The short answer to the question posed in the title is attributed to Ben Franklin- "Believe none of what you hear and half of what you see" (or read).

First, recognize that research (could apply to any research) regarding the effects of alcohol on one's well-being, could be initiated and conducted with various degrees of bias. For example, I recently noticed conflicting research data from two seemingly benign sources concerning the benefits, or lack of, in alcohol consumption. Two somewhat contradictory articles were published on August 22nd and 24th, 2018. Both studies appeared in the Health section on the Newsmax website on August 24, 2018.

The lead article on the 24th had a headline: "No Safe Level of Alcohol", the other appeared on the 22nd: "Moderate Drinking May Protect Your Health". With just the information implied by the titles, what take-aways should the reader be left to contemplate?

What is the consumer to believe? For years I have been writing on conflicted studies relative to the benefits of drinking wine and alcohol in general. I find the disparity in studies can have a deleterious effect on making reasoned decisions from information in such studies. If you enjoy consuming some alcoholic beverages, you are no doubt interested in the long-term effects. But, based on never-ending studies covering both sides of the issue, it is hard to have much faith in any one study or even arrive at a reasonable conclusion.

Most benefits of wine consumption are centered around cardiovascular benefits. A French scientist studied wine and grape seeds / skins for decades. He was widely published relative to the anti-oxidant benefits from wine, and grape seeds in particular. His conclusions in the 80's was that the benefits of wine, especially grape seed extracts, were remarkable relative to heart health, vascular system, and skin elasticity, to name a few. "In 1985, Jack Masquelier was able to further explain the intense and instant positive effects that OPCs (an anti-oxidant compound in grape seeds / skin and wine) have on the human body when he discovered that OPCs neutralize free radicals, the common cause of degenerative conditions and early onset of age-associated changes in the body. "

The point being; seeds and skin of grapes have high concentrations of OPC's and while drinking wine has some anti-oxidant values ​​(derived primarily from resveratrol) most are found in grape skin and seeds. In fact, there are some large wine producers (Gallo being one) also producing grape seed extract for the supplement industry. Also, resveratrol is being used in some topical anti-ageing skin products.

I you do an on-line search for benefits of wine and wine by-products; the search returns are too numerous to count. Sufficed to say, people have been reporting on both benefits and harmful effects of alcohol for decades. But, can you rely on any of this research? Some is anecdotal, filled with biases and predetermined targeted findings. It is like chasing rainbows if one tries to make healthful lifestyle changes based upon cogent and trusted information. We are told to drink lots of water, but not to much; now, how is that forgetting trusted information? Alcohol consumption has been a fact of life long before Christ.

If past studies were based on science, why do their initial conclusions change so quickly? In the 1970's a Navy doctor told me to limit coffee intake to two cups per day and preferably none. He stipulated that research showed that drinking coffee hardened arteries and was harmful to kidneys. Today there are doctors that tout the anti-oxidant values ​​of coffee and in fact promote coffee consumption. What changed?

Stated in the one study highlighting "the ill effects of alcohol", the author states, "The protective effect of alcohol was (is) offset by the risks," Griswold told AFP in summarizing the results, published in medical journal The Lancet on Friday – "No Safe Level of Alcohol". If one reads just the headlines there are some issues that come to mind; Mostly about with the way the study was conducted, and facts presented. Maybe the data was poorly aggregated. Simply, how can we have confidence in using the data to determine if life-style changes are appropriate, especially if data is faulty? Maybe we just feel the conflicting information in the public domain isn't worth much consideration.

In addressing the much-reported benefits specific to wine, Griswold says, "despite recent research showing that light-to-medium drinking reduces heart disease, the new study found that alcohol use is more likely than not to do harm."

As with this study and most polls, there are a lot of caveats associated with the findings. For example:

• Age disparities and sizes of each grouping will impact results on just how important alcohol consumption was to the results. In one finding, researchers assumed alcohol played a part in deaths even when the deaths were not primarily or even tangentially related to alcohol.
• There are geographical disparities. "Among men, drinking alcohol in 2016 was most widespread in Denmark (97 percent), along with Norway, Argentina, Germany, and Poland (94 percent)," notes Griswold.
• "In Asia, South Korean men took the lead, with 91 percent hitting the bottle at least once in a while."
• Gender will impact findings. Among women alcohol consumer, Danes ranked first (95 percent), followed by Norway (91 percent), Germany and Argentina (90 percent), and New Zealand (89 percent).

The biggest drinkers identified geographically come from the Slavic countries-Ukraine, Romania, Belarus, etc. Here we are talking about men and women who consume more than 4 units per day of alcohol; that is significant.

The top six killers of people who also consume alcohol are: high blood pressure, smoking, low-birth weight and premature delivery, high blood sugar (diabetes), obesity and pollution. But aren't those the same health culprits for people who do not consume alcoholic beverages? Griswold goes on to report, "a small beer, glass of wine or shot of spirits – per day, for example, ups the odds of developing at least one of two dozen health problems by about half-a-percent." The logic here is difficult to follow to an unqualified conclusion!

