If you glanced at the title of this article, you might have cringed. When it comes to fitness, nutrition, weight loss, and overall health, many of us have trouble areas. There are some individuals who have a glass of red wine with dinner every night. Others skip the drinking completely on the weekdays, then start throwing a few back on Thursday or Friday night, and keep it up until Sunday. Still others won't drink for two to three weeks, then have a weekend binge of a few dozen drinks or so (you know who you are!). Finally, while there are scores of individuals out there who don't drink any alcohol at all and really won't find this article personally useful, I encourage you (if you are one of those people) to read it anyways, and share the information with someone you think it might help.

So … how does alcohol make you fat, especially when it doesn't have any fat in it? To understand how this process occurs, let's examine the consumption of a 5 ounce glass of red wine by a fictional character named Vinny.

Vinny takes a drink. As the alcohol enters into digestion, it is split into two compounds: fat and acetate. The fat is taken through the bloodstream and stored wherever Vinny tends to deposit fat. The acetate is taken into the bloodstream and used as Vinny's primary energy fuel.

If you take anything away from this article, read that last sentence again. The acetate is used as Vinny's primary energy fuel. This means that rather than burning carbohydrates, protein, or fat as a fuel, Vinny's body relies on the acetate for energy. It completely stops burning anything else. Suddenly, Vinny has a surplus of carbs, protein, and fat circulating in the body with nowhere to go. So where does it all end up? You guessed it … it's converted to fat and deposited on Vinny's waistline.

But that's not the only effect on Vinny. Alcohol also acts as a potent appetizer. Ever heard of an apertif? It's an alcoholic drink taken before a meal to increase the appetite, and many restaurants realize that this is a great way to get you to order more food! Several studies exist that show a sharp increase in caloric intake when an alcoholic drink is consumed before a meal (compared to a glass of water, or even a soda!). So now Vinny wants either: A) another glass of wine or B) food (probably something salty or greasy).

That's not all! Let's say that Vinny succumbs to his appetite and finishes the bottle. Just a single bout of heavy drinking will vastly increase the levels of the hormone cortisol, while significantly decreasing the levels of the hormone testosterone. In addition to his headache, here's why Vinny should be concerned: cortisol causes the body to breakdown muscle and suppresses recovery from exercise, while low testosterone makes the body less likely build lean muscle or to burn fat as a fuel. So Vinny's getting a big belly, and skinny arms and legs.

Now let's consider the actual caloric content of the glass of red wine. Before we begin, bear in mind that at most parties, social gatherings, and restaurants, a typical glass of red wine is really more like 6-8 ounces. But we'll be conservative. So Vinny's glass of wine contains about 110 calories. Contrary to popular belief, there are very few carbohydrates in the wine – only about 5 grams. This is because when grapes are made into wine, most of the fruit sugars are converted into alcohol. For purposes of comparison, this glass of wine has about the same amount of alcohol and calories as a 12 ounce light beer or a shot of 80 proof spirit (yes, that means a shot of tequila = about a whole glass of wine). A regular, non-light beer, is even higher in calories, since it contains over twice as many carbohydrates as light beer.

But realize that alcohol itself contains about seven calories for gram, making it almost twice as calorie-laden as carbohydrates or protein, which contain only four calories per gram. However, these calories contain no beneficial nutrients, vitamins, or minerals. Sure – Vinny gets some benefit from the compounds present from the grapeskins and grapejuice, butif he drinks a big glass of red wine every night with
dinner, he consumes over 1000 additional calories per week, and gains a dozen extra pounds of fat a year!

I haven't really discussed mixed drinks and won't say too much. If you read my article "How Sugar Makes You Fat" you know about sugar's potent effect on fat levels in the body, and if you've read the label lately on any soda or mixer, you know how much sugar it contains. A ton! Basically, you can take everything I just illustrated in the case of Vinny, and multiply by 4-5. Margaritas, Long Island Iced Tea, Mudslides, and other sweet mixed drinks can do more damage to your diet than a Big Mac with cheese.

So let's be practical and assume that you are not going to completely give up drinking but want some tips for your next social event. Here's some ideas:

Dilute alcohol with diet soda. While there are health problems with the artificial sweeteners and chemicals in diet soda, this will reduce your overall caloric intake.

Use lots of ice. It makes your drink seem bigger without adding actual calories.

