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Here’s how it works: take a pill each morning and know that for the rest of the day even a sip or two of alcohol will make you feel horribly ill. Need to quit drinking? Is disulfiram a good option for you? Read on to learn more about this FDA approved alcoholism treatment medication.

Disulfiram: Take a tiny pill each morning and know that for the rest of the day even a sip of alcohol will make you feel terribly ill…sound like something that might help you stay motivated and sober?

In America, disulfiram is marketed under the trade name Antabuse. Disulfiram won’t help you quit drinking, but once you’ve managed to stop it can help keep you from relapsing since you’ll know that even a small amount of alcohol will have very negative consequences.

Disulfiram is an FDA approved alcoholism medication that has been in use for more than half a century.

It may help you to maintain your sobriety but it has some downsides, such as:

• You have to remember/decide to take this pill each day
• You run the risk of a bad reaction from accidental alcohol ingestion (through cooking sauces, some medications etc.)
• It won’t help you with alcohol cravings
• It can cause liver damage
• If you drink on it and have a very severe reaction you could die

How Does It Work?

1. When you drink, your body converts the alcohol into acetaldehyde and then quickly converts this acetaldehyde into acetate and then into carbon dioxide and water.¹
2. Acetaldehyde is highly toxic and a known carcinogen – and it causes much of the hang-over pain you feel the day after drinking.
3. If you take disulfiram and then drink alcohol, this process gets interrupted after the first step. You still convert the alcohol into the toxic acetaldehyde, but then the process stops, and levels of acetaldehyde in the body quickly rise to between 5 and 10 times their normal post drinking levels.

So imagine the worst hang-over you’ve ever had...and then multiply that by 5 to 10. This occurs within minutes of combining disulfiram and alcohol and the symptoms will last for between an hour and a few hours.

Disulfiram + alcohol will cause symptoms such as:

• Severe headache and neck pain
• Nausea and vomiting
• Dizziness
• Flushing
• Tachycardia
• Sweating
• Dry mouth
• Blurry vision
• Weakness
• Breathing problems
• Very low blood pressure
• Confusion ²
  
• Chest pains
• Convulsions
• Coma

Combing alcohol and disulfiram can result in a very serious and sometimes fatal reaction. Never take this medication before consulting with a doctor. People with certain underlying conditions, such as liver, heart or kidney problems (and many others) probably can’t use disulfiram safely, especially since you can inadvertently set off a reaction through exposure to trace alcohol in foods or even in colognes or perfumes.³

How Well Does It Work?

It works pretty well.

There are no magic-bullet medications for the treatment of alcoholism, but medications help, and when combined with behavioral therapies, they generally offer people the best shot at lasting recovery.

Because of the risks of use and because it does not reduce alcohol cravings, disulfiram is now prescribed less commonly than newer alcohol treatment medications, like acamprosate or naltrexone.

But although prescribing is down, disulfiram is still an effective medication, suited particularly for newly abstinent and highly motivated people.

• A 2011 Cochrane Review of 11 clinical trial studies on the effectiveness of disulfiram revealed that most studies found that over the short term disulfiram was more effective than placebo and other addiction treatments for helping people achieve longer periods before relapse and for helping people reduce their total number of drinking days.⁴
• Another large German study found that disulfiram worked better than acamprosate, particularly for patients with a long history of alcoholism.⁵

What Are the Risks?

Disulfiram is a serious medication, but if used as directed, and under a doctor’s care, it’s pretty safe for most people.

• Disulfiram used to be more dangerous, but today's commonly used dosage is much lower than it used to be and now patients with heart disease and some other medical problems don't get prescribed this medication.
• Disulfiram can be hard on the liver, and your doctor will want to monitor your liver enzymes over the course of your use of this medication. If you have very compromised liver functioning you may not be a good candidate for disulfiram. Disulfiram can cause hepatitis, but this occurs rarely, only in about 1 in 25 000 people.⁶
• Disulfiram may worsen psychosis

Is It Right for You?

A panel of clinical experts at SAMHSA concluded that disulfiram is most effective/appropriate when:

• The patient is highly motivated to stay abstinent and well informed of the risks and necessary routines of use
• The patient is capable of staying abstinent for at least 12 hours
• The patient’s treatment is being closely monitored by an addiction treatment professional
• No medical conditions or allergies preclude its use
• The patient does not have significant impulse control problems or significant cognitive impairment

Think it’s what you need? Well, don’t take this medication lightly and never take without a doctor’s supervision, but if it sounds like it might help you stay sober, one day at a time, talk to your doctor about your appropriateness for a prescription. 

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So you’re drinking too much and you want to change – you have 2 choices, either cut down or quit entirely. While abstinence is the safest course of action it’s not for everyone, and some people want to at least try to cut down before conceding to a need for complete sobriety. Do you want to become a more moderate drinker? If so, here’s how to do it….

OK – your drinking is causing you some problems in life and you know you have to do something about it. Maybe it’s for health reasons, or maybe it’s for family or work – but the time has come to make some changes and get back under control.

Now, the first thing you really need to decide when thinking about getting your drinking under control is:

Are you going to quit drinking entirely or are you going to cut down your drinking to a more moderate consumption?

Both are reasonable and effective plans, but while abstinence will work for everyone, not everyone will have good results with striving to cut down - If you are an alcoholic (alcohol dependent) you have very low odds of having success with anything other than abstinence.

1. If you decide on abstinence, then things are quite clear. Try to stop drinking, and if you can’t do it on your own, get some professional addiction treatment and make use of community based support groups, like AA and others.

2. Shooting for success with moderate drinking, however, is a bit trickier. If you have a drinking problem and you just sort of ‘try to cut down’ without making a clear plan on how you’ll do it, your odds of success aren’t great. For the best chances of actually achieving and sustaining moderate drinking, you need to plan for how much and how often you’ll drink (put it writing) and you’ll need to learn and use some new strategies to ensure you don’t exceed your limits.