In summary, the Griswold study attributes 2.8 million premature deaths worldwide each year to booze. But they do not define the caveats relative to what the "pre-mature" category is based upon. As I pointed out earlier, it is subjective when trying to account / factor-in for family health history, ethnicity, combination of drinks (wine, beer, spirits) seasonal issues, etc.

Just because we like the findings of a particular study on alcohol, does not mean it is a better study. That said, the next study titled: Moderate Drinking May Protect Your Health by Health Day and published by Newsmax on August 22, 2018. This study included 35,000 British and French citizens over 10 years. But, where the French are involved in a study there ought to be consideration to diets. Remember another study from years ago brought into our lexicon the term "French Paradox"? At the time, that study turned all previous studies on their collective heads. Even then some researchers found fault with the study. (The French are noted for high fat in their diets, yet French had what most researchers considered to be healthy cardiovascular systems.)

In either study I am address in this article, there are always variables. The following are a few variables that can make alcohol consumption studies, conducted many decades ago, irreverent:

• People turning to better exercise habits in some parts of the world and not so in others.
• Diets of less gluten, less sugar, more fiber, etc. Again, this can impact study participants geographically.
• Communal eating.
• Improved support systems for older adults due to retirement incomes, families, etc.
• Reduced stress; some of which can be attributed to retirement.
• Higher education levels.
• Better monitoring and understanding of family health history and adjusting to these factors in life-style changes.
• Even the internet makes information more available.
• Changes in consumer tastes. There has been a shift to craft beers and spirits over the past 7 years.

The study titled ("Moderate Drinking May Protect Your Heart") introduced another often-noted element to the benefits of alcohol. Relative to the heart, it was found that consistent and average consumption of alcohol was critical. Health Day reported, "Those who consistently drank average amounts of alcohol had a lower risk of heart disease than those who drinking levels that ebbed and flowed over time." (This statement is not consistent with the first study.) Consistent and moderate drinking was the critical element to receiving the benefits of alcohol consumption.

General findings of this Health Day study are summarized:

• Consistent drinking seems to diminish heart disease.
• Retirement seems to be a factor in increase alcohol consumption above the average category.
• In the long-term, "non-drinkers" heart risks were most noted amongst women.
• Consistent heavy drinkers had exhibited less cardiovascular events such as a heart attack or stroke.

Dr. Eugenia Gianos, who directs women's heart health at Lennox Hill Hospital in NY says, "the jury is still out on the effect of even moderate drinking on a person's overall health." (Tell that to Griswold.) However, Dr. Cathy Grines who directs department of cardiology at North Shore University Hospital in NY says, "the protective effects of alcohol went away if one did not drink the same amounts regularly." "Many of us believe that we are detoxing and helping ourselves by having periods of abstinence, but that (maybe) is a false assumption."

We now have diametrical opposing studies; must one be right and the other wrong? There seems to be even opposing views from within the medical community. These are from primary care professionals who read the same studies as we read and are passing along lifestyle change recommendations to patients based on selected studies; maybe faulty studies. In talking to cardiologist, I have found some say there are multiple benefit to spirits and wine. Conversely, some doctors think alcohol elevates the levels of bad cholesterol (LDL).

A large part of these studies seems to be based on empirical data. However, this poses a problem: "If there are flaws in the way that empirical data is collected, the research will not be considered valid," say Ana Bradford in Life Science, July 27, 2017. By reading these two studies I have mentioned , as laymen, we really are not equipped to understand any level of validity in either study.

I found it interesting that on virtually the same day, two reports concerning effects of alcohol on health were published; one purporting that alcohol is totally bad and the other talks about the benefits of alcohol for the heart. Bottom-line, everyone should consumer research but always remember, all research has flaws and as Dr. Grines states, there are "flukes" in data. I believe there is more research on wine and wine related products than research that definitively say's "moderate wine or alcohol reduces natural life expectancy"! I hope it doesn't boil down to "Pick Your Poison".

We probably should not trust poll-based research as a tool to make life-style changes without understanding the protocols used. The more variables there are in the control groups the more we should be prone to be skepticism.

Cheers!

"Two things will be believed about any man whatsoever, and one is that he has taken to drink." -Booth Tarkington

It isn't unusual for people to seek treatment for their alcohol abuse problems when divorce is looming on the horizon. Indeed, probably two thirds of our clients come to us with crumbling marriages. What is surprising is that at a few of these clients don't really have an alcohol problem and many of the rest are abusing alcohol, but aren't alcoholics.

How does that happen?

Simply put, the treatment industry has promoted a Catch-22 model: if you're accused of being an alcoholic and you agree, then obviously you are. But if you don't agree then you still are – you're just in denial. As Mr. Tarkington observed long ago, it's a label that can be hurled at anyone and it will stick. And divorcing spouses like to use it just for that reason, it will stick and they will be able to leverage it to get what they want or at least make your life miserable for a while longer.

What is the reality? At a recent conference in western Canada, one presenter after another pointed out what a few of us have known for a long time, most people seeking help with their alcohol problems aren't alcohol dependent "alcoholics" – they're alcohol abusers who can be cured. But you won't hear that if you go looking for help, or, God help you, an honest evaluation.

