The Truth About Alcohol and Alcoholism

Welcome back! This is the 3rd day of the First Steps Module, the first week of the Into the Clear Educational Series. Are you sober today? Congratulations if you are! The first days of sobriety are the toughest. It will get easier! You will get stronger! Remember, your worst day sober is better than your best day drunk or high! I hope you are getting used to putting some time aside in a quiet place and accessing this daily support information. Maybe you were even looking forward to it. Today, we are going to review some facts about alcohol and alcoholism, and perhaps learn some things we didn’t know, such as how alcohol affects the human body and the brain.

Facts About Alcohol

Alcohol as a drinkable substance has been around for thousands of years. Ethyl alcohol (or ethanol) is the intoxicating ingredient in alcoholic drinks. Alcohol is the most commonly used addictive substance. According to a 2015 National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) survey, 56 percent of American adults over age 18 reported drinking in the previous month and 24 percent acknowledged binge drinking. The majority of people do not binge drink and do not have physical problems related to alcohol abuse.

Alcohol is made from fermented yeast, sugars, and starches from grains, fruits, vegetables, and plants. When consumed moderately alcohol is normally metabolized easily in a healthy liver, about 1drink per hour (14 grams/0.6 oz) of pure alcohol. This equates to:

• 12 ounces of regular beer
• 5 ounces of wine
• 1.5 ounces of distilled spirits
• 8-9 ounces of malt liquor

Alcohol and the Body

Drinking more than one of these in an hour overwhelms the liver and the excess alcohol goes through every organ of your body including your brain. This is what causes you to be drunk. Alcohol affects parts of the brain that:

• lowers inhibitions
• slows down reaction time and
• reduces cognitive abilities.

A split-second impairment in your reaction time driving a car can mean the difference between life and death! So, what’s meant for enjoyment and relaxation, becomes for many a recipe for alcohol abuse, illness, and even death. By this same NIAAA study, 1.3 million people received treatment for AUD (Alcohol Use Disorder), and an estimated 88,000 people die annually from alcohol-related causes (62,000 men and 26,000 women). That is truly a sobering thought! This is not meant to bring you down or depress you. It is reality though. Living sober means living in reality. How many countless lives have been cut short because of alcohol use and abuse? It certainly doesn’t feel good to think about these statistics, but it is important to look at reality and allow it to sink in. Being aware of the truthful effects of alcohol inform and empower us to see clearly and make good decisions. We mentioned some of alcohol’s effects on the brain and the liver. Alcohol also affects:

• the heart
• the pancreas
• the immune system
• and can contribute to certain cancers like:
• mouth
• esophagus
• throat
• liver
• and breast.

Then, there is the economic cost of consuming. The large economic burden to the United States from alcohol misuse is in the hundreds of billions annually. Alcohol abuse negatively impacts families. More than 10 percent of U.S. children live with a parent with alcohol problems, according to a 2012 study (SAMHSA Data Spotlight: More than 7 Million Children Live with a Parent with Alcohol Problems).

Have you ever considered the cost of your drinking not only on your body but to your financial resources? Consider these questions.

• How much money have you spent on drugs and alcohol?
• How much money has you lost due to losing jobs?
• How much has it cost missing work due to hangovers or alcohol-related illness?
• How much has your drinking cost others?
• How about legal fees and fines?

Suggested Action Step

Do you have an alcohol problem? Here are some questions that can help you determine whether you do or not. Take out your notebook and answer the following questions from the Michigan Alcoholic Screening Test or MAST. Thoughtfully consider your answers, and simply be open and honest. This is not going to be graded or held against you in any way. It is simply to help give insight and valuable information. Being transparent about your alcohol and substance use could even save your life.

MAST Alcohol Assessment

1. Do you feel you are a normal drinker? (“normal”- drink as much or less than most other people).
2. Have you ever awakened the morning after some drinking the night before and found that you could not remember a part of the evening?
3. Have you ever gotten in trouble at work because of drinking?
4. Have you ever lost a job because of drinking?
5. Have you ever neglected your obligations, family or your work for 2 or more days in a row because you were drinking?
6. Can you stop drinking without difficulty after 1 or 2 drinks?
7. Have you ever gone to anyone for help with your drinking? Have you ever gone to any doctor, social worker, clergyman, or mental health clinic for help with any emotional problem in which drinking was part of the problem?
8. Have you ever attended a meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)?
9. Does any relative or close friend ever worry or complain about your drinking?
10. Do you ever feel guilty about your drinking?
11. Have you ever gotten into physical fights while drinking?
12. Has drinking ever created problems between you and a near relative or close friend?
13. Has any family member or close friend gone to anyone for help about your drinking?
14. Have you lost friends because of your drinking?
15. Have you ever been hospitalized because of drinking? Have you ever been told you have liver trouble such as cirrhosis?
16. Have you been arrested more than once for driving under the influence of alcohol?
17. Have you ever been arrested, even for a few hours, because of other behavior while drinking?
18. Do you drink before noon fairly often?
19. After heavy drinking, have you ever had delirium tremens (D.T.’s), severe shaking, or visual/auditory (hearing) hallucinations?
20. Has your drinking ever resulted in you being hospitalized in a psychiatric ward?

Please note that this questionnaire is not meant to provide an official diagnosis of alcohol abuse, dependence, or alcoholism. If you find that you have a question about your own drinking or that of a loved one, either now or in the future, please discuss with your physician, healthcare professional, or clergyman.

Definition of Alcoholism

There are various definitions of Alcoholism. It is both a physical addiction to the consumption of alcoholic liquor and/or the mental illness and compulsive behavior resulting from alcohol dependency (Merriam-Webster Dictionary 2017).

Physical dependence and a mental compulsion

People who are suffering from alcoholism and alcohol or drug abuse discover their need for help at various stages of this progressive disease and need varying forms of help and treatment. There is new information that is emerging as of late about the true nature of addiction. According to Dr. Lance Dodes, author of Breaking Addiction, and The Heart of Addiction:

Addiction is a behavior intended to reverse a profound, intolerable sense of helplessness. This helplessness is always rooted in something deeply important to the individual.

Addictions are different from habits. Habits are automatic behaviors that do not have a deeper meaning. They require effort to break, but not treatment. Dodes goes on to say:

Addictions are all substitute (or displaced) actions. They take the place of a more direct response to feelings of helplessness in a particular situation.

One way to identify if your actions are the result of an addiction is to be aware of the circumstances that cause you to take the action. Is it simply a routine? Or is it in response to an emotional experience of feeling helpless, overwhelmed, disappointed, anxious, or angry at something or someone?

Rest assured, if you believe you have a problem and need help, you are not alone and there is help for you. Don’t be afraid to speak up and ask for help.

Now, take a deep breath. This is a lot of information. Be encouraged that wherever you are and whatever your needs, you are making positive steps towards a sober and healthy life. You are not alone.

Study Tip: Feel free to go back through any of the material from this lesson or previous lessons to reinforce these ideas. You already have more information to make good decisions for your life and about abstaining from alcohol and drug use. Keep coming back!

There are a tremendous amount of statistics and facts that you can find related to alcohol use and abuse. I encourage you to do your own research and find out more information. After all, knowledge is power. Here are some links to fact sheets from NIDA (National Institute on Drug Abuse).

Question for Reflection: In what ways does knowing the facts about the impact of alcohol on the body and in the world help you to remain sober?

Helpful Links

• https://www.drugabuse.gov/drugs-abuse/alcohol
• https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohol-health/alcohols-effects-body