We believe after an effective detoxification from chemicals, treatment must include a combination of 12-step principles, in addition to addressing the full spectrum of our client's physical, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual needs. Chemical dependency is a progressive and chronic relapsing brain disease that affects the body, mind, emotions, family, workplace and the entire community.
Most people in Carmel Valley, Del Mar, La Jolla, San Diego and Scripps Ranch at least try drinking alcohol sometime during their life. Many others have been given a prescription for pain medication due to an injury, dental or surgical procedure. For many people, the substance makes them feel so good, that they look forward to the drink or pain pill, like a reward for having done a good job at work or school. Unfortunately, some people are genetically wired to like the drug or alcohol so much that they become physically dependent on the substance and physically have to drink more alcohol or take more pills to just feel normal. The amount of time it takes for this to happen varies with the person, gender and the substance. It can take from 6 months to a 2 years for prescription pain medication to become physically dependent and alcohol can take from 2-10 plus years for a person to become dependent. The pattern of symptoms though are similar:
-- drinking or using drugs to calm your nerves
-- occasional memory lapses after heavy drinking or drugging
-- thinking a lot about the next time you will have a drink or use drugs
-- hiding your drugs or alcohol
-- sneaking while you are drinking or doing drugs so you won't be found out
-- feeling guilty about drinking or using the drugs
-- difficulty in your relationships - angry or aggressive over small events
-- deep inside there is a feeling of helplessness; you are drinking or doing the drugs and can't even stop yourself, no how hard you try
-- beginning of depression with the frequent thoughts of feeling hopeless, futile.
If you feel you or a family member is suffering from the use of alcohol or prescription drugs, you may be suffering from a substance use disorder that is causing the problem. Seek help before the symptoms and consequences get more severe. We can help. Professional. Confidential.
The impact of alcohol and drug use on relationships can be severe:
---arguments
---misunderstandings
---broken promises
---betrayal
---disappointment
---guilt and shame
Tense situations fueled by alcohol or drugs lower the threshold of our patience, impairs judgment and lessens impulse control, damaging a person or a family for life. This cycle of destructive relationship interactions can continue until one or both of the people get off the sinking ship.
Alcohol Rehab helps you and your loved ones to:
---Recognize that alcohol and drugs are the problem, not the person
---Stop trying to change each other and learn to accept the other person
---Attend support groups to talk to others who understand
---Overcome mistrust and find hope
---Experience relaxation for the first time in a long time
---Be honest in their daily lives
---Recognize the cycle of addiction that leads to relapse and build in new recovery pathways.
I began working with people who suffer from addiction problems since 1981 and have seen hundreds of couples repair and strengthen their relationships with partners, parents, children, extended family, friends and employers. Yes, Alcohol and Drug Rehab will help your relationship. Give yourself a chance to recover.
Judy Saalinger, Ph.D., MFT, CAS
Co-Owner and Clinical Director
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
Seek help before it's too late. Before the next crisis. If you or some you love is having a problem drinking too much and recognize you have a problem, it is almost a sure thing that there will be even more problems in the future related to your chemical use. Medical problems, family problems and possibly legal problems.
It's a fact: In San Diego Count, on average 2 of our neighbors are killed in alcohol related traffic accidents each week, according to Mothers against Drunk Driving, MADD. San Diego County has the second highest DUI arrests and convictions according to the DUI Arrest Management Systems, in 2005. If you have had one or more DUI arrests, getting effective treatment will be the answer for you.
New and improved research based treatment improves the outcomes of those seeking help. Research shows:
--women stay sober longer if they receive treatment in women only groups
-- medications given for alcohol craving significantly reduce relapses
--motivational and caring treatment approaches with the therapist increases recovery rates
--12 step recovery and an intensive outpatient treatment program doubles the chance of recovery
--cognitive behavioral therapy increases the management of anxiety and depression
--family education is essential to the long term recovery of the entire family
--complete detoxification is essential to effective treatment
Lasting recovery's intensive outpatient treatment is one of many programs in the country that provide these types of services, and one of only a few in San Diego County. If you or your family is seeking treatment, ask about these research based treatment methods. If you are in San Diego county, call us at 858-453-4315. We are here to help you.
Throughout San Diego County, in areas of La Jolla, Mission Valley, Pacific Beach, and Coronado, people are struggling with trying to stop drinking, and others have given up, thinking to themselves that they are hopeless and why bother, they are unable to stop and stay stopped. Other men, women and young people continue drinking by telling themselves that their problems with alcohol are not that bad.
