The Abuse Of Alcohol Depletes Nutrition, Exacerbating The Extreme Toll Alcoholism Takes On The Human Body
Alcoholism and the abuse of alcohol are nutritional nightmares, wreaking havoc on the human body. Known for doing damage to a variety of organs, including the liver, brain and pancreas, the effects of alcoholism in terms of health multiply when nutritional values are considered. Nutritional changes account for a significant portion of the long-term complications of alcoholism. In order to come back to full health once they embrace the long-term path of sobriety, most alcoholics need to change their nutritional habits in recovery.
One80Center Individualized Program Includes Health
The clinical staff at One80Center has seen that chronic alcoholics eventually develop severe forms of malnutrition-related illnesses. This is why we have incorporated nutritional help based on individual needs into our individualized program for our clients. With an organic garden on site and a gourmet chef with a nutritional background on staff, One80Center addresses a client’s health needs from a three-dimensional perspective. After all, recovery means more than just sobriety.
A positive benefit of making a healthy nutritional shift is that the maintenance of good nutritional habits actually helps to decrease the risks for a future alcohol-related relapse. Nutrition is the process through which the human body extracts health-supporting substances, known as nutrients, from foods in a daily diet. To maintain a healthy balance, human beings need to consume certain amounts of a variety of nutrients, including fats, carbohydrates, proteins, minerals, and vitamins.
Alcoholism Can Lead To Deadly Malnutrition
Lack of adequate nutrient intake will lead to a form of malnutrition called under-nutrition. In contrast, excessive nutrient intake will lead to another form of malnutrition called over-nutrition and potential obesity. In addition to other roles they play in the human body, proteins, fats and carbohydrates provide the energy needed in terms of calories for both voluntary and involuntary body processes.
Alcoholism A Nutritional Nightmare
Alcohol is a calorie-containing substance. As a result, it qualifies as a type of nutrient. The problem is that the other harmful properties of alcohol more than offset any potential benefits. First, and perhaps most importantly, alcohol, particularly when it comes to the amounts consumed by alcoholics, degrades the normal function of the liver, the stomach and other organs involved in the processing of nutrients. Alcohol actually prevents the human body from properly processing dietary fats while depleting the body’s supply of most major vitamins and essential minerals such as zinc, magnesium, calcium, and iron. In chronic alcoholics, serious or severe nutrition-related problems can lead to pancreatic inflammation and stomach ulcers.
A secondary problem with dire consequences is that many alcoholics fall into a habit of substituting alcohol for substantial portions of their normal daily diet. In extreme cases, this substitution decreases food and nutrient intake by as much as 50 percent. For alcoholics who initially start with minor malnutrition-related health issues, this pattern of food replacement can potentially worsen their condition. Such negative nutrient loss can even trigger the onset of major forms of malnutrition.
Restoring Health For Alcoholics In Recovery
In a study of alcoholics in early recovery, experts at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism identified multiple cases of malnutrition. As a result, they recommended a dietary program that addresses any nutritional deficiencies. While the specific required diet will vary from person to person, certain general dietary factors may play a role. For instance, consumption of high-protein foods can potentially reduce alcohol cravings by stabilizing an alcoholic’s blood glucose. Recovering alcoholics also benefit from supplements that contain concentrated doses of specific minerals or vitamins.
With an experienced chef and nutritional experts on staff, One80Center has addressed the dietary needs of clients in early recovery since the beginning. Beyond being a respected gourmet, the One80Center chef incorporates organic nutrition from our organic garden with each meal. The professional kitchen staff prepares individual meals to accommodate food preferences such as vegetarian, kosher, vegan, or other specialized dietary needs. In between meals, the kitchen is open for healthy snacks, fresh fruit and a variety of beverages. By focusing on the individual nutritional needs of each of our clients, One80Center’s individualized program directly responds to and helps to repair the nutritional damage done by active alcoholism.
UNDERSTANDING ADDICTION – FRUSTRATING, QUIXOTIC, CONFUSING…OR IS IT?