If you have to choose between fruit juice and soda in a mixer, choose fruit juice.

Avoid the salty snacks. They'll make you want to drink more.

At the bar, restaurant, or grocery store, try to find a top shelf product or good wine that you enjoy, then pay those extra bucks and sip it slowly. Savoring a drink will reduce overconsumption.

Drink as much water as possible. Try to have two drinks of water for every one drink of alcohol.

Did you enjoy these tips and tricks? You may want to check out my free blog and podcast at http://www.bengreenfieldfitness.com , which offers weekly advice on everything from nutrition to fat loss to sports performance. Bookmark it now!

I was a severe alcoholic and my entire life was in a right mess, as I'd been dependent on alcohol for more than 30 years, but still found it difficult to admit that I had a real problem. I had halfheartedly made an effort to quit drinking alcohol however I never managed to succeed. I really could not imagine a life without it, and I even attempted to regulate my alcohol consumption, yet that did not succeed either.

I'd begin every day served with a can of beer and I'd consistently drink alcohol at all hours. I would often drive my car whilst under the effect of alcohol, placing other people in addition to myself in danger. I am humiliated and ashamed to confess this today, however I would often wake up each morning following a heavy night's drinking alcohol, not only with a hangover but also on top of a puddle of my very own pee.

I became serially unfaithful as well as putting myself at risk of contracting VD and passing it onto my wife. I regularly had blackouts and woke up in unusual places with no recollection of how I got there in the first place. I would often do things which I regretted whilst under the influence of alcohol and yet in-spite of all of this I continued to drink. I eventually decided that enough had been enough right after an unsuccessful attempt at suicide and I'm happy to say that I have not drunk since.

If you fall on such telling times you will need to find a way to quit drinking such as I did, so here is the actual program I followed to give up drinking alcohol and I am positive that if you comply with all of these basic steps you 'll be able to stop drinking once and for all as well.

Accepting that you've got a predicament with alcohol is your main starting point, as anyone that is ready to quit consuming alcohol is the one that isn't in denial. The alcoholic's very first style of defense is usually to state that they are not an alcoholic and also to reel off poor excuses to support their bad habit. I had to spend over 30 years or so in order to say that I was an alcoholic and also to end coming up with excuses for my addiction.

Once you have admitted to yourself that you're an alcoholic, the very next thing that you need to do will be to look at the main reasons why you're drinking and question yourself with things like, how come the thought of life without having alcohol is so intolerable? Just what drives you to drink alcohol? Why do you continue to consume alcohol despite the fact that it truly is wrecking your relationships and your health ?, and I'm certain you'll be able to think of many more examples.

If you are a reoccurring alcoholic you will have to quit alcohol with medical related guidance. Make a scheduled visit to a health care professional and talk to them frankly concerning your drinking problems along with your intention to quit. They will be qualified to prescribe you with medication to make the actual withdrawal process a more comfortable experience.

Once you have discontinued drinking alcohol you need to make a program to avert returning to it. During the early days associated with stopping drinking you're going to develop all forms of reasons to go back to it. You might think that you will have the ability to handle it, as you begin to visualize alcoholism like less of a problem, and you will begin to remember just the good times that you had while drinking and so forth. Avoid taking any kind of chances and acquire a good guide to help you quit drinking effectively.

I almost started laughing at the question as to what a gay friendly alcohol rehab was. What did an alcohol rehab have to do to be gay friendly. Did the alcohol rehab have to have special interior decorating, bright color and style? We know better, but ti was not always like that.

Historically, most alcohol rehab programs were designed to treat the disease of addiction and alcoholism, regardless of sexual orientation. As time passed and addiction treatment professionals gained additional experience in addiction treatment, specialty programs began to spring up all over the country. There was an alcohol rehab program for men, an alcohol rehab for women, an alcohol rehab program for Christain's, but it appeared that most of the alcohol rehab programs expected the gay population to "just fit in".

While this alcohol treatment program approach worked for some, many gay, lesbian and bisexual's felt out of place, scared and discriminated against, making effective addiction treatment almost impossible. In order to treat the gay population effectively, one of two things had to happen; either design an all gay alcohol rehab or an alcohol rehab termed a gay friendly alcohol rehab.