In denial, these folks may minimize the consequences of using and blame the family or friends for complaining. Denial of addiction is based on the mistaken belief that the person does not have a problem because they still have a job, a family and do not drink every morning.
Some are still working, others have quit or lost their jobs. Some are homeless, but most are at home through San Diego county, being cared for or enabled (actually leading to more severe progression of the disease), by family or friends who wish the person would stop drinking, and yet do not know how to get them to stop.
Living in Late Stage alcoholism is the image of what most people think of when the words alcoholism is mentioned - drinking from early morning, lost job, abandoned by family, multiple legal offenses and treatment programs without gaining substantial periods of recovery.
There are hundreds of people getting sober each day in San Diego. In the Middle and Late Stages of alcoholism and addictions, they call treatment centers and ask for help. They ask for Outpatient or Inpatient detoxification ; ask their doctors for help, or go online and check out the alcohol treatment programs or alcohol rehabs in their area. They show up at AA meetings.
These folks even tell us they are relieved when they get a DUI, knowing that this will be a chance for them to get help to stop drinking.
Identification of the Lat State of Alcoholism:
---the person drinking thinks that responsibilities interfere with drinking.
---loss of job
---radical deterioration of family relationships
---unreasonable resentments
---loss of will power
---onset of lenthy drunks
---moral deterioration
---urgent need for morning drink
---geographic escape attempted (I won't drink in this new town)
---urgent need for morning drink
---impaired thinking
---loss of family
---successive and lengthy drunks
---unable to initiate action
---obsession with drinking
---all alibis exhausted
If you are reaching out for help give us a call here at Lasting Recovery. If we are unable to help yo and your family with our outpatient detoxification, intensive outpatient alcohol and drug program we will refer you to a program that will work for you. If you are a family member and are unable to encourage your family or friend into treatment, we can recommend an Interventionist that will be of help to your family.
Call us at 858-453-4315.
In addressing this Middle Stage of the disease of addiction here in San Diego County, you may be asking the question: Given the already negative effect of drinking alcohol, as outlined in the Early Stage, why do I keep on drinking?
The answer:
There is a growing illusion in this disease, that alcohol is continuing to have the same effects as it once had. We refer to this as Euphoric Recall.
People keep using alcohol for the effect they remember - the drug's action is pleasant or useful, including social or medical uses, and it allows people to temporarily feel more pleasure, less pain or discomfort or both. People recall how alcohol used to help them feel more at ease in social situations. Only now, in the Middle Stage of the addiction, the effects of the drugs have changed.
This Middle Stage is often called the Loss of Control Phase. During this phase drinking has different effects. Occasionally we can drink socially and do not crave the alcohol once we have been exposed to it. Other times we are confused as to why, drinking the same amount, it seemed to take us over. As rationalization begins to dominate the individual, i.e., we make up excuses to ourselves and others as to why we drank more, or ended up in an embarrassing situation. Rationalization are the lies we tell ourselves and how we learn to avoid others because we are thoroughly confused at our behavior. For many of us, we are able to control a lot of things in our life and think that if we just tried a bit harder, we could consistently control our alcohol use as well. So we firmly tell ourselves that we will not drink more than two drinks at the next party, or that we will not drink at all.
We this stage progresses without help, we are unable to keep our commitments to not drink, so we begin making excuses or lying about drinking. We may drink in bars or restaurants to hide the evidence of bottles if we drink at home. Many of us then decide that going out socially to drink alcohol becomes such a disaster that we would rather stay at home and drink.
Our anxiety is actually increasing as the alcohol does progressively more damage to the brain and body. Nutrition is negatively affected, and important vitamins and minerals are depleted. At the same time, we ironically keep remembering that alcohol once reduced fear, anxiety and even anger. It used to help us feel more confident, helped us sleep and reduced physical discomfort.
Instead, what alcohol actually does is cause drowsiness, disorientation and blackouts. Alcohol may impair our motor coordination and cause impaired judgment. Some people will receive a DUI, have an extra marital affair, or make poor financial decisions while under the influence. We may experience nausea or vomiting after drinking - a minor overdose. In this Middle Stage there are increased memory blackouts and the beginning of early morning tremors. Toward the end of this stage, many people begin to break their rules about not drinking before 5, or noon and start earlier and earlier in the day and eventually drink alcohol in the morning. The compulsion to drink overrides commitments we have make to ourselves, to our families, friends and employers.
