr. Loar was a victim of “zero tolerance,” which is now all the rage. But what does such a zealous level of intolerance accomplish and what messages does it send our young people? It probably achieves about as much as the scare tactics characteristic of the temperance movement and is almost certainly counter-productive.
One apparent message is that those who promote such intolerance have lost touch with youth, another is that they are unrealistic and impractical, and another is that their alcohol education messages are not credible.
Youthful Drinking
While a continuing barrage of newspaper articles, TV shows, and special interest group reports claim that drinking among young people is a growing epidemic, the fact is quite the contrary. Drinking among young people, like drinking among the larger population, is actually on the decline. For example, look at the statistics on drinking among high school students.
The proportion of high school seniors who have ever consumed alcohol is down.
The proportion of high school seniors who have consumed alcohol within previous year is down.
The proportion of high school seniors who have consumed alcohol within previous 30 days is down.
The proportion of high school seniors who have recently consumed alcohol daily is down.
The proportion of high school seniors who have consumed 5 or more drinks on an occasion within previous two weeks is down.
Drinking among young people continues to drop. For example, the proportion of young people aged 12 through 17 who have consumed any alcohol during the previous month has plummeted from 50% in 1979 to 16% in 2006, according to the federal government’s annual National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Thus, while one in two were drinkers in 1979, significantly fewer than one in five were in 2006, the most recent year for which statistics are available. College student drinking attracts much attention in the press. But the proportion of college freshmen who drink continues to decrease. Freshmen entering college in 2006 reported the lowest rates of drinking in the 41-year history of the national college Freshman Survey. The proportion reporting occasional or frequent beer drinking dropped to an historic low, down 43% since 1982.
Drunk Driving Fatalities
While we must do even more to reduce drunk driving, we have already accomplished a great deal. Alcohol-related traffic fatalities have dropped steadily.
The U.S. has a low traffic fatality rate (drunk, as well as sober) and is a very safe nation in which to drive. And it’s been getting safer for decades. There are now fewer than one and a half deaths (including the deaths of bicyclists, motorcyclists, pedestrians, auto drivers, and auto passengers) per one hundred million vehicle miles traveled. Alcohol-related traffic fatalities have dropped from 60% of all traffic deaths in 1982 down to 39% in 2005 (the most recent year for which such statistics are available).
Alcohol-related traffic fatalities per vehicle miles driven has also dropped dramatically — from 1.64 deaths per 100 million miles traveled in 1982 down to 0.56 in 2005 (the latest year for which such statistics are available).
The proportion of alcohol-related crash fatalities has fallen 35% since 1982, but the proportion of traffic deaths NOT associated with alcohol have jumped 53% during the same time. We’re winning the battle against alcohol-related traffic fatalities, but losing the fight against traffic deaths that are not alcohol-related.
The declining proportion of accidents involving intoxication is good news. However, we can do even more to reduce drunk driving deaths. Through our individual actions we can do much right now to protect ourselves and others.
Health Problems
While the moderate consumption of alcohol is associated with better health and longer life than is abstinence, the heavy consumption of alcohol, especially over a period of many years, can lead to serious health problems and even death.
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is an irreversible condition associated with excessive consumption of alcohol by pregnant women and is, therefore, completely preventable. Each and every case of FAS is a needless tragedy. Victims suffer serious physical deformities and often mental deficiencies. And, they suffer these problems for their entire lives. While most cases occur among alcoholics who consume alcohol heavily throughout their pregnancies (usually in combination with smoking and often illegal drug use), no one knows for certain what level of alcohol consumption is safe for a pregnant woman.
The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists recently conducted a study including 400,000 American women, all of whom had consumed alcohol during pregnancy. Not a single case of FAS occurred and no adverse effects on children were found when consumption was under 8.5 drinks per week. While it would appear that moderate consumption is safe, the safer choice would be to abstain.
Of course, tobacco and illegal drugs are clearly to be avoided, and a pregnant woman should maintain good nutrition and see her physician on a regular basis throughout her pregnancy.
Cirrhosis
Cirrhosis is probably the most widely recognized medical complication of chronic alcoholism. It is a grave and irreversible condition characterized by a progressive replacement of healthy liver tissue with scars, which can lead to liver failure and death. Fortunately, the abuse of alcohol is down and so is cirrhosis.
Death rate for cirrhosis fell dramatically between 1970 and 1992, the most recent year for which information is available. During that period, death from cirrhosis:
dropped 29.8% among black men
dropped 15.3% among white men
dropped 47.9% among black women
dropped 33.3% among white women
Help is Available
Numerous other health problems are associated with heavy alcohol consumption, which should be avoided. Many people find organized programs very useful in helping them reduce their consumption to moderate levels. For those who either choose or need to quit drinking entirely call Today Hawaii Island Recovery at 866-515-5032 or visit our website at www.hawaiiislandrecovery.com