Why not? Because over 95% of all alcohol treatment programs are based on the assumption that you're a powerless and diseased alcoholic, or you're an alcoholic who's in denial. Regardless, the result of any evaluation will be to put you in one of those two categories and "treat" you accordingly. It's not an attractive prospect for anyone who actually cares about their future.

Options? Your choices are few and far between, and you're probably in a vulnerable state, too. Not the best circumstances for making life altering decisions. But before you allow yourself to be labeled through a process that has only one outcome and one prescription, protect yourself by doing at least a bit of research.

First, simply go to a few AA meetings. You will know almost immediately whether or not this model will work for you. If it does, then simply continue. You don't need to waste tens of thousands of dollars on 12 Step based treatment that's already available to you for free right in your own neighborhood.

Second, if you don't find yourself at home at these meetings, then there's little point in going to traditional treatment. Paying to go to meetings isn't going to make them any more effective – just the opposite. Most treatment programs will also leave you with a permanent, and public, label. That's something that can come back to haunt you in the future whether you decide to run for public office or buy life or health insurance.

Third, consider the options. Read through the web sites of organizations like Moderation Management (moderation.com) and the non-pathologizing Good Therapy site (goodtherapy.org). Both have listings of programs and individuals who do not ascribe to traditional – and ineffectual – treatment.

Finally, resist being labeled, demeaned, and railroaded. Regardless of whether you are being smeared, or are abusing alcohol, or are indeed alcohol dependent, you deserve to be assessed and helped with respect, care, competence, and confidentiality. Do not allow yourself to be diminished and manipulated by others' agendas.

Remember, there are alternatives, and you aren't powerless.

There is no doubt, that when you try to quit something that you are so addicted, it is one of the most difficult periods not only for you but also for the family members. The most difficult patch is when you have been one of the regular drinkers and one fine day you decide to quit. The first couple of weeks can be really taxing and you will see a lot of withdrawal symptoms. You should take care that you don’t end up doing this by your own, inform the doctor and be a part of some Alcoholics quitting group, together people can make a difference. The first five days are very crucial and if you manage not to sip of alcohol on those days then rest is a cakewalk. The withdrawal symptoms could be anything ranging from moderate to severe ones.

One has to remember that, your body has been used to alcohol on an every day basis and making the body get rid of it is a difficult task. The mental decision is tougher than the physical discomfort. The general symptoms are people tend to be very edgy and nervous, can get severe headaches, sweat a lot, sleeplessness and in some case itching too. If the symptoms are more severe than this like vomiting, feeling delirious, seizure then you need to get attended by a doctor. One of the alcohol withdrawal symptoms itching is caused by sudden stoppage of alcohol. The body does not agree to it and with other plethora of withdrawal symptoms, itching also causes a major issue. The itching generally appears around the corners of the lips and mouth.

The problems with these symptoms are they are very difficult to handle. The first of the symptoms start appearing just after 6-7 hours of not having a drink and then the major symptoms start to attack. Within 24-48 hours you are completely under attack in form of various things. In case if the attack turns really severe then it is time for you to go and check yourself at the hospital. Generally the symptoms last only for a week or so, but this changes from individual to individual. This is the juncture when alcoholics, require lot of support not only from themselves but also from their family members and friends. Alone it is almost like fighting a losing battle. It is a tough period, but once you get out of it, it is bliss outside.

The wonders of alcohol.

The achilles heel for many people. The ‘norm’ for some others. And poison if you have CFS/PVFS/ME …

I remember when I first got Post Viral Fatigue Syndrome/CFS back in 1995, I thought that having a drink or two wouldn’t affect me any differently to my PRE-CFS days. Unfortunately I didn’t realize what I was doing to myself.

I didn’t know how badly alcohol can affect the severity of this CFS …

Nowadays I don’t touch alcohol at all, and haven’t done so for a few years now. I’d rather see at least a few hours in the day instead of being bedridden for weeks on end because of one alcoholic drink!

Because when you have CFS/M.E., you might as well be pouring arsenic down your throat…

——SIDE NOTE——-

Okay – so that comparison might be a little ‘dramatic’, but you get what I mean right?

—–SIDE NOTE——-

You see when you have CFS/M.E., you are likely to develop **alcohol intolerance**…

The smallest alcoholic drink – even a tiny bit,

can send you into a relapse – as I learnt the hard way many years ago.

Having an alcoholic drink now and again was enough to tip the severity of my PVFS/CFS over the edge and put me in bed indefinitely.

When a **normal** person gets drunk they may feel a bit bad for a day or so, after which, they’re back to ‘normal’, bouncing back and raring to go. But when a person with M.E./CFS gets drunk – or even has just one drink, they’re likely to feel like ‘death warmed up’ for what seems like an eternity!!!

Personally, I don’t actually like alcohol much so I don’t miss it. But even if I did,

I have realized that alcohol no longer makes me feel the way it used to before I had CFS…

Drinking alcohol now feels like I’m feeding myself poison, and my body reacts accordingly – i.e. a flare, or worse, a relapse – and I suffer the consequences for a long, long time afterwards.

Unfortunately, most of us CFS sufferers are just not strong enough to resist the poisons of alcohol.

