We often hear the terms “BAC”, “Blood Alcohol Content” or “Blood Alcohol Level” when we are reading the news or listening to criminal defense attorneys speak on television about DUI arrests or serious car accidents, but what does BAC really mean? The level of alcohol in a person’s body can be measured by either a blood or breath test.

Over the years, breath measuring devices, such as the Datamaster, have become the more popular choice for law enforcement. A test of .08, or eight-hundredths of one gram or more by weight of alcohol per one hundred milliliters of blood or eight-hundredths of one gram or more by weight of alcohol per two hundred ten liters of breath, is the typical beginning threshold for a DUI offense in most jurisdictions.

The question again then is what does .08 mean? To answer this question we need to briefly discuss how alcohol absorbs into the body. Typically alcohol is taken in by the mouth. When the alcohol is ingested, some of the alcohol is absorbed by the membranes in the mouth; however, most of the alcohol goes down the esophagus and into the stomach. Alcohol is then absorbed in the duodenum or small intestine. Eventually, the alcohol makes its way into the general circulation. When we feel the effects of alcohol, or feelings of drunkenness, it is because the alcohol is circulating throughout our body and affecting our brain.

Alcohol absorbs into the body at roughly .02 per drink. A “drink” is defined as one ounce of 80 proof alcohol, one regular 12 ounce beer at roughly 5 percent alcohol or four ounces of unfortified wine. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that a person will begin to feel the effects of alcohol sooner when drinking hard liquor versus light beer.

It takes about 30 to 60 minutes for alcohol to fully absorb after it has been ingested, and there are also other factors that affect how fast the alcohol absorbs, including a person’s size and whether that person is drinking on a full or empty stomach. So if a person of average size is drinking regular twelve ounce cans of Bud Light on an empty stomach, we can estimate that if that person has three or four beers within an hour time frame, their blood alcohol level will likely be close to.08. Now, we must also account for the fact that the body is eliminating the alcohol as it is absorbed. This is why it is often said that as long as a person keeps within one to two regular drinks per hour, their blood alcohol level should remain below.08. With that said, even a small amount of alcohol in your system can result in impairment and slower reflexes, and many car accident injury claims occur because someone was driving while impaired. It is always best to avoid getting behind the wheel after consuming any alcohol.

Rubbing alcohol pro’s:

1. This is a very cheap eczema treatment. You can find treatments for eczema for more than 100 dollars a month, payments on a nice car only cost 200-300 dollars! You can find rubbing alcohol in grocery stores as well as other convenience stores for under ten dollars. All in all you can count on spending less than twenty dollars a month treating your eczema if you choose this option. Drug companies could come up with an eczema product, use this as their main ingredient and sell it for five times the price,

2. This is a very strong treatment; it works by drying out the skin, making eczema less severe. There is not a question of if this treatment will work for you, the question is whether the potential side effects are worth it or not.

Con’s to using this to treat eczema:

1. Rubbing alcohol is very strong, which is a bad thing for many people. It will try your skin out in an instant, routinely making your skin flaky, dry, and red. It will be painful and may even make your eczema situation worse in the long run.

2. This is not meant to treat eczema. This means there will not only be serious side effects, but there are no real tests as to how the treatment will co-exist with your skin over time.

Rubbing alcohol is a very cost effective treatment that has been proven to work, which means you deserve to give it a try no matter the side effects.

The American Medical Association (AMA) defines alcoholism or alcohol dependence as a primary, chronic disease with genetic, psychosocial, and environmental factors influencing its development and manifestations.

Research shows that while some people develop a dependence on alcohol due to family history, childhood abuse or poor self-esteem, a few others get into alcohol use because of peer pressure or to fit into a certain group of people. However, irrespective of the influences that persuade a person to use alcohol, the bittersweet truth is that the journey from "one drink" to "one last drink" is mostly not anticipated.

It is so because unlike the popular belief, once a person passes the threshold levels of alcohol abuse, dependence and tolerance, he / she tends to develop an addiction to alcohol. By this time, his / her brain chemistry gets altered due to substance use and it becomes extremely difficult for him / her to quit alcohol because of the discomforting withdrawal symptoms.

It is also important to know that alcohol addiction is different from alcohol abuse. Those who abuse alcohol usually drink heavily, but not regularly. Such people behave recklessly or have a tendency to mix substances of abuse, which can lead to alcohol poisoning. Further, abuse may lead to addiction, but not vice-versa. However, alcohol addiction involves all aspects-dependence, abuse and tolerance.

State of alcohol addiction in America

Alcoholism is soaring in the United States, the worst part being the fact that more than 80,000 people are losing their lives to alcohol every year.

Recent statistics by renowned research and analysis organizations like the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD) and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) reveal the current state of health of Americans .

