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SPIRITUAL EMPTINESS As the addictive personality gains more control and addicts lose more of their ability to influence their own thoughts and behavior, there is a spiritual deadening. My definition of spiritual means being connected in a meaningful way to the world around us. The feeling of belonging and being an important part of the world is lost as addiction progresses. The sense of knowing oneself and one’s importance drifts further and further away. Addiction is very much a spiritual disease. Everybody has the ability to connect with the soul and spirit of others. Because addiction is a direct assault against Self, it’s a direct attack on the spirit or soul of the person suffering from an addiction. A person’s spirit produces life; the goal of addiction is spiritual death. The longer the addiction goes on, the more spiritually isolated the person becomes. This is the saddest and most frightening aspect of addiction. Sunsets, smiles, laughter, support from others and other things that nourish our spirits come to mean less as acting out becomes more important. Because addiction blocks a person’s ability to effectively connect with his or her own spirit, there is little chance to connect with the spirit of others. Relationships with others become more superficial as the illness progresses. Addicts stay isolated or turn to the presence of other addicts who offer companionship and little or no fear of confrontation. As addiction progresses, spiritual deadening deepens. This may be the most dangerous aspect of addiction. For recovery, there must be a recommitment to the nurturing of one’s spirit. The further one moves away from the Self, the harder it is to reestablish a healing relationship. in the beginning of the addictive process, the person grasped the addiction in an attempt to nurture life, spirit, and the Self in the process of chasing perfection. Many recovering addicts firmly grasp the spiritual aspect of recovery because most are extremely grateful to have such a precious gift returned: the Self, a spiritual awareness, and the ability to connect with others in a meaningful, nurturing way. (The Addictive Personality by Craig Nakken) ALCOHOLISM: THE DISEASE In Las Vegas, Nevada, 1966, the American Medical Association drafted the official resolution that was passed a year later, in Houston, Texas, declaring alcoholism a disease. The official 1967 resolution introduced by the Colorado delegation, resolved that the American Medical Association identified alcoholism as a complex disease and as such recognizes that the medical components are medicine’s responsibility. Alcoholism and addiction are no longer concepts, they are facts of life. Alcohol addiction (alcoholism) as a disease is marked by a group of characteristics (symptoms and signs) which define a recognizable entity. This disease has a predictable course characterized by remissions and recurrences as well as a predictable outcome of increasing disability and death if left untreated. Illness and death may be related directly to the primary disorder as in overdoses and motor vehicle accidents or related to a host of secondary disorders such as cirrhosis (scarring of the liver), pancreatitis (inflammation of pancreas), bleeding disorders and heart or brain disorders. All of this evidence would indicate that alcoholism is a disease not unlike diabetes or hypertension with an inherited vulnerability activated by host and or environmental factors. This concept of alcoholism as a disease has created a remarkable although, at times, subtle changes in attitude of non-alcoholic toward the alcoholic and the alcoholic toward him/herself. NCADD ADOPTS NEW DEFINITION OF ALCOHOLISM Alcoholism is a primary, chronic disease with genetic, psychological, and environmental factors influencing its development and manifestations. The disease is often progressive and fatal. It is characterized by continuous or periodic; impaired control over drinking; preoccupation with drug alcohol; use of alcohol despite adverse consequences and distortion of thinking, most notably denial. PRIMARY refers to the nature of alcoholism as a disease entity in addition to and separate from other pathopysiologic states which may be associated with it. "Primary" suggests that alcoholism, as an addiction, is not a symptom of an underlying disease state. DISEASE means an involuntary disability. It represents the sum of the abnormal phenomena displayed by a group of individuals. These phenomena’s are associated with a specified common set of characteristics by which these individuals differ from the "norm", and which places them at a disadvantage. OFTEN PROGRESSIVE AND FATAL means that the disease persists over time and that physical, emotional and social changes are often cumulative and may progress as drinking continues. Alcoholism causes premature death through