THE FACTS:
– Substance abuse, addiction and alcoholism cause more deaths and disabilities each year than any other
– Nearly one-in-four emergency room visits are alcohol/drug related
– Nearly one-in-three suicides are alcohol/drug related
– Nearly one-in-two homicides/domestic violence incidents are alcohol/drug related
– Alcoholism (heavy drinking) is a factor in the most common causes of death: heart disease, cancer and stroke
– Addiction/alcoholism that goes untreated costs this country more than heart disease, diabetes and cancer combined.
After ingesting all of these truly overwhelming facts, it’s hard not to think about one question… “why?” Why are so many people – loved ones, even – suffering from the throes of alcoholism and addiction?
And the questions go on and on and on.
UNDERSTANDING ADDICTION
“What is addiction?”… “What is alcoholism?”… “What’s the difference?”… “Can’t they just stop?”… “Don’t they want to stop?!”… “There’s no way he/she is a junkie!”… “I can’t believe he/she would just throw it all away like that.”… “Don’ they know what all that drinking/using is doing to them?”…
These questions – and many, many more – are asked every single day by friends, co-workers, spouses, children and the loved ones of the millions of Americans with alcoholic and/or addictive behavior.
I have been sober for almost 10 years, consider myself incredibly active within the Los Angeles recovery community, and still, I ask myself these questions. Why?! Why me? Why can’t I have one beer? Why can some people have a single glass of wine and go home? Why do others drink until they black out or wrap their car around a tree? Why, when I was drinking and using, would I black out at night, wake up and want to do the same exact thing the next day. One of my brothers can drink ½ of a beer then call it a night. My other brother died of a drug overdose. I relate to my dead brother more. I know a lot about recovery, about sobriety, some people might even call me start, worldly – but, I don’t know what “enough” means. I, like millions of other alcoholics/addicts out there, just don’t have that “I’ve had enough” software filter inside my head.
Understanding addiction is as complex as the human mind itself. However, like any other topic, or discipline, education and information are the best antidotes for confusion and frustration. Ever since the early part of the last century – in the early 1930′s, when the scientific community started to study “addiction” – there have been many myths about alcoholic and addictive behavior. The most damaging and pervasive of these seems to be that drug abuse, alcoholism and some mental health issues are not diseases, but actual moral failings or a weakness, a lack of will on behalf of the alcoholic/addict. The lack of information the general public has led society in general to be less compassionate and tolerant and more punishing and indicting of the alcoholic/addict.
Most importantly, addiction and alcoholism don’t have to be frustrating, quixotic or infinitely confusing anymore. The questions may still linger, but with healthy, open honesty and treatment, addiction and alcoholism can and will come out of the shadows of our lives and become manageable conditions, rather than dark frightening secrets.
Now, thanks in large part to the recovery community and the scientific communities, we know more about the brain, addiction, and how to effectively provide support and solutions. Even the clinically based scientific community acknowledges that what we do, what the One80Center does, by creating and offering effective prevention and treatment approaches, reduces the overall impact that alcoholic and addictive behavior. takes on individuals, families, and communities.
New Zealand Study Reveals Connection Between Youthful Sexual Partners And An Increased Risk Of Addiction And Alcoholism
A New Zealand Study has revealed a seemingly clear-cut relationship between risk for developing addictions and youthful sexual partners. The study has been presented in a comprehensive report published in the journal Archives of Sexual Behavior. The Clinical Staff at One80Center is not surprised that the study discovered a link between more sex partners and a higher risk for addiction. What was surprising is that the link proved to be so much more convincing in young women than in young men.
New Zealand Study Shows Conclusive Link
The researchers followed over a thousand children born between 1972 and 1973 in Dunedin, New Zealand. The people studied were asked about their sexual partners as well as alcohol and other drug use. Women who had more than two to three sex partners when they were 18 years to 20 years old were nearly 10 times more likely than those who had none or one sexual partner to develop a drug problem, primarily involving alcohol or marijuana, at age 21. Having more than two to three partners from age 21 to age 25 increased addiction risk at age 26 by a factor of 7. And at age 32, the risk was nearly 18 times greater for women who had more than two to three partners when they were aged 26 to 31 compared to those with one or no partners during that time.
