Get Rid Of Alcohol

An Issue of Mixed Messages

How can something as prevalent, accepted, and accessible in our society as drinking alcohol be so harmful, unhealthy, AND illegal when consumed at or slightly above moderate intake levels? The simple asking of this question immediately uncovers a number of issues, one of which is the mixed messages that exist in our society about drinking alcohol.

The Accessibility and Acceptability of Alcohol

On the one hand, consider the thousands upon thousands of bars and taverns in the United States. Now add to this list the restaurants, night clubs, sporting events, festivals, state fairs, hotels, casinos, carnivals, etc. where alcoholic beverages are regularly served. Moreover, add the grocery stores, liquor stores, beverage stores, the Convenient Food Marts, the 7/11 stores, and the state stores where an adult can legally purchase as many bottles, cans, and/or cases of alcoholic beverages as he or she desires.

Is Drinking Alcohol Cool?

Not only is alcohol extremely accessible in our society but there are also a number of factors that reinforce the idea that drinking alcohol is “cool.” For instance, consider beer advertisements and commercials on TV. Indeed, it can be argued that some of the most memorable, funniest, and “best” commercials and advertisements on TV have been those that were associated with drinking beer. To push the point further, why would beer manufacturers spend millions of dollars for a commercial during the Super Bowl if this expenditure did not lead to more sales? From a slightly different perspective, consider professional athletes and movie stars who, by their actions and advertisements, reinforce the idea that drinking alcohol is “cool.” Read the rest of this entry »

What causes college students to abuse alcohol? The answers are probably many, but the simplest answer is this: Because they can.

Abusing Alcohol is Easy

When there are so few immediate consequences for excessive drinking, when repeat offenders are not disciplined, when parents are not notified about their children’s drinking activities, when students get mixed messages from the college administration about alcohol, when students have seen their parents drinking alcohol in an irresponsible manner, when students are not informed about the long-tern negative consequences of alcohol abuse, when there are few alcohol-free social and recreational activities that are attractive to students, when minors or intoxicated students are served alcoholic beverages by the local drinking establishments, and when the drinking activities in the sororities and fraternities are not monitored—drinking and excessive drinking become so very easy.

What Draws Students to Abuse Alcohol?

When peer pressure or influence is added to the equation, when it is disregarded that drinking alcohol temporarily removes a person from his or her problems, when ignoring the belief or perception that drinking alcohol makes it easier to socialize with potential dating or sexual partners, when it is so acceptable to engage in activities that emphasize the drinking of alcohol, when the “good feelings” or the “fun” of getting an alcohol high or buzz are not considered, and when the party atmosphere at college is expected by students–it becomes more clear regarding what causes college students to abuse alcohol. Read the rest of this entry »

What is alcohol withdrawal? Alcohol withdrawal syndrome is a set of symptoms that people have when they suddenly stop drinking after using alcohol for a long period of time. Some people have mild shakiness and sweats. The worst form of withdrawal is called “DTs” (delirium tremens). People with DTs may experience confusion, anxiety and even hallucinations (seeing, hearing or feeling things that aren’t really there). DTs can be very serious if not treated by a doctor.

Alcohol withdrawal symptoms rarely occur in people who only drink once in a while. Symptoms usually occur in people who have been drinking heavily for weeks or months and then suddenly stop drinking. People who have gone through withdrawal before are more likely to have withdrawal symptoms each time they quit drinking.

Do people going through alcohol withdrawal need an alcohol rehab?

Yes. An alcohol rehab has the ability to help you through alcohol withdrawal by admitting you to their alcohol detox unit. If you go through withdrawal a number of times without getting the right alcohol rehab treatment, your symptoms may get worse each time. So even if your alcohol withdrawal symptoms don’t seem that bad, it’s important to seek an evaluation at an alcohol rehab. This is especially true for people who have had a bad alcohol withdrawal before and people who have other health problems, such as infections, heart disease, lung disease or a history of seizures. Read the rest of this entry »

Alcoholism is an increasingly burning issue all around the world. The fact about alcohol addiction is that it can strike anywhere, and anybody. No one is resistant to alcohol dependency, no matter how much any of us might want to believe it or not. Alcoholism is treatable; there are many treatment programmes, and approaches available to support alcoholics. If someone is diagnosed as alcohol dependent, and realises that he or she has a serious drinking problem, the first step to the treatment is a sincere desire to get helped.

