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The colder parts of the country have always been plagued by alcoholism and addiction. Long winters and very little work is the perfect recipe for heavy drinking. In many parts of America there is no authority present to control drunk driving, which means that in a place like Alaska a person can drink for many years without seeing many consequences, if any, from the law. More deaths are caused by addiction in Alaska than any other one thing. In fact, "nine of the 10 leading causes of death in Alaska - all but Alzheimer's disease - include alcohol, tobacco or other drug addiction as an underlying cause", the Juneau Empire reported March 15.
David Driscoll of the University of Alaska Anchorage and colleagues examined seven underlying causes of death in communities in the north polar region of the globe. They determined that many deaths in Alaska are preventable with the aid of community programs and education about the dangers of drugs and alcohol. Smoking is a leading cause of many health problems including cancer, heart disease and stroke. Alcohol use, aside from being highly addictive, can contribute to serious liver and pancreas problems, as well as, influence the onset of diabetes. There are many cases of people committing suicide while under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. Cold, dark and depressing climates in conjunction with drugs and alcohol can be a recipe for disaster - many people simply lose the will to continue living.
Unfortunately, places like Alaska, Montana, and northern Maine have very limited education due to the lack of funding. It is very difficult getting teachers out to the middle of nowhere to teach a few kids. Many kids are home schooled and are influenced heavily by the actions of their parents. If a child is around a parent all the time who happens to have a drinking problem, the child will without a doubt adopt some of that parent's behavior. Without community outreach programs and better schools in rural areas it is unlikely this pattern of addiction related death will change.
According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 27.6 percent of 12- to 20-year-olds in the U.S. consumed alcohol in the past month. The report showed that New England and the upper Midwest are areas of the country where underage drinking is extremely high. Underage drinking has had a hand in the deaths of many teenagers every year form drunk driving accidents. Naively, teens do not fear the problems that come with alcohol like they do the problems associated with drugs; this misconception is a large reason why teen continue to drink. The research is out there, we now know the serious health problems that accompany alcohol; yet, today's youth does not seem to heed the warnings for one reason or another.
Another major concern with underage drinking is the development of alcoholism at a young age. Countless people come into this world with a predisposition to drink alcohol that they inherited from someone in their family tree. The younger a person is when problems like these come to the surface, the harder it will be to quit when the time comes. There is no age limit to being an alcoholic; the disease of alcoholism does not discriminate. Alcoholism at a young age can be very difficult to discern, for some parents, the idea that their child could have an alcohol problem is unfathomable. Parents need to be vigilant and keep tabs on their children's activity so that if there is a problem it can be dealt with sooner rather than later. Ask Questions!
Federal Data:
underage drinking rates were highest in North Dakota (40.6 percent) and Vermont (40.4 percent)
underage drinking rates were lowest in Utah (13.7 percent)
8.6 percent of underage drinkers were able to purchase their own alcohol, 18.8 percent in Louisiana and the District of Columbia
Underage drinkers in Alaska (3.1 percent) and New Mexico (3.7 percent) were the least likely to report buying their own booze.
The best thing a parent can do is talk to their kids about the dangers of alcohol, find news stories to provide examples that children can understand. There is no question, parents are the first line of defense against underage drinking; kids will look for guidance and they certainly model what they witness at home. Take a Stand!
Rock n Roll and alcohol have a long history! Bands are notorious for excessive drinking and drugging, almost like consumption is part of their job description. Sadly, over the years since the birth of rock n roll alcohol has directly and indirectly taken the life of some of the most talented musicians. Rock legends such as: John Bonham of the band Led Zeppelin died as a result of asphyxiation, Jimi Hendrix died of respiratory arrest caused by alcohol and Barbiturates, and Keith Moon of the Who had an accidental overdose on anti-seizure medication prescribed for alcoholism. The list of drug related overdoses associated with rock n roll is pretty long; many addicts never experience the adverse effects of alcohol because drug overdoses claim their life first.
Unfortunately, when the music stops the addiction will linger around. Rock n Roll Stars in their 60's are still battling alcoholism and drug addiction. It has been reported by the Telegraph that, "Keith Richards, the Rolling Stones guitarist and wild man of rock-and-roll, has given up alcohol, it has been reported". Alcohol is finally catching up to Keith, who received orders from his physician to stop drinking and Richards has not touched alcohol in four months. Richards has witnessed the effect that alcohol has had on friend and former band mate Ronnie Wood's life. Richards claims that he has out lived many of the doctors who have advised him to stop drinking over the years. However, Keith Richards' behavior had an adverse effect on his life four years ago after falling out of a tree in Fiji while drunk, suffering a brain hemorrhage.