overdose, organic complications involving the brain, liver, heart and many other organs, and by contributing to suicide, homicide, motor vehicle crashes, and other traumatic events. IMPAIRED CONTROL means the inability to limit alcohol use or to consistently limit on any drinking occasion the duration of the episode, the quantity consumed, and/or the behavioral consequences of drinking. PREOCCUPATION in association with alcohol use indicates excessive, focused attention given the drug alcohol, its effects, and/or its use. The relative value thus assigned to alcohol by the individual often leads to a diversion of energies away from important life concerns. ADVERSE CONSEQUENCES are alcohol related problems or impairments in such areas as: physical health (e.g., alcohol withdrawal syndromes, liver disease, gastritis, anemia, neurological disorders); psychological functioning (e.g., impairments in cognition, changes in mood and behavior): interpersonal functioning (e.g., scholastic or job problems): and legal, financial, or spiritual problems. DENIAL is used here not only the psychoanalytic sense of a singled psychological defense mechanism disavowing the significance of events, but more broadly to include a range of psychological maneuvers designed to reduce awareness of the fact that alcohol use is the cause of an individual’s problems. Denial becomes an integral part of the disease and a major obstacle to recovery. 12. ADDICTION Dependence on a chemical substance to the extent that a physiologic and/or psychologic need is established. This may be manifested by any combination of the following symptoms: tolerance, preoccupation with obtaining and using the substance, use of the substance despite anticipation of probable adverse consequences, repeated efforts to cut down or control substance use, and withdrawal symptoms when the substance is unavailable or not used. 1. NATURE OF THE ACTION Ethyl alcohol consumption can lead to addiction to substances containing ethyl alcohol medically referred to as alcoholism. 1- Acute alcoholism is intoxication, drunkenness, or a temporary mental disturbance with muscular uncoordination and paresis,induced by the ingestion of ethyl alcohol in poisonous amounts; 2- Chronic alcoholism is a pathological condition affecting chiefly the nervous and gastrointestinal systems caused by the habitual consumption of ethyl alcohol in poisonous amounts; 3- Alcoholism, also known as alcohol addiction, is characterized by some of the following criteria. a) a physiologic dependence as manifested by evidence of withdrawal syndrome when alcohol intake is interrupted; b) development of a tolerance to the effects of alcohol, wherein a person has high blood levels of alcohol without gross evidence of intoxication and high daily consumption; c) production of evidence of alcohol-associated illness, such as: i. Alcoholic liver disease; ii.Cerebellar degeneration; iii.Chronic gastritis; and iv.Coagulation disorders. d) continued drinking despite strong medical and social contraindications and life disruptions; e) subjective complaints of loss of control over alcoholic consumption. f) alcohol stigmas such as tingling nerves, tremor, and alcoholic facies; g) behavioral characteristics such as unexplained work absences, frequent automobile accidents, suicidal preoccupations, major family disruptions and depression. B. Addiction to substances containing ethyl alcohol can lead to addiction to other drugs. C. The risk of addiction to ethyl alcohol are greatly increased when parents or their siblings are addicted to ethyl alcohol products or other drugs. D. Ethyl alcohol causes central nervous system depression which may cause drowsiness and affect the ability to operate a machine; E. Ethyl alcohol: (1) impairs the brain’s ability to stimulate various parts of the nervous system, such as in decreasing muscle response time; (2) impairs the brain’s ability to inhibit various parts of the nervous systems, such as in reducing self-restraint; (3) impairs the nervous system’s ability to fully react to the brain’s command; F. Ethyl alcohol reduces the ability of individuals to concentrate, to memorize, the recall and to make rational judgements; G. Ethyl alcohol can cause uncontrolled mood swings and emotional outbursts including uncontrollable anger, fearlessness and antisocial behavior; H. Chronic excessive ingestion of ethyl alcohol: (1) is directly associated with temporary and permanent neurological and mental disorders (e.g. brain damage, memory loss, sleep disturbances, and psychosis); (2) can result in dietary and vitamin deficiencies, incident to poor nutritional intake and faulty gastrointestinal function of the alcoholic; (3) can cause various brain disease including:
