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Reality Check

Problems with alcohol are widespread. Some people use alcohol to cover up feelings of depression, anxiety and panic, irritability and other mood symptoms. “Self-medication” is using drugs or alcohol to help your mood, we call it “do-it-yourself psychiatry” and it’s dangerous. Anyone using alcohol or drugs to self-medicate should talk to their doctor. Ethyl alcohol is a primitive form of medicine, and dangerous if abused.

 

Good Things in Beer and Wine

RESVERATROL is found in wine—mostly in red wine – that may help to increase blood levels of “good” cholesterol, lower “bad” cholesterol, and protect from abnormal blood clotting – helping to decrease the risk of heart disease and stroke.

YEASTS cause fermentation transforming beer wort and wine must into beer and wine. Yeasts are very interesting. They cause the formation of alcohol and also the tiny bubbles in beer, ale, malt liquor and some wines. Yeasts have amino acids, minerals and vitamins. The B vitamins in yeasts protect the brain and nerves from the potentially damaging effects of alcohol. Some beers still have yeast in them but most beers have the yeast filtered out— to prolong the shelf-life. To learn about the damaging effects of drinking too much read about Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome or Korsakoff’s Psychosis.

 

Ethyl Alcohol

An ethyl alcohol molecule is just a little bigger than water. Alcohol dissolves in fat—and our brain is 60% fat. Since alcohol is so small and fat soluble it can affect practically all areas and functions of the brain. Your brain can eventually rely on it to help sleep or to keep you calm; alcohol can disturb memory, balance, speech, perception, judgment, mood, sleep, etc.

If your brain actually adapts to the frequent presence of alcohol, you may become ‘dependent’ on alcohol to regulate your mood and to function ‘normally’. This addiction is called alcoholism. The slavery of alcoholism is a miserable state for everyone involved. The common mechanism in addiction is the brain’s unfortunate capacity to adapt to and rely on certain substances in order to maintain its desired level of function. This is the basis of all addictions to everything from nicotine to methamphetamine.That’s why moderation in using alcohol is so important—to avoid becoming dependent on it!

Moderation is key!

The Drink Smart™ Alcohol 101 Cup wants to teach and encourage the moderate use of alcohol. The web is full of reports and stories about bad and even tragic things that happen when alcohol is misused. You can read about them on your own—our job is to try to prevent those things from happening at all! Did you know that moderate alcohol use is associated with health benefits! Even the ancients observed that moderate alcohol use is healthful —writings like Ecclesiasticus 31:27-31 tell about the benefits of the moderate use of alcohol but warn about its abuse. The Drink Smart™ Alcohol 101 Cup wants to keep this 3,000 year-old conversation going!

U.S. “Standard Drink” Definition

What is a “Standard Drink”? How much alcohol is there in one standard drink? drink? How many standard drinks can you have in a day? Remember that with every drink alcohol enters your blood, accumulating while waiting to be metabolized by the liver. One “Standard Drink” contains a half-ounce of alcohol and raises the BAC by 0.02-0.05. A BAC of 0.08 is the usual measure of criminal intoxication but physical and mental impairment can occur at much lower BAC values!

Count your Drinks!

With alcohol MODERATION IS KEY!
REMEMBER--COUNT YOUR DRINKS!
If you don’t know how many you had, you’ve had too much!
And while you’re at it, count your friend’s drinks!

The CAGE Questionnaire

The CAGE Questionnaire, a brief survey developed by John A. Ewing MD,
is a 4-question test to check for a possible alcohol problem.

1. Have you ever felt you needed to Cut down on your drinking?
2. Have people Annoyed you by criticizing your drinking?
3. Have you ever felt Guilty about drinking?
4. Have you ever felt you needed a drink first thing in the morning (Eye-opener) to steady your nerves or to get rid of a hangover?

Two or more “yes” answers suggest there may be an alcohol problem.

BINGE DRINKING IS DRINKING TO GET DRUNK!

Binge Drinking is extremely dangerous. Depending on a person’s weight and sex, even less than 2 standard drinks consumed within one hour could bring the BAC over the legally drunk level of 0.08. Use the Drink Smart Cup™ BAC Calculator web page to see for yourself.

To learn more about the signs of alcoholism see the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual DSM-IV-TR, a handbook that lists the symptoms of Alcohol Abuse and Dependence or visit the International Classification of Disease (ICD-10) section on Mental and Behavioral Disorders Due to Psychoactive Substance Use. And study the Drink Smart™ Alcohol 101 Cup!

 

Dependence, Tolerance, Withdrawal, and Relapse (DTWR)

Dependence, Tolerance, Withdrawal, and Relapse happen in addiction.

Dependence occurs when one relies or “depends” on alcohol or a drug to maintain his or her mood and function. There are genetic and other factors associated with dependence.

Tolerance is when the body requires a larger amount of alcohol or a drug to feel its effect.

Withdrawal is physical sickness occurring when one stops using alcohol or a drug for which dependence has developed.

Relapse is an interruption in sobriety. The brain can actually “fall in love” with alcohol and drugs, becoming absolutely depressed , anxious and miserable without its “drug of choice”, so relapse is common.

 

Use the Drink Smart™ Alcohol 101 Cup to have an honest, open and clear talk about alcohol use, abuse, and dependence.

 

Symptoms of ALCOHOL POISONING

You can use the Drink Smart™ Alcohol 101 Cup to learn how to recognize the symptoms of Alcohol Poisoning. Alcohol poisoning is a medical emergency. MEMORIZE THESE SYMPTOMS!
IF YOU SEE THESE SYMPTOMS CALL 911, AND STAY WITH THE PERSON UNTIL HELP ARRIVES!

ALCOHOL DAMAGES YOUNG BRAINS

A 20-year study by the American Medical Association found that alcohol use in children, adolescents and teens can cause structural changes in some parts of the brain (especially in the hippocampus and prefrontal areas) impairing memory and causing personality and behavioral changes that may be lifelong. Even MODERATE use of alcohol in the young is harmful! Kids should not drink alcohol!

One last thing…

The information on the Drink Smart™ Alcohol 101 Cup is not intended to suggest that moderate use of alcohol is safe for everyone. Some people should not drink alcohol at all, such as people with alcohol dependence (alcoholism), certain medical or mood disorders, or persons taking certain medicines. Those with a family history of alcohol problems should be cautious in their use of alcoholic drinks.

There are many sources of help and information for persons with addictions and those in their lives. The Drink Smart™ Alcohol 101Cup only mentions a few— www.aa.org, www.na.org, www.al-anon.org.alateen.org, the website of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism www.niaaa.nih.gov (see FAQs for the General Public) as well as the National Drug and Alcohol Treatment Hotline 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

 

So what’s the key word with alcohol? …MODERATION!