According to the Brown University Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, more than half of all adults have a family history of alcoholism or problem drinking, and more than nine million children live with a parent dependent on alcohol and/or illicit drugs. Alcoholism affects a wide circle of people close to the alcoholic – relatives, friends, neighbors, employers, co-workers, classmates, teachers, doctors, community workers – and is closely linked to many of America’s most difficult social problems, including crime, homelessness, teen pregnancy and domestic violence. Yet 82% of doctors admit that MDs avoid addressing alcoholism in their patients.
The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, sponsoring April as Alcohol Awareness Month for the 16th year, says it’s important that people see alcoholism not as an issue of morality or “will power,” but as a public health issue. What’s the truth about alcohol, and how do you know if you’ve got a problem? Here are some straight answers from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

What is alcoholism?
Alcoholism, also known as alcohol dependence, is a disease that includes the following four symptoms:
Craving: A strong need, or urge, to drink.
Loss of control: Not being able to stop drinking once drinking has begun.
Physical dependence: Withdrawal symptoms such as nausea, sweating, shakiness and anxiety after stopping drinking.
Tolerance: The need to drink greater amounts of alcohol to get “high.”

Is alcoholism a disease?
Yes. The craving that an alcoholic feels for alcohol can be as strong as the need for food or water. An alcoholic will continue to drink despite serious family, health, or legal problems. Like many other diseases, alcoholism lasts a person’s lifetime; it usually follows a predictable course; and it has symptoms. The risk for developing alcoholism is influenced both by a person’s genes and by his or her lifestyle.

Is alcoholism inherited?
Research shows that the risk for developing alcoholism runs in families. The genes a person inherits partially explain this pattern, but lifestyle is also a factor. Your friends, the amount of stress in your life, and how readily available alcohol is also are factors that may increase your risk for alcoholism. But remember: Risk is not destiny. Just because alcoholism tends to run in families doesn’t mean that a child of an alcoholic parent will automatically become an alcoholic too. Some people develop alcoholism even though no one in their family has a drinking problem. By the same token, not all children of alcoholic families get into trouble with alcohol. Knowing you are at risk is important, though, because then you can take steps to protect yourself from developing problems with alcohol.

Can alcoholism be cured?
No. Even if an alcoholic hasn’t been drinking for a long time, he or she can still suffer a relapse. To guard against a relapse, an alcoholic must continue to avoid all alcoholic beverages.