We then avoid family and friends, and experience a loss of other interests. The efforts to control the drinking fail repeatedly. We are unable to discuss problems as the alcohol has taken over our days and nights. At the end of this stage, we find ourselves drinking alone. If this sounds like a portrait of your life right now, reach out and ask for help.
If we reach out for help now, we will avoid the Late Stage of alcoholism. Our Staff at Lasting Recovery can answer any questions for you or your family member about getting help with detoxification or intensive outpatient treatment. If we are unable to meet your needs for detoxification and outpatient care, we will refer you to a program that can. Give us a call at 858-453-4315.
Every day in San Diego people are feeling confused and asking themselves why they drank an entire bottle, or 2, of wine. Some people have told their wife, husband, friend or child that they were not going to drink more than 2 small glasses. Or that they were going to quit drinking. Some people begin to justify this drinking episode with the thoughts that they changed their mind, or it wasn't that bad, or they could not have an alcohol problem because they do not drink in the morning, or before 5pm, or drink and drive.
How do we know if our drinking is a problem?
Many millions of people are social drinkers and many millions more are just crossing over the line from social drinking into the early stages of alcoholism, or the addiction to alcohol.
The American Society of Addiction Medicine defines addiction as a primary, chronic disease with genetic, psychosocial, and environmental factors influencing its development and manifestations. They define this disease to be often progressive and fatal. It is characterized by continuous or periodic impaired control over alcohol or drugs, preoccupation with drugs or alcohol, use of addictive substances despite adverse consequences, and distortions in thinking, most notably denial.
The time it takes from the early stage of the disease, to the last stage of addiction, where there are severe medical, family or legal consequences ,varies between men and women. Research has shown that men process the alcohol more quickly in their bodies, and the severe effects take an average of 15 years to show up. Women, who process the alcohol more slowly, thereby staying in the body longer before it is discarded, the damage occurs within an average of 8 years.
SYMPTOMS OF THE EARLY STAGE
--- An increase in alcohol tolerance. It takes more than 2 standard drinks to obtain a change in mood.
--- Drinking to calm nerves. Alcohol or drugs become the favored way to reduce stress, quiet generalized anxiety and fears of the unknown in relation to work, family, finances, or health issues.
--- Desire to continue when others stop. The loss of control or impaired control begins to take over most drinking experiences. The 2 standard drinks is many times not enough to feed the developing compulsion to drink larger amounts.
--- Occasional memory lapses after heavy drinking. Research has shown that after only a few drinks, the alcohol can produce impairments in memory that is detectable. The degree of impairment is directly related to the amount of alcohol consumed. When large amounts of alcohol are consumed quickly, as in a binge, the brain and body are overloaded and unable to metabolize the substance. This is the beginning of the brain deficits that occur. Most notably the effects are seen in the lack of ability to transfer new information from short term to long term storage, as in a blackout.
---Secret irritation when your drinking is discussed. Many people begin to feel some confusion and guilt about their drinking, and start to rationalize to themselves and others as to why they continue drinking.
Rationalizing, a thought distortion, is the beginning of the development of the psychological defense system of denial. If there is no help requested by the person, or an intervention by the family, workplace or legal system to point out the beginning of the problem of early stage alcoholism, the disease will progress.
Next - Part 2 of 3 - Development of Alcoholism - Middle Stage
Thanks for reading and passing along this information.
Substance abuse and addiction to alcohol and drugs is a problem that extends to people of all ages and genders ( men and women) and is prevalent in most communities in the United States. In fact, more than 700,000 Americans receive alcoholism treatment on any given day, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
Treatment program, both private and public in cities throughout San Diego County, from Chula Vista to Lakeside, to Coronado, Del Mar and Carlsbad, are treating people for the destructive effects of chemical addiction. None of these women or men ever thought that they would need treatment. Seek assistance from professionals who can help you recover from chemical dependency. You want the best professional clinicians who are up on the latest research. Are there differences in treatment methods? Yes. One treatment difference is in gender specific groups.
There has been much research done on the differences in how women and men experience alcohol and drug addiction differently.
--The factors that lead up to the first use of alcohol and drugs is often dissimilar for both sexes.
--Brain chemistry among men and women shows that women are more sensitive to the reward
value of alcohol and drugs
--The length of time for the disease of alcoholism to develop in women is eight years on average, and for men it is an average of 15 years.
Both men and women begin using substances for different reasons, referred to as predisposing risk factors, psychological disorders, family and social risk factors. Research by Stephanie Covington, Ph.D., a La Jolla therapist, author and researcher, showed that 74% of women with alcohol and or drug addictions had experienced some form of sexual trauma.