So for most of us, it’s unfortunately a case of accepting it, or getting much, much worse.

As Dr Shepherd writes in his book ‘Living With M.E.’:

“Some people who previously enjoyed and tolerated regular consumption of alcohol without any adverse effects, now find that even small amounts make them extremely unwell.”

— p214, Dr Shepherd, ‘Living With M.E.’ —

So if you have M.E./CFS, it is likely that you may have developed an intolerance to alcohol.

And that’s not forgetting that alcohol also affects the effects of antidepressants (often prescribed to CFS sufferers to treat their fatigue and to help sufferers sleep)! So if you’re taking antidepressants, it’s definitely something to bear in mind.

Having CFS/ME can be a very lonely and devastating experience and depression can be a very real and serious symptom for some CFS sufferers. So the last thing you need is to take substances that make you feel worse.

And guess what?

Yep, you’ve guess it, alcohol is also a depressant. So it’s not a great thing to drink if you’re depressed!

And according to Dr Shepherd, many sufferers sadly do turn to alcohol…

But alcohol is no answer. Apart from probably making you feel depressed, you could also develop an alcohol dependency!

What’s more, if you **are** alcohol intolerant, then it would make it much harder for you to recover from M.E./CFS (pretty much impossible even), while you keep putting alcohol in your body.

And here’s some more ‘food for thought’…

When you think about how badly a CFS sufferer can be affected by **one** alcoholic drink, then how badly could alcohol be affecting you if you’re drinking more???

So there you go – a whole list of reasons why you might think twice about drinking anything remotely alcoholic while you have CFS/M.E.

While you may no longer be alcohol intolerant once you have recovered from CFS/M.E., it may well be a major culprit for preventing you from **recovering** from your CFS/M.E while you still have it.

I didn’t know about the possible effects of alcohol when I first had Post Viral Fatigue Syndrome …

… and I suffered the consequences. My illness got worse. A lot worse. And I was only having a couple of drinks now and again! So I hope this article arms you with enough info for you to make an educated decision about alcohol either way.

You never know – it may well make the difference…

To find out more about diet and nutrition for ME/CFS visit:

http://www.sleepydust.net/chronic-fatigue-syndrome-nutrition-supplements.html

And to read reviews of my favorite supplements & items for ME/CFS, visit:

http://www.sleepydust.net/ME-CFS.html

Copyright, Claire Williams, 2003-2005. All Rights Reserved.

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Are you aware that one glass of wine contains the similar number of calories to a piece of cake? What about a pint of beer – you’ll be amazed to know that it has the equivalent value of calories to a hamburger?

In a survey in 2009 for the Department of Health consisting of two thousand adults, four out of ten admitted that they had no idea about the number of calories contained in alcohol.

The study also showed that the typical wine-drinker takes in two thousand additional calories every month. Over a year, that is roughly the same as consuming 184 bags of potato crisps or 38 dinners of roast beef – quite a startling figure.

The calories contained in alcohol are extremely fattening

Wine, along with beer and cider, and of course spirits are our most popular drinks. These drinks are all made by fermenting or distilling starch and sugars during the making process. As alcohol is very high in sugar, this means that it contains a huge number of calories which actually amounts to seven calories per gram, which is almost as many as in pure fat!

Calories from alcohol are considered to be empty calories – they have got no benefit at all nutritionally. Most drinks containing alcohol have tiny traces of minerals and vitamins, although not generally in quantities that will make any considerable contribution to your diet.

It is not only calories that happen to be an issue for the waistline. Alcohol consumption lowers the quantity of fat your body uses up for energy. Each of us is able to store nutrients, proteins, carbohydrates, and fats within our bodies, but we simply cannot store alcohol. Therefore our systems really want to lose it fast – and doing this will take top priority. The many other operations that should be occurring in the body (such as absorbing nutrients and losing fat) are fully disrupted.

Alcohol and appetite

In conjunction with alcohol consumption, often comes the temptation to consume unhealthy snack foods. So when out in the pub for an evening, we home in on these wrong – but tasty – snacks, such as crisps and peanuts. Then frequently top it off by some greasy fish and chips from the chip shop on the way home.

The Department of Health survey reported that just about one in every three people order crisps, peanuts or other pub-style food to have with their drinks, whilst almost a fifth frequently go for takeaway foods. These are frightening results from a healthy eating point of view. It’s no wonder, as junk foods are made to be appealing, they do taste good.

More than one in three stated they will probably eat a lot more than they normally would, and forget the healthier diet completely, whenever they drink more than their recommended daily limit. And more than six drinkers out of every ten admit to having an unhealthy breakfast whenever they have a hangover.

How many calories are there in an average alcoholic drink?

Taking a pint of beer to be equivalent to a medium slice of pizza, and a normal size ready-to-drink bottle of an ‘alcopop’, to be similar to 100g of cookies, the alcohol calories soon mount up. Here are values of some other drinks:

White wine, glass – 175ml = 130 calories

Red wine, glass – 175ml = 120 calories

Bitter, pint = 180-230 calories

5% Lager, pint = 240-50 calories

Stout, pint = 210 calories

Cider, pint = 180-250 calories

Gin and tonic = 126 calories

Whiskey – 25ml = 55 calories

A few helpful tips to tackle desirable calories

• Eat whenever you drink, as food slows down the body’s alcohol absorption rate.
• Drink slowly and remain in control – quality rather than quantity.
• Choose low calorie or slimline drinks where possible.
• Add some water or even soda into your wine or spirit as dilution really helps.