Here are a few alarming statistics:

• Alcoholism is the third leading lifestyle-related cause of death in the nation. (Source: NCADD)
• Six people lose their lives due to alcohol poisoning every day; three out of four such people are men. (NIAAA)
• Every day in the US, another 29 people die as a result of drunk driving crashes. That's one person every 50 minutes. (Source: MADD)
• Around 4,700 teens are killed every year due to alcohol use, which is way more than the deaths caused by all illegal drugs combined. (NIAAA)
• Men are twice as likely as women to overdo drinking, be intoxicated behind the wheel or be involved in fatal motor vehicle accidents. (NIAAA)
• Approximately one in two women of childbearing age drink, and 18 percent of women in this group binge drink (five drinks per binge, on an average).
• Less than 8 percent of the 15 million plus people who struggle with an alcohol use disorder receive treatment. (NIAAA)
• Up to 40 percent of all hospital beds in the United States (except for those being used by maternity and intensive care patients) are being used to treat health conditions that are related to alcohol consumption. (NCADD)

Knowing the warning signs of alcohol addiction

Alcohol consumes the body and the mind of the person using it. While the warning signs of drug and alcohol addiction are many, the disruption in normal life caused due to alcohol addiction has serious effects on the afflicted person's thoughts, feelings and actions.

Hence, even if alcohol addiction may not seem like a real thing, it is a big menace. To stay away from being trapped, you should be watchful of these red flags:

1. Resorting to alcohol for every celebration or sorrow
2. Preferring to drink alone than in someone's company
3. Lying about the drinking habit and behavior
4. Binge drinking whenever and wherever possible
5. Negligent attitude toward own health and responsibilities
6. Reckless behavior or no fear of law or rules after drinking
7. Frequent blackouts, leading to impaired memory functioning
8. Weight gain caused due to slow absorption of nutrients from food
9. Development of tolerance to the substance
10. Discomforting withdrawal symptoms, severe than a hangover

Understanding effects of alcohol use on your body

Alcohol is not the solution to any problem. In fact, its dependence, abuse or addiction is a problem in itself.

The resultant alterations in brain chemistry caused due to alcohol addiction affect both physical and mental well-being of the afflicted person. When left untreated, existing issues aggravate and comorbid disorders develop. Getting an accurate diagnosis and undergoing proper treatment can often be a far-fetched dream if the consulting expert is unable to determine if the symptoms are present due to an addiction or a mental illness.

Here is a view of the short-and long-term effects of alcohol use on your body:

Short-term effects

Long-term effects

Slurred speech, drowsiness, headaches

Vomiting, diarrhea, anemia

Difficulty in breathing

Distorted vision and hearing, decreased coordination

Coma, blackouts, unconsciousness

Impaired judgment

Hormonal changes

Sleep problems

Accidental injuries due to inebriation, violent behavior

Fetal damage

· Loss of productivity, increased problems in relationships

High blood pressure, alcohol poisoning, liver disease

· Nerve damage, stroke, heart-related diseases, permanent brain damage

Ulcers, gastritis, cancer

Sexual problems

Depression, personality disorders, suicide

Supporting someone with alcohol addiction

If someone you know is experiencing the above mentioned signs and effects of an alcohol addiction, then your support can be a great aid.

It is with your support that attaining recovery can become a priority for them and everything they love does not have to come last. When that happens, the afflicted person learns to persevere and be remembered for his / her recovery and not his / her addiction.

Here are ways of helping someone with an alcohol addiction:

1. Understand the nuances of alcohol addiction by seeking guidance from published resources and qualified experts.
2. Encourage them to be open about the challenges faced so that you can help them find alternates or solutions to the same.
3. Tell them about the effects of their habits are having on you / others so that they do not take you / others for granted.
4. Convey to them that you are by their side always irrespective of how bad or good the situation may be.
5. Convince them to join a support group or attend community meetings to learn from people facing similar battles.
6. Spare time to take them to detox or therapy sessions whenever possible so that they do not feel alone or demotivated.
7. Lead by example by making a no-drinking pact and rewarding each other for a sober lifestyle from time to time.
8. Be forgiving and avoid blaming them for anything wrong happening in their life, even when the same is true.
9. Avoid confronting them or getting into an argument with them when they are not sober.
10. Remember to keep a tab on your physical or mental health while trying to help them.
11. Refrain from drinking yourself to escape the stress or find an easy solution.
12. Convince them to seek a second opinion from another qualified expert when no favorable results are visible.

Ways to reduce alcohol addiction stigma

As alcohol addiction continues to claim more lives than ever, it is important to remember that the stigma surrounding alcohol addiction is a key contributor to the same.

Supporting someone with alcohol problem is possible. You can do your bit to reduce the deadly stigma by following the useful tips given below:

• Remember that addiction is a disease and spread the word so that others too can change their outlook.
• Practice the habit of not judging people with addiction and encourage others to do so too.
• Talk statistics and proven facts instead of communicating personal opinions.
• Offer help and support to people with addiction by convincing them to seek help.
• Maintain your calm and composure when helping an afflicted person in denial.
• Guide people who have little control over their situation to seek help.
• Give your best efforts to help the afflicted person in identifying the root cause of his / her addiction.
• Never allow anyone to treat a person with addiction in ways that can put him / her under undue pressure.
• Lead by example and stay away from any form of addiction yourselves.
• Be open about your shortcomings (read: addiction) if you have one and seek timely help.
• Motivate people to share their own battles and recovery journey so that others can learn from them.
• Join organizations and nonprofit agencies committed to such issues.

