Tag Archives: alcohol use disorder

Substance Abuse vs Addiction

Substance Abuse vs Addiction

Substance Abuse vs Addiction

All too often, the phrase “substance abuse” is used interchangeably with the word “addiction.” Abuse and addiction take similar physical, psychological, and social tolls for those who are suffering. However, it is important to understand the difference between substance abuse vs addiction. Learning about each will help you identify if an individual is casually abusing drugs or alcohol or in serious need of assistance to break an addiction.

Recognizing Substance Abuse

Substance abuse and addiction are not actually the same thing. On the surface, substance abuse may not look like extreme or dangerous behavior. In fact, it may not stand out as abnormal at all. If drinking or recreational drug use has become normalized in your social circle, you could even be abusing substances without knowing it. 

Substance abuse involves using a substance, whether it be alcohol, prescription drugs, or illicit “street” drugs, to a point that becomes a hazard to your health. This includes using medications in ways other than prescribed.

When Substance Use Starts to Affect Your LIfe

Substance abuse also includes using substances to a point where doing so starts to affect your ability to live your life as you had prior to using. This point can come far quicker than many people realize. As soon as you start using your substance of choice to cope with emotions, thoughts, stress, or living situations, you are abusing that particular substance. This is true even if you have not experienced any consequences yet as a result. 

For example, consider alcohol consumption. According to the USDA, a safe and moderate level of alcohol consumption is no more than one drink per day for women and two drinks per day for men. Someone who drinks more than this is abusing alcohol by definitions, even if their consumption does not appear excessive to others. It has been shown drinking past the recommended daily limit increases the risk alcohol will affect your health, put at risk for DUIs, and other undesirable outcomes. 

Most individuals who abuse substances but are not yet addicted, feel like they can stop whenever they want to. Some people abuse substances intermittently instead of regularly. This can mask the fact that there is a problem. Substance abuse is still a widespread issue causing problems in many people’s lives. The CDC notes that more than 10 percent of people over the age of 12 have used some type of illicit drug in the past month. While not everyone who abuses drugs will go on to develop an addiction, many will. 

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Substance Abuse vs Addiction20

When Substance Abuse Becomes Addiction

Addiction is a more serious problem than substance abuse. While substance abuse can be situational, addiction is a pervasive problem affecting every aspect of a person’s life. Substance abuse is a negative behavior that a person chooses whereas addiction is a disease of the brain. Many people are able to stop abusing substances on their own, but recovering from addiction is a significantly more complex task usually requiring outside help. 

The main hallmark of addiction is physical dependency. After a person abuses drugs or alcohol for a long enough period, their brain starts to change physically, making it difficult for the person to feel normal without their substance of choice. Drug or alcohol use causes a rush of dopamine in the brain. Eventually, the brain acclimates to the euphoria and begins to demand more, building a tolerance and creating an addiction.

When an addicted person does not have drugs or alcohol in their system, the lack of dopamine beings to show ill effects. Addicted individuals will start to experience withdrawal symptoms like tremors, nausea, and hallucinations (withdrawal symptoms vary from substance to substance). Essentially the person loses their ability to function normally when not drunk or high. 

Is Addiction a Choice?

Substance abuse may be a choice, but addiction rarely is. One of the defining traits of addiction is the inability to stop using drugs or alcohol, despite the negative social or health consequences. To an addicted person, seeking out and using their substance of choice is the most important thing in life.

Addiction will cause users to lie, steal, and sneak around to use drugs or alcohol. It is not that they are inherently bad people. It is simply their illness has hijacked the decision-making parts of their brain, leading them to take actions unfathomable prior to developing an addiction. 

Addiction is widespread with more than 15 million adults in the United States addicted to alcohol, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Further, addictive behaviors cost the U.S. more than $740 billion every year in health care costs and lost productivity. The good news is addiction is treatable, although only about. Unfortunately, only about 10 percent of those addicted actually receive treatment. 

Are You Dealing With Substance Abuse or Addiction?

If you are wondering whether you or a loved has a problem with drugs or alcohol, the odds are likely that you may indeed have a problem. Whether or not the substance abuse has progressed to the level of addiction, it is important to seek help as soon as possible before the problem gets worse.