3. If you decide on moderate drinking, take cutting down seriously and make use of strategies for minimizing your consumption. If you find over a test period of  weeks or months that despite your best efforts you consistently fail to achieve your moderate drinking goals, then accept that moderate drinking may not be achievable for you, and proceed with abstinence as your best course of action.

Cutting Down Your Drinking

If you decide on moderate drinking, the first thing to do is to write down your goals:

1. Write down a list of your reasons for slowing down your drinking
   
2. Decide on how much you and how frequently you’ll allow yourself to drink. Your goals are your own and you must determine what’s best for you, but for moderate drinking you may want to consider the US established safe drinking levels of no more than 4 standard drinks in a session and 14 standard drinks per week for men, and no more than 2 standard drinks in a session and no more than 7 standard drinks per week for women¹. You should also have at least 2 alcohol free days per week. Write down your alcohol goals on the same piece of paper as your list of reasons for cutting down. Put the piece of paper somewhere you’ll see it every day – to remind you of your commitment and goals.
   
3. Keep an alcohol diary for the first few weeks. Write down every drink you have on a day by day basis and compare your weekly actual drinking to your goals of moderate drinking. If after a few weeks, you find that you are able to stick to your goals and have cut down your drinking, then congratulations and carry on the good work. If after a few weeks, you find that your efforts have not resulted in a substantial reduction in drinking, then you may want to consider abstinence as a better choice for you.
   

Tips for Cutting Down and Achieving Moderate Drinking

Moving from heavy to moderate and binge to responsible drinking can be challenging and for best odds of success you’ll want to take advantage of some proven strategies that can make this transition a little easier.

Here are some strategies that may help you to achieve your goals:

• Keep no or very little alcohol in your house.
• When out drinking socially, try alternating between alcoholic and non alcoholic drinks, and try not to have more than one standard drink per hour.
• Be careful about generous pours! A brimming glass of strong red wine can actually equate to several standard drinks, and when you’re at a party and you’ve got a host circulating and topping up glasses every few minutes – that single glass of wine or two you recorded yourself having might have actually equaled many times that amount in standard drinks measures. Familiarize yourself with standard drinks measures, and when possible, pour or mix your own drinks.
• Make sure you eat before or while you drink. Food in your stomach slows the absorption of alcohol and can reduce the intoxication you feel – which will help you to maintain your resolve to drink in moderation. Also, try having a large glass of water before drinking alcohol. You don’t want to be quenching a thirst with alcohol.
  
• Avoid situations that trigger urges to drink. If you know that watching Monday Night Football with friends is always a beer soaked affair – then maybe it’s not the best social outing for you as you try to gain control of your drinking. Achieving moderation and changing your habits is tough enough – you don’t need to make it harder than it already is by putting yourself in the way of overwhelming temptation.
  
• Think about how you’ll handle strong urges to drink. Will you call your spouse for support? Will you get out of the situation and head to the gym? Will you do deep breathing exercises and wait for the urge to pass? Plan in advance for the temptation that’s sure to come and you’ll be better able to overcome those urges and continue to follow your sensible drinking plan.
  
• As someone that used to drink a lot, know that people will sometimes offer you a drink when you don’t want one and that sometime they might even pressure you to take one. Plan in advance how you’ll turn down these unwanted drinks.²
• Reward yourself for your drinking cuts. Take the money you’re saving on all the alcohol you used to buy and do something fun with friends or family – it’s all a part of learning to have fun without alcohol.³

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One of the finest compliments I receive from recovering alcoholics is that despite the fact that I am not an alcoholic, I understand how their minds work. I have profound respect for all the old sayings in AA. Some are open to interpretation - the "insanity of our disease" is a literal statement.

Friends and family of active alcoholics ask me to explain how the alcoholic thinks. I am happy to share what I have learned after we establish what their motives are.

The Insanity of Alcoholism

Sadly, well intentioned folks try to protect the alcoholic from him/herself (enabling) or try to predict what they will do next (no crystal ball available). There are hundreds of wise sayings amongst alcoholics in recovery. Some are meant to make you think and some are meant to be taken very literally. Alcoholics Anonymous refers to, “the insanity of our disease.” This is a very literal statement. I can tell you a bit about understanding the active alcoholic but I cannot make it make sense to you because understanding the active alcoholic requires stripping away a lot of rational thought, the acknowledgement and willingness to learn from mistakes, the ability to recognize obvious patterns of behavior, and quite often, the application of common sense.

There are at least a hundred forms of alcoholism. What I am describing here is the person who is still drinking, is high functioning, and has not yet lost the things they hold dear. The disease of addiction dictates that they will lose these things in time and the rule of threes dictates a grim long term prognosis (jail, institution, and/or death).

Alcoholics think, act, believe, and feel based on distorted perceptions or themselves and the world around them. They live at the extremes of all or nothing. There is no moderation, no middle ground, no compromise, and no gray area in their worldview. To varying degrees, alcoholics live in denial of their destructiveness (self and others) and this further distorts what they are able to make sense of.

"Probably"

Alcoholics are the very best liars because they are able to use rationalization and justification to convince themselves that a lie is truth. This happens subconsciously. They are not aware that they are, if you’ll pardon the term – mind screwing themselves. Alcoholics adopt a language that facilitates lying in a way that sounds very well intentioned. Their favorite word is, “probably.” This word implies intention where in fact none exists. An alcoholic who tells you they will probably do something is highly unlikely to do it. Using words like these provides them a loop hole – an escape hatch in which no absolutes are given and no promises made. The alcoholic relies on words and phrases like: possibly, maybe, would, could, should, I’d like to, I want to, I need to. These words mean nothing. They sound good but almost always lead to disappointment. Progressively, alcoholism blurs every line and impacts every interaction, every relationship, every part of the alcoholic’s world.

Firehouse Management

Putting blinders on a horse leaves it with no peripheral vision – such is the worldview of the alcoholic. They may attend to many things, but in order to do so they must turn their attention away from one thing and toward another. Multitasking for the alcoholic means making many messes at once. There is no balance for the active alcoholic. As one area of their life declines they will often focus their attention on it and take it to an extreme. As this happens, another part of their life declines and gradually their life becomes dictated by “firehouse management” – every course of action becomes based on the most pressing problem. This is an inevitably downward spiral, though some alcoholics manage to maintain it for a very long time.