How to help a person with addiction who does not want help

Living in denial or showing little or no willingness to talk about addiction is a characteristic many people with addiction have.

Should the same be a thing of worry? Not really! There are several ways of helping a person living in denial about addiction, including the following:

· Persuasion: The first step involves communicating how their habits are affecting the physical or mental health of the members of the family / neighborhood. To attain success, it is important to plan the conversation in advance, fix a mutually suitable time for the conversation and cite specific instances instead of personal opinions.

Further, confrontations and blame game should be avoided. You must do this over a few days. Additionally, you can simultaneously do the following things to ensure that your efforts do not go in vain:

o Telling them on a regular basis that you / others understand how difficult it must be for them.

o Convincing them to join support groups where they can learn from people facing similar struggles.

o Discussing the importance of a healthy lifestyle and what they are missing out on due to their habits.

o Joining activities that you can do together, such as a sport, dancing classes or anything else of mutual interest.

o Accompanying them to the doctor at least during the first few visits and when they are low or demotivated.

o Attending family therapy sessions to strengthen the bond between the two of you and other members of the family / loved ones.

· Setting clear limits and boundaries: While allowing the afflicted person to take some time to mend his / her habits through the aforementioned ways, it is also necessary to let him / her know that he / she does not have an indefinite period of time to think and act.

You can do so by conveying the eventual consequences of his / her habits. Further, you should also refrain from enabling him / her. It is natural for family members / loved ones to fall prey to the tantrums or the lies of the afflicted person. This can give the false impression to the afflicted that he / she has control over everything.

Taking a stance and sticking to it helps the afflicted person know that he / she is in a tight spot. This has the potential to convince him / her to at least seek professional guidance for his / her habits, if not the treatment in the first go itself.

· Medical intervention: If nothing seems to be working well to help an afflicted person in denial, it becomes extremely important to reach out to a professional interventionist or a certified medical practitioner. Their experience and expertise can help them reason with the afflicted person. However, you should plan this in advance so that there are no last minute issues. Doing so is possible by involving concerned family members and friends who know the afflicted person well and are ready to stand by him / her.

Further, you should also be aware of the concerned person's habits and behaviors. This can help the interventionist have a backup team ready, just in case a medical emergency arises. You should also practice self-care by joining a support group or consulting a therapist yourselves. This is necessary because sometimes, in our endeavor to help someone else, we end up putting our physical or mental health at stake.

Alcohol addiction is treatable

Regardless of whether a person is an occasional drinker, regular drinker or a heavy drinker, the truth is that alcohol does not discriminate when it comes to affecting the user's body and mind. It slowly crawls upon to become an addiction and with time, instead of the person abusing alcohol, alcohol begins to abuse him / her back.

But the good news is that alcohol addiction is treatable. With the help of a comprehensive treatment program that involves therapy, detox, self-care and a relapse prevention strategy, seeking a full, healthy and lasting recovery from alcohol addiction is possible. The key to the same is consulting a qualified addiction expert who has experience in dealing with patients with addiction as well as comorbid disorders. He / she can also enable the family members / loved ones of the afflicted person with ways to help someone with alcohol addiction.

You too can help someone overcome alcohol addiction. When you religiously follow the dos an don'ts of helping a person with addiction, it can be a blessing for the afflicted person and his / her loved ones.

Take the first step toward supporting someone with alcohol dependence today and witness the difference you can make to their lives! Every bit of your support for alcohol addiction and the people afflicted with it, will count, sooner or later.

Let’s face it. For most Australians, we’ve played sport from a very young age. Many of us continue to play competitive sports for our entire lives. Obviously most athletes have a peak age they reach for competition, which in males is about thirty, and in females about 33.

I myself am a professional athlete. I compete in Mixed Martial Arts, one of the most physically taxing and as most will agree, brutal sports there are. And let me tell you, there is nothing worse than trying to even complete a training session of grappling or striking after an all-night bender!

Another simple truth is that being Australian, we are very social people. And we like to drink. I cannot name any person that I know at home that will not indulge in a drink on a Friday or Saturday night with their friends over a meal, me included! But my opinions on alcohol and training are simple; alcohol will affect every aspect of your training. It affects your ability to recover, it affects your ability to think and coordinate your mind and body, it affects your liver and your digestive systems, it affects the ability of your body to metabolise fats and proteins, and for those like myself who are involved in sports where weight and weight loss are very important, it can affect your ability to lose weight.

Without needing to indulge into scientific evidence, the evidence against alcohol and athletic performance well outweighs the benefits. Research indicates that drinking a glass or two or red wine every couple of nights can help reduce blood pressure, but for those of us who are competitive athletes, strict dieting is also important, so blood pressure (unless the athlete has a pre-existing condition) should never be an issue.

For those training for professional sports, one of the best ways to learn about this subject is to listen to people and gather from those with experience. So here are a few quotes from people who have been training and competing as professionals.

