Alcoholism

Stress is an unfortunate and unavoidable part of life. The continued mandates relating to Covid-19, social quarantine guidelines, and other daily stressors have the propensity to exacerbate these already overwhelming feelings. The weight of these stresses often leads to a dangerous increase in the amount of alcohol consumed to cope with this stress. This increased consumption can have a major impact on your life. Monitoring your alcohol intake is increasingly important in the face of these unprecedented and difficult times. Attempting to stay in control of your drinking means first understanding that your relationship with alcohol is not unique. It is up to you to take accountability for your drinking habits.

It’s almost been a year since COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic. When the first lockdown began, it sparked a lot of changes in our lives. Suddenly, we were wearing masks to run our errands, working from home, and fighting over the last roll of toilet paper at the grocery store. Staying in became the norm, and our favorite businesses were closing down, some of them permanently. On top of it all, we were worried about the health of ourselves and our loved ones, with no idea how long this stressful situation would last. With all the worry, fear and uncertainty the coronavirus brought with it, a lot of people started drinking more to try and cope. In fact, this is a pretty common response to catastrophic or traumatic events like a pandemic, war or natural disaster. After 9/11, there was an immediate and lasting increase in alcohol use among Manhattanites, with similar patterns seen in the South after Hurricane Katrina. It’s not surprising, since rises in problematic drinking are associated with increased stress and anxiety, which we are seeing again with COVID-19. But unlike other traumatic events, COVID-19 is still happening. It isn’t a single moment in time that, when it’s over, we can try to process and put behind us — it's this long, drawn-out episode that we still have to deal with on a daily basis. Although lockdown has ended and a vaccine has been developed, most of us are finding that “getting back to normal” is still a long way off. So we’re also seeing increased drinking due to the ongoing effects of social isolation, job insecurity, financial strain and health worries. If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Increased drinking and relapse have been common throughout the pandemic, but there are ways you can curb your alcohol consumption and learn how to cope with the stress in a healthier way. The first step is reaching out for help. If you’re already in recovery or part of a 12-step program, connect with your peers to talk about the problems you’re facing. You don’t have to go through this alone, and most programs offer online support groups that you can log in to from the comfort of your home. Or, if you need to get out of the house, check to see if in-person meetings are available in your area — some groups are gathering face-to-face again, following social distancing guidelines and mask-wearing mandates to keep participants safe. If you’re not in a treatment program but want to get help for your drinking, don’t hesitate to reach out and make that first phone call. Treatment centers like Avalon Malibu have remained open with new policies in place to ensure the health and well-being of patients during COVID-19. It’s also important to recognize harmful drinking patterns. Most people are surprised to hear that consuming four or five drinks within two hours constitutes binge drinking. When you’re feeling bored and stuck at home, it’s really easy to hit this threshold. But by learning how much is too much, paying attention to the amount you drink and setting a safe limit for yourself, you can become more conscious of your drinking habits and whether or not you need to cut down. Of course, for those with addiction issues, this is easier said than done. That’s where step one comes in again — reach out for help when you need it, and reinforce healthy coping strategies with guidance from your peers, recovery team and support groups. A relapse doesn’t mean failure, especially during stressful times like the COVID-19 pandemic, but it’s essential to regain a foothold in your recovery and utilize the support that’s available to you. Don’t ignore mental health symptoms. You might be feeling more stressed, anxious and depressed than usual during the pandemic, and if ignored, these emotions can trigger a relapse or lead to problematic drinking. Now is the time to prioritize your mental health and address any symptoms you may be feeling, lest they continue to brew beneath the surface and stir up a crisis. To meet the growing need for mental health support, many mental health providers have made their services more accessible than ever with virtual care options and same-day appointments for mental health screening, therapy, counseling, medication management and more. When it comes to maintaining your recovery, this is a crucial step that shouldn’t be overlooked. Your mental, physical and emotional health are all connected, and neglecting one can have a huge impact on your general well-being. Navigating the pandemic has been difficult for all of us, and there’s no shame in reaching out for help when you need it — prioritizing your mental health now will make a difference in the long run.

We’ve known for many years now that alcohol can affect men and women differently. While both are just as likely to become addicted, the reality is that women often require less alcohol to become intoxicated than their counterparts. Typically, this is due to differing alcohol absorption and metabolization rates in men and women. However, many people often wonder how different types of alcohol affect their system, regardless of gender. Obtaining a clear understanding of types of alcohol and their effects may better prepare you to protect yourself from dependency and the dangers of addiction.