The trauma caused by sexual, emotional or physical abuse can lead to many forms of depression, anxiety, low feelings of self worth, guilt, shame, and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Reserch has shown that women are 200 time more likely to develop PTSD from within their family and local communities, as men.
Men, on the other hand, are more likely to have suffered physical abuse and tend to struggle with co-occuring disorders of anxiety and depression along with their alcohol and drug dependency. In addition, men have more substance related legal problems as a result of their difficulty managing anger. Men's issues tend to be related to defiance and opposition.
Women are more likely than men to struggle with issues related to trust, self esteem and developing an assertive voice. In gender specific groups no one has to put up their social/sexual front. Letting down defenses in a safe and secure environment is what makes treatment possible. Many people have not been without a chemical mask on their thinking and emotions for years. When the chemicals are out of one's system, the thoughts and feelings are acknowledged in a safe, and confidential environment.
Lasting Recovery is a gender specific treatment center in San Diego, as we offer groups for women only, men only and also a co-ed group for men and women. If you want a personalized, intimate and caring treatment program for yourself or a family member, give us a call. If we can't help you, we will refer you to a program that can.
Looking for alcohol in Del Mar or Carmel Valley? You can find large amounts of it for purchase in the grocery stores, pharmacies, restaurants, bars, gas stations, mini marts and liquor stores, throughout the north coastal areas.
Some people can ignore the multimillion dollar advertising campaign to get you to either order or pick up the alcohol for consumption, while other are seduced into purchasing alcohol regularly and enjoy evening drinks with their friends and family.
Still others will purchase alcohol daily to keep themselves from needing to enter a detoxification and treatment program, in full alcohol withdrawal with shakes and the possibility of a life threatening seizure. Which one are you? Are you safe from the risks of becoming the daily drinker, or the alcoholic?
The National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) has examined the scientific literature to determine what constitutes not-at-risk drinking. The staff at NIAAA examined the physical, mental, social and legal risks associated with drinking and identified the amount men and women can drink without increased risk. Based on their analyses, the NIAAA recommends that:
--Men should consume no more than 4 standard drinks per day and no more than 14 standard drinks per week.
--Women, who process alcohol differently than men, should consume no more than 3 standard drinks per day and no more than 7 standard drinks per week.
--People 65 years of age and older should not drink more than one drink per day.
A standard drink equals a 12 oz. beer or cooler, 8-9 oz malt liquor, 5 oz of talble wine, or 1.5 oz of 80 proof spirits. Depending on the type of spirits and recipe, one mixed drink can equal from one to three or more standard drinks.
People who exceed the recommended daily limit have engaged in binge drinking.
Of the people who HAVE NOT exceeded the recommended daily and weekly limits in the past year (72% of the U.S. population over age 18), less than 1 in 100 will eventually meet the diagnostic criteria for either alcohol abuse or dependence.
People who HAVE engaged in binge drinking at least once in the previous 12 months (16% of the U.S. Population over the age of 18), 1 in 5, or 20% will eventually meet the diagnostic criteria for either alcohol abuse or dependence.
People who exceed both the limits recommended for daily and weekly use, which is 10% of the U.S. population over the age of 18, 50% or 1 out of 2 people will eventually meet the diagnostic criteria for either alcohol abuse or dependence.
Finally, people who exceed the recommended weekly limit but never binge drink (2% of the U.S. population over the age of 18) about 1 in 12 or 8% , will eventually meet the diagnostic criteria for either alcohol abuse or dependence.
If you want to be safe and reduce your risks for becoming alcohol dependence, don't exceed the daily (a binge) or weekly limit. This is no guarantee, however that trying to reduce the consumption will work, as there are genetic as well as environmental risks factors that lead to continued use despite consequences. If you have tried to reduce your consumption and been unsuccessful, you are not alone. Alcoholism is often described as having an allergy of the body and an obsession of the mind. The overconsumption, fueled by the obsession to continue drinking, can lead to blackouts, personality changes,a loss of self esteem, physical problems, and problems with family, friends, employers and the law.
If you or someone you love is unable to consistently control the amount of alcohol they are drinking, seek help now by using the assessments on our website, www.lastingrecovery.com, to to determine if you have a problem. There are solutions. If you would like more information, give us a call at 858-453-4315.
