Drinking and Alcohol Abuse or Alcoholism
Historically, drinking alcohol has been,
and still is (in general) a very acceptable social habit. From a young
age we are conditioned into thinking that "to enjoy ourselves" we
need to have a drink, or drinking makes the party "flow better". Equally,
when we go out, a drink is normally associated in some way, either
before, during, or after our activity.
Advertising alcohol is a multi million pound business with each brand
trying to tell you that they will make the good times - just that
little bit better. In 1999 the revenue from Alcohol sales was £32.5
Billion, with an advertising budget of £181 million. As a comparison,
£72 million was spent on soft drinks. So, to understand why we drink,
we need to understand what we drink and what it does to us, and I
make no apology for the content you're about to read. However, please
do persevere through the fact and figures, as there is light at the
end of the tunnel ! The Facts
The
Facts
Alcohol is a carbohydrate, a relative of sugar, and is therefore a
major source of energy for drinkers, supplying up to half of a heavy
drinker's energy requirements in a day. It is created by yeasts which
in the absence of oxygen get the energy they need by converting sugar
to alcohol.
Alcohol is absorbed rapidly from the stomach - in five to ten minutes
without food. The effects last several hours, related to body weight
which is why many women are more affected by the same dose than men.One
unit is 8 grams of alcohol - equivalent to half a pint of normal beer,
cider or lager, a standard glass of wine or a pub measure of spirits.
After four or five units, most people feel relaxed and comfortable.
Eight units causes slurred speech and clumsiness, with exaggerated
emotions. Higher doses cause double vision, dizziness, staggering,
loss of balance, nausea, vomiting. Beyond that alcohol can cause blindness,
loss of consciousness, and loss of memory for events at the time.
The biggest danger is from injury caused by intoxication. In 1990
15% of all road accidents were alcohol related and 32% of all pedestrians
killed on the road were under the influence of alcohol. Drinkers may
also choke on their own vomit while unconscious. Although such sudden
deaths are uncommon, this is a real hazard in police cells or in a
side room in an emergency ward. A hangover may follow, caused by dehydration
and toxic metabolites. Mixing alcohol with other depressant drugs
such as barbiturates or heroin is particularly dangerous as the effects
are additive.
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Alcohol has many other effects on the body, which include.
-
Stomach irritation - can cause ulcers
- Liver damage - alcohol
is destroyed by the liver but liver cells are also casualties
- Mouth and throat - cancers are more common in heavy drinkers
- Nutritional damage caused by neglect of a proper diet
- Brain
damage caused directly by alcohol in the blood - in severe cases causing
Korsakoff's psychosis, a permanent memory loss
Alcohol kills more than 30,000 people a year in the UK. It is the
third commonest cause of death in men in their fifties. Cirrhosis
is a major cause of death, but once diagnosed it is often too late
to prevent death and 30% diagnosed die in a year.
What is Cirrhosis?
As the liver becomes progressively damaged it is no longer able to
do its job as a food store, as a maker of digestive enzymes, and as
a waste-disposal unit for toxins. The result is that the liver becomes
enlarged with fatty tissue, the person becomes ill and jaundiced (yellow)
and blood pressure rises in blood vessels draining into the liver,
causing for example life-threatening bleeds of veins lining the gullet.
This happens in 40% of those with cirrhosis. These bleeds cause sudden,
violent, catastrophic vomiting. Death follows in minutes in almost
half of those who are unfortunate enough to have one.
So is there a safe limit?
The World Health Organisation and governments have recently revised
their guidelines about so-called safe limits for alcohol consumption
in both men and women. The current accepted limits vary from expert
to expert but are around 21 units for men and 14 units for women.
The problem is that these are general guides and do not tell us what
the actual damage to an individual's health will be.
Alcohol can be good for you!
Evidence shows that alcohol in moderation increases life expectancy.