While an all gay alcohol rehab [http://www.lakeviewfreedomrings.com] is self explanatory, what did an alcohol rehab program need to do to be gay friendly and provide effective alcoholism treatment. The answer had a complex solution as the typical alcohol rehab approach needed to change a bit. First, the entire addiction treatment staff needed to be educated and sensitized to the needs of the gay individual. They needed to be taught about their lifestyle, homophobia, heterosexism, coming out and the host of issues the gay community faces. Each staff needed to be assessed as to their homophobic attitudes and educated accordingly.

Secondly, a group specific to gay addiction treatment issues needed to be developed, with a therapist trained in the areas specific to the gay population. This alcoholism treatment group would meet several times a day in conjunction with all the other addiction treatment services offered in the alcohol rehab.

Lastly, for a gay friendly alcohol rehab to be effective in the treatment of alcoholism or drug addiction, it must have a comprehensive family recovery component. THis family recovery component needs to be much more than a family session once a week. There needs to be at least a four day period of time that the entire family is together at the alcohol rehab with the family therapist to resolve any outstanding issues within the family system. Issues within a gay family unit can be complex and hard to understand, so time at the alcohol rehab is needed. For the patient, meeting within the gay friendly alcohol rehab can provide them support as they come face to face with some of the shame they have carried for years.

If you are looking for a gay friendly alcohol rehab or gay friendly drug rehab you can call 1-800-511-9225 a national alcohol rehab helpline or go to www.gay-rehab.com .

Drug and alcohol abuse is one among the major challenges of an expecting mother. This usually has a lot of negative effects on the fetus during birth and can lead to other bigger problems in life.

To light up the issue associated with the use of drug and alcohol during pregnancy, a week has been launched to create awareness about this growing problem. Alcohol, drug, and pregnancy should not go together are the main scope of this event. Every year the Alcohol & Drug-Related Birth Defects awareness week starts on the 13th of May and will continue until the 19th. This awareness week targets mainly on the childbearing women whose age ranges from 15 years to 45 years.

It is not fair for an innocent soul to be punished because of her mother's poor decision. More babies could be prevented if their mothers are not indulged in drug and alcohol abuse. When mothers take proper care during their pregnancy, some problems, namely: low birth weight, the improper diameter of the head, age-related developments, epilepsy can be avoided.

Only some women will intake alcohol even after knowing about their pregnancy, whereas many are unaware that they are pregnant until their 4th to 6th week and consumption of these during that time might have already done enough damage to the fetus. Since all the women want to have a baby at some point in life, it is advice for mothers to quit using them if they are trying to get pregnant. Using any amount of drugs and alcohol is considered unsafe during pregnancy.

How to overcome prenatal alcohol and drug exposure

It is a must for everyone to attend the events related to this week to educate yourself and your family members know about the seriousness of it. Listed below are some ways to overcome the prenatal and drug exposure:

Join hands with your community members, nearby hospitals to create an awareness event. Seek attention from the wide range of audience by choosing the most attractive giveaway items. Some of them include caps, pocket pins, finger rings, wristbands. The interesting thing about choosing them is, they can be customized with personalized messages about the event.

Design posters, banners, templates related to the event and distribute it for free. Make use of the social media websites and popularize the events. Ideas include creating chat groups on Facebook, hashtags in Twitter and posting pictures related to the event on Instagram.

To be precise avoid drugs if you are wanting to get pregnant, that's the only way you can protect your child from the havoc caused by the usage of drugs. Since, it is easier for others to comment about the use of alcohol, for the sufferer, it is not really easy to come out of it. Speak with your healthcare professional and look after the ways to refrain yourself from using it. Also, you can find many counseling centers in and around your community to help people deal with such problems. Ideas discussed here are not based on the opinions or suggestions from a medical practitioner. Please check with your healthcare provider to get more information about this serious issue.

Don't shoot the messenger, but baby boomers are hitting the bottle at alarming levels.

Just this week, baby boomers received new warnings about alcohol as people aged 50-plus deaths linked to alcohol soared. The number of deaths attributed solely to alcohol has increased 45% since 2001, according to a report published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on Tuesday.

While this study was based in the UK, baby boomers in America don't fare any better. One out of every eight Americans has an alcohol disorder, according to a study published in August 2017 in the Journal of the American Medical Association's Psychiatry. While the survey showed alcohol disorders increased for the US population in general, some of the sharpest increases were among baby boomers. For example, high risk alcohol use increased 65.2 percent and alcoholism rose 106.7 percent for the over 65 crowd during the last decade.

