Know the warning signs of problem drinking

Addiction and Recovery

By Bob Gaydos

More than three drinks a day or seven per week
 is considered risky drinking for women.

There are “heavy-hitters,” “weekend warriors,” and petite women with ”wooden legs” who can drink burly construction workers under the table. There are also “social drinkers,” who simply enjoy a bottle of good wine with dinner and others who appreciate a few beers after a softball game.

Problem drinkers? Maybe, maybe not. More to the point, maybe a few at risk of becoming problem drinkers. April being Alcohol Awareness Month, it’s a good time to review personal drinking habits, if just to see if there are any warning flags of a potential future problem that can be avoided. It’s worth the time.

According to the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, about 88,000 people die from alcohol-related causes each year, making it the third leading preventable cause of death in the United States. Alcohol use disorder (AUD) affects 15-18 million adults. It’s a major health issue, but drinking is so ingrained in our society that many people are reluctant to look at their own drinking patterns. This common resistance to self-reflection, along with a lack of information on the risks of abusing alcohol, can be harmful to your health.

For example, having a high tolerance for alcohol, often worn as a badge of pride, is a reason to be wary. People with a high tolerance are likely to drink more and hang out with people who drink more and more often. They are at higher risk for AUD (alcoholism) and serious health problems affecting the liver, heart or brain caused by alcohol abuse. This is not to mention the obvious risks of drinking and driving and other physical harm as the result of impaired judgment.

Just one more example, for those who feel they drink “in moderation.” The NIAAA, which does research on these things, says, for men, more than four drinks on any day or more than 14 per week and for women, more than three drinks on any day or seven per week is “heavy” or “at risk” drinking. A standard drink is defined as one containing .6 fluid ounces of “pure” alcohol, regardless of the liquid -- a 12-ounce can of beer or a 1/1/2 ounce shot of some 80-proof liquor are the same.

The agency offers a list of questions to help determine if you have an alcohol abuse problem or are at risk of one:

In the past year, have you:

• Had times when you ended up drinking more, or longer, than you intended?
• More than once wanted to cut down or stop drinking, or tried to, but couldn't?
• More than once gotten into situations while or after drinking that increased your chances of getting hurt (such as driving, swimming, using machinery, walking in a dangerous area, or having unsafe sex)?
• Had to drink much more than you once did to get the effect you want? Or found that your usual number of drinks had much less effect than before?
• Continued to drink even though it was making you feel depressed or anxious or adding to another health problem? Or after having had a memory blackout?
• Spent a lot of time drinking? Or being sick or getting over other after-effects?
• Continued to drink even though it was causing trouble with your family or friends?
• Found that drinking—or being sick from drinking—often interfered with taking care of your home or family? Or caused job troubles? Or school problems?
• Given up or cut back on activities that were important or interesting to you, or gave you pleasure, in order to drink?
• More than once gotten arrested, been held at a police station, or had other legal problems because of your drinking?
• Found that when the effects of alcohol were wearing off, you had withdrawal symptoms, such as trouble sleeping, shakiness, restlessness, nausea, sweating, a racing heart, or a seizure? Or sensed things that were not there?

Says the NIAAA: “Depending on the symptoms and their severity, just one or two can be a red flag. The more symptoms you have, the more urgent the need for change. The symptoms toward the top of the list tend to be early signs of potential trouble, whereas the ones further down the list indicate that you have moved further down a risky path.”

If you take the test on the NIAAA website (https://www.rethinkingdrinking.niaaa.nih.gov), it will provide individual feedback. The site is anonymous.

The gauge for determining alcohol abuse is actually simple: Alcohol is a problem when it causes problems in your life -- at home, at work, with your health.

Regardless of the results of the test, there are several factors that suggest quitting drinking might be advised:

• You’ve tried to cut down, but can’t.
• You have had some symptoms previously.
• Alcohol affects a physical or mental condition or it interacts with medication.
• You are pregnant.
• You have a family history of alcohol problems or a personal history of alcohol-related injuries.

The NIAAA website offers suggestions for cutting down on drinking if you think it could become a problem. If it already is, seek professional help. It won’t get any better by avoiding it.

bobgaydos.blogspot.com

How to survive family holiday gatherings

(My latest Addiction and Recovery column in the Times-Herald Record.)

By Bob Gaydos
Family get-togethers are popular during the holiday season, but they can be hazardous, even explosive, events when alcohol is involved, as is often the case. Sometimes, in the interests of self-preservation, it may well be best to avoid them.
Still, if one must attend, there are ways to survive a family gathering, for drinkers and non-drinkers alike. The definition of survival, of course, depends on the individual point of view. In some cases, not everyone will be happy with the end result, but if survival is the goal, minor disappointment should be a mere inconvenience.
A lot depends on the makeup of the gathering. There may be “problem” drinkers -- people with all the traits of active alcoholics and the denial to match. They’re the ones who make these occasions memorable for all the wrong reasons. There may be alcoholics in various stages of recovery, trying to have a good time without jeopardizing their sobriety. There may be well-meaning relatives who don’t understand recovery and who insist on encouraging the recovering alcoholic to “have just one.” There may be well-meaning relatives who want to protect the recovering alcoholic by protecting him or her from taking care of him or herself. And there may be people who try to protect the “problem” drinker from him or herself by closely monitoring behavior and the number of drinks -- usually a good way to start an argument.
Success in all these circumstances starts with expectations -- realistic ones. Expecting that things will be different than in the past just because you‘d like them to be is most likely not realistic.
Starting with the problem drinker, expectations of a certain type of behavior need to be spelled out in advance of the gathering, with clear boundaries spelled out. If he or she can’t live up to the ground rules and decides not to attend, that may be in the best interest of all concerned, even though it may be disappointing for some. It may be better to get together at another, less stressful, time. On the other hand, if the drinker is amenable to the ground rules, it may be a good time to get together quietly and discuss the problem. Whatever course of action is taken, it must start with realistic expectations.
For alcoholics in recovery, families often are tentative and over-protective, even to the point of not serving alcohol. This is unnecessary, unfair to other family members, and may even be self-defeating, putting a spotlight on the recovering alcoholic. The safer approach is to avoid serving foods cooked with alcohol (or letting the person in recovery know about them), serving festive, non-alcoholic drinks, not just soda and water, as alternatives to alcohol, and not making a big deal about his or her not drinking.
It is up to the recovering alcoholic to do the rest -- to come with tools to cope with any uncomfortability. That means non-alcoholic drinks, a sober friend, a car, a cell phone with numbers of sober friends, a pre-planned reason to leave early (before the alcohol takes effect on others), and a lack of guilt for using any of them. The person in recovery will also have to be prepared to deal with family members who are uncomfortable around him because he makes them think about their own drinking problem or others who may want to voice a grievance over past behavior by the recovering person. Again, being prepared with tools for an efficient getaway may be the best approach for the recovering alcoholic, especially one new to recovery.
By the way, these tools can also be used by non-drinkers who are not in recovery but can’t stand a house full of drunken relatives.
And finally, for the person in early recovery, the most realistic approach may be to avoid a family holiday gathering this year. There will be others and they will be more enjoyable with more recovery. In this case, it may be more important, and healthier, to spend time with sober friends and to focus on being grateful for the gift of sobriety.

  bobgaydos.blogspot.com