You or a loved one may be addicted to a substance if any of the following are true: 

  • You use drugs or alcohol alone.
  • You lie to friends or loved ones about your substance use.
  • You feel out of control and cannot stop drinking or using even when you want to.
  • You experience physical withdrawals when you cannot use your substance of choice.
  • Your drinking or drug use is affecting your relationships, job, or academic performance.

Seeking Help and Getting Sober

It is never too late to seek professional guidance when it comes to substance use. Substance abuse versus addiction is indeed an important question. However, most important is finding the help you or your loved needs.

If you or someone you know may be struggling with either substance abuse or addiction, let them know specially trained professionals are here to help, in addition to their friends, family, and the community they live in. Contact a professional at Desert Cove Recovery today for more information.

 

Perks of Giving up Alcohol for Good: Sobriety Perks

Perks of Giving up Alcohol for Good: Sobriety Perks

While the thought of giving up alcohol might seem overwhelming to some people, doing so can offer numerous long-term benefits. Some sobriety perks include such things as better sleep, better skin and hair, and a reduction of risk for such conditions as diabetes, cancer, liver disease and others. You may also enjoy better relationships with your friends and family. If you are thinking about giving up alcohol, it may be easier when you think about the sobriety perks that you will enjoy instead of focusing on not being able to drink.

Sleep More Without Alcohol

Drinking alcohol disrupts your sleep. In one study that was published in Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, a peer-reviewed journal, the researchers found that people who drink alcohol before they go to sleep show an increase in alpha waves. Alpha waves are most common when people are awake but in a resting state. This means that your sleep is disrupted. A meta-analysis of 27 studies of alcohol’s effect on sleep found that while alcohol might help people to fall asleep faster initially, it causes them to toss and turn at night and interferes with their REM sleep. This results in fatigue, lower concentration and problems with focusing during the day. When you give up alcohol, you can look forward to better sleep, less fatigue and a better ability to concentrate during the day.

Without Alcohol Your Hair and Skin will Shine

Since alcohol is a diuretic, it can cause you to become dehydrated easily. This may also cause your skin to become less hydrated, leading to complexion problems. When you give up alcohol, you’ll notice that your skin looks fuller and less dry. Ruddiness around your nose and on your cheeks may also fade, and other skin issues may improve. your hair is also likely to improve. It may become shinier and fuller when you give up alcohol for good.

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perks of giving up alcohol

Lessen the Risk of Disease When You Give up Drinking

A huge benefit of giving up alcohol is that you can enjoy substantially lower risks of developing certain diseases. The National Cancer Institute reports that quitting drinking can reduce your risk of developing seven different types of cancer. In a study that was reported in the National Institutes of Health’s Report on Carcinogens, 19,500 cancer deaths in 2009 were alcohol-related, which accounted for 3.5 percent of the total.

In addition to reducing your risk of cancer, quitting alcohol can also help to reduce your risk of diabetes and liver disease. Your liver is responsible for processing liver. When people drink too much alcohol, the liver is unable to keep up and stores glucose as fat. If you have a fatty liver, stopping drinking may allow it to heal so that you can lower your risk of developing liver disease or cirrhosis. Moderate amounts of alcohol may cause your blood sugar to rise while excessive amounts of alcohol may cause it to fall dangerously. This may raise your risk of developing diabetes. Quitting drinking can help you to get your blood sugar under control.

Relationships Improve Without Alcohol

There is no question that alcohol can negatively impact relationships with your family and friends. When you quit drinking, you can concentrate on rebuilding these relationships. Remaining sober may help you to learn how to deal with disappointments and stress in a healthier way.

Lose Weight When You Give Up Alcohol

A great benefit of quitting drinking is that you may find that you lose excess weight almost effortlessly. There are quite a few calories in alcohol. When you stop drinking, you give up those excess calories. As long as you don’t replace the calories with desserts or snacks, you may begin to lose the excess weight that you have wanted to for a long time.

More Money When You’re Not Buying Alcohol

Drinking costs a lot of money, especially if you have been a moderate or heavy drinker or have indulged in expensive liqueurs or wines. Sitting down with a calculator and a pen and paper can be eye-opening. Tally up how much you drank each day both at home and while you were out and look at the cost. It can be very motivating for most people to remain sober when they see exactly how much their former alcohol use cost them each month. A fun thing to do is to put the money that you used to spend on alcohol in your savings and reward yourself for your sobriety with a fun trip.

