Alcoholism Pt. 1
Part 1 of 3 of Dr. Bud Holcomb's Series on Alcoholism
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Drinking alcohol through wine can be traced back to early human civilization. It’s ubiquitous and prevalent in every culture.
88,000 Americans die each year from causes directly tied to alcohol use. This does not include the 50% of traffic fatalities that involve drunk driving. About 1/12 people in the US drinks too much
The body hates alcohol. When it is metabolized in our bodies, the first breakdown product is Acetaldehyde or ‘paint thinner’. Many people say ‘But I heard that ‘a little bit of alcohol is good for blood pressure’. No. A mild amount of wine may be part of a heart healthy diet, but excess alcohol causes High blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, liver disease, and digestive problems. It causes Neurodegeneration in the brain, especially in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex. About 7% of all cancer deaths can be attributed directly to alcohol use.
So what is too much? Many people tell themselves they don’t drink too much because they are still able to hold a job. No alcohol is definitely the most healthy. However, experts estimate that 8-10 drinks per week is an acceptable risk for women and 10-12 drinks per week is an acceptable risk for men. Women have a higher percentage of body fat and so store alcohol longer which is why it’s recommended that they drink less.
What is a drink? 12 oz beer (5% abv). Now days, microbrews and craft beers are higher alcohol content. An 8 oz glass of wine. A bottle of wine is 4&1/2 glasses. A ‘shot’ is 1.5 oz of liquor. People lie to themselves all the time “I only have two drinks/night, but their drink has three shots of vodka or ‘I drink ten beers a week, but those beers are 16 oz and 7% alcohol content. 8-10 per week for woman and 12-14 per week for men is considered not unhealthy. For non-drinkers, that seems like a huge amount “That’s like getting drunk three times per week”.
Alcohol is a very addicting drug. Drugs of abuse that are addicting have in common that they act on the brain very quickly and cause a strong release of Dopamine. This is true for alcohol, nicotine, Opioids, amphetamines,cocaine. With these drugs we ‘chase the buzz’ or try to get more and more Dopamine. ‘One is too many and a thousands not enough’. Every smoker knows that they smoke more when they drink, and vice versa.
I like the saying that ‘the opposite of addiction is not sobriety but connectedness’. The one thing that we can not tolerate is loneliness. Most people started drinking when they were very young because it was something to do with Friends. Now, alcohol is at the center of all our social gatherings. People fear that ‘if I were to quit drinking, I’d be Boring or I wouldn’t have any friends. I’d be lonely ‘. ‘I tried Rehab, but it was killing my social life’. However, not everyone who is sober is boring or lonely. It’s helpful to have someone you admire who is not alcoholic. For me, that would be people like Willie Nelson, Barack and Michelle Obama, David Letterman, `Jerry Seinfeld. They seem to have plenty of fun and are so healthy for being sober.
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