alcohol abuse

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.

Communities With Strong Social Hosting Laws Linked to Less Underage Drinking

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Teens who live in communities with strict social hosting laws are less likely to drink at parties, says a new study in the November issue of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. Social hosting laws hold adults responsible for any underage drinkers partaking on their property.

Fifty Californian communities were investigated, half having existing social hosting laws. Communities with strong social hosting laws were identified as the towns where the law is aimed at underage drinking, where penalties and fines are quickly administered, and the property owners are held accountable for any underage drinking – even if they were unaware of it.

Mallie Paschall, Ph.D., a senior research scientist at the Prevention Research Center in Oakland, California, says the preliminary findings are encouraging since most teenagers rely on getting alcohol from social sources, instead of buying it at a store. “In theory, laws aimed at those social sources – the parents or other adults of legal drinking age – should help reduce underage drinking,” Paschall said.

Paschall noted that public knowledge and enforcement of the laws are key. He said that if adults don’t know they can be held accountable, and if police officers and local prosecutors don’t enforce the social hosting laws, then the policies won’t be a deterrent for underage drinking.

Many states and local communities have passed social hosting laws. The details of the laws vary from community to community and from state to state. Research leading up to Paschall’s study produced mixed results on whether or not the social hosting laws prevent teenage drinking.

Future studies will include researchers looking at the rates of teen drinking both before and after social hosting legislation was passed to determine if the policies truly have an impact on deterring underage drinking. Paschall also stated that it is important to study whether or not social hosting legislation reduce teen drinking related problems like drunk driving.

Alcohol-Related Sleep Disturbances Can Last Long After a Person Stops Drinking

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Most people know that drunken sleep is the worst sleep. Even if excessive alcohol consumption causes one to “pass out,” it is seriously detrimental to sleep quality. A study published early this year determined that the more a person drank, the faster they were able to fall asleep. Then, despite the amount of alcohol consumed, the participants experienced deep sleep during the first half of the night. However, researchers also found that sleep disruption, or waking after falling asleep, increased during the second half of the night.

Now, researchers at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) are looking at how this alcohol-related sleep disruption actually happens. According to an article published in the online journal, Behavioral Brain Research, this disruption of the sleep cycle can occur in people who are actively drinking, suffering from withdrawal, or even when fully abstaining.

“Sleep-wake disturbances can last for months, or even years, after someone stops drinking, which indicates that chronic alcohol abuse could cause long-term negative effects on sleep,” said the article’s senior author, Subial Datta, BUSM professor of psychiatry and neurology.

The article explains how chronic alcohol use leads to dysfunction of cholinergic cells (cells that synthesize neurotransmitter acetylcholine) in an area of the brain stem involved in regulating many aspects of sleep. The disruption in the normal sleep cycle occurs as the activity of chemicals that excite neurons in the brain increases.

The article goes on to mention that although significant progress has been made in identifying the health risks of alcohol abuse and addiction, the underlying neurobiological mechanisms that lead to sleep-wake disorders related to alcohol are poorly understood. As a result, Datta notes that more research is needed to identify exactly how these neurological changes are happening so that scientists may be able to create medications to treat alcohol-related sleep disorders in the future.

Alcohol Responsible for More Homicides Than Other Substances

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Studies show that alcohol is the number one catalyst for homicides, surpassing drugs like cocaine and heroin almost five times over. Since the number of people who abuse cocaine has been cut nearly in half, there are less violent outbreaks from that group of substance abusers. Heroin accounted for only 3% of homicides. Homicides that involved alcohol accounted for 35% of those fatalities.

This correlation likely stems from the fact that alcohol lowers a person’s inhibitions. When someone is under the influence, they are more likely to feel justified in starting a fight and they are more likely to feel that the can overpower someone else. They are also more aggressive and less logical, which is a dangerous mix. Studies show that in the homicides involving alcohol, it’s not just those who commit the crime who are usually under the influence – the victims commonly have consumed alcohol as well.

Homicide cases were investigated around five counties surrounding Chicago as a sample population to determine what factor alcohol played in the fatalities. About 40% of homicide victims had alcohol in their blood. Almost all of the victims were men and almost all the fatalities were caused by gunshot wounds.

While focusing on eliminating drug abuse is vital, it is clear that we need to continue to focus on the issues surrounding alcohol abuse. Sending those who are alcohol dependent to treatment would help this problem, however many people do not have access to effective drug and alcohol rehabilitation. Unfortunately, insurance presents another obstacle. Many people who fit the criteria for alcohol abuse do not have insurance to pay for treatment. Continuing efforts to discourage binge drinking and alcohol abuse is a crucial step in helping to prevent these tragic crimes.