(4) has injurious effects on the heart and may be the major cause of cardiomyopathy; (5) decreases the duration of exercise required to precipitate angina in individuals with classical stable angina; (6) may cause intracellular lesions on the myocardium associated with congestive heart failure; I. Alcohol poisoning can result in delirium tremens which is a form of acute insanity marked by sweating, tremor, hallucinations, anxiety, and restlessness; J. Ethyl alcohol causes vasodilatation which may create the feeling of warmth but results in body heat loss; K. Moderate amounts of alcohol may depress respiration; L. Large amounts of ethyl alcohol produce dangerous or lethal depression of respiration. M. Excessive use of ethyl alcohol may have deleterious effects on nocturnal breathing. N. Large amounts of ethyl alcohol can cause the temperature-regulating mechanism itself to become depressed resulting in a pronounced fall in body temperature; O. Habitual use of moderate amounts of ethyl alcohol may lead to constipation, diarrhea and vomiting; P. Ethyl alcohol contributes to pancreatitis, lesions in the esophagus and duodenum; Q. Ethyl alcohol is associated with permanent liver disorders; R. Moderate and heavy ethyl alcohol ingestion increases permanent and incurable concentrations of lead in the blood; S. Ethyl alcohol ingestion during pregnancy can result in: (1) Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) manifested by the following symptoms in the newborn:
(2) Permanent retardation in the newborn; (3) alcohol addition withdrawal in the newborn; (4) Stillbirths and spontaneous abortions. T. Ethyl alcohol interacts with many other dugs causing negative synergistic drug reactions; other drugs which ethyl alcohol reacts negatively include psychopharmacological, antihistamines and other central nervous system depressants; U. Acute ethyl alcohol intoxication may be life-threatening and hence, care must be taken to prevent hypothermia and pulmonary aspiration; V. Acute ethyl alcohol intoxication may cause an individual to become extremely violent in nature due to a loss of central nervous system inhibitory control; W. Ethyl alcohol should not be consumed by people with: (1) Gastrointestinal ulcers because it irritates the stomach walls and can lead to further ulceration of stomach; (2) hepatic disease because;
(3) kidney and renal disease because alcohol acts as a diuretic, increasing the amount of urine output, taxing and possibly damaging an impaired kidney or renal system. X. Chronic maintenance of high concentrations of ethyl alcohol in blood produced a state of physical dependence which result in: (1) seizure disorders; (2) tremulous syndrome; (3) delirium tremens; (4) acute alcoholic hallucinations; (5) addiction similar to that of barbiturates; (6) nutritional deficiencies; (7) cerebral atrophy; (8) cognitive deficiencies; Y. The required blood level of ethyl alcohol to become intoxicated will increase over time as the frequency and quantity of alcohol ingestion increases; however, the lethal blood level remains constant so that a lethal ingestion of ethyl alcohol may occur before intoxication is felt. There are alcoholics; heavy users of alcohol; social drinkers; abstainers, who choose not to drink at all; individuals, because of a chemical imbalance, cannot drink alcohol; temperance organizations who abhor alcohol and then there are the innocent, uneducated, and unsuspecting, who have become victims of alcohol indirectly. Alcoholism, like crime and mental illness, seems to run in families. Few who have known an alcoholic are likely to argue that an alcoholic’s behavior will have no impact on his or her family. Partly for this reason, the relatively high rate of alcoholism found among children of alcoholics has often been interpreted in social-psychological terms. Over the last two decades, however, evidence has mounted to suggest a genetic component in the development of alcoholism. Whether genetic factors placing a person at risk for alcoholism will produce alcoholism seems to depend, at least in part, on the environment. As stated in the beginning , 10 to 15 million American people were documented as being alcoholics and another 35 million are affected as family members or other victims. Other statistics are as follows: a- There are approximately 500,000 men and women in local, state, and federal prisons. 50 to 70% are incarcerated because of alcohol related crimes. Homicide - 64%; Assaults - 41%; Rape - 34%; Robbery - 72%. b- Suicide - 30%; Child abuse - 60%; Fire fatalities - 53%; Drowning - 68%. c- Alcohol is responsible for the majority of family breakups. d- Alcohol is responsible for the majority of battered women and children. 