Blackouts from Alcohol Consumption Common Among Teens

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A new study conducted by Marc Schuckit at the University of California in San Diego looked into alcohol-related blackouts and who is most at risk. Consuming too much alcohol can often result in the person shutting down and blacking out. When this happens, the individual cannot remember anything during this time, however they often are able to move and talk, which makes blackouts even more dangerous. Essentially, black outs are the same as being passed out, but the person can still walk and communicate and function to a degree.

The study found that by the time teenagers were 19 years old, 90 percent of them had consumed so much alcohol that they had blacked out at least once. Half of the teenagers surveyed had blacked out on multiple occasions. The study further looked into different groups of people and who was more likely to experience a blackout. Females are most likely to black out, maybe due to a lower weight and body mass index than males. People who drink to the point of blacking out often put themselves in highly risky and dangerous situations that can include sexual conduct, accidents and fights.

There is very little information about the long-term effects that blackouts have on a person, however it cannot be ignored that they are extremely dangerous, especially to younger people. It is known that heavy alcohol abuse leads to memory loss as the person gets older and oftentimes a person will consume more alcohol than they normally would when they are in a black out. Alcohol poisoning can occur when a someone drinks way too much, which can also lead to death.

While the study was conducted on information provided by British students who tend to drink more than American students, Schuckit believes that the study should be taken very seriously. Parents, teachers and law enforcement need to be alert to any underage drinking as it can very well lead to black outs. A person who tends to black out when they drink may be exhibiting signs of an alcohol abuse problem.

Parents Held Responsible for Teen Drinking

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In order to combat the underage drinking problem, many counties have enacted social hosting laws. These laws hold accountable anyone who is hosting a party where underage drinking is occurring. Different states and counties have variances in these laws, but all center on targeting the person who is supplying the alcohol and/or allowing underage drinking to occur.

Underage drinking has long been a problem, especially during high school. Maturity levels have a lot to do with the inability to drink moderately, which was a contributing factor when the legal drinking age was raised from 18 to 21 many years ago. Social host laws make it illegal to host parties where people under the age of 21 are consuming alcohol, and police note that in areas where this law is in effect, there are less incidents of underage drinking parties.

Bettina Friese with the Prevention Research Center in Okland has been researching the underage drinking problem in our country and has found that most teens receive multiple texts in a weekend regarding underage drinking parties. Additionally, Friese conducted a survey of 1,100 teenagers and found that 39 percent of them hosted parties where alcohol was involved. The survey also indicated that 70 percent of the teenagers surveyed said that their parents have known that they were at parties where drinking was involved.

It seems that parents are most concerned with drinking and driving. Most parents feel that it is safer for teenagers to drink under the supervision of an adult, rather than at someone else’s home where there is no adult present. While it may be true that adult supervision could be better, this train of thought is a bit short-sighted due to the overall legality of the consumption as well as the message of approval that sends to young people.

This mindset is also shared by law enforcement, and was the catalyst behind enacting the social host law. Ignoring some parent’s excuses that their child is ok to drink under their supervision, police agencies and lawmakers have begun to crack down on parents who allow underage drinking in their home. In states like California, if the parent is unaware that underage drinking is occurring in their home, the child will receive the fine.

“We found that cities with more stringent and enforceable social host laws had lower levels of drinking at parties among teenagers compared to cities with less stringent laws, or without any kind of social host law,” explained M.J. Paschall, a researcher who has been looking into the effectiveness of these types of laws throughout the country.

Perhaps fining parents will continue to help reduce underage drinking problems in more areas around the country.

Alcohol and its Effects

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It seems that alcohol has been around since the beginning of time. In fact, there is evidence that alcohol existed at least as early as 10,000 BC. Alcohol is characterized as a depressant. This means that when any type of alcohol is consumed its effects of the central nervous system lower the level of stimulation. Alcohol also lowers the mental function of an individual.

Like any drug, alcohol produces a state of euphoria when ingested. For some people, this state is so desirable that they turn to alcohol so frequently that they develop an addiction. Alcohol addiction is one of the hardest addictions to overcome as well as the most prevalent in society. This is largely due to the general availability and legality of its consumption. Clearly this is different from street drugs like heroin or cocaine, where the individual has to go out of their way to come into contact with the drug.