There are not any reports that Richards entered treatment or is working any kind of 12 step program. Hopefully, he will find that life is worth so much more while sober and that recovery is one gift after another. Without any doubt, Richards, has lost many close friends to the disease of alcoholism and doesn't want the same for himself. "He has watched Ronnie fall well and truly off the wagon last year and he doesn't like what he sees. Plus he has started to feel for the first time like it might do him some good to give up the booze for a while".
The holidays are well known to be tough times for many people suffering from alcoholism. In Russia where alcoholism rates among men are through the roof causing a low life expectancy, the government is taking steps to curb the mass flow of alcohol. The minimum price on vodka was put into action in Russia on Friday. President Dmitry Medvedev is trying to fight back against alcoholism, the holidays in Russia are known for excessive drinking. The price of the cheapest vodka has nearly doubled and steps are being taken to triple the excise duty on beer as well as limit the places it can be sold. The Washington Post reported that, "in August, Medvedev ordered tough measures to curb alcohol abuse, saying he was shocked by official data showing the average Russian drank 18 liters (38 pints) of pure alcohol each year".
Medvedev is not the first Russian leader to tackle the alcohol question, alcohol has had an adverse effect on the country for generations. Former President Mikhail Gorbachev, the creator of Perestroika (restructuring) referring to the restructuring of the Soviet political and economic system, declared war on alcoholism in 1985. Gorbachev cut alcohol production as well as set up strict controls in order to cut public alcohol consumption. Unfortunately, very little success if any came of the alcohol reforms; people began to brew alcohol illegally, low quality moonshine type alcohol.
"The average monthly salary of 18,702 roubles ($651) would have bought 368 bottles of the cheapest vodka available before the New Year in an online supermarket, but 210 bottles now," according to the Washington Post. Hopefully, Medvedev has better success than Gorbachev, but, it is highly unlikely that better results will be seen. Alcoholics will find a way around the new restrictions and price increases. An increase in price will never deter an addict from getting what they need, for an alcoholic not drinking isn't an option. Drug and alcohol treatment is a much better deterrent against alcoholism than price increases and restrictions will ever be.
What if your secrets had the power to take the lives of innocent people? Every day millions of people struggle with the disease of addiction under the radar of their friends and family. The stigmas that accompany alcoholism drive many high functioning alcoholics into the closet. The thought of being branded an alcoholic by one's peers is too much for a mother or father that suffers from the disease to handle. High functioning addicts work overtime to cover up their problem, with the hope that they can go just one more day undetected.
Unfortunately, those same high functioning alcoholics are the people, the Diane Schuler's, we have seen in the news lately. Addiction can be invisible and go unchecked by friends and family for many years, then, tragically one day an accident takes place that strips innocent people of their lives. Oprah recently did a special covering the topic of mothers who have managed to hide their addiction from everyone and then were in horrific accidents. She talked with the family members of the people who died in the Schuler accident, as well toxicology experts who were involved with case. What is clearly evident is that many people, even after the accident, are in denial about the severity of Diane Schuler's problem; Schuler's husband even hired a private investigator to prove that the toxicology reports were false and that there is no way she was an alcoholic or was even drinking that day - let alone high on marijuana. Only three months after the accident, Oprah's special on Diane Schuler's accident points out and makes even more clear that it is very difficult to argue with science; there is no sense trying to prove that Schuler was not an alcoholic, what matters is spreading the message that we need to confront our loved ones if we suspect there is a problem.
Denial is a major component to addiction thriving inside people unchecked. Diane Schuler's family's protestations that there was no problem is very hard to believe given the evidence. Even after the tragedy, a tragedy that took seven innocent people's lives, Schuler's husband will not face the facts. This story has brought a surge of women who are stepping up and declaring that they have a problem which they have managed to hide; before anything tragic happens in their lives it is time to start speaking out to raise awareness. There is no reason children's lives should be placed in jeopardy, if you recognize that there is a problem with a friend or family member the responsible thing to do is speak out about it. You never know how many lives could be saved by a single act of concern; there are many support networks that can be tapped in order to save someone from the disease of addiction.