Rob Hill (Australia) Pro MMA Fighter -“Alcohol, like everything else can be done in moderation. However, for those who are competing, regardless of any sport, it will slow your fitness, your progress and your recovery. There is nothing that can affect you as badly as alcohol unless you are injured or sick, and nobody wants that. Alcohol also affects your immune and nervous system, which makes it harder to recover between sessions, and means you can become more prone to becoming sick. Steer clear for at least a couple of months before and event, and enjoy one or two for a reward after a fight or an event.”

Robert Bondy (England) Pro Boxer – ” No go, whatsoever. If you are training for a fight camp, whether it is a 6 or 8 week camp, doesn’t matter, no alcohol for a training camp. Most people grow up being able to drink and being able to in between their camps, and that is acceptable as it is important for a person to mentally recover and spend time with their friends and family and for it not be a burden. But for a training camp, no alcohol. It just affects too many things that can cost you a fight.”

Silviu Vulc (Romania) MMA coach, former Red Devil fight team member, former Romanian boxing coach – ” It is not too bad to have a glass of alcohol or a beer after training, as long as it is with food or dinner, as it can help relax the body after a training session. A glass of wine is best. But before an event, for 6 weeks, no alcohol.”

Rafael ‘Negao’ Lopes (Brazil) MMA Fighter, Muay Thai Fighter, BJJ Brown belt and coach – “Man, you cannot drink. If I drink and train for a fight, I never feel like I recover. If I drink beer it is different to vodka or spirit, beer is still bad, but I feel very bad if I drink vodka. If I fight, I don’t drink, for sure!”

Boyd ‘Gypsy’ Clark (Australia) Muay Thai, Boxing – “If for some reason you had to, one alcoholic drink wouldn’t really affect training. If your fight camp was set out for six weeks, I would like to think that you would not drink any alcohol, more than one drink if you absolutely had to. More than anything, it would hinder your recovery, so you would never be able to push yourself to 100% in your training sessions.”

So their you have it, from active fighters and coaches with a lot of experience. Common opinion is that alcohol consumption while preparing for any kind of competition is going to hinder your performance, by reducing your ability to recover, slowing your nervous system down and reducing your ability to train at 100%, which is what every athlete wanting to make the top of their sport wants!

Introduction

 

The drug naltrexone has been approved by the FDA for the treatment of opiate addiction since 1984 and for the treatment of alcohol problems since 1994. Although many doctors have prescribed naltrexone for alcohol problems since it was approved by the FDA, naltrexone has not proven very effective when prescribed according to the FDA’s recommendation to take it daily while abstaining from alcohol.

 

However, David Sinclair PhD, a research scientist working in Finland, has discovered a different way of prescribing naltrexone which has shown an 80% success rate with patients who are prescribed naltrexone and a 90% success rate with patients who take the naltrexone as directed. This method of prescribing naltrexone has come to be referred to as The Sinclair Method. 90% of patients who take naltrexone according to The Sinclair Method either quit drinking or become moderate drinkers in the space of three months. No inpatient treatment is required and naltrexone is available in a cheap generic form which makes this not only a highly effective treatment for alcohol problems, but a one of the least expensive as well.

 

What is The Sinclair Method?

 

According to the Sinclair Method patients should only take naltrexone when they intend to drink alcohol and should never take naltrexone when they intend to abstain from alcohol. This is in sharp contrast with the FDA’s recommendation that naltrexone should only be given to patients who promise to abstain from alcohol and that it should be administered daily. Moreover, when naltrexone is taken according to the recommendations of the FDA it is only slightly more effective than a placebo–a sharp contrast with the 90% success rate of The Sinclair Method of using naltrexone. In addition, some research suggests that the only patients who benefit by taking naltrexone as prescribed by FDA guidelines are those who cheat and drink on the naltrexone, and that those who abstain while taking the naltrexone not only have greater alcohol cravings than those who get a placebo–but are also more likely to relapse into severe drinking problems in the long term.

 

The Sinclair method says to take 50 mg of naltrexone one hour before drinking every time that you drink for the rest of your life. Naltrexone taken according to The Sinclair method is safe even for drinkers who are heavily physically dependent on alcohol since the naltrexone causes them to gradually drink less and less per day and thus taper off of the alcohol with no withdrawal symptoms whatsoever.

 

How does The Sinclair Method work?

 

According to David Sinclair, alcohol addiction is a conditioned response. People become conditioned to drink alcohol because of alcohol’s actions in the brain in much the same way that Pavlov’s dogs became conditioned to salivate at the sound of a bell. This is because every time that one drinks alcohol, endorphins are released in the brain. Endorphins are chemicals which are responsible for learning new conditioned responses. Normally this is a good thing because the conditioned responses which we learn help us to survive. However, in the case of alcohol addiction, the conditioned response leads people to perpetuate a bad habit. The endorphins which are released into the brain when people drink alcohol reinforce the drinking behavior, and this can lead to addiction to alcohol.

 

Naltrexone totally blocks the effects of endorphins in the brain. If you take naltrexone before drinking alcohol then the drinking behavior will not be reinforced. When a behavior is not reinforced it eventually disappears. Psychologists refer to this process as “extinction”. Since naltrexone is a pharmaceutical, using naltrexone to extinguish drinking behavior is referred to as “pharmacological extinction”. Pharmacological extinction of problem drinking by using naltrexone is The Sinclair Method.