Sexual Partners Linked To Addiction Risk
The risks for men were also increased, but not by as much. More than one sex partner from age 18 to age 20 nearly tripled the risk of a serious substance use disorder at 21— and having more than two to three partners quadrupled that risk for men of that age. In terms of the impact of the report on American sexual behavior and a growing risk for addiction, the results are both provocative and controversial, The CDC reports [PDF] that 24% of women aged 20 to 24 have had two or more partners in the past year; the number for men was 29%. And women in particular may be likely to under-report this number.
Sexual Behavior And Addiction Risk
The results were adjusted to take into account the effect that mental illnesses may have on risky sexual behavior, including having multiple partners; the researchers also tried controlling for socioeconomic status but found that the strong relationship between multiple sex partners and drug addiction and alcoholism stayed the same. The authors also limited the study to heterosexual sex, defined as intercourse. In contrast to previous studies, the research did not find that having multiple partners increased risk for later anxiety or depression
The researchers, led by Sandhya Ramrakha of the University of Otago in New Zealand, speculate that there may be several explanations for the connection. Impulsivity can increase risky behavior of any type, and in some cases may be driving both the drug misuse as well as the sexual activity. “People who are impulsive may be more likely to engage in both activities and consequently [be] more likely to become substance dependent,” the authors write. In addition, having many short-term relationships may be more psychologically damaging to young women. And the authors speculate, “[This] may be due to the impersonal nature of such relationships. Or it might be that multiple failed relationships create anxiety about initiating new relationships. Self ‘medication’ with substances may be one way of dealing with this interpersonal anxiety.”
Ultimately, it is not the role of One80Center to dictate morality or pass judgment on anyone. Our number one goal is to promote long-term sobriety and help lead our clients and community on a path that fosters and promotes the principles of recovery. If an increase in youthful sexual partners is linked directly to such a dramatic increase in drug addiction and alcoholism, One80Center would recommend that personal safety and an educated awareness of such risks is the path for a young person to follow.
New Alcohol Vaccine Developed In Chile By Dr. Juan Asenjo Enters Clinical Trials
Dr. Juan Asenjo’s Alcohol Vaccine
A new alcohol vaccine being developed in Chile by Dr. Juan Asenjo has just entered clinical trials. Although the Clinical Staff at One80Center celebrates such advances, they also remain wary of attempts to find a medical miracle to cure what essentially is the three-fold disease of alcoholism; mental and spiritual as well as physical. The alcohol vaccine builds on what happens naturally in certain people — about 20% of the Japanese, Chinese, and Korean population — with an alcohol intolerance mutation. The vaccine delivers somewhat of an instant hangover if the patient takes one sip of alcohol.
Alcohol Vaccine Enters Clinical Trials
Researchers will first test the alcohol vaccine on mice; human trials are set for November. “If it works, it’s going to have a worldwide impact, but with many vaccines one has to test them carefully. I think the chances that this one will work are quite high.” said Dr. Juan Asenjo, director of the university’s Institute for Cell Dynamics and Biotechnology, told the Santiago Times. Without question, the problem of alcoholism is extreme and damaging.
Alcohol Vaccine & The Cost of Alcoholism
According to the World Health Organization’s 2011 global status report, alcohol is the world’s third largest risk factor for disease and disability, and the harmful use of the substance leads to 2.5 million deaths annually. In the U.S., the number of alcohol-induced deaths totaled 26,256 for 2011, slightly higher than 2010′s count, according to a preliminary report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. U.S. Congressional findings indicate that an estimated 10 million Americans are problem drinkers.
So how exactly does the alcohol vaccine work? Normally, the liver breaks down alcohol into an enzyme that’s transformed into the compound acetaldehyde (responsible for that nasty hangover feeling), which in turn is degraded into another enzyme. The acetaldehyde doesn’t usually have time to build up before it’s broken down. But people with the alcohol intolerance mutation lack the ability to produce that second enzyme; acetaldehyde accumulates. As a result, whenever they drink alcohol, they feel terrible and experience something like an instant hangover.