38% of child abusing parents have a history of drinking problems. Each and every statistic is or was a family member: THE FAMILY IS AMERICA! "THEY KNEW OR SHOULD HAVE KNOWN", the burden, responsibility, and accountability should be that of the alcohol beverage industry. The primary financial responsibility is that of the alcohol beverage industry to reimburse society for the devastation their product generates. Not only does the alcohol beverage industry have the duty to warn and reimburse, they must also provide the public with the facts about the true, scientific consequences of drinking alcoholic beverages. The consumer has not been properly informed and has been denied his or her right to know. Any member of our American Society, hurt by alcohol consumption, has a right to be paid for his or her damages. A SOBERING LOOK Alcohol, the most widely used psychoactive drug in the United States, has unique pharmacological effects on the person drinking it Alcohol contributes to 100,000 deaths annually, making it the third leading cause of preventable mortality in the US, after tobacco and diet/activity patterns Among 9,216 deaths attributed to non-medical use of other drugs in 1995, 39% also involved alcohol In 1992, more than seven percent of the population ages 18 years and older--nearly 13.8 million Americans--had problems with drinking, including 8.1 million people who are alcoholic. Almost three times as many men (9.8 million) as women (3.9 million) were problem drinkers, and prevalence was highest for both sexes in the 18-to-29-years-old age group About 43% of US adults--76 million people--have been exposed to alcoholism in the family: they grew up with or married an alcoholic or a problem drinker or had a blood relative who was ever an alcoholic or problem drinker 64% of high school seniors report that they have been drunk; more than 31% say that have had five or more drinks in a row during the last two People who begin drinking before age 15 are four times more likely to develop alcoholism than those who begin at age 21 From 1985 to 1992, the economic costs of alcoholism and alcohol-related problems rose 42% to $148 billion. Two-thirds of the costs related to lost productivity, either due to alcohol-related illness (45.7%) or premature death (21.2%). Most of the remaining costs were in the form of health care expenditures to treat alcohol use disorders and the medical consequences of alcohol consumption (12.7%), property and administrative costs of alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes (9.2%), and various additional costs of alcohol-related crime (8.6%). Based on inflation and population growth, the estimated costs for 1995 total $166.5 billion Nearly one-fourth of all persons admitted to general hospitals have alcohol problems or are undiagnosed alcoholics being treated for the consequences of their drinking On average, untreated alcoholics incur general health care costs at least 100% higher than those of nonalcoholics, and this disparity may exist as long as 10 years before entry into treatment Based on victim reports, each year 183,000 (37%) rapes and sexual assaults involve alcohol use by the offender, as do just over 197,000 (15%) of robberies, about 661,000 (27%) aggravated assaults, and nearly 1.7 million (25%) simple assaults Alcohol is typically found in the offender, victim or both in about half of all homicides and serious assaults, as well as in a high percentage of sex-related crimes, robberies, and incidents of domestic violence, and alcohol-related problems are disproportionately found among both juvenile and adult criminal offenders Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), which can occur when women drink during pregnancy, is the leading known environmental cause of mental retardation in the Western World Other statistics are as follows: a- There are approximately 500,000 men and women in local, state, and federal prisons. 50 to 70% are incarcerated because of alcohol related crimes. Homicide - 64%; Assaults - 41%; Rape - 34%; Robbery - 72%. b- Suicide - 30%; Child abuse - 60%; Fire fatalities - 53%; Drowning - 68%. c- Alcohol is responsible for the majority of family breakups. d- Alcohol is responsible for the majority of battered women and children. 38% of child abusing parents have a history of drinking problems. Each and every statistic is or was a family member: THE FAMILY IS AMERICA! A PREVENTABLE, TREATABLE DISEASE Prevention: Alcohol-related problems are not likely to be reduced by strategies involving single interventions directed solely at the individual; economic, political, social and environmental forces that work together to encourage and perpetuate these problems must also be addressed Price increases on alcoholic beverages may be especially effective at reducing addictive consumption by younger, poorer, and less educated consumers, while information on the long-term health impacts of drinking may have a greater effect on addictive consumption by older, richer, and more educated consumers (ref HYPERLINK "http://www.niaaa.nih.gov" \* MERGEFORMAT Error! Reference source not found. , School-based prevention programs that focus on social influences, such as peer resistance training or attempts to change