When a person develops an addiction to alcohol they often consume more and more alcohol in order to feel the desired effects. The longer a person drinks, the greater tolerance they build towards the alcohol. Their body needs more and more of the chemical to create a reaction.

Oftentimes people get started abusing alcohol when it alleviates some sort of stress in their lives. Once that happens, the alcohol then seems like it can be a solution to everything, but in reality it only makes it worse. For other people, the desire to drink comes from the way they were raised. Studies show that children who grow up in households where alcohol is consumed heavily on a daily basis are more likely to abuse alcohol as well, whereas more responsible and moderate amounts can produce less damaging behaviors in most cases.

While there is no way to tell if someone is going to develop an alcohol addiction, researchers have noticed that in addition to the way people are raised, other factors such as personality can play a role as well as other circumstances in life and coping skills.

If you know someone in need of help for an alcohol problem, contact us today for more information about effective treatments.

Genetics of Alcoholism Dates Back Millions of Years

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New genetic research suggests that humans and their ape predecessors may have been consuming alcohol for 10 million years. Homo sapiens’ ape ancestors long ago evolved to eat fermented fruit.

Alcohol, called ethanol by scientists, can be a toxic chemical. And humans’ ability to tolerate drinking relies on one enzyme, ADH4, the researchers explained. Their new study suggests that primate ancestors developed a gene mutation to produce ADH4 beginning about 10 million years ago. This enabled them to safely consume the naturally fermented flesh of rotting fruit when other food sources became scarce.

Matthew Carrigan, an assistant professor in the department of natural sciences at Santa Fe College in Gainesville, Florida explained, “Because fruit can naturally ferment, we may have adapted naturally to the consumption of these foods.”

Carrigan’s finding might change the way scientists look at both alcohol and human evolution, he added.

He said that at the same time our adaptation to ethanol took place, our ancestors also adapted to life on the ground. The adaptation from primarily tree dwelling existence to a terrestrial existence meant that they were being exposed to fruit which is older, and more likely fermented. He speculates, “But basically it suggests that we adapted to ethanol simply so we could tolerate it.”

The findings might even offer new insights into alcoholism, Carrigan suggested. How a particular person’s genes deal with alcohol might give clues to alcoholism prevention and treatment.

If ethanol has been a beneficial and important part of our diet for some time, he questions, then how does this understanding affect our thinking about alcoholism.

Carrigan says it is important to appreciate that there is natural amount of diversity in the differences of genes in each individualh. “And understanding these differences — and how these differences might affect a person’s risk for addiction — could be really important when trying to understand how people interact with ethanol differently.”

Can New Testing Reduce Repeat Drunk Drivers?

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Drunk driving is one of the leading causes of preventable death in our country. Drivers who get behind the wheel of a car after they have been drinking is a threat to an entire community. Police all over the country spend countless hours monitoring the roads for signs of a person who has been drinking too much in an effort to help keep other travelers safe.

In addition to the drunk driving problem our country is experiencing, many drunk drivers are repeat offenders. While the punishment is stiff for driving under the influence, it has not deterred many from getting behind the wheel after consuming alcohol even if they have already been convicted of drunk driving.

The state of Wisconsin recently tallied up the number of drunk driving incidents that were committed by someone who already had a record of drunk driving. They found that 33 percent of their drunk driving cases were with people who had been already been convicted. These repeat offenders are putting an entire state at risk and public officials and law enforcement felt it was time that something was done about this.

Instead of increasing the fines or jail time convicted drunk drivers face, the state of Wisconsin is looking to prevent the growing alcohol problem altogether. People who have already been convicted of driving under the influence must submit blood and fingernail samples so their alcohol use can be monitored. When a person is convicted of a DUI they are required to undergo one year of monitoring. During the year-long monitoring process people are less likely to drink and drive, and positive samples can help deter them to treatment programs.

“The goal is not to catch people. It’s to get them sober, so that they’re not killing someone on the road, and that they actually discover that there’s another life out there,” explained Doug Lewis, president of the company that is analyzing the blood and fingernail samples.