How can you tell if you have a problem with alcohol? After all, it seems as if alcohol is served everywhere in La Jolla, Del Mar, Carmel Valley, Rancho Santa Fe, and Mission Hills, even at the spa and beauty salons. Alcohol is served at parties to celebrate your local soccor, basketball, football, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, and Indian Princess activities. Co-workers and business associates in Sorrento Valley, La Jolla and Downtown San Diego, attorneys throughout San Diego County, get together for dinner and drinks, create events such as wine clubs and wine tasting parties for fundraising or social events. Opportunities to drink alcohol are scattered throughout communities in San Diego.
If you are questioning your drinking and if you work or do not work, are a parent or not, here are a few questions you might want to ask yourself:
Do I want to go to the activity because alcohol is going to be served, or because it usually becomes a big drinking event for me?
Do I have a rule for myself about drinking and driving with my children or their friends in the car? Have I ever broken that rule, or thought about breaking it, just one time?
Am I isolating with my alcohol or prescription drugs in my room, while my family is being together and doing homework, talking or watching TV?
Am I isolating with my alcohol or drugs and not returning phone calls, avoiding friends and family because I would rather come home from work, get comfortable and drink my alcohol, alone, with no one bothering me, except the cat?
Do I wonder if my alcohol and drugs are really more important to me than my partner/spouse/chidren, even though I hate to think like this?
Do I hide bottles in trash cans that belong to my neighbor or drop them off in different neighborhoods so I will not be discovered?
Do I go to different liquor stores so the clerks will not ask me why I was just here buying alcohol yesterday, or earlier today?
Do I usually defend my alcohol purchase by saying that I am getting ready for a big party - usually with myself, however I do not say that.
Do I think I might have some physical pain this weekend, so I call the doctor and lie about my current level of pain so I can get a refill from the pharmacy for my favorite prescription medication?
Have I ever gone to see doctors including than my primary or family physician, trying to get a prescription for tranquillizers or opiate pain medication, knowing I would drink alcohol with the pills?
Have I ever thouight maybe I was addicted to alcohol or to the prescription drugs?
If you would like to do an online assessment, go to our home page and find alcohol and drug assessments. Or call our office at 858-453-4315.
Only you can decide if your drinking or drug use has moved from social use, to early or middle stage addiction.
Ladies and Girlfriends, be aware of what you consume!
The official word the UK Department of Health, as reported in Joined Together, a service for the latest information on alcohol and drug dependence and effective treatment, reports that women who drink regularly face an increased risk of breast cancer by 50%.
The BBC reported recently that women who consume more than 14 standard units of alcohol weekly raise their risk of developing breast cancer by 50 percent. A standard unit is 5 oz, or about 5 glasses of wine per standard bottle. The majority of women drinkers,who live in Carmel Valley, Mission Hills, La Jolla, Rancho Santa Fe, and Del Mar, who come to intensive outpatient alcohol treatment to receive treatment and recovery, have reported drinking from 1-2 bottles of wine in an evening, adding up to 10 standard units at one sitting!
If you or someone you love is drinking 3 or more bottles of wine in a 7 day week, the chances of breast cancer risk increases by 50%.
With stronger wines being poured into bigger glasses these days in bars and restaurants, a single glass of wine can contain up to 3.5 units of alcohol. Most women don’t realize how much they are drinking.
Experts say that alcohol use causes about 2,000 breast-cancer cases a year in the U.K. How many cases in the U.S. are related to drinking?
If you are a woman and would like to cut down on your alcohol intake, give us a call. Helping women to live healthy and productive lives is our mission.
According to a recent British survey, 8 out of 10 bottles of wine consumed at home are purchased by women. Drinking wine has replaced the social connection of having a cup of coffee with friends.
The problem is that women do not think drinking wine 3-4 times a week is a problem. Most women who call an outpatient alcohol and drug treatment program for alcohol treatment are dependent on wine.
Wine is packaged and sold throughout grocery stores, and many women think it is a food item. Wine is displayed in the vegetable section, the bread and bakery section, the candy section, end aisles, front aisles, the potato chip section and all sections in between. It’s no wonder that women in Carmel Valley, Del Mar, Encinitas, La Jolla and Scripps Ranch purchase and drink it. Consumers are seduced by hundreds of millions of dollars spent in research and marketing by the brewers to get the women to pick up the bottle of wine.
I have heard college educated women say that they could not have an alcohol problem, because they only drink wine. They think alcohol is a food group. And it is not.