Dr. Juan Asenjo and his colleagues have come up with a way to stop the synthesis of that second enzyme via an alcohol vaccine, mimicking the mutation that sometimes happens naturally. ‘People have this mutation all over the world. It’s like how some people can’t drink milk… With the vaccine, the desire to consume alcohol will be greatly reduced thanks to these reactions,” Asenjo told Radio Cooperativa.
When injected, the alcohol vaccine would work by sending a message to the liver to keep it from expressing these genes the metabolize alcohol, thus producing symptoms characteristic of a medically induced hangover that is incredibly unpleasant. Delivered in a single injection, the alcohol vaccine is expected to remain active in a patient’s system for at least six months. What is even more intriguing is that the alcohol vaccine cannot be reversed during this six-month period.
Alcohol Vaccine Cannot Cure Alcoholism
The Clinical Staff at One80Center believe that addressing the physiological part of alcohol addiction is just one piece of the battle. Addictive tendencies could very well manifest in other ways; instead of alcohol, perhaps former addicts will move on to cigarettes. Asenjo admits this perspective as well, “Addiction is a psychological disease, a social disease. Obviously this is only the biological part of it.” Still, One80Center is excited to see the results of the clinical trials as they advance, and we will continue to report on the progress.
Connecting with Others is a Blessing of Sobriety
CONNECTING WITH OTHERS
A couple of days ago I went to the gas station by my house, which I do on a regular basis. I know all the guys there, all hailing from India. I like to go in and talk to them for a minute while paying for my gas because while standing in line I see most people don’t acknowledge them at all, as if they were nothing more than a vending machine. On this particular occasion, I walked in and said hello to Omar in my usual way. He was half turned around, doing something off to the side of the window that separates them from the potentially hostile customer. Omar looked up, almost startled and then blurted out, “My father died this morning; my father died.”
I wanted to grab his hand underneath the window to connect with him in spite of the obvious barriers, both visible and invisible.
I was stunned for a moment. The force of not only what he said, but how he said it, hit me hard. It was as if he needed to tell someone, as if he was waiting for someone familiar that he could share this sad information with. I stood at the little window and told him I was so sorry to hear that, and asked if he was OK. I asked if he was going to go home—all the things one says in the face of such a declaration. He had tears in his eyes. There were people in line behind me. I wanted to grab his hand underneath the window to connect with him in spite of the obvious barriers, both visible and invisible. But I didn’t. I don’t know why I didn’t, although I felt my energy reaching out for him, my hand didn’t. The people in line behind me starting to make the kind of noises people make when they are tired of waiting, and I was about to turn and leave when Omar grabbed my hand. We stood there like that for a short while looking at each other, and then he suddenly composed himself and said, “Thank you, my friend.” He wiped his eyes, and gestured for the next customer to step forward.
I thought about this interaction for days afterward. We really do need to connect with others and tell people what is going on inside of us. Connecting with others truly is a function of healing to be able to connect with someone, no matter how briefly. I think that is one of the really beautiful things about recovery; that it promotes sharing our secrets, the things we are not inclined to share, by teaching us how to trust people. I think Omar trusted me because for years I have made sure that he knows I see him. I see him— he isn’t invisible to me, he is flesh and blood. Because of this, he was able to trust me and was compelled to reach through to help himself heal.
When I got sober, there was a moment when I realized I wasn’t invisible anymore. Not like people didn’t see me, they just didn’t see the real me, and that is entirely because I didn’t let them. I didn’t trust that people would not abandon me if they saw the real me. But lo and behold, I stripped down to my psycho/spiritual skivvies, as raw and vulnerable as a baby, and the people in the rooms held me up and held me close until I learned not to put up a wall between me and everyone else. Now that I am in my sixth year of sobriety I have learned that connecting with others is critical to my spiritual development. It’s important to stay open to others, to be available to make a connection with everyone, everywhere. I have days where I am grumpy and don’t look the cashier at the grocery store in the eye, and I always get in my car and realize that I was closed up and in my own head and robbed myself of the chance to connect. This happens less and less, but it still happens. Usually, now I will catch myself as its happening and put some effort into being friendly and making eye contact with strangers. That little effort goes a long way. When I do that, and that person looks me back in the eye, I feel the light in them reaching in and brightening my mood. It never fails. Connecting is healing. Often we are so stuck in our misery that we don’t want to heal, we want to wallow in our self inflicted misery. But when we allow ourselves to open up and stay open to others, we are constantly connecting, and thus constantly healing, ourselves and others. I’m pretty sure that is the recipe for an amazing life!