Criteria for Excessive Drinking Surprising to Some

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Most people would not consider themselves excessive drinkers. Excessive drinkers have red noses, have probably gotten arrested for driving under the influence and make fools of themselves at parties and gatherings. The idea is that excessive drinkers cannot control themselves and always need to be consuming some sort of alcohol. This is actually not the case. In fact, many adults fall into the category of excessive drinking and do not even know it.

Heavy drinking is very strictly categorized. Women who consume more than eight alcoholic beverages in a week’s span are considered to fall into the group of excessive drinkers. Men who drink more than fifteen alcoholic beverages a week are also considered heavy drinkers. Surveys show that many adults consume a drink a night and even more on the weekends, this type of behavior shows why more than 30 percent of adults are considered to be heavy drinkers within the past year.

Experts are warning that many people consider themselves to be moderate drinkers, when in fact they are drinking to excess. This type of behavior leads to all sorts of health and personal problems. Doctors have connected breast cancer, liver disease, heart disease and liver cancer with excessive drinking. Children that grow up around parents whose drinking habits exceed that of a moderate drinker often think that it is ok to consume the same quantity that their parents drank. This type of behavior has led to over nearly 90,000 deaths due to drinking excessively and has cost the American taxpayers over 200 billion dollars in health care costs, added law enforcement and insurance rates.

Interestingly, research has shown that those who drink excessively are actually not considered alcoholics. This means that many people do not suffer from withdrawal symptoms and intense cravings when they do not have alcohol. This can be concerning because there is nothing stopping many people from continuing to consume large amounts of alcohol. Studies also show that prior to becoming an alcoholic, a person is considered to drink excessively.

Of course the best way for most people to not fall into these categories is to monitor overall alcohol consumption, or eliminate it altogether.

New Way of Ingesting Alcohol Even More Dangerous

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Unfortunately there are always people that are looking for the quickest, easiest, most intense way to ingest a drug. Some people have found that snorting alcohol allows them to feel the effects much faster and more powerfully than if they just drank the alcohol. This new trend is much more common among young adults and has health care providers and law enforcement worried. They are seeing more alcohol poisoning and people that are out of control due to ingesting too much alcohol in this new way.

“When we see these types of new trends people get over intoxicated and people do things where they lose control of themselves and they do something they typically would not do,” explained Lieutenant Mike Pooley of the Tempe Police Department.

Promoting responsible drinking has always been important for police, bar owners and health care providers. When trends like snorting alcohol start to become popular it becomes even more essential for people to consume alcohol in a responsible manner.

The last thing anyone wants is for young people to start snorting alcohol. The risks for alcohol poisoning are overwhelming, especially in children, yet underage drinking fads continue to exist. When a person drinks alcohol their stomach, liver and kidneys go to work to filter the toxic substance out of the body. A lot of times this biological safety net prevents a person from poisoning themselves with alcohol. When a person bypasses the stomach and liver and simply snorts the alcohol they do not allow their body to dilute or filter out the alcohol. They are at a much greater risk for alcohol poisoning and developing an alcohol dependency.

Alcohol addiction starts when the person creates a tolerance for alcohol. This means that the person can drink more and not feel the effects like they used to, in order to get the desired effect they have to drink more and more alcohol. When snorting alcohol, the person is essentially speeding up this process and is at a greater risk for becoming dependent on alcohol.

Alcohol and Caffeine Can be a Recipe for Disaster

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Mixing alcohol with other beverages is nothing new. Bartenders and mixologists have made a living by coming up with different concoctions for consumers. Alcohol and caffeine has been one such combination that has proven to be dangerous for some. Research indicates that mixing alcohol and caffeine can increase the risk for addiction.

Due to the amount of caffeine in the alcohol mixture, consumers tend to drink more in an evening than those who are not consuming this type of drink. Since the caffeine allows a person to stay up longer and it counteracts the drowsiness, they tend to drink more. The dangers of alcohol and caffeine are so grave that many states have started banning drinks like Four Loko. Four Loko is a caffeinated beer that is the equivalent of four beers and a cup of coffee.