External Locus of Control

As alcoholics tend to drink progressively more they will generally conceal the frequency and amount they drink. They will tell you they only had three glasses of wine and this is true. What they have not told you is that each glass was a 16 ounce tumbler. It is not only the drinking that gets hidden; it is also the negative affects alcohol produces in their lives. Alcoholics develop what counselors call “an external locus of control.” Progressively, everything is someone else’s fault. If their job is going poorly it’s because their boss hates them. If their marriage suffers then their spouse is unreasonable. If they fail as parents they will see their children as ungrateful. Everything and everyone becomes a reason to drink. The spiraling alcoholic will often say that they don’t even want to drink but that circumstances like their horrible job/spouse/kids “force” them to.

Self-Pity and the Sense of Entitlement

Alcoholics often have a bizarre sense of entitlement. They reason that having such a difficult/stressful/demanding life entitles them to act in ways that are immature, irresponsible, and selfish. To observe their behavior is to conclude a belief that the world must owe them something. The active alcoholic wallows in self-pity and concludes that they are a victim of life. As they demand more from the world they expect less and less from themselves.

Appearance over Substance

The quickest route to self destruction for alcoholics are the words, “Screw it.” This is a declaration that everything is already screwed so they might as well drink. When people decide to stop drinking we encourage them to notice that “It” is actually, “Me.” This is evident in, “It’s not worth it.” On some level the alcoholic always knows the truth and they are usually working hard not to know it. They pretend and demand that those close to them buy into the fantasy that all is well. Life becomes progressively less about anything substantive and progressively more about maintaining appearances. This is well explained in Pink’s song, “Family Portrait.” “In our family portrait we look pretty happy. We look pretty normal…”

Master Manipulators

Alcoholics are master manipulators. They may not have been con artists before they started drinking but they come to have remarkable skills. They are the folks who can sell ice to Eskimos. They will pick a fight with you because they want to leave and they will have you believing it’s your fault. They show little or no accountability. They may have had integrity before their addiction kicked in but it will be conspicuously absent from their lives as they spiral. There is often one exception to this rule for each alcoholic – one thing they do especially well and it will most generally be their sole source of self esteem. We have known a large number of alcoholics who have incredible work ethics because being a good worker is the one thing they know they’re good at…well, they will say that and drinking.

Alcoholism - A Unique Disease

The disease of alcoholism gradually and insidiously strips everything away from a person. We have been asked countless times whether alcoholism is truly a disease or a choice. In truth it is both. Alcoholism is unique as a disease in that it not only hides from view – it also lies to its carrier about its presence. The person who is active in addiction has a unique choice relative to all other diseases. The alcoholic can go into remission at any time and many do. We see that alcoholics will abstain from drinking for a time to prove to themselves or others that they are not addicted, only to return later with a vengeance.

Alcoholics Anonymous (the only real recovery)

Recovery from alcoholism involves far more than sobriety. Recovery from alcoholism involves changing every part of a person’s life. The person who only stops drinking is what we refer to as a “dry drunk” meaning that they are every bit as unhealthy they have simply stopped drinking – a small percentage of folks manage this long term. In my professional opinion, real recovery is only made possible by the program of Alcoholics Anonymous. There are countless positive things that can be added to the program of AA and their importance cannot be overstated. Folks in recovery need the support of family and friends. Sadly, I meet too many friends and family who are unwittingly enabling (protecting an alcoholic from the natural consequences of their behavior) the alcoholic and this always results in a person staying stuck in addiction.

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Myths and misconceptions regarding Alcoholics Anonymous that continue to prevent people from accessing self-help. For the atheist or agnostic, concerns about having a "Higher Power" are a significant obstacles that can be overcome.

G.O.D. is a great acronym. It stands for Group Of Drunks.

It’s a great Higher Power in and of itself. It’s simply an acknowledgement that the group of Alcoholics Anonymous is more powerful and has more ability to promote sobriety & recovery than does the individual alcoholic.

If worry about believing in God or a bearded guy in the sky keeps you from utilizing AA to achieve transformation, consider this a viable option. As anyone who is working a good program in AA will tell you: “Take what you like and leave the rest.”

The Buffet Approach

Ask a therapist what type of therapy they do and they’re very likely to say, “Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.” Most of us say that because it’s safe and accepted.

However, I have consistently found that the best clinicians practice eclecticism. They take from many different disciplines and approaches to tailor treatment to the individual, resulting in something that is more personal and therefore more effective. This could be conceptualized as multidimensional, but I just call it the “buffet approach.”

The Buffet Approach at AA Meetings

When you go to a buffet, you take what you want and leave everything that doesn’t appeal to you. We’re free to use the same approach with self help programs. Going to an AA meeting allows one to consult informally with a room full of experts on what does and does not work for them individually and collectively.

Plenty of folks in AA don’t care for religion or rigid belief. They just found that they could not stay sober alone and they found that they needed to have faith in something more powerful than self. Some connect to nature, some to religion, some to spirituality, and some to a Group Of Drunks.

Whatever works for you is okay with them.

Overcoming Your Fears by Giving AA a Try

You can search the world over for people who are trying to change their lives while abstaining from use of drugs and alcohol… or you can attend a local AA meeting.

Despite sharing the fact that I am not an alcoholic, I have consistently been warmly welcomed and included in every AA meeting I’ve attended. This inclusion and respect demonstrates their open mindedness and acceptance.

I’ve found that resistance is almost always fear based. When people object to a singular aspect of something they are probably taking a very limited view. Fear narrows our perspective. It’s not hard to find seemingly compelling reasons why we can’t possibly do the thing we’re afraid to do. Ultimately, the question becomes, “What would you do if you weren’t afraid?”

William James said, “Faith is a bet you can’t lose.” If believing in anything brings one peace or purpose or joy, what’s the harm?