Battling Addiction With Virtual Reality, Duke University Researchers Help Veterans Suffering From PTSD
Is battling addiction with a virtual world a real possibility? Scientists and technologists in the Duke University Hospital research program in Durham, North Carolina, are battling addiction in veterans by using a virtual world. Substance abuse has been a common problem for soldiers returning from both the present day conflicts and past conflicts as well. The clinical staff at One80Center is impressed that the virtual world is not imaginary, but actually based on the reality of the soldier’s actual surroundings.
Veterans Battling Addiction At Home
Veterans returning home to their families often are haunted by memories of the violence and death they experienced firsthand and plagued by the resulting post-traumatic stress. In many cases, soldiers suffering PTSD symptomatology turn to substance abuse to help mask the pain or cope with the disturbing emotions and negative impulses. The substance abuse results in the soldiers battling addiction as well as suffering from PTSD. What is frustrating is how little work has been done to help such soldiers alleviate their symptoms and avoid the pitfalls of addiction
Battling Addiction With Virtual Reality
The virtual gaming program used by the Duke researchers is a new strategy for battling addiction. The technology focuses on creating a virtual world as identical to the real world as possible. The computer-generated world has been designed to look like parts of Durham, even includes a local bar. Using a computer-generated world full of temptation, researchers are able to test former soldiers with anything from a glass of beer to a cigarette to even drugs.
Battling Addiction With Virtual Reality
Charles McCrimmon, a former Marine who returned home in 1977, joined the Duke study in August after dealing with PTSD symptoms for years. McCrimmon said he would drink heavily in an attempt to eliminate memories of his time overseas. He particularly has been plagued by a head-on collision he was involved in just before being deployed.
While still undergoing treatment for his flashbacks, McCrimmon says the virtual program has eliminated his desire to drink and improved his overall quality of life. The soldier is no longer battling addiction and alcoholism. “I don’t drink anymore,” said McCrimmon. “I still have those flashbacks of my accident, and I just don’t want to drink. Now I see things more clear, and life is more enjoyable.”
The virtual world tests McCrimmon and other soldiers like him so they can train their minds not to respond to cravings when faced with temptations like drugs or alcohol. The virtual experience actually is tailored to each individual. Beyond alcohol and bars, the world includes other characters and cues for crack cocaine use, marijuana or pills. Battling addiction and alcoholism is the heart of the program.
Duke psychiatrist and behavioral sciences expert Zach Rosenthal explains how the study is designed to help, “So once the cravings go down, there’s sort of this magic moment where learning has occurred. We think the brain is learning that, even if they are exposed to substance-related clues, they don’t actually have to use [drugs or alcohol].”
What has also made the study effective is an ongoing attempt to follow up with participants by using a cellphone tone sent to them a couple of times a day. The tone is designed to remind them of the steps they’ve learned to deal with the cravings, providing a combination of a reminder and positive reinforcement. One80Center admires the cutting edge work being done by the Duke researchers. Such technologies and aversion strategies hopefully can be proven to be effective and applied to people battling addiction across the board.
The Genetics Of Alcoholism Validate The Need For Alcohol Dependency Treatment And The Disease Model Of Alcoholics Anonymous
Alcoholism & Genetics
Alcoholism is a genetic disease that affects different people in different ways depending on their family history and inherited genetic blueprints. The disease model of Alcoholism as expressed in Alcoholics Anonymous is widely denied because it is not understood. The denials tend to be based in stereotypical arguments about willpower and personal weakness. In truth, alcoholics have an inherited condition that leaves them prone to alcoholism and in need of qualified treatment like the individualized program offered by One80Center. A recent article in the Wall Street Journal helped to clarify these points by reporting on several recent scientific and academic studies about the genetics of alcoholism.