Yet women are frequently drinking and isolating at home, becoming more depressed and anxious, and feeling more and more lonely. Why the loneliness? We have given our personal power over to the substance in a bottle. We think it will change our mood state and give us a euphoric feeling, yet the downside is that we become depressed and anxious, feeling guilty because we cannot keep our commitment to just have one or two drinks.
Women often have a 2 drink rule. If a women has a problem with being unable to consistently control the amount and effects of alcohol, feels urgency to drink and sneaks or hides alcohol, she could be in the early stage of alcohol dependence.
Two drinks does not seem like it provides effective emotional effects, e.g. a mood change, and a sort of compulsion takes over. The needs of the body to satisfy the growing physical and psychological need for alcohol, undermine her thoughts, emotions and behaviors. In this case, women cannot consistently control the amount of alcohol they are drinking and the 2 drinks turns into 6 or 8 drinks, an overload to the mind and body.
Drinking alcohol whether it be wine, beer, vodka or whiskey, while ignoring the feedback from others that the alcohol is a problem just adds to the confusion and need to drink more.
If drinking wine is beginning to be a problem for you, call us for outpatient alcohol treatment, where you can attend during the day, from 10-1pm, or evening from 6-9pm. Take the steps now to get back your health. Now is the time to decide and act.
Are women who drink wine with their friends in Del Mar, Encinitas, Carmel Valley and La Jolla, alcoholics?
Women who have a few social drinks now and then, are probably not alcoholics. Some, however, may be on their way to developing an addiction to alcohol.I get calls every day from women who think they might have an alcohol problem, and women who know they have a drinking problem and are asking for help.
When I was struggling to understand my drinking behavior over 25 years ago , I felt guilty and confused. I thought I should be able to control the effects of my drinking. Betty Ford and Elizabeth Taylor, two very famous women in our country, could not control the amount they drank either. These women identified a pattern of drinking behavior that was predictable, and distinguished them from light social drinkers. Knowing that they could face their problem with alcohol gave me courage to face mine.Read over the following list of predictable behaviors for alcohol dependency and see if you can identify with any of the following. If so, you are not alone.
___Buying liquor at more than one location to keep the quantity secret.
___Hiding bottles or cans of alcohol or secretly disposing of them.
___Advance planning to reward yourself with heavy drinking.
___Memory loss after drinking too much.
___Feeling sick and hung over after drinking.
___Feeling afraid you made a fool of yourself the night before.
___Drinking alcohol before leaving the house for party or event
___Drinking to feel wittier, more relaxed, or less anxious.
___Uncertain about going to events where there will not be alcohol.
___Entertaining or creating situations so you can drink alcohol.
___Avoiding discussions, literature or TV programs on alcoholism.
___Carrying liquor in your purse, car or at the office.
___Becoming defensive when someone questions you about drinking.
___Are angry that other people are trying to control you and your drinking.
___Drinking while angry, upset, depressed, or under stress.
___Driving after you have been drinking alcohol, feeling certain you can drive.
___Switching types of alcohol to prevent becoming too intoxicated.
___Drinking at work or at your activities with your children.
___Other people show concern about how much you drink.
___Breaking promises to others because of drinking.
___Feeling crazy or overwhelmed but knowing why.
___Feeling guilt and remorse for behavior while drinking.
___Being unable to predict how many drinks will be consumed in one sitting.
___Drinking more than planned or faster than other people do.
___Feeling like it is impossible or difficult to stop drinking without help.
If you can relate to some of the above questions, talk to someone who understands what you are going through and get the help you need. You do not need to suffer any longer.Call Lasting Recovery toll free: 800-808-6373, or in San Diego County, 858-453-4315.
Combating underage drinking must come from education and community support. The beginning of alcohol and drug use is becoming more prevalent in junior high, as this is when hormone-driven risky behavior begins. Educators, counselors and administrators should be trained to see the signs of early use in teens. Counselors should be trained in intervention techniques and communication with students families. This should be true for facilities through college and trade schools.
Families need to stay involved in their young ones lives. The most successful discussions with young people are non-accusatory, supportive and engaging. Discuss the facts, get all the information and help find solutions through support rather than using scare tactics. This loving support will give young people a sense of self-worth and the confidence to be drug-free (Dr. Rob, 2003).
City and school law enforcement must stand firm on zero-tolerance laws regarding underage drinking. Despite many states adopting these laws, consistent enforcement wavers. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, stated in 2006 that when the first eight States to adopt zero-tolerance laws were compared with nearby States without such laws, the zero-tolerance States showed a 21-percent greater decline in the proportion of single-vehicle night-time fatal crashes involving drivers under 21, the type of crash most likely to involve alcohol. Resources must be available to see these laws into action.