The younger you start drinking the more problems you will have! Studies have now shown that if you start drinking below the age of 15, when your brain is not fully developed, it could inadvertently start a snowball effect by bringing to light one's predisposition towards alcoholism. Taking that first drink at a young age, "may induce changes in the highly sensitive adolescent brain, which may also modify an individual's subsequent genetic vulnerability to [alcohol dependence]", states Arpana Agrawal, an assistant professor of psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine and an author of the study, said in a university news release". Alcohol has the ability to change the biology of one's brain by altering particular cells. This study of 6,257 adult twins was published on September 18 and will be in print in the December issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.
"Those who had their first drink later in life showed far fewer signs of alcohol dependency, despite the genetic predisposition", Agrawal noted according to the Health Daily News. This idea makes sense, considering all the new understandings we have of the brain and its development; the more time the brain is given to develop, the less chance of dependency developing. The brain is a fragile organ that is "impressionable"; protecting the brain at the adolescent age is of the utmost importance. It is so crucial that we educate the youth to the dangers of alcohol, if kids think that the effects of alcohol are minor, then they will be more inclined to drink. The average kid may not have anything to worry about; however, there are a percentage of people who carry the gene of alcoholism which can be brought to life at a time when the brain is immature; inevitably, the disease will be brought into action and quitting will be impossible without help.
Carol A. Prescott, a professor of psychology at the University of Southern California, said the findings had two possible conclusions. "Early drinking changes the course an individual is on, and is thus a direct cause of increased [alcohol dependency] risk, and early drinking is correlated with [alcohol dependency] risk and is thus an indirect indicator of ... risk," she said in the news release. Agrawal believes that we can use the findings of the study to help educate parents so that they can educate their children. "The researchers plan to do a similar study that looks at older and younger groups in Australia and the United States to try to duplicate their findings", reports the Health Daily News. Education is one of the only defenses against the disease of addiction, a preemptive strike is necessary in this battle to protect our youth.
I would like to share with you my thoughts about a Blog post that Roger Ebert did a few days ago that I found to be quite intriguing and informative. It's not every day that people in the spotlight decide to discuss their struggles with Alcoholism and their journey towards recovery outside of the rooms of Alcoholics Anonymous. Roger Ebert has not had a drink in 30 years and thought that perhaps sharing a little bit of his experience without going into a full on "Drunkalog" might help some body work towards starting their own journey towards recovery. As Ebert says: "You may be wondering, in fact, why I'm violating the A.A. policy of anonymity and outing myself. A.A. is anonymous not because of shame but because of prudence; people who go public with their newly-found sobriety have an alarming tendency to relapse". Ebert conservatively opens the doors of Alcoholics Anonymous to the outside world and gives people a glimpse of what it is about and how it might be able to help. I believe that he very carefully goes about his post in order to not break the principles set forth by A.A.
Let's face it, there is a lot of social stigmas regarding A.A. and many people refer to it as a religion or a cult. Roger Ebert attempts to clear up some of those ideas regarding the program, "A "cult?" How can that be, when it's free, nobody profits and nobody is in charge? A.A. is an oral tradition reaching back to that first meeting between Bill W. and Doctor Bob in the lobby of an Akron hotel. They'd tried psychiatry, the church, the Cure. Maybe, they thought, drunks can help each other, and pass it along. A.A. has spread to every continent and into countless languages, and remains essentially invisible. I was dumbfounded to discover there was a meeting all along right down the hall from my desk".
A.A. helps those people who want to be helped, it is not a program of idea pushers and there is no one way to work a program; if it works for you, than it works and nobody is going to tell you that you are working the program the wrong way. It is a collective of similar minds with similar problems, all working towards one common goal - Don't drink no matter what!
Roger Ebert in my opinion rather beautifully discusses his experience upon arriving at the rooms of Alcoholics Anonymous and talks a little bit about the serenity that he found once he became a member. Without breaking peoples' anonymity he talks about some of the people he met and who helped him see things a little more clearly along the way. Alcoholism is not something you manage on your own and if that were the case there would be no need for such a program; people find strength to not pick up their next drink inside the rooms of recovery and it may seem simple and that is because it is a simple program based on 12 steps that one can live their life by.
"'Everybody's story is the same,' Humble Howard liked to say. 'We drank too much, we came here, we stopped, and here we are to tell the tale.' Before I went to my first meeting, I imagined the drunks would sit around telling drinking stories. Or perhaps they would all be depressing and solemn and holier-than-thou. I found out you rarely get to be an alcoholic by being depressing and solemn and holier-than-thou. These were the same people I drank with, although now they were making more sense", relates Ebert.