Scientists Explore Possible Cause Behind Alcohol Abuse

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For several years the popular theory behind alcoholism is that alcoholics have a delayed reaction to alcohol – therefore causing them to drink more. For instance, someone who drinks and feels the effects of the alcohol quickly is less likely to be an alcoholic. This way of thinking may be replaced with new findings from a six-year study.

In fact, scientists have noticed that those who feel the effects of alcohol quickly are more likely to become addicted. Andrea King, PhD, and a professor at the University of Chicago, points out that these new conclusions go against what we have typically believed about alcohol addiction in the past. And while alcohol is the most abuse drug in our society, it is surprising that we are still unsure of the cause of the addiction.

The study Dr. King and her team conducted consisted of 190 people that were not alcoholics. They were split into two groups. One group was given alcohol and the other was given a placebo. Those participants that were light drinkers felt more sedated, whereas those that were heavier drinkers felt more energy. Dr. King believes that feeling sedated is a defense that stops the person from binge drinking.

Additionally, these participants were followed up with six years later. Interviews with the participants supports the findings that the quicker the person feels the effects of alcohol the more likely they are to become addicted.

“There’s so much we don’t know about development of alcohol problems and becoming an alcoholic. We really wanted to look at how one’s response to alcohol may relate to these behaviors over time,” stated Dr. King.

These findings may be helpful to those who are struggling with addiction, or who notice that they are binge drinking. Binge drinking would consist of more than four drinks in a sitting. By being aware of some of the indicators of alcohol abuse we can target our preventative and educational efforts to those who seem to be participating in binge drinking.

Powdered Alcohol Makes a Brief Debut

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There has been a buzz this week surrounding the news of the supposed approval for sale of powdered alcohol called simply Palcohol. Reports surfaced that the substance was given the green light by the U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau earlier this month.

Then news hit again that the agency postponed that approval pending a possible labeling issue. If it does get ultimate approval, this will be the first and only product like it on the market. The Palcohol website chides news sources as promoting incorrect information and insists it was a small and easily fixable issue.

Palcohol was invented by a man named Mark Phillips and is being packaged and distributed by a company named Lipsmark. It is available in V for vodka and R for rum, as well as some mixed drink flavors. The concept is that it is distilled aclohol in powdered form, so that once you add 5 oz. of water to a packet it is the equivalent of one standard drink.

It is billed as being portable for adults on the go who want to be able to have alcohol available to them without having the hassle of lugging bottles around, but the form seems susceptible to being abused by young people. Lipsmark says on it’s site that it has added extra powder to the formula as a deterrent to snorting it, but non-descript powders can be easily masked by teens and the abuse potential still seems high.

Whether or not the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau winds up giving permanent approval for Palcohol remains to be seen. If it does, then new challenges will have to be met to help limit potential damage by this new substance. Although the substance is different, the synthesis of it presents similar problems to other powdered drugs and teens.

A Short History of Alcohol Prohibition

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At the end of the 19th century, the temperance movement shifted towards a more ambitious and hard-line approach and eventually pushed for outright prohibition. This shift is now recognizable to historians in parallel changes in the way people discussed the issues of their time. Social Darwinism heavily influenced the way ordinary people interpreted the world around them. To this end, alcoholism no longer threatened the sanctity of American homes, but instead threatened the very fabric of human civilization. Unfortunately, civilization had a very specific meaning in those times and was tied to racist, anti-Semitic, and xenophobic ideals.

Today we think of Prohibition as a failure of U.S. government policy and enforcement because people are always going to find ways to self-medicate or blow off steam. What is forgotten is how wrong-headed that policy was in the first place. With the benefit of hindsight, we now know that the major proponents of Prohibition simply reacted to the changes in American society due to onset of industrialization and urbanization. Anxiety over these changes and a crude understanding of human psychology and behavior prevented these activists from recognizing the pervasive effects of addiction across racial and cultural lines. Instead of recognizing the need to treat individuals regardless of skin color, religion, or origin, the Prohibition impulse sought to demonize those groups who were, in fact, enriching the American cultural experience.

Ultimately, Prohibition was unable to stem this cultural tide. The onset of the Great Depression gave way to the election of FDR who pledged to repeal the 18th Amendment. Americans’ approach to addiction treatment took a new course later in the 1930s with the advent of groups such Alcoholics Anonymous. A new understanding of addiction began to take shape. Simply put, a one-size-fits-all government policy cannot help individuals deal with addiction. Addicts are not the stooges of nefarious “other” groups that are looking to thwart the American way of life. They are human beings, with same kinds of weaknesses as all others. With the support of fellow human beings, they must learn to cope with their illness in a world that is constantly changing.

If you know someone in need of treatment for alcoholism, contact us today.