By 2020 the number of people receiving treatment for substance misuse problems is expected to double in Europe, and triple in the US, among those aged over 50.

This is bad news for baby boomers since alcohol is linked to more than 60 illnesses and diseases including heart disease, liver disease, cancer, and dementia.

WHY ARE BABY BOOMERS DRINKING TOO MUCH?

We were the generation famous for drinking a martini or Manhattan after work as often shown on the TV show Madmen. But is there more to this growing problem of alcohol misuse? Probably.

Recent studies report that baby boomers, especially those in their 50s and 60s, are statistically the unhappiest age group. Many boomers face stressful events such as declining health, raising teenagers, looming college tuitions, adult children moving back home, caring for aging parents, menopause, the loss of a loved one, and social isolation.

Add to that financial stress. According to studies, baby boomers are more worried than any other age group about retirement security. Many boomers confess they did not put enough money aside for retirement and find themselves heading toward their golden years with mortgage and credit card debt.

All of this worry, stress, and depression can easily trigger the misuse of alcohol if not kept in check.

Another factor may go back to the disappointment of our generation that expected a better world. "What does alcohol mean to our generation?" asks Christina Fraser, a relationship counselor with Coupleworks and herself a baby boomer. "We drink to fill a void. Our parents had a job, retired and dropped dead two years later. They worked hard and had fewer opportunities. The baby boomers were given the promise of a world that was full of possibilities. Instead, we are seeing that world close in. "

WHAT IS CONSIDERED OVER-DRINKING?

Baby boomers who love wine o'clock may be shocked to hear what is considered over-drinking. Moderate drinking is one drink a day for women and 2 drinks per day for men. So maybe you're thinking you don't drink everyday, mostly just on weekends.

Do the math. Women are considered "heavy drinkers" if they have eight or more drinks a week, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Men can have 14.

A standard "drink," by the way, is not that big wine glass filled to the tippy top, a huge frosty mug, or giant Hurricane glass. The CDC says a drink is 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of hard liquor. If you pour more than these standard serving sizes, it counts for more than one drink.

While studies show that moderate alcohol consumption can be part of a healthy lifestyle for many people, those benefits quickly turn into health risks. These dangers include an increased risk of cancer, heart, and liver disease.

In fact, on the heels of the new study warning baby boomers to stop over-drinking, comes another statement from the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) that "even light drinking increases your risk of cancer." ABC News' chief medical correspondent, Dr. Jennifer Ashton, said that alcohol has been a known human carcinogen, or known to cause cancer, for a long time within the medical community.

Moderate drinkers nearly double their risk for mouth and throat cancer and more than double the risk of esophagus cancer compared to nondrinkers. They also face elevated risks for cancer of the voice box, breast cancer and colorectal cancer.

The risk for heavy drinkers is much higher and downright sobering (excuse the pun). Heavy drinkers face roughly five times the risk of mouth and throat cancers and squamous cell esophageal cancers than nondrinkers, nearly three times the risk of cancers of the voice box, double the risk of liver cancer, as well as increased risks for breast cancer and colorectal cancer.

WAYS TO CUT BACK

So we baby boomers have been put on notice. How can we scale back on alcohol use?

Cut down the number of days you drink alcohol. In fact, you may want to abstain for a week or a month to see how you feel physically and emotionally without alcohol in your life.

Reduce the amount of alcohol you drink at one sitting. If you normally drink two glasses of wine, make it one instead.

If you are drinking too much, avoid people, places, things and certain activities that trigger an urge to drink. For example, baby boomers love to splurge on dining out, but this luxury often prompts people to drink more. If this is the case, consider going out to dinner less often.

Find healthy alternatives for coping with stress, loneliness, or anger. For example, if you're tempted to reach for a drink take a walk, garden, or take a long bubble bath.

Experts say that alcohol misuse among older people isn't a problem that will simply disappear on its own. This new data should serve as a wake-up call to all baby boomers to examine their drinking habits.

Mankind is known to use various addictive substances since ages, both for relief from various health problems and for recreational purpose. Arguably, alcohol is one of the oldest substances that are still being abused. In fact, the consequences of drinking alcohol are only worsening with the course of time. Across the world, larger populations are displaying problematic behaviors than ever before.