perceived norms about alcohol, show more promise for changing alcohol use patterns than programs that emphasize the development of personal capabilities such as self-esteem, skill in making decisions and solving problems, and understanding how alcohol use can interfere with personal values and goals Nations banning the advertising of distilled spirits, compared to nations with no bans, had approximately 16% lower alcohol consumption; countries banning beer and wine ads had 11% lower alcohol consumption than those prohibiting only the advertising of spirits. The reductions in motor vehicle fatality rates were 10% and 23% respectively Treatment: 3.4 million Americans--approximately 1.6% of the population ages 12 and older--received treatment for alcoholism and alcohol-related problems in 1994; treatment peaked among people between the ages 26-34 A study examining the relative cost effectiveness of 33 specific treatment modalities for alcoholism suggested that more costly treatments are not necessarily more effective; of the six treatment modalities classified as having "good evidence of effect," all appear in the minimal-, low-, or medium-low-cost categories Providing heavy drinkers who are not alcohol-dependent with self-help materials relating to alcoholism can, by itself, be an effective method of brief intervention ENVIRONMENTAL INFLUENCES Parenting practices, parental alcohol use, and peer drinking can influence a person's alcohol use and the associated problems that can stem from drinking Content analyses of alcohol advertisements on television show that the ads link drinking with highly valued personal attributes such as socialibility, elegance, and physical attractiveness, and with desirable outcomes such as success, relaxation, romance, and adventure Alcohol advertising may influence adolescents to be more favorably predisposed to drinking NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES On Health: The regular consumption of large amounts of alcohol (defined as more than three drinks per day) is undesirable from the standpoint of health for almost all people and drinking low-to-moderate amounts can be desirable or undesirable, depending on individual characteristics Although there are fewer deaths from alcohol-related causes than from cancer or heart disease, alcohol-related deaths tend to occur at much younger ages Studies of suicide victims in the general population show that about 20% of such suicide victims are alcoholic Heavy and chronic drinking --can harm virtually every organ and system in
the body Each year 4,000 to 12,000 babies are born with the physical signs and intellectual disabilities associated with FAS, and thousands more experience the somewhat lesser disabilities of fetal alcohol effects, An association has been established in both homosexual and heterosexual populations between alcohol use, drug use and behavior that increases the risk for contracting HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases, but underlying processes and mechanisms that explain this relationship have not been definitively identified On the Family: Separated and divorced men and women were three times as likely as married men and women to say they had been married to an alcoholic or problem drinker An estimated 6.6 million children under the age of 18 years live in households with at least one alcoholic parent Unintentional Deaths and Injuries: 41% of all traffic fatalities (the leading cause of accidental death) are alcohol-related; alcoholics are nearly five times more likely than others to die in motor vehicle crashes One study showed that half of all boating fatalities had a blood alcohol content (BAC) of .04; BAC's of .10 or more were found in 31% of the fatalities Alcoholics are 16 times more likely than others to die in falls, and 10 times more likely to become fire or burn victims Estimates suggest that alcohol is associated with between 47% and 65% of
adult drownings. CONSUMPTION PATTERNS & PRACTICES From 1994 to 1995, annual per capita consumption of alcohol in the US declined 1.8% to 2.17 gallons, the lowest it has been since 1964 Two-thirds of the population drink, but 10% of all drinkers (those who drink most heavily) drink half of all alcohol consumed GENDER DIFFERENCES Study findings suggest that women metabolize alcohol less efficiently than men, a difference that leads to higher blood alcohol concentrations in women over a shorter period of time. This difference may make women more vulnerable than men to alcohol-induced liver damage Alcohol-related problems more prominent for women than men include serious reproductive and sexual dysfunctions; rapid development of dependence; more serious liver disease among those who are patients; victimization by others, particularly spouses; and sexual victimization Victory Over Addiction International, Inc
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