Social drinking is a mainstream activity in the United States, and it’s an expected activity whether you’re celebrating, gathering, eating, having a meeting or mourning. Alcohol has become a staple at any get-together, making it much easier to build a dependence to alcohol even in the subtlest of ways. If you’re not careful, however, you could get much more than a fun evening with friends – the line becomes much blurrier when social drinking develops into dependency – and that’s when alcoholism is at high risk. The University of Rochester Medical Center highlights the fact that alcohol disrupts mental and motor skills; by reducing inhibitions, lessening tension and inviting greater ease in social situations, it can become even more challenging to take a night off of drinking – especially when it seems to be so “normal”. There are many signs that a person should watch out for that signal problem drinking, however:

We’ve all heard of the gateway drug theory – as a kid, you were likely told that smoking cigarettes or drinking alcohol could lead to more drugs such as heroin or cocaine. Programs such as D.A.R.E. – Drug Abuse Resistance Education – taught us at an early age to always say “No!” to someone who is offering us drugs or other substances. This program and theory might have helped some of us refrain from using, at least at a youthful age, but is the theory true? The New York Times has broken down the theory and provided several useful pieces of data. Several studies have shown the effect of one drug to another in lab rat experiments. For example, a Columbia University study found that rats exposed to alcohol were far more likely than other rats to press a lever that dispensed cocaine. A 2011 study found similar findings in a study that explored nicotine use in mice. While these types of studies have shown some sort of causal relationships, many scientists are still wondering the effectiveness of these studies due to the simple fact that the studies’ assumptions were that humans respond similarly to rats when it comes to narcotics. Other studies have proven that users who took a drug, like marijuana for example, were able to reduce their use of other drugs. For example, a 2008 study found that individuals who smoked marijuana could reduce their dose of pain-relieving opioids. Newer research is also concluding that other factors, such as poverty and poor social environment have greater predictability in one’s use of drugs than using soft drugs during childhood. A 2016 study conducted by researchers in Texas titled “Gateway hypothesis” and early drug use: Additional findings from tracking a population-based sample of adolescents to adulthood”, further emphasized that childhood drug use wasn’t consistent through adulthood and that other factors such as social context and role of community social norms should also be considered. Does this mean there is no such thing as gateway drugs? Not exactly. Research has proven there is some connection, but each person is different, and some people may be more impacted by childhood drug use than others. Personality, addictive-behavior tendencies, temperament, social context, environment, biological factors, and so much more play a role in addiction.

Last month, Brad Pitt made headlines around the world as he openly discussed his lifetime of alcohol abuse and how he has realized he has avoided his alcoholism for so long. After a high profile separation from his world famous actress and UN Ambassador wife, Angelina Jolie, the pressure was on Brad Pitt to come to terms with his alcoholism. After attending treatment and speaking openly about going through two therapists before finding the right one, Pitt has been openly discussing his experience and the reality of his drinking. “Boozing too much” was the answer he gave as he expressed his realizations that hardly a day had gone by since his time in college without being under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol at some point in time. Addiction affects 250 million people worldwide. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, NIAAA, cites that 17 million adults in the United States have an alcohol use disorder. To be diagnosed with an alcohol use disorder one has to demonstrate the beginnings of a chemical dependency on alcohol, including signs of developing a tolerance, experiencing symptoms of withdrawal, and having cravings for alcohol. Though treatment for alcoholism and even alcohol abuse is more widely available than it ever has been before, only a fraction of the people who are living with alcohol use disorder seek any treatment for it. Out of the millions struggling, only a few thousand will get help, and few thousand less might stay sober. Recovering from alcoholism is challenging and difficult, but it is not impossible. Problematically, there are a lack of resources which help people be aware that their drinking patterns are in fact alcoholic and pose a serious risk to their mental as well as physical health. As a result, the normalized drinking culture causes people to believe they do not have a problem. Prolonging alcoholism recovery can lead to serious health issues which can include damage to the kidneys, liver, and especially the heart. Early intervention is the best way to guarantee lifelong health and recovery.  Through clinical detox, proven therapeutic treatments, and holistic healing, recovery from alcoholism is possible.

From the very first drink, alcohol is different between men and women. Alcohol abuse, or binge drinking, differs for men and women. According to the National Institute of Health, binge drinking for men includes 5 drinks in a two hour sitting while binge drinking for women is about 4. Men and women’s bodies, metabolisms, and psychologies are different in general. For alcohol, the primary genders can act differently in the way that they create alcohol dependency in the brain. Healio reports that new research from Massachusetts has found a significant difference in the reward system of the brain as it relates to alcoholism in both males and females. “Analyses indicated a significant gender interaction in the association between alcoholism and total reward network volumes,” the article explains, “with smaller reward volumes among men with alcoholism vs. male controls and larger reward volumes among women with alcoholism vs. female controls.” In simple terms, they found that the male alcoholic brain has a smaller volume of reward compared to the female. Compared to other interesting findings which have surfaced recently, this is of little surprise. Statistically, women have always drank less than men and have been less diagnosed with alcohol related disorders. Even at the time Alcoholics Anonymous, the world famous 12 step program, was founded, female alcoholics were few and far between. The primary text for the group, Alcoholics Anonymous, was written for men by men with little mention of women who were not the wives of male alcoholics. A brief paragraph describes that female alcoholics do exist, “Potential female alcoholics often turn into the real thing and are gone beyond recall in a few years. Certain drinkers, who would be greatly insulted if called alcoholics, are astonished at their inability to stop.” Reports have revealed that the gender gap between male and female alcoholics is rapidly closing. Women are drinking more than men and more than they ever have before, leading to higher rates of alcoholism in females. The reasons why men and women drink alcoholically may differ on the surface- for example, women might be more emotional drinkers whereas men drink to relieve work-oriented stress. However, as many alcoholics in recovery  find, it is not the differences but the similarities which matter. Finding pleasure in the effects of alcohol and developing a chemical dependency upon it is the root of all alcoholism. Everything else is a matter of detail.