Alcohol is widely available and promoted to young people in America today. Though underage drinking use is regarded as a normal part of growing up by some people, it is dangerous for the drinker and the community as evident by the number of alcohol-related accidents and crimes. Adolescents are at greater risk for development of health-related issues due to alcohol abuse and adverse consequences including risky behavior and poor school performance.
Lowering the legal drinking age would not help the problem of underage drinking but aggravate it. William Cope Moyers, executive director of the Hazelden Center for Public Advocacy and a recovering alcoholic said, "Twenty-one is not working according to the college presidents statement. But from my own experiences a long time ago, 18 never worked either" (Hazelden, 2008).
References
Alcoholics Anonymous (2007). Young people and AA. New York, NY: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services.Discovery Health (2006).
Underage drinking nets alcohol industry billions. Dr. Rob (2003). Teen center: teens and risky behavior – One nurse's plea to teens.
Hazelden (2008). Debate to lower drinking age builds despite 21'a success.
NIAAA (2006). Alcohol alert. Retrieved January 17, 2008, from http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/
Spears & Spears (2008). In tandem: reading and writing for college students.New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Your comments are appreciated. Given that most adults who suffer from alcohol problems began in their teens, keeping the age of drinking at 21 seems the most prudent decision.
The Amethyst Initiative is a recent movement of over 130 college presidents requesting the nation lower the legal drinking age. This absurd suggestion not only could endanger young lives but it reveals backwards thinking by professionals who should be looking out for those they serve (Hazelden, 2008).
Underage drinking is on the rise. Ten percent of Alcoholics Anonymous members are under the age of 30 (Alcoholics Anonymous, 2007). This community-based support network responded to the needs of young people when Alateen spurred off from Al-Anon – a support group for loved ones of alcoholics. Among 12-20 year olds, over 47% are current drinkers and 26% meet the criteria for alcohol abuse and dependence compared to 9.6% of those over the legal drinking age (Discovery Health, 2009).
In 1988, 21 became the legal minimum drinking age in all 50 states. The U.S. Department of Transportation states that in spring of 2004, over 18,000 lives were saved through decreases in alcohol-related accidents, which are the leading cause of death of young people in our country (Hazelden, 2008).
Although severe health problems associated with alcohol abuse are not as common in adolescents, studies show that young people set themselves up for these risks when they drink heavily from an early age. Brain damage can occur, as alcohol affects the maturation of young tissue. Lasting effects to long-term memory and learning skills are evident in adults who began drinking at an early age. Drinking can also elevate liver enzymes and effect growth and development. In fact, consuming alcohol during puberty adversely affects the maturation of reproductive organs and can upset the hormonal balance for normal development of organs, bones and muscles (NIAAA, 2006).
Discovery Health (2006) has stated that almost all (96.8%) of the adult drinkers with alcohol abuse and dependence began drinking prior to the age of 21. A common phrase in Alcoholics Anonymous regarding young drinkers is, if you're not an alcoholic, you're studying hard to be one.This may be true for many young people. If so, why would we lower the legal drinking age and invite them to try it on for size?
Over one third of United States alcohol sales are to underage and/or abusive drinkers (Discovery Health, 2009). It seems the financial interests of the alcohol industry may be weightier than the interests of our young peoples health. Lowering the legal drinking age certainly would not solve these problems but only serve to exaggerate them.
PART 11
Alcohol and drug use can start off as recreational; relaxing after work, social use at parties and with friends. The problems of excessive use of alcohol and drugs can create problems in our bodies, brains, in our relationships, problems at work and with the legal system. The following statements will help you to understand the progression of alcohol and drug use from recreational to addiction. The sooner one gets help for alcohol abuse and dependence, the fewer problems the individual user and family has to resolve.
4. Often progressive and fatal means that the disease persists over time and that physical, emotional, and social changes are often cumulative and may progress as alcohol or drug use continues. Addiction to alcohol or drugs causes premature death through overdose, organic complications involving the brain, liver, heart and many other organs, and by contributing to suicide, homicide, motor vehicle crashes, and other traumatic events.
5. Impaired control means the inability to limit alcohol or drug use or to consistently limit any drinking or drugging occasion, the duration of the episode, the quantity consumed, and/or the behavioral consequences of using the substances.
6. Preoccupation in association with alcohol or drug use indicates excessive, focused attention given to the drug or alcohol, its effects, and/or its use. The relative value thus assigned to alcohol or drugs by the individual often leads to a diversion of energies away from important life concerns.