 

When we understand that problem drinking is a conditioned response and that this conditioned response can be extinguished by using naltrexone according to The Sinclair Method, it becomes very obvious why the FDA’s method of using naltrexone is not effective. If a person takes naltrexone every day then the naltrexone will tend to extinguish every pleasurable behavior which results in the release of endorphins, not just drinking behavior. This includes everything pleasurable from reading to jogging to sex. Moreover, if one abstains while taking the naltrexone, then drinking will be the only behavior which is NOT extinguished by the naltrexone.

 

Why Isn’t The Sinclair Method Popular In The United States?

 

Since The Sinclair Method has shown a great deal of success in Finland, why hasn’t it been generally adopted in the United States?

 

There are a couple of reasons that this may be the case. Since naltrexone is now available as a generic, the pharmaceutical companies will not make any major profits by promoting it. Moreover, American addictionologists seem to generally shy away from anything which does not involve complete abstinence and surrender to a “Higher Power”. Moreover the 2009 edition of The Physician’s Desk Reference no longer lists oral naltrexone as available for prescription in the United States–only 30 day implants are available. 20 day naltrexone implants cannot be used for implementing The Sinclair Method. It is unfortunate that our pharmaceutical companies have taken such a giant step backward just at the very time an extremely effective method of using oral naltrexone has been discovered.

 

Fortunately there are a few professionals in the United States who are now promoting The Sinclair method. We can only hope that this grass roots movement will grow and that more and more people we become familiar with The Sinclair Method and put it into practice to help eliminate the alcohol problems which continue to plague the United States.

 

REFERENCES:

 

Anton RF, O’Malley SS, Ciraulo DA, Cisler RA, Couper D, Donovan DM, Gastfriend DR, Hosking JD, Johnson BA, LoCastro JS, Longabaugh R, Mason BJ, Mattson ME, Miller WR, Pettinati HM, Randall CL, Swift R, Weiss RD, Williams LD, Zweben A; COMBINE Study Research Group. (2006). Combined pharmacotherapies and behavioral interventions for alcohol dependence: the COMBINE study: a randomized controlled trial. JAMA. May 3;295(17):2003-17.

 

Eskapa, R (2008). The Cure for Alcoholism: Drink Your Way Sober Without Willpower, Abstinence or Discomfort. Benbella Books. Dallas, TX.

 

Heinälä P, Alho H, Kiianmaa K, Lönnqvist J, Kuoppasalmi K, Sinclair JD. (2001). Targeted use of naltrexone without prior detoxification in the treatment of alcohol dependence: a factorial double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology. Jun;21(3):287-92.

 

Medical Economics Co. (2009), Physicians’ desk reference : PDR. Medical Economics Co., Oradell, N.J.

 

Sinclair JD. (2001). Evidence about the use of naltrexone and for different ways of using it in the treatment of alcoholism. Alcohol and Alcoholism.Jan-Feb;36(1):2-10.

There are conflicting reports out there about tinnitus and alcohol. Some people claim that having a drink reduces their tinnitus symptoms. Other people claim that having a drink increases makes their ear ring worse.

Science hasn’t helped clear things up either. A 1995 study at the Welsh Hearing Institute found that 22% of the participants reported increased tinnitus from drinking alcohol, while 16% reported reduced symptoms. The other 62% reported no effect. With results like those, it is no wonder people are asking questions like these:

Why do some people get tinnitus relief with alcohol?

There is no solid research that tells us why some people benefit from mixing tinnitus and alcohol. One possible reason is that the people who benefit from a drink or two are those whose ringing ears are at least partly caused by stress.

A little bit of alcohol is known to reduce stress in many people, so it stands to reason that for those people, a drink could act as a makeshift tinnitus treatment.

IMPORTANT: Please do not take anything you read here as a suggestion that you should start drinking if you do not already do so! This article only pertains to people who currently drink alcohol and are wondering about its effects on their ringing ears.

Why do some people find that tinnitus and alcohol don’t mix?

If you are a heavy drinking, it is easy to understand why your drinking makes your ears ring worse. Heavy drinking causes headaches and general damage to your system, which can only be bad for your ears. The connections are less clear for moderate drinkers. It could be because some people find alcohol to be a mild stimulant, and stimulants are known to increase tinnitus symptoms.

How do I know which group I fall in?

You can easily figure out whether alcohol improves, worsens, or doesn’t appreciably affect your ringing ears. Simply keep a log for a few weeks. In it, record how bad your tinnitus is before and after you consume alcohol. Over time, a pattern will emerge that tells you where you stand.

Perfumes are a very important part of your toilette; the right fragrance helps you smell really good and it enhances your personality and self-confidence. If you look around for a good perfume you are sure to come across plenty of alcohol free perfumes. If your religion forbids you from touching any product that contains alcohol then you certainly need to use these products.; However, you will also be glad to know that alcohol perfumes have many more advantages.