Alcoholics who are forced into treatment by social pressure hardly ever succeed in the long run. There is a wide range of different alcoholism treatment options designed to help alcoholics. The first obvious step for alcoholics is to admit that they actually have a problem, and attend treatment programmes to get rid of alcoholism. Read the rest of this entry »

For many, the American lifestyle includes drinking alcohol. Most people indulge at dinner, while on vacation, at sporting events, at cookouts, on weekends- the list goes on. Some studies show that moderate drinking is linked to several health benefits, especially cardiovascular health, while other studies show that alcohol increases insulin resistance. (Moderate drinking is considered one drink for women and two drinks for men each day.)

While combining alcohol and fitness at the same time is an accident waiting to happen, what most people do not realize is that alcohol can actually negatively affect a person’s physical performance for as long as 48 hours after a night of drinking. So, is it really a good idea to mix alcohol and fitness? Health experts claim that alcohol has no place in fitness. Read the rest of this entry »

How alcohol affects the Pancreas?

The heavy consumption of alcohol can be a triggering mechanism for pancreatitis. Nobody thinks about how alcohol is affecting their pancreas until they end up admitted to the hospital with an attack of acute pancreatitis. If you or a loved one has been recently released from the hospital after a case of acute pancreatitis, you probably have some questions about what role alcohol can play in your life going forward.

Your first question is probably, “Is it still possible for a person to consume the same amounts of alcohol as before the pancreatitis attack?” The answer is no. An initial attack of acute pancreatitis puts a person at a much higher risk of developing chronic pancreatitis if they continue drinking any alcohol at all. Chronic pancreatitis is a terrible disease that causes severe pain, indigestion, and other complications. Most importantly, chronic pancreatitis significantly increases the odds of being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

The combination of pancreatitis and alcohol is a progressive, chronic, and frequently fatal disease.

You may be thinking to yourself, “Surely I can still drink a little alcohol. Doctors will be able to fix up my pancreas again if I have another attack of acute pancreatitis. I was fine after this first attack of pancreatitis.” Unfortunately, this reasoning is flawed.

There is presently no conventional medical treatment that can reverse or stop the main problems that are caused by chronic pancreatitis. These problems include minimized digestive enzyme production by pancreas and the dying of pancreatic cells. If you continue drinking any alcohol at all there is a significant chance that you will develop worsening of chronic pancreatitis.

The treatment of alcohol-induced chronic pancreatitis is a complicated process that calls that includes a variety of different alternative (non-drug, non-surgery) modalities from many different professionals. We will discuss treatments further down in the article.

Information about Alcoholic Pancreatitis

Research shows that an overall increase in the consumption of alcohol can be linked to the increase in cases of acute pancreatitis. An attack of acute alcoholic pancreatitis is generally preceded by 5-10 years of prolonged over-consumption of alcohol. In the U.S. every year, 80,000 to 200,000 people have attacks of acute pancreatitis. The number of these people is increasing yearly. It is true that not all alcoholics develop pancreatitis. However, once an alcoholic has had at least one attack of acute pancreatitis alcohol in all forms is lethal to the pancreas.

Scientific research shows that the lifespan of an acute pancreatitis patient becomes contingent upon their ability to give up drinking. Patients unable to stop drinking alcohol frequently develop chronic pancreatitis, which destroys their pancreatic gland. It is therefore necessary for patients to stop drinking alcohol altogether.

Am I an Alcoholic?

It is important to stop completely drinking after the first attack of acute pancreatitis. However, it is extremely difficult for alcoholics, as well as people in general, to give up completely alcohol. In fact, as observed through our long years of practice, it is almost impossible for an alcoholic to recover totally without the help of an experienced licensed practitioner. It sometimes even requires a team of practitioners.

It may be difficult for people to admit that they have an alcohol addiction. The results of the following self-test may be the unwelcome but necessary wake-up call that lets a person know that they have a problem.