Positive Genetic Variations Preventing Alcoholism
The most obvious gene associations found to date involve the so-called Asian flush. Roughly 40% of people of East Asian descent carry one or two of the genetic variations that rapidly convert alcohol into the chemical acetaldehyde. This chemical causes nausea, rapid heartbeat and severe skin flushing. “You don’t even need a genetic test to detect it,” says Dr. David Goldman, chief of the Laboratory of Neurogenetics at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. “If you have a dinner party and somebody has this variation, they’ll turn red when they drink a glass of wine.”
Researchers at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill have tentatively identified a “tipsy gene” that makes carriers feel inebriated after just one or two drinks. Between 10% and 20% of the population has this variation, and it is believed that this gene acts as a protection against becoming alcohol-dependent. The genetics of alcoholism reveal both positive and negative variations that seem to define a person’s relationship with alcohol.
Positive genetic variations can be used to help convince even the most strident opponents of the alcoholism as a disease model because they have such obvious physical manifestations. At the same time, such positive genetic variations in relation to alcoholism are far from any kind of absolute protection. “Even if you learn you have a protective version of some gene, you could still be vulnerable due to a gene we haven’t discovered yet,” says Dr. Goldman, who adds that anyone with a family history of alcoholism should definitely approach alcohol with caution.
Negative Genetic Variation Fostering Alcoholism
An example of a negative genetic variation that lead to alcoholism is that some people feel particularly euphoric when they drink, and this reaction is most likely due to variations in the neurotransmitter dopamine in the brain’s reward circuits. A variation in the DRD2 dopamine receptor gene was identified in 1990 and found in a large number of alcoholics as well as drug addicts and smokers. It is important to note that later studies have been mixed in regards to the veracity of these findings.
Combining social dynamics with genetics, researchers at the University of California-San Diego reported that people with the DRD2 euphoric variation tend to have friends with the same genetic marker. As a result, their biological compunction to drink and social reinforcement are intricately connected, the authors noted in the study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Like the Asian flush, some alcohol-related genes are particularly prevalent in certain ethnic or geographic groups. A recent study in Nature found that a rare variation in the HTR2b gene, linked to severe impulsiveness, is found almost exclusively in Finnish people. “Almost all these severely impulsive individuals are also alcoholic, and their worse impulsive problems occurred while they were drunk,” says Dr. Goldman, the study’s senior investigator.
Alcoholism and the Disease Model
The Clinical Staff at One80Center celebrates such scientific studies being done because the results back the disease model on such a conclusive basis. Once the disease model is accepted when it comes to alcoholism, the next steps can be taken to access the path of long-term recovery. If this research on genetic markers does not convince you that alcoholism is a disease and alcoholics need access to treatment options, it is hard to know what evidence could possibly accomplish such a task.
Alcoholism Kills Over Two Million People Worldwide Every Year According To A World Health Organization Report
WHO Alcoholism Report
The clinical staff of One80Center is not surprised that alcoholism kills more than two million people worldwide every year. In fact, what is unfortunate is that we are surprised that the number is not even higher. According to the 2011 Global Status Report on Alcohol and Health by the World Health Organization (WHO) that was presented in Geneva, more than two million people die every year in the world for causes related to alcoholism, The harmful consumption of alcohol is a worldwide problem and takes million of lives, including those of thousands of young people, warns Ala Alwan, Assistant Director-General, Non-communicable Diseases and Mental Health.
Alcoholism And Health Risks
Alwan underlined that addiction is not only a causal factor of many diseases such as cirrhosis of the liver, epilepsy, poisoning, colon-rectal, breast, larynx, liver cancer, but a precursor of violence and injuries. The Global status report on alcohol and health presents a comprehensive perspective on the global, regional and country consumption of alcohol, patterns of drinking, health consequences and policy responses in member states. It represents a continuing effort by the World Health Organization (WHO) to support member states in collecting information in order to assist them in their efforts to reduce the harmful use of alcohol, and its health and social consequences.