Too many of us fear the freedom of choosing our own beliefs, especially via the buffet approach. My friends in AA remind me, “Religion is for people who are afraid to go to hell and spirituality is for those of us who have already been there.” Spirituality is all inclusive. It is whatever you need it to be. To me, it’s about connection. What we can do together is so much greater than what we can do alone.

Go to a meeting with an open mind. What do you have to lose?

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Why can some people drink heavily and never become alcoholics when other people get addicted so quickly?

Why can some people drink heavily and never become alcoholics when other people get addicted so quickly?

Contributing Factors to the Development of Alcoholism

Why some people can use and even abuse alcohol without ever developing alcoholism, and why some people seem unusually susceptible to alcoholism, remains a poorly understood phenomenon.

Genetics

There is a genetic component to alcoholism, and people who grow up in alcoholic homes are far more likely to become alcoholics themselves. Children born to alcoholic parents, but raised in homes without alcohol abuse or addiction are also predisposed to alcoholism, so we do know that genetics plays an important role. But all people genetically predisposed to alcoholism do not develop dependencies, and some people with no genetic history of alcoholism end up battling the disease for years. It is now accepted that although a genetic predisposition plays an important influence in the development of the disease, that social and environmental factors are in fact the lager influences towards alcohol abuse or alcoholism.

In addition to genetic influences, the Mayo Clinic considers that there are three additional primary influences to alcohol abuse or alcoholism.

Emotional States or Emotional Stressors can Induce Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

People may use alcohol excessively in response to frequent or significant emotional disturbances or stresses. When alcohol is used with enough frequency as an emotional management or stress coping tool the risk of dependency or alcoholism increases greatly. There is also likely a bio physical link with stress and alcohol abuse, and stress hormones have been casually linked to increased alcohol consumption and a greater risk for alcoholism.

People who use alcohol to deal with life's problems or stresses are at a greater risk to develop alcoholism.

The Co-Presence of a Corresponding Psychiatric Condition

People suffering through psychiatric conditions like depression, bi polar disorder, borderline personality disorder or anxiety disorders are at a greatly elevated risk to develop alcohol abuse problems or alcoholism. Psychiatric patients often use alcohol or other illicit drugs to self medicate the negative symptoms of an experienced disorder. Unfortunately, while intoxication may bring some temporary relief, the long term effects of alcohol abuse almost always worsen experienced psychiatric symptoms. Alcoholic psychiatric patients are at a great risk for an accelerated progression of both diseases, and require immediate interventions and treatment.

In addition to clinical psychiatric conditions, non clinical, but still significant factors such as low self esteem can also increase the likelihood to alcohol abuse, and ultimately alcoholism. Alcohol is rarely an effective long term coping strategy.

Social Environmental Factors

As a society, largely due to billions of dollars invested in alcohol advertising campaigns, there is a perception of alcohol being associated with glamour, attractiveness and success, and these lingering subconscious perceptions may influence people to try alcohol at a young age and continue to drink more than they should throughout life.

The immediate environment can also increase the probability of alcoholism. People who socialize, or live romantically with a person who drinks to excess, whether dependent or not, are far more likely to also drink heavily, and put themselves at risk for alcohol abuse and alcoholism.

Even the neighborhood around the home seems to influence consumption patterns, and people brought up in or who reside in neighborhoods of heavy abuse are also more likely to use and abuse alcohol themselves.

Nothing about alcoholism is completely understood, and all we know is that the variables that can induce alcohol abuse and ultimately alcoholism are many, and that what may cause alcohol dependence in one, seem to have little influence over another. We all present with an individual risk profile for our susceptibility to the disease, although those people with a genetic history of alcoholism are undoubtedly at an increased risk to develop the disease.

Regardless of the factors that may induce the occurrence of the disease, the treatments are essentially the same, and alcoholics need intervention, intensive treatment, and long term aftercare therapies. Most alcoholics will never be capable of drinking in moderation, and abstinence is the only recommended philosophy of use for people with alcoholic histories.

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Although it may not be fair, women alcoholics suffer a far worse fate than men. They get more cancers, more liver disease and experience greater cognitive declines. Anyone drinking to excess needs help, but women alcoholics shouldn't wait even one more day. Get help, get sober; feel better.

Alcohol is an incredibly destructive drug, and long and chronic drinking ravages the body, mind and soul; and all people drinking at unsafe levels need and deserve treatment interventions and help to live better lives of sobriety. Unfortunately, although women are just as sensitive to the addictive nature of alcohol, they are in fact far more harmed by the heavy drinking of alcoholism.

Women Alcoholics

Women alcoholics suffer more from their drinking than alcoholic men. Alcoholic women suffer an increased risk of social problems such as drunk driving fatalities and violence or sexual assault and the physical effects of alcohol damages the organs and systems of the body faster and more destructively than in men:

The Physical Effects of Alcoholism in Women

Women suffer increased alcohol induced damage both acutely, and over years of chronic drinking.

Because women are normally less massive than men, and have a lesser percentage water volume within the body to dilute consumed alcohol, women are at greater risk for acute alcohol poisoning, and an intoxicated loss of control. Women also process alcohol more quickly through the liver leading to greater acute and chronic liver damage.

Cirrhosis

Women alcoholics suffer greater rates of alcoholic cirrhosis than do men with similar histories of abuse, and are more likely to die from an alcohol induced liver condition. Alcohol abuse in women also proves more damaging to the pancreas, kidneys and heart than it does with men.

Cancer

Alcoholic women are at increased risks for a host of gastro intestinal cancers, and women with long histories of alcohol abuse also suffer a nearly 50% increased risk of contracting breast cancer.

Mental Problems

Heavy drinking alcoholic women are more prone to the cognitive deficits of heavy drinking than are men, and women exhibiting similar histories of drinking as alcoholic men reveal 11% greater brain cell death and brain shrinkage from their abuse.

Social and Emotional Risks

Alcoholic women are far more likely to involved in a sexual or physical assault, are far more likely to be the victims of domestic abuse and are far more likely to contract a sexually transmitted disease.

Women who drink heavily are far more likely to suffer depression, and are 5 times as likely to commit suicide as women who do not drink to excess.