Alcohol dependency, binge drinking, etc. are some problematic behaviors which could occur when one starts drinking too much and too frequent. Its adverse impact on physical and mental health is also known well. According to the 2016 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), 136.7 million Americans aged 12 or older admitted that they were drinking alcohol. Of them, 65.3 million people indulged in binge drinking in the past month, while 16.3 million Americans admitted to heavy drinking.

When a person craves for alcohol too often or has trouble going about regular activities without it, it is a warning sign of getting dependent on one of the most abused substances. It should be a wake-up call for such people before it is too late, and seek immediate help to get rid of the habit of drinking. Listed below are some advices one could give to a friend or a loved one as the latter decides to quit alcohol:

• Quitting alcohol is good for health. Once out of the habit of alcohol, a person finds more time to devote to friends and family.
• Though alcohol is treated as a social drink and most people consume it, there are still many who are teetotalers. If someone decides to quit drinking, he / she is certainly going to get a company.
• Alcohol is an expensive and time consuming habit. Therefore, it is always a good choice to quit or take a break, as one would not only save money but also time, which can be utilized in pursuing other interests and hobbies.
• Quitting alcohol can make life much simpler as it takes away the worries of arranging the next drink.
• Quitting alcohol leads to improved health and reduces the risks of developing lifestyle diseases like diabetes or hypertension.
• It is better to inform near and dear ones about the decision to quit alcohol consumption. For example, when parents and spouse are informed about the decision, they may follow suit or at least refrain from serving liquor at family gatherings where he / she is also in attendance.
• Whether one shouts from the rooftop to inform one and all about quitting alcohol or takes small but important measures such as ordering a mocktail or staying away from booze parties, it matters a lot when the person is out with friends who order alcohol.
• It is always good to have supportive friends around after deciding to kick the bottle. Such friends can help one deal with the situations where alcohol is in abundance.

Finding treatment

Though it's important to realize the need to quit alcohol for a better and healthy life, merely deciding to quit drinking is not enough. It must be followed by expert guidance, detoxification and complete recovery to keep alcohol at bay in future.

If only the cravings for alcohol would go away, people trying to overcome the grip of alcoholism would stand a much better chance of fighting off the disease. Anybody who has had alcohol cravings knows what this is all about. It's one thing to experience a little temptation, but it's another to have an overwhelming, persistent urge and need for alcohol. There's always a problem. First we want to take the edge off the troubles of the day, so we have a drink. Then we want to take the edge off the craving for alcohol.

Those who have participated in 12-Step recovery turn to their "higher power" for strength and support, trusting that the "higher power" will restore them to sanity. They decide turn their will and their lives over to the care of God, as they understand Him, to be a guiding light and source of comfort. This is accomplished through an ever-deepening, personal relationship. But this is America and we want relief NOW. There might be a pharmacological intervention.

The drug baclofen is a muscle relaxant, used to treat muscle symptoms caused by multiple sclerosis. The symptoms include spasms, stiffness and pain. Some of the side effects include impairment of thinking or reactions, so patients who need to be awake and alert need to be careful when using this drug. Patients who have used baclofen for a long time may experience serious withdrawal symptoms, such as seizures or hallucinations. The use of baclofen to help alcoholics with their cravings is relatively new, so there isn't an abundance of clinical testing

I read an article on medscape.com, which discussed results of clinical testing for patients with advanced liver disease. The 2007 study cast baclofen in a favorable light for a medical intervention.

"In conclusion, our results suggest that baclofen, because of its anti-craving action and safety, could have an important role for treatment of alcohol-dependent patients with advanced liver disease," the researchers, with first author Giovanni Addolorato, MD, from the Institute of Internal Medicine, Catholic University of Rome, in Italy, write. "We have shown that a pharmacological agent can promote alcohol abstinence and prevent alcohol relapse in individuals with alcoholic liver disease."

Patients with acidosis, who cannot stop drinking and are faced with death if they fail to stop doing so, and any treatment can't move forward as long as they are drinking. But this is a severe case. What about other patients with alcoholism, who are not in the last stages of liver disease, or who are in one of the earlier stages of alcoholism?

Assuming that baclofen is safe and appropriate for treatment of alcohol cravings does it represent a one-stop cure for alcoholism? This introduces an interesting topic for discussion. Aside from physical dependence or alcohol cravings, what about other factors that contribute to one becoming an alcoholic, such as psychological makeup, environment or genetics? If I drink, for example, to numb the pain in my life, will taking away alcohol cravings help that pain to subside?