1. Perfumes made of oils tend to have a natural fragrance when compared to alcohol based alternatives. In fact, these scents have a very discernable and pure fragrance and they are rarely overpowering.

2. Oil based scents tend to last longer on your skin when compared to alcohol flavored ones since alcohol tends to evaporate very fast. These perfumes smell very strong when you first supply them but the scent goes away very fast on account of evaporation. If you do not get a lot of opportunities to touch your perfume up then it makes a lot of sense to use an oil based one.

3. If you wear an oil based fragrance then it will be very mild. This means that there is very little chance of irritating the nasal membranes of a person who has a sensitive nose. It also means that you won’t have to worry that your perfume has entered a room long before you do.

4. Many people are allergic to alcohol on their skin and therefore they cannot use perfumes that contain this ingredient. Alcohol also has a drying effect on the skin; it is best avoided if the weather is very hot and dry.

5. It is an interesting paradox that an alcohol based perfumes is very costly even though it is mass produced. Most of the biggest names in this industry do use alcohol and their products are priced very high. Natural perfumes, on the other hand, are very affordable.

While most of the perfumes available these days are made of alcohol, it is very easy to find products that do not contain this ingredient. The growing demand for fragrances that do not contain oil ensures that many famous perfume companies have started offering them in addition to their regular products. Be sure that you try out different options before you select the right one. It is also important to buy perfumes from a reliable company that uses high quality ingredients.

Alcohol can make you laugh or it can make you cry, it can make you lively or make you sleepy, it can boost your confidence or make you act the fool. How can alcohol have all these different effects on people? If we want to know how alcohol affects our moods and behaviors we must first understand a bit about how the brain works.

The human brain is made up of about 100 billion nerve cells (also known as neurons). Everything that we think, feel or do is the result of electrical signals passing back and forth between neurons. These electrical signals require the help of chemicals called neurotransmitters in order to pass from neuron to neuron. Scientists have identified around 60 different neurotransmitters so far and tell us that there are probably many more yet to be identified.

Different neurotransmitters have different effects in the brain. For example, serotonin is connected with mood. People suffering from clinical depression tend to have a shortage of serotonin in their brains, and medications like Prozac can help to alleviate depression by increasing the availability of serotonin in the brain. Endorphins are a class of neurotransmitters which act as the brain’s natural painkillers.

Electrical signals in the brain are transmitted in the following manner: The neuron which is sending the electrical signal releases a neurotransmitter, and the neuron which is receiving the electrical signal accepts the neurotransmitter at a site which is called a receptor. When the neurotransmitter from the first neuron chemically binds to the receptor of the second neuron the electrical signal is transmitted. Neurotransmitters and receptors work like locks and keys: there is at least one different receptor for each different neurotransmitter. For example, an endorphin receptor can only be triggered by and endorphin, a serotonin receptor can only be triggered by serotonin, and so on. Different neurons have different receptors. Some neurons will only be triggered by serotonin, some only by an endorphin, and so on for all the different neurotransmitters.

Okay–now what does all of this have to do with alcohol?

Every mood altering substance from heroin to coffee has an effect on the neurotransmitter system of the brain. Some psychoactive drugs affect only one specific neurotransmitter system, whereas others affect many. Morphine, for example, mimics the neurotransmitter beta-endorphin–a natural painkiller found in the brain. Morphine is shaped like beta-endorphin and binds to the beta-endorphin receptors thus acting as a painkiller and also giving rise to feelings of pleasure. Caffeine is shaped like Adenosine and acts on the adenosine receptors. Alcohol on the other hand affects many different neurotransmitters, not just one, Why is this?

Morphine and caffeine are both large molecules. Neurotransmitters are also large molecules. Morphine and caffeine have the effects which they do because of their similarity in shape to neurotransmitters which occur naturally in the brain. Alcohol on the other hand is a quite small molecule. Alcohol does not mimic a neurotransmitter. So then how does alcohol affect neurotransmitters?

Alcohol is a fat soluble molecule. Fats (called lipids) are a major component of all cell membranes, including the cell membranes of neurons. Alcohol enters the cell membranes of neurons and changes their properties. Receptors are located on cell membranes and this means that receptor properties are altered by the presence of alcohol. Cell membranes also control the release of neurotransmitters and this means that the release of neurotransmitters is also affected by the presence of alcohol.

The effects of alcohol on receptors and neurotransmitters have been well documented for several neurotransmitters and their corresponding receptors. These effects are summarized in Table 1.