The document, entitled “The Global status report on alcohol and health”, highlights that alcoholism is increasing across the board all over the globe. For example, in Russia, one out of five deaths is attributed to alcohol consumption, the highest rate, while Brazil, Kazakhstan, Mexico, South Africa and Ukraine show a dangerous increase. In May 2010, WHO agreed to decrease alcoholism rates by taking a series of steps as that of imposing higher taxes, restricting marketing and regulating the levels of alcohol in drivers. A few countries complied with these policies, but most of the members – the United States included – ignored these recommendations.
Alcoholism Treatment At ONE80CENTER
The clinical staff at One80Center hopes these statistics helps even a single person shake off the fog of the disease of alcoholism and take the steps needed to obtain help. If your loved one or family member suffers from the disease of alcoholism, please don’t let them become another drop in the ocean of these horrible statistics. Please call One80Center at 888.593.2301 to get the help you need and to learn more about our individualized treatment program.
New Study Claims That 40% Of Baby Boomer With Alcohol and Drug Problems Spiraled Into Alcoholism And Prescription Drug Addiction When They Became Senior Citizens
In a startling new study about the abuse of alcohol and prescription drugs in baby boomers, depression and anxiety directly fueled a spiral into prescription drug addiction and/or alcoholism in 40% of senior baby boomers. ONE80CENTER has seen a rise in co-occurring disorders when it comes to the connection between mental health issues and the question of substance abuse. What is so disturbing about the Hanley Center study is that number of people over the age of 50 who are being treated for alcoholism and prescription drug addiction is rising in the 21st century. If the claims are true – ONE80CENTER wants to not that they are not backed by verifiable scientific data – they reveal a dangerous plague of prescription drug addiction and alcoholism in the senior community.
According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), older adults who reported using illegal drugs within a year, nearly doubled between 2002 and 2007, while use of nonmedical pharmaceuticals increased from 2.2% in 2002 to 3.9% in 2009. Without raising awareness about the dangers involved and treatment options, these statistics will continue to rise, leading to an epidemic in addiction among older Americans. Although the illegal drugs are a worry, prescription drug addiction is much more prevalent and much more common as a co-occurring disorder.
Prescription Drug Addiction Baby Boomer Plague
The number reason behind this sudden plague are co-occurring disorders like depression and anxiety that fuel the descent into alcoholism and addiction. Isolated by retirement and without traditional family resources, many older adults, ranging from the age of 48 to 64 according to the Hanley Center study, choose to abuse drugs or alcohol in order to find relief. Another major problem is financial stress brought on by less money for retirement and the greater financial demands of extended family members. Although children and grandchildren continue to demand support, they do not seem present in the lives of baby boomers as much as in previous generations.
Nearly half of the respondents named prescription drugs and alcohol as their substances of choice. The survey, which was conducted anonymously, showed that: While 79% of adults 48 and older said their first experience with drugs/alcohol occurred before the age of 25, 40% said they saw themselves as real substance abusers after the age of 48. It also revealed that more than 90% of respondents named alcohol as one of the substances they abused.
Although not scientifically valid due to the lack of data and the anonymity of the survey, what the study reveals is not surprising. As more and more baby boomers experience the challenges and difficulties of aging, alcohol and prescription drugs appear to be easy escapes from the stress and the pain. As the ONE80CENTER staff has seen from year of experience, such an escape invariably leads to alcoholism, addiction and a desperate need for recovery and the very best in treatment services.
4 Logical Reasons Why Alcoholism & Addiction Recovery In Beverly Hills With ONE80CENTER Sober Companions Works (Part 2)
ONE80CENTER in Beverly Hills at the heart of Los Angeles offers our clients the use of sober companions because it simply makes sense, both from a clinical perspective and a personal perspective. In fact, the arguments for sober companions make so much sense Mr. Spock of Star Trek fame could have proposed them. Let us present four logical reasons to you why working with sober companions during alcoholism and addiction recovery with ONE80CENTER in makes so much sense.
