When asked what ‘sobriety’ means, most people-even former addicts-will respond that it is the condition of abstaining from alcohol or other addictive substances and behaviors. When asked to define a ‘dry drunk,’ the same respondents may answer ‘a person who abstains from alcohol or other addictive substances and behaviors but who is not sober.’
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Although alcohol abuse is known primarily for its ability to damage the liver, people who drink excessive amounts of alcohol also significantly increase their risks for several serious lung ailments, including pneumonia and a condition called acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). People infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) also have increased risks for a variety of serious lung ailments. Although no one is quite sure how the lung effects of alcohol abuse and HIV overlap, current evidence indicates that the combined presence of these two health problems may contribute to a significant increase in lung damage.
As a result of findings made during a series of scientific studies conducted throughout the 2000s, doctors and researchers now know that exposure to certain types of stress can play a critical role in the development of alcohol dependence or alcoholism. They also know that a specific neurotransmitting chemical in the brain, called neuropeptide Y, helps combat the effects of stress. Current evidence indicates that an increase in the brain’s neuropeptide Y supply helps deter the development of drinking patterns that ultimately result in alcoholism. In the future, researchers may be able to use this knowledge as the basis for the creation of new anti-alcoholism medications.
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April is Alcoholism Awareness Month—a month dedicated to reflection on the impact of alcohol abuse on our families and communities, and a time of strategizing, constructive campaigning, and educational initiatives to help identify and heal the disease of alcoholism. During the 27th anniversary of Alcoholism Awareness Month , we focus on two of the most fundamental needs surrounding alcoholism: help and hope. Alcoholism never affects the alcohol-addicted individual exclusively. The impact of the disease radiates outward into the lives of loved ones and into the fabric of our communities. As a consequence, help and hope are needed by all.
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After attempts to offer advice, assistance, and support to addicted loved ones have been repeatedly rebuffed, the family members and friends of substance abusers often throw up their hands in despair and surrender, convinced that the situation is hopeless and that they have no power to make a difference. Feeling as if they have no other choice, they may reluctantly decide to cut the addict out of their lives completely, leaving her all alone to face the stark consequences of her self-destructive, out-of-control behavior. No one wants it to end this way, but if a substance abuser refuses to grab any of the lifelines that her loved ones have thrown into the turbulent waters of her life she will inevitably drown, and there will be nothing anyone can do to stop tragedy from occurring.
But while the loved ones of an addict or alcoholic whose attempts to help have been rejected may believe that terminating the relationship is their only remaining option, before they permanently sever the ties that bind they may want to take a little time to reassess their previous approach. In many cases, the strategies that families adopt when trying to rescue an addict from the dark pit of chemical dependency are ill conceived and inappropriate.
When someone is lost in a storm you wouldn’t tell them to use the stars in the sky as their guide back home, since the sky would be covered by clouds and the stars would not be visible from their location. But addicts and alcoholics are wandering aimlessly in a tempest-plagued land where the sun, moon, and stars are perpetually obscured, which is a fact that many family members and friends truly fail to truly grasp. Because they underestimate the all-encompassing and all-corrupting influence of addiction, they choose approaches that might work perfectly well in other situations but will make no impact on the life and distorted world view of a substance abuser. So before giving up completely on an addict or alcoholic, it would behoove her loved ones to take a second look at what they have been doing to see if perhaps there might be a better way.
Sometimes it’s important to face reality. Ideally, alcoholics who realize they have a problem will be able to identify the issue and stop drinking. Realistically, things don’t always work out like that. Abstinence is a difficult goal to accomplish, and relapse is pretty common. It can happen for a whole host of reasons, and most treatment programs-whilst trying to prevent it-accept that it is often a part of the process. The problem is that abusive drinkers often have abusive patterns, and although the aim is simply to get drunk, the ways in which people drink often create collateral damage that can be avoided fairly easily.
Catapres is a brand name drug, which consists of the generic clonidine in both tablet and transdermal patch form. It can also be injected, even via an epidural.
Though often overlooked, the holidays can mean anxiety, fear and high levels of stress for someone who has recently completed rehab or is working through an alcohol or drug addiction.
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Alcohol is a drug that is no respecter of persons. Addiction to alcohol affects men and women, young and old, and people from every socio-economic stratum. Because alcohol is addictive both physically and psychologically, most alcoholics require help as they seek to regain control over their lives. Detox clinics are a way an alcoholic can get that help.
Addiction to tobacco and, consequently, nicotine is one of the toughest illnesses to treat. It ranks right up there with heroin and Xanax on the addiction scale. Thankfully, however, a serious of tobacco addiction pharmaceutical therapies have been developed, which has helped reduce the number of Americans lighting up. Studies have shown, however, that each of the drugs is most effective when combined with behavioral treatment, especially individual and group therapy.
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