I can see baclofen as a piece of the solution puzzle, in limited cases. But I can't help but get back to 12 Step, because it is incorporated into an interdisciplinary program, meaning that physical, emotional and spiritual issues are addressed. Pharmacological interventions do not sooth the human spirit, nor with baclofen heal broken relationships. I can see, however, how this drug intervention, in theory, can save the lives of patients in the cases discussed in the study. I would caution against looking to a pill as a "cure."

The anti-12 Step crowd will herald any drug intervention as being a positive alternative to 12 Step, mainly because 12 Step takes time and is far more difficult than taking a pill. Baclofen does not require honesty, openness and willingness, nor does it necessitate self-examination. Perhaps baclofen can stop the alcohol cravings, or be used as a tool to help a person regain control of his / her life, and help bring about a return to health. I have no issue with this. But if the whole person is not treated, then the hole in the spirit that is filled with alcohol, or some other destructive force, is still there.

After analyzing the health implications of alcohol consumption on varied age groups a recently conducted study concluded that adults in the age group of 50 and above may see less severe health consequences compared to adults below the same age group. The objective of the study was neither to justify nor glorify drinking, but to study the impact of drinking on various ages. The fact still remains that people who drink heavily are susceptible to a variety of serious short- and long-term health issues.

Some of the common health problems pertaining to heavy alcohol consumption include liver and heart ailments, cancers, and damage to the nervous system and brain. From time to time, various health and wellness articles have highlighted the fact that if an individual drank in moderation, it can have certain health benefits. To corroborate this fact, several studies have suggested that drinking alcohol within a medically permissible limit may have a positive bearing on an individual’s health. For instance, one of the studies revealed that moderate to light drinking can bring down the mortality rate caused due to cardiovascular ailments.

Having said that, while these studies have been widely read and received well by people, not all researchers stand by it and the debate still continues on the same.

A fresh perspective

Dr. Timothy Naimi of the Boston Medical Center in Massachusetts carried out this study, adding fuel to the ongoing debate on the health impacts of consuming alcohol. Dr. Naimi and his group of researchers analyzed the methodology that was utilized in the previous studies and found that the manner in which the previous researchers measured the impact of alcohol on health may be flawed. The researchers highlighted the fact that the previous studies were based more on general observations and they usually enrolled participants over the age of 50. Usually, the deaths attributed to alcohol consumption occurred within the age group of 20 to 49. Simply put, “one cannot include dead people in a cohort study,” said Dr. Niami.

The team highlighted that around 40 percent of alcohol-related deaths took place before the age of 50. This made it quite obvious that the earlier researchers did not take into consideration these people and may have thus underestimated the real risks pertaining to alcohol consumption. Incidentally, Dr. Naimi was one of the first researchers to raise the concern about this bias in terms of participant age group and had published his findings in the journal Addiction in 2017.

Therefore, Dr. Naimi reinvestigated the matter and reanalyzed the data using the Alcohol-Related Disease Impact Application (ARDIA) software, maintained by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The ARDIA is a reliable application that offered state and national estimates of alcohol-related health implications including potential years of life lost (PYLL) and deaths.

Influence of age factor

According to the study, the level of alcohol-related risk pertaining to an individual was largely influenced by the age factor. The data analysis revealed that around 35.8 percent of deaths caused due to alcohol consumption took place in the age group of 20 to 49. On the other hand, a mere 4.5 percent of fatalities were averted due to consumption of alcohol in this age group.

However, when the researchers looked at individuals in the age group of 65 and above, the statistics were slightly different. In this group, around 35 percent alcohol-related deaths were recorded, but it also depicted a whopping 80 percent of deaths averted by alcohol.

However, as stated earlier, there is still an ongoing debate regarding the impact of consuming alcohol in varied age groups.

Seeking help for alcoholism

Irrespective of gender, age, or social standing, anyone can be affected by alcoholism. One of the stepping stones for effective recovery from alcohol addiction is detoxification. The detoxification process helps purge all toxins accumulated in the body owing to years of alcohol consumption and prepares the body and the mind for the ensuing treatment.

The reality is, alcohol is a simple sugar, in fact, the simplest sugar there is. While most sugars have to travel to the intestinal tract to be absorbed, alcohol can be absorbed through the wall of the stomach, which is why you can do a few shots and feel it relatively quickly.