Women are also now more likely than men to be involved in a fatal drunken driving traffic accident.

Because a greater percentage of women than men begin heavy drinking later in life, the dangers of prescription medication interactions and alcohol induced physical injuries is especially problematic for older women drinkers.

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

Women alcoholics also face a greatly elevated risk of passing on a damaging fetal alcohol syndrome of cognitive, physical and emotional deficits to children. Alcoholic women may experience interrupted or irregular menstruation, and as a result may be many months pregnant before they even become aware of their condition. The Surgeon General recommends that no alcohol be consumed during pregnancy to safeguard the health of the fetus, and alcoholic women, especially those unaware of a pregnancy, are unlikely to comply with such a directive.

Women who drink during pregnancy may give birth to a child afflicted with a syndrome of symptoms that can include facial abnormalities, developmental delays or retardation; and emotional and behavioral problems that increase in severity with age and adulthood; and with life long learning difficulties.

The emotional developmental and societal costs of a fetal alcohol syndrome are profound and tragic, and all the more so as the condition is 100% preventable.

Intervention and Treatment for Alcoholic Women

All alcoholics need and deserve professional interventions and treatment, but because the damage and destruction of alcohol abuse is accelerated amongst women alcoholics, the need for rapid intervention and treatment is of paramount importance, and any alcohol abuse or dependency is uniquely harmful to all women.

Because the detoxification period off of alcohol can dangerous, it should always occur under medical observation; and women alcoholics need comprehensive alcohol and drug treatment following a successful detox to learn the strategies and life skills needed to stay sober over the long term.

Women alcoholics do not need to admit to a problem or a need for treatment prior to an admission into a rehab program, and many alcoholic women only come to accept their alcoholism as treatment progresses, and as they gain the clarity of sobriety and through the insights of offered therapies.

Women alcoholics may choose to recover in a female specific facility, but mixed facilities prove equally effective provided the recovering alcoholic is comfortable with the therapies and environment of treatment.

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If you’re drinking for health reasons, you may want to think again, because while very moderate drinking may reduce your odds of heart disease, even moderate drinking is being shown to increase your risk for a host of cancers.

There is substantial evidence that very moderate daily drinking reduces your risks of cardiovascular disease, unfortunately, a growing body of evidence suggests that on the whole (depending on your family history of disease) even moderate drinking may be doing you more harm than good, and anything over moderate drinking certainly is.

So if you’re drinking for heart health, weigh the cardiovascular benefits against the statistics listed below and make sure that what you’re doing makes sense.

The Health and Cancer Risks of Drinking

• Only 3 drinks a week increases your risks of breast cancer
  
• 1 drink per day raises your odds of getting mouth and esophagus cancers and 3 drinks per day increases your odds of colorectal and larynx cancers. Those who drink 4 or more drinks per day have a 300% increased risk of developing oral cancers
  
• Men who drink more than 3 days per week have a 55% increased risk of prostate cancer¹ and a 41% increased risk of dying from any kind of cancer. Women who drink 2 or more drinks per day have a 20% increased risk of dying from any kind of cancer
  
• Men who drink 3 or more drinks per day have a 30% to 40% increased risk of developing lung cancer, whether they were cigarette smokers or not²

The Cardiovascular Health Benefits of Moderate Drinking

Women who drink 1 drink per day and men who drink no more than 2 drinks per day experience the following health benefits:

• A 30% to 35% reduction in coronary heart disease
  
• Healthy men experience a 40% to 50% reduction in heart attack risk
  
• A reduction in stroke and dementia risks³

So Should You Drink for Health?

There are pros and cons to both sides of the moderate drinking coin, and what’s right for you likely depends on your family history of disease and personal health risk profile. If you’re not sure, ask your doctor about what makes most sense for you, and if she recommends moderate drinking to reduce cardiovascular disease risk, make sure you stick to the moderate part of that drinking plan!

Anything over very moderate drinking and any regular binge drinking though is very clearly associated with an increased risk for a host of cancers and even for an increased risk of heart disease – not to mention an increased risk of developing an alcohol abuse problem. If you justify your drinking as something you do for your good health, make certain that your drinking habits support your good intentions and that your good intentions don’t give you license to indulge in a practice that actually does you more harm than good.

And if you do find yourself drinking more than a very moderate drink or two per day – you should strongly consider cutting down – and if you can’t, you should consider getting some help so that you can do what you need to do to stay healthy and happy and strong.

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The more you drink the greater your risk to develop a problem… but how does your drinking compare to American averages? Find out where you fit in and find out - based on how much you drink - your risk of developing an alcohol abuse disorder.

The more you drink, not surprisingly, the greater your risk to develop an alcohol abuse disorder (alcohol abuse or alcoholism).

However, since most of us gauge our drinking by comparing our habits to those around us, we don’t always have an accurate read on what normal and moderate drinking truly means – How much do you need to drink before your drinking becomes abnormal and risky anyway?

If you associate with people who consume a great deal of alcohol each week, you may think that your habits are very moderate, but when you compare your habits to national averages, you may find that you too drink far more than is healthy.

To get a better idea of how your drinking compares to the rest of the country’s, here is some brief information on how much Americans drink, and the risks associated with different levels of drinking.

Recommended daily allowances:

Based on standard drinks, which equate to a 12 ounce regular strength beer, 8 or 9 ounces of malt liquor (a 12 ounce bottle counts as a drink and a half) a small 5 ounce glass of 12% alcohol wine or 1.5 ounces of 40% alcohol liquor.

• Men should not exceed 4 drinks in one day and 14 drinks in a week.
• Women should not exceed 3 drinks in any day and 7 drinks per week.

How Much Americans Drink

• 72% of Americans never exceed the recommended daily and weekly alcohol allowances. People in this category have a less than 1% chance of ever developing an alcohol abuse disorder.
  