By employing well-trained and experienced sober companions, the founders of and clinical staff at ONE80CENTER have been able to transform this vision of achieving sustainable sobriety without the threat of additional life damage into a viable reality. In Part 1 of this presentation, the first two reasons were: 1) Sober Companions Do No More Damage Credo and 2) Sober Companions Entertainment Community Support. Here are the second two of four logical reasons why sober companion work so well during treatment in early recovery:
3) Sober Companions Professional Support:
Employing Sober Companions in Treatment to ensure job integrity & protect careers makes sense.
If you are a professional and you need treatment, you most likely have already hurt your career with your drinking and using. Hoe can you not do more damage when you need treatment but you have to attend that corporate meeting that has been on the schedule for two months? If you own a business and you need to send an executive for treatment, you don’t want them to ignore that one key client that cannot afford to be ignored. What if her absence leads to the loss of that client? If you are an entrepreneur, a meeting with your local banker to acquire a bridge loan for your company could be a necessity. If you miss it, will your start-up be able to stay on track? Then again, your need to get treatment for a drug or alcohol problem is just as big of a necessity. What should you do?
Every one of these points makes perfect sense, and these problems often become the deadly excuses that prevent someone from getting the treatment they truly need. This is what the ONE80CENTER Sober Companions Professional Support Program was designed to address. ONE80CENTER believes in smoothing out the transition process so our clients are able to return to, or continue, their essential work while receiving quality treatment services as they begin the path of sustainable recovery in a supportive community.
4) Sober Companions Family Support:
Employing Sober Companions in Treatment to avoid doing further family damage makes sense.
As human beings, we often save the best for last, and there is an argument to be made that Sober Companions Family Support falls squarely in that category. After all, in light of all the damage that drug and alcohol abuse can do to a family, making sure that such future damage is minimized is a beautiful endeavor.
If your mother needs to enter treatment for a prescription pill problem, should she have to wait until after your child’s birthday party? If your father is abusing alcohol and it’s endangering his health, should he then miss the 75th birthday party of his father and your grandfather to enter ONE80CENTER? If your son has been taking Adderall to keep up with class demands and realizes he can’t stop, should he miss his college graduation ceremony because he has chosen to get the help he needs?
All of these questions are hard to answer. ONE80CENTER wanted to ensure that our future clients were not stuck in between the need for immediate professional help and essential family commitments. This is why we designed the overall Sober Companion Program. The Sober Companions Family Support program is designed to address specific family issues. Our goal is to make sure recovery remains the number one priority while at the same time not doing any more real damage to families and loved ones. Yes, it is a difficult and challenging prospect, but a choice that the ONE80CENTER embrace with relish and trained expertise.
Recovery is not a separate issue from life, but an essential ingredient that provides the freedom for a life to be fully realized. Through our Sober Companion Program, ONE80CENTER offers a bridge to the healthy pallor and productive natures of the lives of our clients. If you want to know more about how the Sober Companion Program works, please contact the Clinical Experts at ONE80CENTER by calling 888.593.2301 today. Waiting around and doing nothing, after all, is no longer a viable option.
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(about 7 hours ago) - The Transition To Treatment - The Transition to Treatment I had long prayed and hoped for and anticipated the... http://t.co/2bA2r9cqCp
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Addiction Research
With Oxycontin Abuse All Over The News, Is Vicodin Abuse The Forgotten Prescription Painkiller Addiction?
more »Oxycontin, Vicodin, Percocet Are Brand Names Of The Plague Of Prescription Painkillers
more »The Abuse Of Alcohol Depletes Nutrition, Exacerbating The Extreme Toll Alcoholism Takes On The Human Body
more »ONE80 News
UNDERSTANDING ADDICTION – FRUSTRATING, QUIXOTIC, CONFUSING…OR IS IT?
more »One80Center Announces The January 14 Reception To Celebrate The Grand Opening Of The Step Up On Vine Facility
more »HOLIDAYS AND ADDICTION: The most challenging season for addicts / alcoholics
more »
Perspectives
What Is Gratitude?
more »The Zombie Apocalypse is Already Upon Us
more »Understanding The Addict — Al-Anon and the Normie
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