I encourage everyone to read Roger Ebert's post: My Name is Roger, and I'm an Alcoholic because it is a very enlightening piece from one man's lips about millions of people's experiences. I would love to hear your thoughts...
I hope by now most of my readers have had a chance to watch Bret's story. There has been a lot written about Bret and his intervention involving his children. Should young children be involved in a parent's intervention? Obviously, every case is different and that needs to be taken into account by all interventionists attempting to help families of alcoholics.
Bret's teenage daughter Kelsey and younger son Kyle were present at Bret's televised intervention on A&E. The family and the interventionist agreed that having the children present could be very persuasive in helping Bret make the decision to go to treatment. Unfortunately, the children's pleas were relatively ineffective leaving them both angry and in tears. Many people watching this episode may feel like the children's involvement in the intervention was unnecessary and damaging to the children. However, children of alcoholics who are at a cognizant age are not strangers to the pain and suffering at the hands of their addicted parent. Kelsey and Kyle have dealt and are still dealing with the years of pain; unfortunately the children of addicts need to confront their parent in order to explain how their drinking deeply affects them. This is a sad but true reality, one that is rarely pretty but indeed necessary.
Without a doubt no one wants to see a child suffering and seeing a show that deals with the sickness of drug and alcohol addiction is never pleasant to watch. We need to keep in mind that the interventionists, like Ken Seeley, know what they are doing and if there was ever a point where the children's safety was in jeopardy they would have been pulled away from danger. Interventions can be a trial and error event; many different avenues of techniques need to be attempted when trying to convince someone they need treatment. Ultimately, it was not Bret's children that got him into treatment; but, I believe the children's role was ever so crucial, not only for Bret but also the children. Kelsey and Kyle are two very strong children who wanted and were allowed to participate in their father's intervention that relieved Bret of his dependency long enough for him to die a sober individual. Those last days that they were able to spend with their Dad were ever so precious and probably worth a hundred interventions.
I encourage you to comment on whether children should be present at an intervention. If you are struggling with questions of how to do an intervention for your loved one, call Hope by the Sea...
P.S. A Jury recommended a sentence of life in prison for Jesse James Hollywood.
A&E TV's Intervention covered Bret and how Alcoholism destroyed his family. Before Bret's alcoholism progressed out of control he was a successful real estate mortgage broker, but that all changed when alcohol started to take its toll. Two years ago Bret's family attempted to offer him the opportunity of treatment via an Intervention which he accepted only to end up relapsing. Everything in Bret's life spiraled out of control after his relapse; he lost his wife, kids, and his career in the grips of his severe alcoholism. His family decided that they would give an Intervention one more shot before they turned their backs on him out of love.
Bret's story is not too dissimilar to every alcoholic's or drug addict's story, the circumstances are different for sure, but where every addict ends up is generally the same - jails, institutions, and death! Bret's disease told him that nothing would work and until he was mentally ready to rid alcohol from his life he would continue to drink. His relapse in a way reaffirmed the belief that an alcoholic can get better on their own, saying the same thing that many who try working a program of recovery say, "I tried that, but it didn't work and I won't put myself through that again". When a program of recovery does not work for someone it is usually because they did not let it work and they let their disease continue to influence the choices they make. When this happens, a relapse is only a matter of time and where they pick up is usually a lot worse than where they left off.
Intervention did a great job painting a picture of the pain that Bret was inflicting on his family and friends. Tears and anger are common themes in most families plagued by alcohol; the feeling of helplessness is present in everything. Intervention, with the help of Ken Seeley, a professional interventionist, gave Bret's family the tools to help Bret make the decision to change his life. I'm glad to report that they were successful in their endeavor to get Bret into treatment at Hope by the Sea in Laguna Niguel, California. Unfortunately, the years of drinking had done its damage to Bret's body and after 80 days of treatment he had become very sick and was diagnosed with advanced esophageal cancer. With 104 days sober, cancer spread throughout his body, Bret passed away this summer on June 19th, 2009.
Bret's 104 days of sobriety was a major achievement for him and he was able to give his family back the husband and father they had known. As sick as he was he made a point of being emotionally available to those who love him right up until the end of his days. Bret was able to make amends to those he had hurt before he died, giving his friends and family the ability to remember Bret for who he really was. I invite everyone to watch the show and the memoriam on A&E and send me your thoughts so that next week we can discuss this more...