7. Adverse consequences are alcohol/drug-related problems or impairments in such areas as: physical health (e.g., alcohol withdrawal syndromes, liver disease, gastritis, anemia, neurological disorders); psychological functioning (e.g., impairments in cognition, changes in mood and behavior); interpersonal functioning (e.g., marital problems and child abuse, impaired social relationships); occupational functioning (e.g., scholastic or job problems); and legal, financial, or spiritual problems.
8. Denial is used here not only in the psychoanalytic sense of a single psychological defense mechanism disavowing the significance of events, but more broadly to include a range of psychological maneuvers designed to reduce awareness of the fact that alcohol or drug use is the cause of an individual's problems rather than a solution to those problems. Denial becomes an integral part of the disease and a major obstacle to recovery.
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This definition was prepared by the Joint Committee to Study the Definition and Criteria for the Diagnosis of Alcoholism of the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence and the American Society of Addiction Medicine.
If you would like more help for yourself or a family member, give us a call at 858-453-4315.
For those of us living in San Diego County, we are honored to have outstanding researchers and treatment providers for alcohol and drug addiction. Mark Schuckit, MD a leading researcher from the University of California San Diego has again helped us to understand more about the disease of alcoholism.
His latest research was published in Lancet, a medical journal this week to show, that in the developed countries, men have a 15 percent risk over their lifetime for abusing alcohol, and in addition, men have a 10 percent risk for becoming dependent (addicted) to alcohol.
Looking at these numbers: at least one in five men (20%) are at lifetime risk of becoming dependent on or abusing alcohol. Women's risk over all is 8-10%. Why? Dr. Shuckitt states that a higher proportion of women rarely or never drink.
What are the consequences (negative outcomes) of alcohol and drug dependence? Statistics show alcohol and drug abuse and dependence can increase auto accidents, suicides, divorces, child abuse, domestic violence, thefts, assaults, physical deterioration, organ damage, sexual dysfunction and brain damage. What does this mean to us in day to day living? Be aware of what you go through when you drink alcohol or use drugs.
Symptoms of this progress and chronic disease go unnoticed for years: drinking or using drugs to calm nerves
occasional memory lapses after heavy drinking or drugging
preoccupation with alcohol or drugs (thinking about the next time to drink or use)
hiding your alcohol or drugs
sneaking while drinking or doing drugs
feeling of guilt about drinking or using drugs
grandiose or aggressive behavior
overwhelming feeling of helplessness
thinking 'what's the use', a sense of futility
complete dishonesty
loss of other interest
family, work and money problems
neglect of feed
drinking alone, or secretly
family and friends avoided
If you feel your alcohol or drug use is becoming a problem, seek treatment before the symptoms and consequences get more severe. We can help!
I get calls daily from people who report they have attempted to quit drinking alcohol and using drugs, and have relapsed. Generally successful in many areas of their life, men and women trying to quit without help from a treatment professional can be frustrating and leave people feeling guilty and hopelessness.
What’s the answer to the residents of our local communities in Del Mar, Carmel Valley, La Jolla, Solana Beach, Rancho Santa Fe, or Scripps Ranch? Whether the mind altering chemicals such as alcohol or illegal drugs or prescription drugs such as tranquillizers, oropiate pain medication, the answer is to calla treatment professional now! Do not wait for the DUI, or the Possession charges; don’t wait for your spouse or children to leave because they say they can no longer cope with your addiction.Seek treatment before you loose your job, business or profession.
According to most well known researchers in the areas of alcohol and drug dependence, alcohol and drug use changes the brain, in fundamental and lasting ways. Does this mean you have brain damage?Some people do develop brain damage. Others are able to complete a process of treatment and learn how to care for their brain and quickly begin the healing process, repairing the brain within a couple of years.
Attendance in an Intensive Outpatient Alcohol and Drug Addiction program can teach you the tools to support your commitment to recovery,and both recognize a relapse trigger and change your thinking and behaving.
This is one of benefit of treatment…. To help you recognize the internal triggers (emotional states, thought processes and memories) and external triggers, those people, places and things that have part of your alcohol or drug dependence. For some people it means staying away from certain situations, for others it means learning another way to cognitively and emotionally respond to specific events, without reaching for a mind altering chemical such alcohol, cocaine, marijuana, heroin, meth, a tranquillizer such as Xanax or an opiate such as Vicodin or Oxycontin.
Take action now to seek care for your self, your health and your family!