Don’t drink too much – protect your waistline as well as you head as these alcoholic calories really do add up.

When a person thinks of the state of Texas, they think big everything. Unfortunately one thing they are not big on is inpatient addiction treatment for the GLBT population. In cites such as Dallas, San Antonio, Fort Worth, Austin, Houston or Abilene, there is a growing gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender population. As with any population growth comes a need for certain healthcare services, in this case, we are speaking of gay friendly addiction treatment or gay friendly drug rehab programs in Texas.

Can't Gay Men and Lesbians Go to Existing Drug Rehab Programs in Texas?

The answer is yes they can. For gay men and women who are secure in their sexuality, sexual preference and the issues that surround them such as internalized homophobia, homophobia, coming out and others, then any drug rehab, alcohol rehab or addiction treatment program may suffice. Unfortunately, that is not usually the case. Most drug rehabs or alcohol rehab programs are not gay friendly, which means having the addiction treatment services and addiction treatment staff necessary to address the issues mentioned above. Without a gay friendly environment or gay friendly addiction treatment staff, the gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender will probably experience attitudes similar to that of discrimination, prejudice and feelings of being judged.

What Are the Advantages of a Gay Addiction Treatment Program in Texas?

In gay addiction treatment programs or gay drug rehabs, the environment is gay friendly. What that means is that the alcohol rehab or drug rehab will have an addiction treatment staff free of homophobia and judgmental attitudes. There will be addiction treatment services specific to the GLBT population, with a staff dedicated to the same. While the internal healing takes place, the GLBT population still participates in addiction treatment services with the rest of the drug rehab.

If you need help locating a gay friendly drug or alcohol rehab, call the national addiction treatment helpline at 1-800-511-9225 or go to www.gay-rehab.com . If you happen to have a psychiatric problem along with a drug addiction or alcohol addiction go to www.lakeviewhealth.com

Recently, the term “isopropyl alcohol” has been liken to poisonous snakes and ferocious beasts, what exactly is isopropyl alcohol? Where is it used? What are its characteristics? Is it dangerous? Perhaps too many reports have caused public panic, and therefore, direct associations with isopropyl alcohol have been made, such as with the aromatherapy bottle, and controversies arises; such reports have led to over-generalized and inadequate knowledge of isopropyl alcohol, knowing some aspects but not the others.

Dr.Billy Wang , who holds a Dotorate in Biochemistry from American New York University, and Senior researcher of German Nuremberg Biochemistry Research institute, he gave a specialized explanation from a professional angle on the above questions. Isopropyl alcohol is used more commonly as an artificial chemical additive, as a solvent for the production of Latex, shellac, volatile plant oil and resin. Actually, isopropyl alcohol can be commonly found in our daily life, like in non-alcoholic beverage, candy, dried provision food; and in everyday products including emulsion, shaving cream, ethyl alcohol cotton pad, and so on, have in them, traces of isopropyl alcohol.

Dr. Wang emphasized, that although the temperature of an ignited aromatherapy bottle is very high, even if accidentally toppled, and spilling the essential oil within, it would not of itself start a fire. Moreover, statistical data shows that, using Bel’Air’s plant essential oil as example, after ignition, the average density over 6 hours, of isopropyl alcohol content in the air is 5.4ppm, compared to 25ppm found in non-alcoholic beverage, 10~75ppm in candy, and 77ppm in dried provision food; the isopropyl alcohol density found in plant essential oils is much lower, and far below the standard by Gong Yan Institute, harmful limits of the air at tolerance standard 400ppm!

It cannot cause harm to the human body, moreover, for such a low volatile density to reach the (2% is 20000ppm) density, which is needed for an explosion to take place, is even more difficult. Furthermore, all plant essential oil, regardless of origin, contain isopropyl alcohol content; the isopropyl alcohol solvent contained in essential oils prepares the burner head to reach its functional temperature, and enables a smooth flow of essential oil through the ceramic burner head, maintains its temperature, and enables essential oil to vaporize at a moderate temperature, and enables essential oil to vaporize at a moderate temperature to spread through the air, achieving the effect of aromatherapy. Therefore, taking the spatial volume of an average home as example, under normal environmental circumstances (such as normal temperature, and open spaces), it is impossible for the rate of natural vaporization within a short time frame, to reach the level for detonation and create an explosion.

Using an average home of 30 square metres as example, to achieve the lower limits of detonation requires 36 litres of isopropyl alcohol to completely vaporize, which is almost impossible in the real life. Moreover, an average person uses essential oil in aromatherapy for only a few hours, which is enough to maintain a room full of fragrance for 24 hours. Isopropyl alcohol is common in our everyday life. Emphasis should not be to completely annihilate or simply reject its usage, but rather to understand its effects and methods of application. Public and government agencies need not regard isopropyl alcohol, which has been part of our everyday life, with undue suspicions.