Table 1: Alcohol’s Effect on Neurotransmitters and Receptors

• Glutamate
  • Alcohol inhibits glutamate receptor function
  • This causes muscular relaxation, discoordination, slurred speech, staggering, memory disruption, and blackouts
  • Ether and chloroform have similar effects on the glutamate system
• GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid)
  • Alcohol enhances GABA receptor function
  • This causes feelings of calm, anxiety-reduction and sleep
  • Valium has a similar effect on the GABA system
• Dopamine
  • Alcohol raises dopamine levels
  • This leads to excitement and stimulation
  • Cocaine and amphetamine have similar effects on the dopamine system
• Endorphins
  • Alcohol raises endorphin levels
  • This kills pain and leads to an endorphin “high”
  • Morphine and heroin have similar effects on the endorphin system

Drugs like morphine or cocaine have been referred to as “chemical scalpels” because of their very precise effects on just one neurotransmitter system. Alcohol on the other hand is much more like a chemical hand grenade in that it affects just about all parts of the brain and all neurotransmitter systems. Alcohol affects all these systems at the same time. When people drink alcohol they become lively and excited because alcohol raises dopamine levels just as cocaine does, although alcohol does not raise dopamine levels anywhere near as much as cocaine does. When people drink alcohol they feel calm and lose their anxieties because alcohol makes the GABA receptors function more efficiently just like valium does. The reason that people tend to fall asleep after drinking alcohol or taking valium is also due to this effect on the GABA receptor. And alcohol has a painkilling effect like morphine and produces a high similar to morphine because it causes a release of endorphins into the brain thus raising the endorphin levels. (Note that the effect of morphine is different from alcohol in its mechanism–morphine imitates endorphins and binds to endorphin receptors whereas alcohol increases the amounts of the endorphins in the brain.) Finally we come to glutamate. Alcohol greatly inhibits the functioning of the glutamate receptor. Glutamate is responsible for the formation of new memories as well as for muscular coordination. It is alcohol’s effect on the glutamate receptor which leads to slurred speech, and staggering in people who have consumed alcohol, as well as the inability to remember what one did that night when the morning after comes. Perhaps the only positive effect of this effect on the glutamate receptor is a feeling of muscular relaxation. Many negative effects of alcohol such as automobile fatalities due to drunk driving are the result of the loss of coordination caused by alcohol’s effect on the glutamate receptor. Even small amounts of alcohol have a major impact on coordination–so never, never drink and drive.

You have probably observed that alcohol seems to have different effects on different people. Some people quickly become sleepy after drinking just a little alcohol whereas others become animated and want to just go, go, go. Research on mice suggests that this difference is genetic. Scientists have been able to breed strains of mice which quickly go to sleep after ingesting alcohol. They have also been able to breed strains of mice which become very active after ingesting alcohol. This strongly suggests that genetics determines which neurotransmitter system is most strongly affected by alcohol in which individual. Individuals who become sleepy soon after drinking probably have their GABA system more strongly affected by alcohol. And individuals who become lively and excited after drink probably have their dopamine system most strongly affected.

The effects of alcohol on the brain do not end when alcohol is completely metabolized and out of the system–what happens next is something called neurotransmitter rebound. This rebound effect is most easily illustrated if we look at what happens to many people when they use a drink or two as a sleep aid. These people often tend to wake up in the middle of the night and find themselves unable to fall back asleep. What is happening is this–alcohol has enhanced the functioning of the GABA system and has made these people feel relaxed and sleepy. The entire time that alcohol is present the GABA system is struggling to overcome the effects of alcohol and return to normal functioning. When all the alcohol is finally out of the body, the GABA system overshoots the mark and leaves people feeling restless and wide awake. This is why alcohol is not a good sleep aid. Large quantities of alcohol can keep a person asleep longer, but drinking large quantities of alcohol has its own negative effects. Neurotransmitter rebound seems also to be implicated in symptoms of hangovers such as hyper-sensitivity to light and in alcohol withdrawal syndrome giving rise to feelings of anxiety and panic and other symptoms as well.

Some medications used to treat alcohol abuse such as campral and naltrexone work by affecting the neurotransmitter systems. Naltrexone (also called revia) is an opioid receptor antagonist. Naltrexone works by binding to the endorphin receptors (which are sometimes also called opioid receptors) and blocking them off so that opiates cannot bind to these receptors. Unlike opiates or endorphins naltrexone has no painkilling effects and no pleasurable effects. Naltrexone simply blocks off the endorphin receptors so that neither opiates nor endorphins can have their painkilling or pleasurable effects. Naltrexone is highly effective with people who use opiates such as morphine or heroin since these drugs have no effect at all when the receptors are blocked by naltrexone. Naltrexone has some effect in helping people to abstain from alcohol or to moderate their use, however it is not as effective with alcohol as with opiates because alcohol affects many different neurotransmitters. The downside of naltrexone is that the body’s natural painkillers, the endorphins, are unable to do their job when it is present. People taking naltrexone are advised to wear medic-alert bracelets so that doctors will know that painkillers are ineffective on these people.

Campral (also known as acamprosate) is a glutamate receptor modulator. Campral helps eliminate cravings for alcohol in long term heavy drinkers. It is hypothesized that long term heavy drinking upsets the glutamate neurotransmitter system and that campral helps to restore this to normal.

No discussion of alcohol and the brain would be complete without a mention of possible brain damage caused by alcohol abuse. It is likely that we have all heard that drinking kills brain cells. However, does scientific evidence bear out this common folk saying? A 1993 study by Jensen and Pakkenberg published in Lancet titled “Do alcoholics drink their neurons away?” compared the brains of alcoholics to the brains of non-alcoholics. This study found that the white matter of the brains of alcoholics was significantly depleted. The gray matter, however, was the same in both alcoholics and non-alcoholics. This is interesting since it is the gray matter that does the thinking. The gray matter has been compared to a network of computers, and the white matter to the cables linking them together. The brain does not produce new gray matter to replace that which is lost. The brain can, however, produce new white matter to replace white matter which has been lost. The researchers concluded that loss of white matter do to heavy drinking may possibly not constitute irreparable damage.