• 16% of Americans sometimes exceed the daily recommended maximums. 80% of people in this category exceed the daily maximums less than once a week, on average. People in this category have a 20% chance of ever developing an alcohol abuse disorder.
• 10% of Americans sometimes exceed both the daily and weekly recommended alcohol limits. 80% of people in this category typically exceed their recommended daily maximum more than once per week. People in this category have an almost 50% chance of ever developing an alcohol abuse disorder.¹

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Long years of heavy drinking may lead to a thiamine deficiency, and a syndrome known as Wernicke-Korsakoff (wet brain). Much of the brain damage experienced is unfortunately irreversible.

An ultimate and tragic consequence of years of alcoholic drinking, wet brain (Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome) occurs from a thiamine deficiency due to malnutrition. In early stages, the syndrome can be partially reversed through treatment with large doses of thiamine; in late stage cases, there is no effective treatment.

Alcoholics become deficient in thiamine (vitamin b-1) through poor eating habits (liquid meals), damaged gastro intestinal systems that do not absorb nutrients well, and through liver damage (leading to a reduction in thiamine processing). Thiamine is an essential nutrient for glucose conversion in the brain, and over time, a thiamine deficiency leads to significant brain cell death and serious structural damage in certain areas of the brain. Areas of the brain most affected include the brain stem, the cerebral cortex and the pons.

Symptoms of Wet Brain

• Ataxia, an irregular gait – wide stance and short step
• Confusion, which often manifests as apathy to external surroundings and low voluntary verbal participation
• Confabulation – telling of events that did not happen, and believing them to be true
• Dementia
• Hallucination – visual, aural or tactile
• Loss of control over eye movements

Treatment for Wet Brain

Patients suffering early stages of wet brain may respond well to large doses of intravenous thiamine, and may see a substantial symptoms improvement. Late stage patients will not benefit from any known treatment.

The mortality rate for wet brain is about 20%. Prompt treatment will lead to a full mental recovery for about 20%, a recovery from ataxia for about 40% and a recovery from irregular eye movement for about 60%.

Most patients suffering from wet brain have abused alcohol heavily for many years. The rate of occurrence in the general population is not known, but it is higher amongst certain subsets, such as the homeless and the elderly.

Anyone concerned about symptoms indicative of wet brain needs immediate medical attention.

Continue Reading:

Even Brain Damaged Alcoholics Can Expect Neural Recovery with Prolonged Sobriety

Sessions with a psychologist help in all stages of alcoholism recovery:

Working with a Therapist on Alcohol Issues

A small percentage of alcoholics seem capable of overcoming the disease without intervention and professional treatment, but the vast majority will require comprehensive and long lasting professional treatment to achieve abstinence and an enduring future of sobriety.

Alcoholism presents differently within every alcoholic conceding to the need for treatment, and no one form of therapy or intervention offers effective recovery assistance to all. The best alcohol treatment programs and alcohol rehab facilities will employ a wide and varied therapeutic programming to give recovering alcoholics the best chance at successful sobriety and relapse avoidance. Therapies will include 12 steps meetings, peer support groups, disease education, and other peripheral programming; but one constant of treatment at nearly all facilities is corresponding and intensive therapy with a psychologist.

Understand Why You Drink

Working one on one with a psychologist versed in the treatment and problems of alcoholism, recovering patients can better understand their compulsion to use and develop strategies to deal with relapse and temptation. Continuing to work with a psychologist throughout long term recovery allows newly sober alcoholics to continue to manage and modify a relapse prevention plan as needed to best represent the emerging realities and temptations as experienced.

A psychologist can offer beneficial treatment advice before the start of intensive alcohol therapy or rehab, especially during the intensive days of initial sobriety, and throughout the long period of intermediate sobriety.

Working with a Psychologist Before Intensive Alcoholism Treatment

Although less commonly observed, some alcoholics will work with a psychologist even before the beginning of an intensive period of therapy and before alcohol abstinence is achieved. Meetings with a psychologist often occur at the insistence of concerned family and friends, and a psychologist can help the alcoholic to better understand the disease and progression of symptoms, to better understand the need for intensive treatment, and help families to cope with the symptoms of abuse.

Experts in the field of addiction, a psychologist can diagnose the severity of the alcoholism, and assist the individual and family in selecting the most appropriate intensity of treatment.

Since alcoholics almost invariably respond better to treatment earlier into the progression of the disease, sessions with a psychologist can prove invaluable if they can induce an acceptance of treatment.

Working with a Psychologist During Intensive Alcohol Treatment or Alcohol Rehab

Most alcoholics work with a psychologist most intensively during the initial weeks of sobriety, often during a more comprehensive program of alcohol rehab. Psychologists help newly recovering alcoholics to better understand the disease and the symptoms of early sobriety, and also work with patients to discover emotional or psychological problems that may contribute to an inclination to use and abuse alcohol.

The behaviors of alcoholism always create emotions of pain, sadness and guilt that resonate throughout the family, and since the family offers essential support to the newly recovering addict; whole family sessions with a psychologist work to heal some of the divisions created through alcohol abuse behaviors. Psychologists can educate concerned family of the best ways they can support the recovering alcoholic throughout the initial months of sobriety.

Psychologists working with recovering alcoholics during alcohol rehab also help alcoholics to self discover the triggers to use and abuse, and to develop a unique alcohol relapse prevention plan.

Additionally, because so many alcoholics suffer from co occurring psychiatric conditions, (often undiagnosed) psychologists are in a unique position to diagnose these complications to recovery, and to offer initial intervention and treatment to any co occurring psychiatric complications.

Aftercare with a Psychologist

An essential document in the battle against temptation, a relapse prevention plan will need modification in response to the changing realities of sobriety. By continuing to work with a psychologist even after alcohol rehab, recovering alcoholics have a better chance of maintaining sobriety.

Additionally, because such a great percentage of recovering alcoholics will relapse to some degree, continuing therapeutic involvement with a psychologist gives these newly relapsed patients an opportunity to work against continuing abuse with an already trusted therapeutic advisor. Ideally a slip or relapse is used as a learning experience against future problems, and individual sessions with a psychologist can help the recovering addict to understand why the relapse occurred, and work to develop strategies against the future use and abuse of alcohol.