While most sugars yield 4 calories per gram, alcohol yields 7, and they are basically worthless calories. They are easily converted into triglycerides and stored as fat. The sugar also affects insulin balance, so you can not release stored fat. End result over time = beer belly.

Worst of all, since about 90-120 minutes after consuming a fair amount of alcohol, blood sugar drops, your body sends it these little chemical signals (neurotransmitters) trying to drive you to the foods that will restore blood sugar quickly. That’s why you end up in Denny’s or Jack in the Box at 3 AM.

Trick #1 is of course limiting alcohol consumption to one day per week (the Cheat Day). You can’t get fat in a day, and if you’re spending six days of the week boosting metabolism, your body will learn to burn through . . . . well . . . even a Denny’s meal once in awhile. If Trick #1, seems too restrictive, that doesn’t mean you can’t do this. There are some steps you can take that will hinder alcohols negative effects on your physique.

First, if you are planning on having a few, a complete meal, consisting of a good amount of protein and some complex carbs (like a chicken breast and a potato) one hour before will allow you to get to those quality nutrients before those empty calories hit the bloodstream. Since protein has a “thermic” (heat producing or calorie burning effect), it will lessen the metabolic slowdown you’ll bring about by drinking on an empty stomach and help to put your body in a state where it is more likely to burn at least some of those alcohol calories as energy. It might also be beneficial to swallow two carb blocker pills about 30 minutes before drinking. These are carb grabbers that inhibit the amylase enzymes that converts excess sugars into fats, lessening the likelihood the alcohol will be stored as body (read: belly) fat. It’s also best to eat something sugar free along with alcohol to slow the rush of alcohol sugars into the bloodstream. Some low fat Doritos made exclusively from corn and some chicken wings might help slow the sugar rush (if consumed along with alcohol, and of course not in excess).

Finally, the “post drinking” meal should be preceded by lots of water, even if you’re not thirsty. This will minimize the dehydration that makes hangovers far worse, and should include foods free from sugar and low in fat. I know when you have those post-drinking cravings the little voice is begging you to get a chili cheeseburger, fries, and a chocolate shake, but I assure you, if you can discipline yourself to go for an egg white omelet with some whole grain toast or a grilled chicken breast and potato, after the meal the cravings will be gone. Blood sugar will begin to stabilize.

This is a rehab center that is focused on helping alcoholics overcome and learn to control the desire to drink. The main target of alcohol rehab centers is to assist their patients in going through the hard period of withdrawal from alcohol along with providing them with coping tool to help them resist drinking in the future. The services of this type of center will usually go beyond support groups and self-help programs. Alcohol rehab centers will offer medical support to ease the physical effects of detoxification and psychological therapy. If you are an inpatient in the program, you would move into the center and receive attention 24/7 as you work to gain control of your alcohol addiction.

There are also outpatient alcohol rehab centers where the patient would choose to remain the home with family members. The outpatient center will establish a regular schedule of counseling, support group activity, and physical examinations to help in the patient’s recovery process. The outpatient approach may be more productive but it all depends on how severe the alcohol addiction is. For severe alcohol addiction, it is best if they choose inpatient treatment.

A key fact that alcohol rehab centers take into account is that alcoholism is not a disease that anyone can cure. Once you are an alcoholic you will always be an alcoholic for the remainder of your life. This is the reason that alcohol rehab centers focus on helping the patients to develop coping skills to help them resist the temptation to consume alcohol. During the beginning of the recovery period, the rehab center will provide monitoring to make it a little easier to deal with the withdrawal symptoms that start soon after your body starts to learn to adjust without drinking. Some of these withdrawal symptoms can be very serious and require medical treatment so this is why the patient is carefully monitored when starting alcohol rehab. Depending on the individual, these symptoms can last from several days to months. The more serious symptoms happen to those that are considered hard drinkers and drink more than eight beers a day.

Alcohol rehab centers will also address both the mental and physical impact of alcoholism along with providing them with support, the sill set, and inspiration to overcome their addiction to alcohol and to keep it in check after the treatment is complete. Many who complete successfully the treatment at alcohol rehab centers will continue to participate in support groups in the community. By doing so it will help them to maintain a network of individuals that understand the temptation to drink alcohol and offer support to them to help them resist the urge to drink. Those that are recovering alcoholics will usually join a support group and attend weekly meetings.