As a society, we share a complicated history with alcohol. During the later part of the 19th century, politicians, women's groups, and churches banded together to convince lawmakers to outlaw alcohol. In 1919, the US Congress passed the 18th Amendment, making the sale and distribution of alcohol illegal. Alcohol consumption declined but did not prevent illegal use and distribution. In 1933, Prohibition ended and as a result, millions of Americans have made alcohol an important part of their social activity. In the 1960s, researcher EM Jellinek reported that excessive and abusive use of alcohol was a disease. Within 10 years, a public effort was launched in the United States to educate people that alcoholism was an illness.

In 1980, the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual 3rd refined the definition of alcoholism by differentiating between alcohol abuse and dependence. However, people continue to use the term "alcoholism" when they discuss all forms of "problem drinking," when in fact alcoholism and abuse have specific clinical definitions. Alcoholism, also known as alcohol dependence, is a chronic, progressive, and potentially a fatal disease. The symptoms are: drinking excessive amounts frequently, inability to control drinking despite medical, psychological, or social complications, increased tolerance for alcohol, and serious withdrawal symptoms when the person stop drinking.

On the other hand, alcohol abuse is a chronic disease in which the individual refuses to give up drinking even though it causes the person to neglect important family and work obligations. However, abuse, left untreated, can become dependence. The symptoms are: drinking when it is dangerous (drinking and driving), frequent excessive drinking, interpersonal difficulties with family, friends, and coworkers caused by alcohol, and legal problems related to alcohol use.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) estimates that in 1998, alcoholism cost society $ 184.6 billion in lost productivity, medical care, legal services, and cost from traffic accidents. However, these statistics does not address the cost, to society, or the problem of alcohol dependence among the elderly the "hidden population."

It seems that alcohol abuse among older adults is something few wish to talk about, and a problem for which even fewer seek treatment on their own. Too often, family members are ashamed of the problem and choose not to confront it head on. Health care providers tend not to ask older patients about alcohol use if it was a problem in their lives in earlier years. This may explain why so many of the alcohol-related admissions to treatment among older adults are for first-time treatment.

Recent studies indicated that between 1.1 and 2.3 million elderly citizens use alcohol to alleviate grief and loneliness. What has been called the "invisible population" is now being discovered and measured. Most individuals tend to restrict their alcohol intake as they advance in age, mainly because of poor health or reduced social activities. However, society has begun to recognize that the incidence of alcoholism among older individuals is on the rise. Despite the numerous studies being done on this subject it is difficult to find reliable statistics on today's elderly alcoholics. However, some research suggested that as much as 10% to 15% of health problems in this population may be connected to alcohol and substance abuse.

One fact is clear: alcohol-related problems among the elderly are much greater than perceived even a decade ago. It is also clear that the common individual's response remains devoted to treating their symptoms briefly and directly, rather than getting to the core of the drinking behavior and treating the alcoholism. The general practitioner is without doubt the person with the most opportunity to identify alcoholism in an elderly patient, whose social and family isolation is relatively common. However, the practitioner is often confronted with denial of the problem, by the patient and especially by the family. One reason may be because the effects of alcoholism may mimic those of aging. Making diagnosis of alcoholism difficult because many symptoms, including aches and pains, insomnia, loss of sex drive, depression, anxiety, loss of memory and other mental problems are often confused with normal signs of aging or the side effects of medications.

Another concern is that, too often, when families or professionals try to get help for their love one, identification of a drinking problem may be difficult. For example, many of the criteria necessary to make the proper diagnosis of alcoholism are more appropriate for younger abusers. These traditional criteria may not be appropriate for elderly individuals who may be more isolated or solitary, is less likely to drive and most likely to be retired. In fact, some researchers suggest that the diagnosis of alcoholism, for the elderly, be focused on biomedical, psychological or social consequences.

Although the prevalence of alcohol consumption and alcohol abuse decreases with age, alcoholism in elderly people remains a significant public health problem. It is an increasingly important concern because the elderly is the fastest growing population today, and is expected to continue this trend well into the next decade. There are two forms of alcoholism that can be distinguished in the elderly: alcoholism beginning before the age of 65 years and continuing, and alcoholism beginning after the age of 65 years. As stated before, alcoholism in the elderly is often difficult to diagnose, especially since health problems due to alcohol may be attributed to old age. Also, in the case of alcoholism, elderly patients, taking multiple medications, present an increased risk of medication / alcohol interactions, especially with tranquillisers and sedatives.

At the beginning of this article I suggested that Americans have a complicated relationship with alcohol. Well, to a certain extent, the same can be said about society's relationship with its elderly citizens. In America we often don't value our elderly individuals, we sends a double message, some may call it a love hate relationship with our elder population. As a result, some people tend to ignore or shun older people with drinking problems. For example, to ease our own internal conflicts, we say things like "after all they are not hurting anyone. Let them enjoy the time they have left … Who cares?" Often, therapist may be reluctant to work with older alcoholics due to unconscious counter-transference issues. For example, the elderly client triggers the therapist's own fears about aging. Older clients are often accused of being rigid and unwilling or unable to change. In which case therapists may feel that they are wasting their time working with these individuals. However, researchers who study the science of aging understand that these myths, assumptions and stereotypes are unproven and often harmful to the elderly individuals who can benefit from proper treatment or intervention.