Alcohol Treatment with a Psychologist as a Part of More Comprehensive Alcohol Rehab Treatment

Although individual sessions with a psychologist are therapeutically valuable, most patients benefit most when they are exposed to a wide and varied program of therapies and treatments. Hopefully, at least one segment of rehab programming will resonate significantly with all who participate, and each other therapeutic intervention will at the very least offer additional knowledge and strategies against relapse and continuing abuse.

The only reason that individual sessions with a psychologist are ever excluded from a comprehensive rehab programming is cost, as all addictions professionals recognize the significant contribution to recovery made when alcoholics work intensely and in one on one session with an experienced addictions psychologist.

It's probably not the only therapy needed, but working with a psychologist during an alcohol treatment program is beneficial at each stage in the recovery process; and the level and intensity of private sessions should be a consideration when evaluating the relative merits of different alcohol rehab facilities.

If you are a heavy drinker that also suffers from frequent stomach pain, nausea or indigestion - you likely have gastritis, and relief of your symptoms will not be found through medications, but rather from the simple abstainment from alcohol.

Gastritis is a condition where the mucus like walls of the stomach have been irritated to the point that they are inflamed and in some cases are bleeding.

Gastritis can be both acute and chronic, and the symptoms tend to vary depending on the duration of the condition. In the acute phases (which can be induced by a single drinking binge) the symptoms tend to include pain or a gnawing feeling in the stomach, and nausea or vomiting.

Some of the symptoms of gastritis include:

• Stomach pain (an ache or a dull pain)
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Bloating
• Gas
• Loss of appetite
• A burning sensation in the stomach

In the chronic phase, the pain tends to be ever present but dull, and the other symptoms can include a loss of appetite and bloated feelings.

Alcohol is an irritant, as are coffee and cigarettes. Certain medications such as aspirin and non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen may also cause gastritis. In general, social drinking will not cause gastritis – a large quantity of alcohol, acutely or chronically, is needed to cause the inflammation of the stomach lining.

Other causes can include bacterial infections in the stomach.

Treatment

For most heavy drinking patients with gastritis, the elimination of alcohol from the diet will cure the disorder. No alcohol in the stomach means no continuing irritation of the stomach lining, and a gradual healing. Gastritis alone is rarely a serious condition.

If the elimination of alcohol does not better symptoms, alternate causes must be investigated, and certain medications may be prescribed to control stomach acid.

In all cases, chronic or severe stomach pain mandates a trip to the doctor, to eliminate more serious conditions that may also cause these symptoms.

A Wake up Call

If heavy drinking has caused your gastritis, especially if it includes bleeding in the stomach, then you must stop drinking. There can be no rationalization of any continuing consumption of alcohol while symptoms persist.

Anyone who continues to drink alcohol despite knowing that their alcohol use is causing them physical harm meets one of the primary diagnostic criteria for alcohol abuse or addiction.

If the drinking is making you sick – and you still drink, then you have to realize that you have a problem.

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They call hypertension the silent killer. Heavy drinking greatly increases the risks.

Light to moderate regular drinking seems to offer some heart protective benefits, (although recent research is confusing the issue) and for most people, this level of drinking won't cause significant heart disease risks.

Heavy drinking is very associated with heart disease and an increased risk of death by heart attack or stroke. One primary way that alcohol increases the risk of heart disease is through the effects of heavy drinking on blood pressure.

What Is Blood Pressure?

Blood pressure is the measured force of the blood pumping through the arteries. High blood pressure means that the heart needs to use greater force to pump blood around the body. Blood pressure is measured with two markers, systolic pressure and diastolic pressure.

Systolic pressure is the higher numeric score of the two, and this is the measurement taken while the heart is contracting – pumping blood.

Diastolic pressure is the lower numeric score, and this is the measurement taken between heart beats, when the heart is at rest.

What are the Risks of High Blood Pressure?

High Blood pressure affects 1 in 3 adult Americans, and about 40% of those affected do not seek out treatment. High blood pressure causes the heart to work harder, get bigger, and become less able to satisfy the needs of the body.

High blood pressure also increases the hardening of the arteries, increasing the risk of organ disease and blood clots.

High blood pressure increases:

• The risks of a fatal heart attack by 300%
• The risks of a fatal stroke by 400%
• The risks of heart failure by 300%                    
• The risks of kidney disease by 300%

Why Does Heavy Drinking Increase Blood Pressure?

Doctors aren't exactly sure what role alcohol plays in the development of high blood pressure – but they are ­very sure that heavy drinking can cause or worsen the condition.

Some hypothesis's include:

• Alcohol causes an increased sympathetic nervous system response, which in turn causes the blood vessels to constrict, and which may play a role in the development of the disorder.
• Alcohol also causes the release of hormones and salts in the blood, hormones such as catecholamines, epinephrine and salts such as magnesium and calcium ions. These hormones and salts are involved in cardiac functioning.
• The period of withdrawal after a binge drinking session can result in dramatic fluctuations in blood pressure, and alcohol may also cause a decreased ability for the body to regulate pressure control mechanisms.

The data does not yet show what mechanisms alcohol uses to drive up blood pressure, but recent research indicates that alcohol may have a greater impact on blood pressure than previously thought, and that alcohol's ability to drive up blood pressure may well eliminate the heart-protective effects that it exerts through increasing good cholesterol levels.

More than a couple of drinks a day greatly increase the odds of high blood pressure, and there is a linear link between greater alcohol consumption and higher blood pressure scores. That is, the more you drink – the higher your blood pressure will tend to be.

A Silent Killer

In many cases, high blood pressure has no symptoms, and unless people get a high blood pressure test, they may have the condition and not ever know of it.

If you are a heavy drinker, and especially if you are over the age of 40, you should see a doctor to get a blood pressure measurement test, and to discuss the influence that your drinking may have on your cardiac health.

If you have high blood pressure, you will need to either quit drinking, or drink only in very real moderation.

Alcoholism and addiction are progressive diseases, and unless the user stops completely, the disease will always worsen in severity over time. The intensity of this progression varies considerably, and while some people may drink or drug for many years before things get noticeably worse, they ultimately always do.