Embracing sobriety for the long term may seem like a daunting idea, but you may enjoy numerous benefits when you do. Keep reminding yourself of these sobriety perks, and make certain to talk to people in your support network when you experience cravings. Soon, you will be on your way to a healthier and happier life that is alcohol-free.

Sources
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/acer.12621/abstract

https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/alcohol/alcohol-fact-sheet#q2

http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/ntp/roc/twelfth/profiles/AlcoholicBeverageConsumption.pdf

https://www.webmd.com/diabetes/guide/drinking-alcohol

Study: Marriage Can Help Prevent Alcohol Abuse

amjournpsychNew research appearing in the American Journal of Psychiatry has shown that first marriages to people without a history of alcohol use disorder can help prevent spouses from developing drinking problems as well.

Led by Dr. Kenneth Kendler of Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, the study examined 3 million people in Sweden, of which over 70,000 had drinking problems. Although there wasn’t a direct cause found, it was discovered that the risk of developing an alcohol use disorder among married men was 60 percent less and 71 percent less for married women compared to single people.

In a release from the American Psychiatric Association, Dr. Kendler said that the results, “strongly suggest that marriage does indeed directly and substantially reduce risk for onset of alcohol use disorder. It is also especially intriguing that this effect is largest in those at highest risk.”

Despite the many insensitive jokes of spouses being driven to drink by their marriage, this information indicates that they are actually more likely to help reinforce healthier drinking habits, including abstinence.

In the conclusion statements for the study, the authors wrote, “these results are consistent with the hypothesis that the psychological and social aspects of marriage, and in particular health-monitoring spousal interactions, strongly protect against the development of alcohol use disorder. The protective effects of marriage on risk for alcohol use disorder are increased in those at high familial risk for alcoholism.”

In a time where more research seems to look for genetic causes or brain functions relating to substance abuse, it is nice to also see studies about the social influences. All of the information combined together helps us be able to prevent alcohol and drug use disorders better as well as treat people more effectively who develop them.

If you have a loved one struggling with an alcohol problem, contact Desert Cove Recovery today to see how we can help.

Researchers Examine Alcohol Consumption and Employment

alcohol abuseHeavier drinking is more often associated with unemployment status, whether someone’s alcohol consumption caused them to lose their job, the individual is drinking more as a faulty coping mechanism as the result of losing their job or some other reason. Now there is a bit more information available regarding alcohol and employment.

Researchers at the University at Buffalo Research Institute on Addictions showed that work stress can be directly related to increased alcohol intake. This is an important study because it sheds additional light on potential problems that adults can develop from consuming too much alcohol. When family members and friends are aware that a person may be falling into these bad habits, they have a better chance of intervening.

In addition to potential family intervention, understanding the results of this study can also be beneficial for employers. Work stressors can impact an employee’s personal life and their behavior at work as well. Trying to relieve work-related stress through drinking can become habitual, and family and work obligations and responsibilities begin to suffer. The study shows that increased alcohol consumption was not only present during normal work environments but even worse alcohol habits were reported during the economic downturn.

“Even among the employed, economic downturns can create sources of work-related and financial stress that may lead to lower levels of alcohol use during the workday, but higher levels of excessive and ill-timed alcohol use away from work,” explained Michael Frone, PhD, senior research scientist at the University at Buffalo Research Institute on Addictions.

Certain age groups seem to be affected more than others when it comes to drinking to relieve work-related stress. The study shows that middle-aged employees are likely to drink more on the weekends, especially when the economy is not doing well, than younger employees. Researchers speculate that this is due to the increased amount of responsibility that middle-aged employees have.

While the immediate effects of stress and alcohol seem to directly impact the individuals and their health, job performance can suffer significantly as well. People who develop alcohol use disorders are more likely to have accidents or make mistakes at work, which can passes on a huge cost to employers in lost productivity alone.