With the increased heart rate combined with the intoxicating effects of the alcohol, the toll that caffeinated alcohol beverages take on the body is a risk that many warn is not worth taking. Despite states beginning to ban caffeinated alcoholic beverages, there is really nothing preventing bartenders from combining alcohol and caffeine. Depending on the regulations of the bar or restaurant, a bartender pretty much has free range.

Alcohol by itself tends to make people tired, this is because alcohol is a depressant. Researchers state that the tired feeling that a person receives after consuming alcohol is usually a big reason why they stop drinking for the night. When people consume alcohol with caffeine they no longer receive that tired feeling, so they do not feel as compelled to stop drinking. The more a person goes out and orders caffeine and alcohol the more likely they are to make poor decisions, drink more and ultimately the more at risk they are for developing an alcohol addiction.

In order to prevent caffeine and alcohol from harming someone it is best not to mix the two drinks. Experts agree that those who stay away from alcohol and caffeine mixtures have a better chance at not becoming addicted to alcohol in their lifetime.

Retirees At Risk for Increased Alcohol Abuse

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Samuel Bacharach and Peter Bamberger have recently written a book entitled, “Retirement and the Hidden Epidemic: The Complex Link Between Aging, Work Disengagement and Substance Misuse – and What To Do About It.” The book highlights the problems that many retirees face and how they oftentimes turn towards alcohol to get through the latter part of life. They realized that this was a topic worth writing about after they spoke with over one thousand retirees and found that alcohol abuse was a very common thread among the elderly.

According to the authors, 10 to 17 percent of retirees are misusing alcohol. There are a variety of reasons behind this high level of abuse. Some point to the fact that retirees have an increased amount of free time on their hands. Not knowing what to do with all the time, some turn to alcohol, which can create a late in life addiction. Others claim that because retirees are no longer working they have lost their sense of purpose, this oftentimes leads to a sort of depression that alcohol is used to cover up. Some experts say that because many retirees socially drank during their lives it is an easy transition into addiction after they retire.

Regardless of the reason, it is important that people understand that this problem is occurring so they can spot it in their loved ones. There are treatment options that exist for those that are suffering from an alcohol addiction problem at any age. “If you can kill the stigma, there’s hope. This research points to that possibility,” explained Bamberger.

Banberger and Bacharach are pleased that their book is gaining attention. They hope that if people understand that some retirees are suffering from depression and subsequent alcohol abuse that society will begin to do something about it. Increased alcohol intake by the elderly is something that affects more than just the addict. Health care costs rise as well as social welfare costs. Properly treating the alcohol abuse and any co-occurring disorders can create a happy retirement free from damaging substances.

New Program Allows Teens to See Future Alcohol Damage

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Many teenagers do not realize the dangers of heavy alcohol consumption. Drinking alcohol almost always starts out as a social endeavor. Drinking at parties and with friends is something that many teens try at least once, which can quickly escalate. Binge drinking and heavy drinking have serious effects on the body and the brain, and now there is a program that allows teenagers to upload their picture and see how alcohol would affect their appearance over time.

This in-your-face type of campaign is important for a demographic like teenagers. Teenagers and children in the past have grown up with slogans like; “Just Say No” and have been lectured and talked to about the dangers of drugs, underage drinking and drinking and driving. Illustrating the dangers of alcohol by using their own face may be more powerful than any speech of catchy slogan.

The program shows the destruction alcohol can have on a person’s facial features. The preventative tool works by uploading a picture into the program and seeing how your face is affected after two years, five years, 10 years, 15 years and 20 years of heavy drinking. The original picture is distorted and altered to accurately portray someone who has engaged in heavy drinking. Red blotches, facial alterations and wrinkles are just some of the changes one can see in their picture after submitting it to the program.

Alcohol abuse is something that oftentimes gets overlooked in the wake of the prescription drug and heroin epidemic that is running through our society. However, alcohol still remains one of the most deadly drugs on the market and has long lasting effects on the body. Binge drinking, defined as consuming a large amount of alcohol in a short time, is common among teenagers and younger adults. Binge drinking is most often done among large groups of people, usually at a party. Experts warn that excessive binge drinking can lead to a more severe alcohol problem in the future.