Having a drink, one of lifes pleasures, for most people its rarely a problem, except for the hangover scenario etc, Drinking is woven into the fabric of many societies—sharing a bottle of wine over a meal, going out for drinks with friends, however some people have a very different relationship with alcohol.
Think about your own drinking habits,,Make a list of the why you drink, but try and list into what you believe are negative and positive aspects. Wide range of reasons
MH foundation 2006. If you consume alcohol simply to feel good, or to avoid feeling bad, your drinking could become problematic. Alcoholism and alcohol abuse can sneak up on you
Factors which could affect the reasons why we drink Pre existing – What mood are we in before we drink, if we are happy and we have a drink the likelihood is that we are going to have a more positive experience, if we are angry and we drink having a good few drinks is unlikely to alter our mood into happiness,more likely to increase our pre exisiting mood. Personality – Does personality play a role? – psychologoitsts talk about oral fixations, obsessive oral consumption, dependent personalities, do alcoholics have similar personalities? (maybe traits, optimism, negativism, pessimsism etc), is alcholism the result of someones personality or does alcohol inflict upon the individual that the person changes?...these are just questions. Chicken and Egg? Beliefs, expectations, circumstances –We all have a belief or expectation that drink will make us feel better, happier, so our thinking around alcohol and effect how it makes us feel, so can the circumstances in which we drink, alone, with a meal, in a group of friends, at an event, etc etc. Patterns of consumption – meaning?, small quantities have different effect than large ones!, binge drinking can affect us differently due to the high level of consumption in a small space of time than drinking the same amount over a longer period of time, alcohol dependency begins when we sacrifice the long term benefits of our health over the perceived short term psychological benefits. Positively it has been researched that small quantities of alcohol can relieve stress, reduce pressure and strain, some research has even pointed out that a couple of glasses a night can long term be preventative in respect of dementia, help with social adjustment, but it can also induce symptoms in other people – dependence delays recovery.
David Nutt, sacked government adviser, he argued about classification stating that he felt alchol, if classed as a drug would be classed as class a, he argued other things about classification that got him into hot water in the end. HARM SCORES – 100 been the top harm Alcohol 72, Heroin 55, Crack 54, Crystal meth 33, cocaine 27, tobacco 26, speed 23, cannabis 20 etc. Overall harm….economic harm, harm to society, the family, healthcare costs, public health, violence, financial problems etc – global harm. Why? – cheap prices, supermarket loss leaders, pub prices have increased home drinking, 24 cans of lager costs less now than it did in 1991.
Depression –People who suffer from depression can use alcohol as a coping mechanism but clearly alcohol can cause depressive symptoms, alcohol can affect our brain chemistry ( will cover in a min), so disturbances can occur, abstinence also causes feelings of despair and depression as the body attempts to bring itself in to some balance, increased absitnence relieves any symptoms. Poor energy levels, fatigue, apetite and diet problems, concentration are all problems associated with depression,alcohol makes this worse. Depression can spiral – job, family, relationships,financial problems, self care, neglect, legal problems e.g. drink driving. Anti depressant and alcohol equal increased sedation which equals greater physical risk, e.g. accident, falls etc. Anxiety – People drink to relax, ease tension, no initial problem, but if relied upon can lead to problems. This is worse for people already suffering from anxiety, panic or phobias. 5% of people with alcohol problems have severe anxiety. There are of course issues with sleep, depression, declining physical health, all contribute to anxiety. Psychosis – Alcohol can worsen symptoms for those who suffer from psychotic symptoms, schizophrenia, bi polar, schizoaffective disorder, depression, though people still continue to abuse alcohol to deal with symptoms – self medication. It is possible for people to suffer from alcohol induced psychosis, it is unsual for this to last any more than a few days when alcohol is abstained from, there is likely to be other factors too. Physical health – Mental health and physical health are linked – poisoning, pancreatitis, liver disease, nervous system degeneration, cirrohosis etc,if you have a serious physical problem you also run the risk of serious mental health problems. Sexual dysfunction – The central nervous system affects loss of sexual desire and impotence in men. Genetic link – Increased risk, but that might be more about anxiety and depression genetics as opposed to just alcohol related, people are more vulnerable chemically but the genetic link is not proved, it is complex. RISK IS NOT DESTINY
Stress – Anything deemed stress provoking and a person feels that they unable to cope. Alcohol – Alcohol used as a coping mechanism. Mental Health – Possible increase in low mood, depressed mood, anxiety, sleep pattern disruption. Problems – Increased problems with work, family, relationships. STRESS!
Korsakoffs - heavy alcohol consumption over a long period. Loss of memory, caused by lack of thiamine (vitamin B1), which affects the brain and nervous system. Thiamine deficiency is often seen in people who consume excessive amounts of alcohol. This is because: Many heavy drinkers have poor eating habits. Their nutrition is inadequate, and does not contain essential vitamins. Alcohol can inflame the stomach lining and impede the body's ability to absorb the key vitamins it receives. People cease to learn new things, personality changes, confabulation. So Chronic alcohol dependence is associated with extensive brain damage and cognitive deficits leading in extreme cases to alcoholic dementia, a loss of intellectual functioning combined with amnesia. Any improvement usually occurs within a period of up to two years. It has been estimated that about a quarter of those affected make a very good recovery
The amount of alcohol in your bloodstream (your ‘blood alcohol concentration’) will determine how much your brain is impaired – in other words, how drunk you feel and act. Cerebral Cortex - Processes your thoughts, thinking and understanding. When it’s function is depressed by alcohol, you can get the following effects: - You become more talkative, self-confident and less inhibited. - You can’t judge or think as clearly as usual. - You can have trouble seeing or hearing. You can’t feel pain as clearly. (This is because the alcohol is affecting your brain’s ability to process information.) Limbic System – Emotions, feelings and also memory, when its function is affected by alcohol what can happen? The effects of alcohol mean that emotions tend to be exaggerated (seriously, you’re my best mate!) and your memory, er, lost. If remembering nothing from your big night out wasn’t enough, there’s also research to suggest excessive alcohol can impair the ability to create new memories too. Cerebellum – Theres one other major thing that happens to us when we have drunk too much….falling over?, coordinates the movement of your muscles. When the depressant effects of alcohol get here, you can become uncoordinated and your balance can be affected (ever wondered where the phrase ‘falling down drunk’ comes from?). The brain and BINGE DRINKING – memory and spacial awareness, more pronounced problems with females. They suggested that this could cause problems when driving, playing sports involving complex moves, using a map or remembering how to get somewhere. It appears that factors such as body weight, hormones, metabolism play a part in the nature of the damage to females, in this study teenagers, interesting handout.
What is obviously different? Legions, gaps, the brain almost has broken away, hippocampus, hole. Can this brain be repaired? Brains can recover?, it wouldn’t seem possible, but abstinence, stopping drinking, show in a period of weeks, months, years, that the brain grows back, there's a return of metabolic activity, and cognitive tests show a return of function. Brain cells can be regenerated but at the same time there can be lasting damage – dementia related etc. http://alcoholism.about.com/od/brain/a/blunc041105.htm
HANDOUT But just a foot note, there is no magic solution for everyone, each and everybody’s experience is unique and coping strategies and interventions need to be as person centered and led as possible. Ideally treatmen should also focus on other things other than the alcohol abuse or problem, the things that are underlying perhaps. There needs to be commitment from the individual to be sure of success.