New Research Targets Alcohol Cravings

euroneuropsychScientists have been hard at work researching ways to help those that suffer from addictions to alcohol. After two trials were conducted, one on humans and one on rats, there may be new hope for those that have developed alcohol dependencies.

In addition to treatment, medication that stabilizes the dopamine levels in a person’s brain seems to have a positive effect on minimizing the cravings for alcohol. Pia Steensland, the co-author of both studies, acknowledges that larger trials need to be conducted but that this is a positive step in the right direction and serves as a proof of concept. She is a neuroscientist at Karolinska Institute in Sweden.

People who struggle with alcoholism are often put on medications that cause an intense reaction when the patient consumes alcohol. These medications are given because they directly interact with the alcohol and prevent the person from feeling the effects of the substance. However, the medication is only effective if the person takes it. There are other medications used as well that have shown some results, though having more treatments available for people would be very beneficial.

This type of research is vital because every year 88,000 people die from alcohol-related causes, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). In addition to those who have passed away, the U.S. currently has more than 16 million adults with some type of alcohol use disorder (AUD). The consequences of alcohol consumption spread far and wide.

This particular research targets dopamine levels in the brain. Someone under the influence of alcohol experiences increased dopamine levels, and then cravings kick in later seeking more. By targeting the dopamine directly, the results are that people will crave alcohol less, and that can be a life-saving assistant for someone in recovery. The study appeared in the journal European Neuropsychopharmacology.

Updated Survey Results Show Alcohol Use Disorders Increasing

jamanesarcOne of the largest studies commissioned regarding substance abuse-related issues has been the Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions, which was updated for the third time (NESARC-III). Findings from the survey show that Alcohol Use Disorders (AUDs) have increased over the past decade in the United States.

AUD is the medical diagnosis for problem drinking that causes mild to severe distress or harm. Roughly one-third of the adult population reportedly experiences and AUD at some point in their lives, but only about 20 percent seek treatment for the issue.

According to National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) Director Geore Koob, Ph.D., “These findings underscore that alcohol problems are deeply entrenched and significantly under-treated in our society. The new data should provide further impetus for scientists, clinicians, and policy makers to bring AUD treatment into the mainstream of medical practice.”

The most recent NESARC update was highlighted in the journal JAMA Pschiatry. It was determined that almost 14 percent of adults met AUD criteria for the previous year, and just over 29 percent met AUD criteria at some time in their life.

To gather this information, surveyors had face-to-face conversations with 36,000 adults about their alcohol consumption. What these statistics also show is that someone doesn’t have to be classified as an alcoholic to need help.

If you know someone currently struggling with an alcohol abuse problem, contact us at Desert Cove Recovery today to find out how we can help get them back on track in life.

Treating Alcoholism and PTSD

Those who struggle with an alcohol addiction and also suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have often struggled to tackle either of their issues, let alone both of them at the same time. The duality of these two problems can make treating them very challenging. Researches have been looking into possible solutions to these problems and the growing population of people who are addicted to alcohol and have PTSD.

Research like the kind that is being conducted at the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Medical University of South Carolina is vital for the long term physical and mental health of those that struggle with an alcohol use disorder and post-traumatic stress.

A combination of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) aimed at treating substance abuse and exposure therapy aimed at treating PTSD seems to be the most effective approach. Attacking the problems individually allows for each issue to receive adequate treatment. Concurrent Treatment of Substance Use Disorders Using Prolonged Exposure (COPE) is the name researchers have given this two-pronged attack to the problems. The research shows that after several months of administering this type of therapy to individuals, many experienced significant gains in mental health.

There are other types of treatment that have shown positive results as well. Some researchers have made headway when administering certain kinds of blood pressure medication in conjunction with therapy. A specific study showed that those that received clonidine had longer time between relapses and stayed sober for longer and reported less stress. While these studies are still in the early stages, it does appear that treating both problems at once is possible.

In the past, many people were concerned about those who suffered from co-occurring disorders. Figuring out which problem to treat first proved to be difficult. Treating the addiction first oftentimes got the person out of immediate danger and allowed them to better focus on their therapy. However, some people argued that treating the mental disorder first allows for better and longer lasting treatment of the addiction. More information seems to indicate that both issues should be addressed concurrently for the best results, though the types of therapies used can vary widely.