Can alcoholism be treated?
Yes. Most alcoholics need help to recover from their disease. With support and treatment, many people are able to stop drinking and rebuild their lives. Alcoholism treatment programs use both counseling and medications to help a person stop drinking. A range of medications is used to treat alcoholism: some are used during the first days after a person stops drinking to help him or her safely withdraw from alcohol. These medications are not used beyond the first few days, however, because they may be highly addictive. Other medications help people remain sober by reducing the craving for alcohol or by making the person feel sick if he or she drinks alcohol.
Does alcoholism treatment work? Alcoholism treatment works for many people. But just like any chronic disease, there are varying levels of success when it comes to treatment. Some people stop drinking and remain sober. Others have long periods of sobriety with bouts of relapse. And still others cannot stop drinking for any length of time. With treatment, one thing is clear, however: the longer a person abstains from alcohol, the more likely he or she will be able to stay sober.
Do you have to be an alcoholic to experience problems?
No. Alcoholism is only one type of an alcohol problem. Alcohol abuse can be just as harmful. A person may drink too much and too often but still not be dependent on alcohol. Some of the problems linked to alcohol abuse include not being able to meet work, school or family responsibilities; drunk-driving arrests and car crashes; and drinking-related medical conditions. Under some circumstances, even social or moderate drinking is dangerous – for example, when driving, during pregnancy, or when taking certain medications.
Are specific groups of people more likely to have problems? Alcohol abuse and alcoholism cut across gender, race, and nationality. Nearly 14 million people in the United States – one of every 13 adults – abuse alcohol or are alcoholic. In general, though, more men than women are alcohol dependent or have alcohol problems. The incidence of problems with alcohol is highest among young adults ages 18-29 and lowest among adults ages 65 and older. We also know that people who start drinking at an early age (14 or younger) greatly increase the chance that they will develop alcohol problems at some point in their lives.

Can a problem drinker simply cut down? It depends. If that person has been diagnosed as an alcoholic, the answer is “no.” Alcoholics who try to cut down on drinking rarely succeed. Cutting out alcohol (abstaining) is usually the best course for recovery. People who are not alcohol dependent but who have experienced alcohol-related problems might be able to limit the amount they drink. If they can’t stay within those limits, they need to stop drinking altogether.

How can a person get help for an alcohol problem?
You can call for information or admission assistance 24 hours a day. You may also apply for admission online to our drug rehab center by using our encrypted Preadmission Assessment form. Please be assured that your alcohol and drug rehab addiction treatment records and information are protected by law and we cannot share your information with anyone unless you give us written consent. Contact us if you have any questions or need further assistance at  866-515-5032.

Alcohol rehab is different than a 30 day dryout. Alcohol rehab is a process whereby you are educated on what is going on inside your body and how the addiction is controlling your life. Once you see that there is a way out, you have a more informed option available to kick this addiction once and for all.
Alcoholism is disease, bar none. Beating this terrible addiction is not only possible, but very much encouraged by society. The ugliness of alcoholism has destroyed people and families for decades, and if you know of someone with this affliction, you know firsthand that the problem doesn’t go away.
Alcohol affects the brain in a way, that the victim feels helpless and only wants to drink themselves deeper into a point of invisibility. The effects on others is often blamed on the alcoholic’s excuse that they didn’t mean to do that, or they didn’t know what they were doing. This is denial pure and simple.
Depression may be the reason a person chooses to drink, but it will soon become the excuse an alcoholic uses to continue it’s abuse. Much like other addictions, trying to associate in a group of people who drink often lures an unsuspecting person who simple cannot handle the alcohol. Once attached to this group, you are doomed to fail in everything you do, unless you separate yourself from these people.
Alcohol rehab is treated with care in finding the original cause of a person’s addiction and shows them how and where their problems multiplied once they chose alcohol as a crutch or short-term dulling effect.
Once an alcoholic, unfortunately always an alcoholic. The body can be cleansed of the alcohol, but never the brain. Once you take a drink the sensors in your brain will be re-ignited and the addiction immediately reappears. The success of any addiction, is to educate a person that they are always addicted, but they can prevent the temptation of it grabbing them and flinging them back into a full fledged active addiction.
Too many times an alcoholic will inflict personal body damage or death on another. It doesn’t have to be that way, if you take the right actions and seek help through alcohol rehab.

If you know someone that is an alcoholic and needs alcohol rehab, take a look at the options available and the choices anyone involved with someone who drinks beyond the point of control:

Contact Michael Larroque at Hawaii Island Recovery at 866-515-5032 to get  more information.

Welcome to the new blog.

Soon we will have many posts to inform and educate you on your road to sobriety.

Check back often, as new topics will be discussed regularly.

Thanks,
The Hawaii Island Recovery Team!