Unfortunately, some people, especially those people with dual diagnosis challenges, may find that their addiction or alcoholism can progress quickly, and the devastation of the disease can mount month by month or week by week.

So why does this matter?

The implications of a progressive disease are threefold, and influence diagnosis, treatment, and recovery

Alcoholism Diagnosis

There is no single medical test that can distinguish with absolute certainty the differentiation between drug or alcohol abuse and drug or alcohol addiction. There are diagnostic tools, and a skilled clinician can make a fairly accurate diagnosis, but since you can’t see it on an x-ray and it doesn’t show up in a blood test, many addicts and alcoholics may continue to deny the existence of their disease.

And since denial is such a hallmark of the condition, and this denial often delays needed treatment for too long; this lack of a clear and definitive testing procedure for the disease is unfortunate.

Addiction and alcoholism are progressive.Use behaviours and symptoms will over time always intensify, and the problem always grows worse. People without addiction do not tend to show this progressive worsening in consumption patterns - people with addictions do. Although the progression of the disease is unfortunate, it does clearly indicate a “disease”, it does at least allow for an accurate and firm diagnosis of the problem, and hopefully compels a denying addict or alcoholic to accept this diagnosis, and get help.

If the drinking or drug use has increased over time, this indicates an addiction.

If the consequences of the drinking or drug use have escalated over time, this indicates an addiction.

Alcoholism Treatment

If it’s bad now, it’s going to get worse. Alcoholism and addiction don’t go away on their own; some people can get better without professional help (although most addicts do need treatment) but no gets better without a commitment to change.

If you or a loved one wonders about the need for treatment, look at the past to see the future. If you can see that things are getting worse, then you are dealing with an addiction and you can bet the farm that if changes aren’t made, things will continue to get worse.

Treatment works, but sooner is better than later, always. If there is a problem now, it’s going to be worse next year, and treatment will be more challenging next year. You can’t wish it away, but you can take action to reclaim health and happiness.

No one ever needs to hit the bottom. It’s suffering for nothing, and a tragic waste of time.

Alcoholism Recovery

Addiction and alcoholism are progressive disease, and there is no cure. You can attain remission, but once an alcoholic or an addict, you’re one for life. Recovery is for life, and treatment should never end.

An alcoholic or addict, who restarts use - even after years of sobriety - will soon find themselves just as they were. An addiction that may have taken years to develop will resume itself happily in a matter of days, and you will be back on the progressive road to ruin.

Staying aware of the progressive nature of the disease helps to defray some overconfidence or false perceptions of complete recovery. Know that you can stay sober for life, and know that treatment works but also remember that there is something inside that remains, and if you awake that addiction that lays dormant, it rises up hungry.

Treatment works, and anyone can get better, but they have to work at it, they have to accept that they have a progressive disease for life, and they have to make some pretty major changes.

It is said that a glass of wine or two a day is good for your heart, and this may be true, although a recent study also indicates that a glass of wine or two a day can also cause a marked increase in colon cancer prevalence, so I'm not sure how beneficial this light drinking truly is; but heavy and chronic drinking is another thing altogether, and is incredibly physically and mentally destructive.

The Physical Damage of Alcoholism

Of all the drugs commonly abused, there aren’t many that destroy the body as thoroughly as alcohol can, and years of heavy drinking prematurely age the body and its organs; leading to a host of serious health complications and greater probability of early death.

Alcohol works its influence throughout the body, and most of the organs, the blood, and most noticeably the brain are all negatively impacted through the effects of too much alcohol. The body is very resilient, and much of the destruction of alcohol can be reversed through a long period of sobriety; other effects, particularly effects to the central nervous system, are to some degree irreversible.

As follows is a small list of some of the organs affected by heavy drinking, although the true extent of the damage possible is far greater than outlined below.

If your dad was a drunk, does that mean that you'll be one too?

Not necessarily, but it does mean that you should be pretty careful with the way you drink, because you might carry something in your genes that makes alcohol a bad idea.

The Genetics of Alcoholism

First, understand the science behind the hereditary nature of alcoholism

The neuro chemical mechanisms that leave some people more pre disposed to develop problems with alcohol than others are not yet completely understood, but researchers are now quite certain that there is a hereditary link to alcoholism, and that certain gene expressions are inherited that make the development of alcoholism more likely.

Alcoholic Gene Expression

Research looking at adopted children raised away from their biological parents has helped researchers to reduce the nature versus nurture causation debate from the expression of alcoholism, and children of alcoholics, even those raised exclusively by people who themselves are not alcoholics, are more likely than the general population to develop alcoholism. Additionally, researchers have discovered a unique gene expression that is more prevalent in alcoholics and amongst alcoholic families than in the general population, and this gene expression also seems to make us more vulnerable to depression and anxiety, which themselves increase the risk of problem drinking.

Scientists and clinical researchers continue to chip away at the puzzle, and are gaining a better understanding of the bio chemical factors that increase our predisposition to alcoholism; and hopefully, when enough knowledge on the biological basis of alcoholism emerges, accompanying treatment options will also reveal themselves. But since the human brain is so inordinarily complex, there is no way to say when if ever scientists will gain a complete understanding.

How Can You Protect Yourself?

For now though what seems clear is that if you have a close relative with an alcohol problem, you need to be especially cautious of your own alcohol consumption, and be very aware of the signs and symptoms that may indicate the beginnings of a problem in yourself. What may be a safe level of drinking for others may in fact be dangerous with a biological disposition towards dependence and abuse.

If you know you have a direct genetic link to alcohol dependence, limit the amount you drink and limit the frequency of consumption. You may have nothing to worry about, but the price you may pay for too much indulgence is far too great to risk.

Watch for the Signs of a Problem

Be very concerned if you notice an increasing tolerance to the effects of alcohol or a preoccupation with alcohol. Get help if you seem to be unable to limit your drinking, if you seem to be consistently drinking more than you had intended to, and especially if you find yourself drinking even when faced with the adverse consequences of that alcohol consumption.

A little extra vigilance and caution may save a lot of pain and heartache. Be careful!