One's later years does not have to be a time of loneliness, depression, or a life of alcoholism. Many individuals find happiness and even adventure in their advanced years. Those who age successfully tend to have a strong sense of life achievement, high self-esteem and positive attitude. Older individuals who achieve a sense of ego integrity are able to view their past history with a sense of satisfaction. While older individuals who look back with regret and believe that it is too late to make significant changes may experience a sense of despair and depression.

Those who age successfully is able to adjust to the loss of a spouse and other significant relationships, adjust to retirement and reduced income, accept and deal appropriately with declining health and get involved establishing a satisfactory living arrangements.

Unfortunately, not everyone ages successfully. Some individuals cannot accept the physical changes that come with advanced age. Others can't handle the loss of a spouse or friends, or they find it difficult adjusting to retirement. And, too often, many of these individuals turn to alcohol.

Many of these individuals never had a drinking problem prior to this time in their lives. This is called late onset alcoholism. The bad news is that this type of alcoholism may go unrecognized. The good news is that individuals with late onset alcoholism have a much greater chance of recovery. This is due primarily because these individuals have a history of handling problem successfully.

On the other hand, early onset alcoholics are those individual drinkers who have been drinking excessively for many years. As a result, they may have more difficulty in recovery because of health complications from years of excessive alcohol abuse.

Finally, elderly alcoholics have a wide range of treatment options. After detoxification, when necessary, the elderly client can receive further treatment from inpatient programs, day treatment, outpatient therapy, or community-based groups. Completion rates appear to be modestly better for elderly-specific alcohol treatment programs compared with mixed-age programs. Some seniors find that Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings offer them strength and support to overcome drinking problems. While other seniors feel these groups are stigmatizing and find it more comfortable to seek support from their age-peers at senior citizen programs. What is important to know is that the most effective programs treat the "whole person," making sure that their health, housing, financial, and social needs are met. This is an important concern because late-onset alcoholism is often associated with stress, isolation, loss, and loneliness. Therefore, effective substance abuse treatment for the elderly should address these underlying issues.

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, (FASD) is not a mental health diagnosis or a medical diagnosis but is an umbrella term used to describe a range of syndromes and disorders that can occur in a child whose mother consumed alcohol during pregnancy. The effects and symptoms vary in severity. Many children share the common effects which include emotional, physical and learning difficulties. The common physical characteristics that can be associated with FASD are facial deformities, growth deficits, heart, liver, kidney defects, vision and hearing problems as well as permanent brain damage. FASD is the only 100% preventable cause of mental retardation and birth defects in the United States and FASD is 100% untreatable. It is estimated that FASD affects 40,000 infants each year. This is more than Spinal Bifida, Down Syndrome and Muscular Dystrophy combined.

Alcohol damages the parts of the brain that gives us memory, self control, coordinator and judgment. Children with FASD often have difficulties with learning, attention, memory, central nervous system, and problem solving skills that may have lifelong implications. FASD is a permanent condition and affects every aspect of the child’s life and the life of their family.

The emotional toll on families cannot be underestimated. For birth parents, acknowledging that their child’s mental retardation, birth defects, and/or neurodevelopment disorders are a result of maternal prenatal alcohol consumption is very difficult to face. For adoptive or foster parents, discovering that their child suffers from FASD after years of trying to understand his cognitive and behavioral problems results in feelings of frustration and isolation.

As an adoptive mom I can tell you raising a child with FASD is the hardest but the most rewarding thing I have ever done. Andrew is now 13 years old and is in the seventh grade. He is sweet, generous, loving and very naive. He also has exhibited many of the symptoms associated with FASD since the day we brought him home at 1 week old. He cried all the time! Until he was 3 years old and on medication he never slept for more than 30 minutes at a time, day or night. To say life seemed impossible is actually an understatement. He required constant attention and if I let him out of my sight in another room for one minute he would destroy it. If I was not right beside him when he had a bowel movement in his diaper he would take it off and smear feces all over the walls, carpets and bed. We had to put a lock on our refrigerator because he would climb out of his crib in the middle of the night and dump everything out of the refrigerator smearing it in the carpet, walls, and beds. For years we knew that there were serious problems, but no one could help us. All of the professionals said that his behaviors were out of their expertise. We went from Doctor to Doctor, counselor to counselor and searched everywhere for answers for him and our family. By the age of three, he was thrown out of every daycare in our area, went through at least 30 babysitters, and could not stay in the nursery at Church. He was very violent toward everyone; however most of his rages were taken out on me. He would bite me, hit me and throw things at me. He would put holes in the wall, windows, threw rocks at us, as well as the cars and was basically never happy. When he started school a whole new nightmare started. The fourth day of school he had thrown toys, supplies and destroyed the classroom than ran out of the room causing the teacher to have to leave other students to chase my 4 year old. He was moved to an emotionally disabled class where they had experience with other children like him.