This discovery was made following a series of large-scale studies
comparing, for example the health of teetotalers with moderate and
heavy drinkers. One of the protective effects appears to be on the
heart and blood supply, with a reduction in strokes and heart attacks.
At first the beneficial effect was attributed to some mysterious ingredients
in red wine, but it is now know that the therapeutic action is related
to alcohol itself, independent of the method of production. The discovery
that drinking alcohol can be good for health brought alarm calls from
those concerned that the news would encourage abuse. It certainly
undermined the case for absolute abstention.
So, what sort of Drinker are you?
There are two main patterns of drinking : regular and binge. The regular
drinker drinks every day or most days. The binge drinker rarely sees
himself as an alcoholic because he often goes for days or weeks without
touching alcohol. However once he starts, he cannot stop. As far as
the medical profession is concerned, a Binge drinker is an Alcoholic.
Binge Drinking
Binge drinking is becoming more and more popular, the effect of the
new licensing laws will have to examined to see if there are any changes
in this habit. Generally affecting the 16-24 year old age band, and
reportedly costing the government £20 billion a year with 17 million
working days lost to hangovers and drink-related illness each year.
The annual cost to employers is estimated to be £6.4 billion while
the cost to the NHS is in the region of £1.7bn. Billions more are
spent clearing up alcohol-related crime and social problems. In addition,
alcohol-related problems are responsible for 22,000 premature deaths
each year, and 1.2 million incidents of alcohol-related violence a
year. These figures are thought to be conservative. Around 40% of
A&E admissions are alcohol-related. Between midnight and 5am that
figure rises to 70%. Alcohol-related accidents and illnesses land
around 150,000 people in hospital each year.
The Slippery slope
A habit may start with social drinking over a meal, before progressing
with higher consumption. As the liver gets used to destroying alcohol,
the person needs more to achieve the same level of intoxication. Typically
the next step may be private drinking, in secret, drinking alone at
any time of the day or night. In advanced cases the person wakes feeling
jittery and vulnerable, and has alcohol instead of breakfast "to
calm the nerves". A classic sign of a deteriorating situation
can be when the person stops eating breakfast, partly because the
stomach is often so raw from alcohol-induced irritation the night
before.
The Workplace
Alcohol is the most widely abused drug at work and is the commonest
cause of drug-related sickness and lost productivity. It is surprising
therefore that so few companies address the issue directly.
Why do I drink?
From an analytical point of view drinking is one of the five oral
satisfactions, Smoking, Biting nails, Eating, and Moaning being the
other four. It is a deep seated urge within any human being to drink
- but not necessarily alcohol. For most people, the initial reason
is because alcohol reduces your inhibitions and seemingly allows you
to enjoy yourself more. These experiences of induced enjoyment, or
happiness at parties, nights out are remembered by your subconscious
and are triggered when a similar situation arises. You effectively
forget how to enjoy yourself without alcohol because you are bombarded
with advertising, peer pressure, and subconscious urges to have that
drink.
In this way it is very similar to smoking, where certain situations
times and places will trigger the thought of having a cigarette. First
thing in the morning, after a meal, with a cup of tea. You would naturally
think of going out to the pub, with drinking alcohol. Going to a party
and taking your favourite tipple with you.
However, there are many sides to drinking. It can be a learnt response
if your parents used to drink (not necessarily heavily) you will find
it more acceptable to drink, possibly to excess, than someone whose
parents didn't. It can be used as a means to alleviate boredom, drinking
alone, at home, or in private can give an illusion of satisfaction,
but is generally a sign of an underlying problem elsewhere.
Escapism
Why do we really drink? It's not because it makes us a better person,
but because it makes us different. The immediate effect of drinking
is sedative and produces:
- A relaxing effect
- Reduction in tension
- Lowering of inhibitions
- Impairment of concentration
- Slower reflexes
- Impaired reaction times
- Reduced coordination
The liver is working overtime to remove the toxins as we drink, and
the more we drink, the more efficient the liver gets at removing these
toxins. The result is that we need more for the same "Buzz"If we're
having problems at work or at home, money or relationship issues,
we can resort to some "time out" to forget these problems, if only
for a short while. A major downside though, is one other affect of
alcohol, is as a depressant, leaving you feeling worse than you did
without any alcohol at all, plus possibly a hangover due to dehydration
and toxins in your blood.