Self Test for Alcoholism / Alcohol Abuse

The following test may help determine if you have a problem with alcohol:

- Have you ever thought you should cut down on your drinking?

- Have people annoyed you by criticizing your drinking habits?

- Is it hard to stop drinking after you’ve had one or two drinks?

- Have you ever felt bad or guilty about your drinking?

- Have you ever had a drink first thing in the morning as a little “pick-me-up” to get rid of a hangover or to steady your nerves?

- Have you ever had a problem remembering what you did during a drinking episode?

- Have you ever encountered drinking-related problems with your health, relationships, job, or the law?

If you answered “yes” to one of the above questions, you might have a problem with alcohol. If you answered “yes” to two or more of the questions, it is highly probable that you have an alcohol abuse problem. Either way, it is important to schedule an appointment with an experienced licensed practitioner as soon as possible. Then you will be able to determine what sort of treatment would benefit you most.

Treatment

Acute or chronic pancreatitis in an alcohol-addicted patient is a serious medical situation and requires an approach that utilizes the healing of both the body and the mind. The primary objective is not only to help a person quit drinking alcohol, but also to help him or her quit in a manner that does not harm their already sick pancreas.

For that reason, treating alcoholism must begin with basic detoxification. An experienced and licensed practitioner utilizes many methods while detoxifying the body:

o Colon hydrotherapy,
o Restoring friendly intestinal flora (particularly after the use of antibiotics),
o Specialized diets,
o Herbal teas and nutritional supplements,
o Drinking healing mineral water prepared by using Genuine Karlovy Vary Thermal Spring Salt.

After years of consumption, the brain becomes dependent on alcohol. Alcohol’s chemistry allows it to impact almost every cell in the body, including the cells of the central nervous system. That is why the second step for treating alcohol dependency is the normalization of brain chemistry. Brain chemistry normalization is achieved through practitioners’ skilled use of:

o Nutritional supplements,
o A special anti-alcohol diet,
o The addition of essential amino acids,
o Herbs,
o Magnet therapy,
o Auricular acupuncture-NADA protocol,
o Regular acupuncture, and so on.

Subconscious positive programming, or hypnotherapy, is a third practice, which is common and successful when utilized to break an alcohol addiction. If the person cannot reach medical hypnotherapist or shy to do that, custom hypnosis CDs can be created to address the particular needs and problems. Then the person can listen to the CD in the privacy of their own homes for as long as needed, and as many times as needed.

It is just as important to help heal the negative affects that alcohol has had on peoples’ bodies. The long-term combination of pancreatitis and alcohol wreaks havoc on the body, causing an unhealthy acidity and a deficiency of trace elements and minerals. This is required an acid-alkaline balance normalization of the body. People are able to nourish and normalize their bodies by Karlovy Vary Healing Mineral Water (available in the U.S.), nutritional supplementation, and a specialized diet. This combination goes far in allowing the pancreas to recover from both pancreatitis and alcohol abuse.

Through utilizing the four steps listed above a person will be able to heal many of the unwanted symptoms of alcohol-related chronic pancreatitis, such as pain, gas, bloating, indigestion, depression, mood swings, sexual dysfunctions, insomnia, and many other gastrointestinal complaints.

Most people find that breaking free from alcohol addiction is not easy, even when that addiction to is literally destroying their health, their relationships, and other important components of their lives. The most important thing to remember is that recovery from alcohol addiction is possible.

This recovery can add many wonderful, healthy years to a person’s life.

The information on this article is presented for educational, informational purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for the diagnosis, treatment and advice of a qualified licensed professional.

Peter Melamed, Ph.D. received his medical education first as a registered nurse and then as a medical doctor in Russia. He took specialized training in anesthesiology, intensive care, and internal medicine. Working as a physician he became interested in holistic healing through his clinical experience with herbs, acupuncture, healing mineral water and internal cleansing. He was granted a license to practice acupuncture in Russia in 1978, and from that time he combined conventional Western medical treatment with herbs, acupuncture, and other non-drug healing therapies.
In 1975, Peter Melamed established Biotherapy as a natural holistic approach to healing. Biotherapy combines the wisdom of traditional Russian folk medicine, ancient Oriental medical therapies, and European naturopathy with cutting-edge Western technology.
After immigrating to the USA and passing all the exams Peter Melamed succeeded in starting up a private practice in 1996 at the Biotherapy Alternative Medicine Clinic of San Francisco Bay Area. Get more info at http://www.biotherapy-clinic.com/GI_Chronic_Pancreatitis.html.