By the time he was 5 he had so many diagnoses I lost count, but none of them actually explained the severity of his behaviors. We had tried 21 different medications and tried at least 4 different kinds of therapy. We started researching the internet and found a few sites about FASD and found that there were several places in the USA that specialized in FASD. Andrew and I packed up, leaving my husband and other two children at home and went in search of a diagnosis. We went to Baltimore, MD and saw a FASD specialist that finally gave him an accurate diagnosis of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. While we finally had a diagnosis nobody seemed able to help us get his behavior under control and his behavior was getting worse. At that time, he was on 7 medications however none were effective. We went back on the internet searching and learning about FASD and found a “severe” behavior clinic, The Marcus Institute, in Atlanta GA. They observed his behaviors and they immediately asked if we would be open to coming to Atlanta to live for a couple of months so he could attend the clinic. It was their observation that his behaviors were something that would not ever get better without extreme intervention. At this point we had no choice; he was getting bigger, stronger and more destructive everyday. After fighting insurance complications, Andrew and I went to Atlanta where he underwent treatment, testing and training for eight weeks.

After two months of hard work the severe behavior clinic was able to decrease his problem behaviors by 96.6% from when we first started the program. The skills we learned are skills we are still using to keep his behavior under control. While we still have bad days, we also now have good days. He is able to stay at school all day now, with the help of a shadow and he is able to play baseball and football with other kids his age and he is happy.

Andrew, as well as most FASD children will never be what others feel is “normal” and that is okay with us because he is now a happy little boy. He is learning to read, and is slowly learning social skills. We had to adjust our expectations as well as learn to think “outside of the box” when we are dealing with him and his problems. We are living a fairly normal life, whatever that is. We are not healed in the traditional sense but we are functioning and making progress. He is now off of 5 of the 7 medications and has really grown physically and emotionally.

Most children with FASD have many issues to face their entire lives. FASD behaviors are treatable but not a curable condition that can be fixed with therapy or medication. There are some children who benefit from certain types of medication, but the medications only address some of the symptoms. Permanent brain damage cannot be fixed or medicated. Creative behavior management works well most of the time. Children with FASD have processing problems and cannot understand cause, effect, or consequences. One of the most important things I have learned from my son is to keep an open mind, a sense of humor, and my faith in God.

Overcoming an alcohol addiction is challenging. At times, even after taking professional care, people tend to relapse due to factors like severity of their addiction, biochemical imbalances and genetic factors that act as an impediment to the recovery. The process of aligning the brain with the body is known as biochemical repair and nutritional therapy forms an important part of this repair program. The role of nutrition in recovery from alcoholism is also supported by a growing body of literature. According to experts, if the brain is provided nutritional support to overcome genetic and biochemical deficiencies, an individual has a higher chance of purchase to sobriety.

Alcohol addiction and nutritional deficiencies

People grappling with alcohol addiction often have deficiencies of certain vitamins, minerals and proteins. Many holistic addiction centers providing alcohol abuse support screen these patients for the deficiencies, put them on a multivitamin, and then fortify their treatment plans with essential nutrients. People who are heavy drinkers consume a lot of empty calories and lack several important nutrients. For example, such people have a major deficiency of zinc. This is because after poor consumption of dairy products, whole grains and meat, alcohol impedes the absorption of zinc by gut and a lot of it is also excreted through the urine.

The deficiency manifests in the form of a compromised sense of smell and taste, reduced night vision, etc. It also causes confusion and depression. The deficiency of zinc also causes the gut to become leaky where it fails to compartmentalize between the intestine and rest of the body because of which toxins can reach the liver and cause alcohol-related liver disorders. Similarly, deficiency of folate and vitamin B6 can slow down the production of feel-good hormones like serotonin and dopamine responsible for managing cravings.

Steady blood sugar levels are essential to staying sober

It has been found that a majority of people with alcohol addiction have low and sometimes very low blood glucose levels. These low levels then prompt an individual to seek something which could boost energy. A person may then struggle with cravings and succumb to alcohol and sugar. Therefore, healthy eating habits are indispensable to keep the cravings at a bay. This is the reason why some alcohol addiction centers provide their patients with low glycemic index food and provide fats and proteins in meals to compensate for the carbs included in the diet. These centers also teach their patients about the art of cooking so that when the patients are on their own, their sobriety is not threatened. Since alcohol addiction also causes insomnia, intake of caffeinated and soda drinks is also discouraged.

Dopamine regulation is vital to managing cravings

People with alcohol addiction also struggle with dopamine dysregulation. People with alcoholism tend to reach out for sugar, as it helps in the release of dopamine and to get more of that rush, people start self-medicating with alcohol. However, prolonged use of alcohol decreases the number of dopamine receptors, thus, diminishing its effect. The problem exacerbates in people with poor eating habits, as they lack the essential amino acids which act as the building blocks for dopamine. One of the ways to rectify the problem is by introducing high protein foods in the diet – eggs, cheese, nuts, legumes, etc.

Alcohol addiction is treatable

Alcohol addiction can be conquered by fueling the body with healthy food rich in essential minerals and vitamins, getting involved in physical activity and managing stress levels. In addition, one should also seriously contemplate taking treatment from a professional organization to walk on the path of sobriety.