It also acts as a stimulant, so although your mind is depressed, your
body systems are running overtime - just check your heart rate sober,
and after a few drinks. This induces feelings of irritability and
restlessness. As a stimulant it also triggers feelings of hunger which
need to be satisfied, generally with anything that's available. Bearing
in mind, alcohol is a major supply of "bad" carbohydrates (those that
don't do anything useful), this creates problems with weight control
and nutrition, especially vitamin B1 deficiency (linking in to Cirrhosis).
Essentially drinking it is a learnt response to a given situation
and a powerful Habit. It is a habit you have learned, but it is a
habit which can be broken. What is easy to forget is that your body
can quite happily cope without any alcohol at all, and will do a much
better job without it. It will be more relaxed, more alert, more efficient.
It will sleep better and perform better. It is not natural to drink
alcohol, nor does it do any good unless taken in moderation. Effectively
alcohol is a poison, and all the body wants to do is get rid of it
as quickly as possible.
Some alternatives
to Hypnosis
Medical intervention can include the use of Disulfiram (Antabuse®)on
prescription which, once take will make the patient violently sick
after the ingestion of alcohol. Essentially you cannot drink whilst
on Antabuse®, But, it does not address any other issue.
Further psychological help can be found at specialist Drug Addiction
centres, again through your G.P.
Individual / Group Therapy and counselling therapies are available
through your local G.P. These look at changing your outlook and perception
of drinking, and are carried out usually weekly for an hour, and are
open ended in length of time in treatment. Often they are provided
by outside charities and self-help groups.
Alcoholics Anonymous provide
a support network for those for who wish to abstain altogether, but
on a daily basis. Taking one day at a time.
Other Complimentary therapies which provide relaxation and healing
can be suitable, depending on your beliefs. These include Reiki, EFT
(Emotional Freedom Therapy)How can Hypnosis help?Before going any
further you need to ensure is that you truly WANT to do something
about your perceived problem and achieve your goal. This goes for
any therapy.
A general idea will be given regarding the straightforward help Hypnosis
for a Drinking Habit can give, as each client is an individual, with
specific unique problems. Hence any therapy would be tailored for
that client. Any client with a severe alcohol abuse problem would
need to be under the care and supervision of their G.P. and referred
to the therapist directly due to the effects of withdrawal (only seen
in severe cases).
We need to look at why you are drinking, and you really need to
be honest with yourself during an in-depth consultation. To hold
back, is counter-productive for your success. Together we would examine
the situations where you felt you needed a drink, and the feelings
associated with it. A careful look at past history and upbringing
will elicit information about your acceptance of drinking, and learnt
responses to it.
Next we need to look at why you want to stop or alter your drinking,
what benefits there are to you in changing. Equally we would look
at the benefits you perceived from drinking in the past and whether
you still need any of these, or can let them go. Looking at the negative
side of the drinking and how it affected you is also an important
issue, really seeing what it has done to you in the past.
At this point it would normally be possible to give sessions of hypnotherapy
to increase the beneficial feelings of changing, and reduce or remove
the associations you had with your drinking habit. The result would
be an immediate positive change in behaviour, leaving the old habits
behind and allowing new, beneficial habits to form unhindered.
Not everyone is suitable for straightforward Suggestion Hypnotherapy,
and in these cases there is usually an underlying emotional or psychological
issue at work which needs finding and removing. If clients have experienced
any previous psychological or emotional problems, depression or anxiety,
then Analytical Hypnotherapy is recommended. Click here for details.
© Christian Bell MIAPH
How can hypnotherapy help?
For details of how hypnotherapy can help with drinking, contact
your nearest therapist here.