There is, however, a form of irreparable brain damage which can be caused by long term heavy drinking. This is Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome, also known as “wet brain”. Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndromeis not caused by a loss of brain cells–it is caused by a deficiency of vitamin B1 (also known as thiamine). Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome can have several causes including extreme malnutrition, prolonged periods of vomiting due to morning sickness or an eating disorder, kidney dialysis, stomach stapling, or alcohol abuse. The vast majority of cases of Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome which occur in the United States are caused by severe, long-term, heavy drinking. Alcohol can lead to Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome because it blocks the absorption of thiamine. Symptoms of Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome include amnesia, inability to form new memories, confusion, hallucinations, and confabulation. Some of the more severe symptoms of Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome can be treated with thiamine, however in most cases many of the symptoms persist for a lifetime.

Have scientists discovered everything that there is to know about alcohol’s effects on the brain? It seems that this is clearly not the case. Scientists believe that alcohol likely affects many more neurotransmitters than the four discussed in this article. There is constant and ongoing research to discover how alcohol might affect other neurotransmitters. The future is likely to bring us much new knowledge about alcohol and the brain.

The main ingredient of any perfumes or fragrances is in its oil concentration. The higher the oil concentration, the better it is for the perfumes. The most concentrated and high quality fragrances contain 15% to 30% of perfumes oil. Commonly used fragrances are eau de toilette which contains 5% to 8% of oil. The balance of the mixtures would contain water and alcohol.

The reason why alcohol is mixed with the oil is to make the perfume smell stronger. This is especially done to some fragrance type which contains low perfumes oil. For example, eau de cologne type of perfume has 3% to 5% of oil. In order to make the perfumes smell stronger, alcohol is mixed into the ingredient.

Majority of commercially sold fragrances are mix with alcohol, which causes the scent of the perfume to evaporate faster. When you first spray a perfume with high alcohol content, it tends to smell strong initially. After an hour or two, the scent of the fragrance diminished considerably, meaning you cannot smell it as well. Alcohol-free perfumes last longer, and they go on much more subtly. They do not evaporate very fast. Some non-alcohol based perfumes can last longer up to 12 to 24 hours.

Another difference between the alcohol and non-alcohol based perfumes are in their bottling and pricing. Most non-alcohol based perfumes are packed into a small bottle since it contains pure perfume oils. For the alcohol based perfumes, the bottle come in a variety of sizes and designs. It is very obvious that the bottle design is very attractive and in terms of pricing, would cost more. If you can afford to buy pure perfume, it is much advisable since it is cost effective and its smells last longer.

A lot of people report that they feel more relaxed or numb once the “buzz” of a few drinks hits their system. But does this mean that alcohol can help relieve back pain? Others report that they actually experience an increase in back pain when they enjoy an alcoholic beverage. What’s really going on here?

To be honest, it really depends on what the cause of your back pain is. If the pain is due to a tense or contracted muscle that is putting pressure on the Sciatic nerve, for example, drinking alcohol may actually help.

For example, I used to suffer from Piriformis syndrome, which is a tense muscle in the pelvis that cause pain by crushing the Sciatic nerve. I found that an occasional drink would actually help to relax the muscles in my body and release the tension in my Pirifomris.

Now, this isn’t an excuse to abuse alcohol. If you are suffering from pain caused by muscle tension, then you need to address this by naturally loosening the muscles and releasing the tension. The best way to do this is by stretching out the muscles and helping them to relax.

Relying on alcohol to treat back pain in this way is like using painkillers to treat back pain. You don’t really deal with the underlying problem, you are just temporarily getting rid of the pain. Never use alcohol as a “solution” to your back pain problem.

However, some people also complain of back pain that occurs when they drink alcohol.

Alcohol can also cause inflammation in your body too, which in turn can promote back pain. In this way, alcohol can be a double edged sword. On one hand, it can help to relax muscles, but at the same time, it may promote inflammation.

The story doesn’t end there though.

Now, I’m not a medical professional, so you should probably talk to your doctor about this. However, I do know that people can develop kidney stones which can cause pain like this.

Your kidneys are located in your lower torso and pain in your kidneys can easily be mistaken for a general pain in your back.

Alcohol acts as a diuretic, which means that it makes you have to urinate. When this happens, your kidneys produce more urine. But if there is an obstruction in your kidneys such as a kidney stone that might interfere with the production of urine, then you could experience pain.

If this is the cause of your pain, then other fluids such as coffee should also cause back pain to present itself.

There could be other causes to your pain as well. It can be difficult to diagnose the cause of back pain without knowing more about you and your lifestyle and overall health. It is important to seek the advice of your doctor to get a better understanding about what is behind the pain. Again, alcohol should not be used as a way to treat pain or to cope with any sort of health condition you may be suffering from.