Changing a Person’s Drinking Behavior

Thousands of articles have been written and countless research studies have been undertaken regarding alcoholism. In spite of this, the one finding that has apparently failed to reverberate throughout the alcohol abuse and alcoholism academic and medical communities is the emphasis on the fact that alcohol addiction has its roots in alcohol abuse. While this fact has many ramifications, perhaps the key upshot of this fact is that millions of non-alcoholic individuals in our society and throughout the world who engage in abusive drinking can address their drinking consumption and make healthy and positive changes in their drinking behavior before they become alcohol dependent.

One school of thought sees alcohol abuse in the following way: alcohol abuse takes place whenever an individual’s drinking causes a problem in any aspect of his or her life.

The areas of a person’s life where alcohol abuse commonly leads to problems includes the following:

· relationships
· employment
· school
· finances
· health
· the law (for instance, a DUI).

The Need for Positive and Healthy Change

Now that we are aware of the problems that are usually associated with alcohol abuse, it can be seen that in order to overcome these difficulties and issues it is important for the alcohol abuser to look in the mirror and honestly ask himself or herself if alcohol is causing a problem in any facet of his or her life.

As an additional component in the quest for healthy and positive change, problem drinkers need to understand that continued, repetitive, and heavy drinking can and does turn into alcohol addiction. Stated differently, millions of non-alcoholics in our society who have a drinking problem will, at some point in their lives, experience a transition from alcohol abuse to alcohol dependency. When this happens, it must be emphasized, the person will no longer simply be an alcohol abuser. Indeed, at this point, the person will be an alcohol abuser and an alcoholic.

Signs of Alcohol Addiction

How can a person tell if he or she is alcohol dependent? First, the experience of alcohol withdrawal symptoms when an individual suddenly stops drinking is one sign that alcoholism has reared its ugly head.

Second, repetitive and out-of-control drinking behavior is another indication that a person has become an alcoholic. What this usually means is that after consuming the first drink, the individual lacks control over stopping his or her drinking and therefore continues to drink until he or she becomes inebriated.

Alcohol Addiction Has Its Roots in Alcohol Abuse Read the rest of this entry »

You can take the alcohol out of alcoholism but what is left is the “ism” part of this disease. The “ism” part of alcoholism is the psychological and personality issues which go hand in hand with the actual over consuming of alcohol.

How do you know if they are an alcoholic?

The question of whether or not someone is suffering from alcoholism is an age old issue. And the truth is, there is not a hard and fast rule. The best answer anyone has been able to come up with is to look at the behavior and the results, or consequences, of that behavior in and on the individual’s life circumstances. Without getting into the entire evaluation process, the three key questions are; one, how much and how often do they drink alcohol. Two, what impact is and has drinking had on their life? And three, when you have a drink (or two) what happens? In other words does the person, once they start to drink alcohol, then end up consuming far more alcohol that they intended? This last question is the disease part of alcoholism. Your body has lost the ability to process alcohol and can no longer tolerate any of it, even in small amounts. Arguments can be made in the age old question of whether it is genetically connected, or not. Read the rest of this entry »

Alcoholism is a social problem, not unique to any single population. It is often present where there are socio-economic limitations. Alcoholism is a major social, economic, and public health problem. Alcohol is involved in more than half of all accidental deaths and almost half of all traffic deaths. Alcoholism is not confined to the metropolitan areas, however. Many are the housewives in the better areas who drink all day long while the hubby is away.

Alcoholism is a physical dependence upon alcohol, but there are also genetic factors as well as psychological and social factors that contribute to the disease. Family history, emotional and psychological stress all plays a big part as well as the constant exposure to alcohol. Alcoholism is generally defined as a disease of the body, mind and spirit. Alcoholism is responsible for more family problems than any other single cause. According to Silverstein (1990), one of every four families has problems with alcohol. Read the rest of this entry »