Getting Sober

"The findings of the 2001 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse and Addiction demonstrated that, while millions of Americans habitually drink alcohol, swallow prescription drugs, smoke pot, and snort cocaine, a number of drug users who meet or exceed the standards that indicate that they need professional treatment do not realize or accept the fact that they h

"Alcohol use interacts with conditions such as depression and stress to contribute to suicide, the third leading cause of death among people between the ages of 14 and 25. In one study, 37 percent of eighth grade females who drank heavily reported attempting suicide, compared with 11 percent who did not drink."

"In the United States, both the availability of alcohol and the way it is used (the social patterns) appear to be major factors in influencing the likelihood of a person becoming alcohol dependent."

"In some areas, part of the DUI school curriculum puts offenders face to face with victims, who tell their painful stories of how a drunk driver changed their lives forever. The idea is that personalizing the pain that drinking and driving can cause might make the offender stop and think before getting behind the wheel after drinking."

"Alcoholism and medical research have discovered that drinking alcohol can be hazardous in smaller amounts if it is consumed along with the following drugs: street drugs such as heroin and opium; sedatives such as tranquilizers and barbiturates; anti-seizure medications such as phenobarbital; and narcotic pain medications such as Codeine, Codeine derivatives, and Darvocet. Not only this, but mixing alcohol and drugs not only compounds the drug and alcohol problems that the abuser experiences, but doing so increases the person's need for professional alcohol and drug treatment."

"Alcohol-related crashes in the United States cost the public an estimated $114.3 billion in 2000, including $51.1 billion in monetary costs and an estimated $63.2 billion in quality of life losses. People other than the drinking driver paid $71.6 billion of the alcohol-related crash bill, which is 63 percent of the total cost of these crashes."

"According to alcohol abuse and alcoholism research studies, the more alcohol you drink, the more likely you are to have a hangover the next day. But there's no magic formula. A single alcoholic drink is enough to trigger a hangover for some people, while others may drink heavily and escape a hangover entirely."

"Studies have shown that inpatient detoxification programs are more effective and longer lasting than outpatient detox programs. The important issue here, however, is the following: the more severe the alcohol-related withdrawal symptoms, the more likely that inpatient detox programs should be used."

"It seems that a lot of people focus more on the treatment of alcoholism than on the treatment of alcohol abuse. Clearly, one of the reasons for this is that alcoholism is a more serious medical condition than alcohol abuse. There is, however, a convincing argument for the treatment of alcohol abuse BEFORE an individual's abusive and hazardous drinking escalates and becomes alcohol dependency."

"Many people turn to the use of alcohol for pain relief and due to its ability to depress the central nervous system and slow down the brain and the nervous system. As a result, drinking alcohol for many people delivers a certain amount of pain relief."

"According to U.S. alcoholism researchers, risk is not destiny. Just because alcoholism tends to run in families doesn't mean that a child of an alcoholic parent will automatically become an alcoholic too."

"Drug and alcohol abuse statistics reveal that more than 67% of the funding for drug and alcohol treatment programs comes from public sources. Private insurance pays for about 14% of these services and the patients pay for about 10%."

"According to a 1995 national survey of fourth through sixth graders who read the Weekly Reader, 30 percent of the students stated that they received "a lot" of pressure from fellow classmates to drink beer. Do our elementary schools need to mirror the trend taking place in the workplace and start screening and testing for alcohol consumption and alcohol abuse?"

"Individuals who engage in alcohol and drub abuse, at least on some level, know it, and many times they may try to cut down. They may change from hard liquor to beer or from beer to wine. They may decide to drink or take drugs only after six o'clock or only on weekends. They may even move or change jobs. But the result is more of the same: more drug and alcohol abuse."

"According to the substance abuse research literature, more and more scientific evidence substantiates the claim that the most effective and successful treatment methodologies for overcoming drug dependency and alcoholism embrace an assortment of approaches, such as doctor-prescribed medications, counseling, utilizing social service agencies and programs, and behavioral therapies. In a word, to effectively treat a complex medical condition such as alcoholism or drug dependency, a comprehensive set of "tools" need to be part of the therapist's 'toolbox.'"

"Whether a baby's alcohol or drug-caused health problems will continue as the child grows older is not always known. Medical research does show, however, that children born to mothers who used marijuana and or alcohol regularly during pregnancy may have trouble concentrating, when they get older."

"In some areas, part of the DUI school curriculum puts offenders face to face with victims, who tell their painful stories of how a drunk driver changed their lives forever. The idea is that personalizing the pain that drinking and driving can cause might make the offender stop and think before getting behind the wheel after drinking."

"Since nothing can change what took place in the past, it is hoped that all of the state and federal prisoners who abused drugs and/or alcohol in the past have access to alcoholism and alcohol abuse programs as well as to substance abuse and addiction treatment while they are still in prison."

"Once sober, patients can begin rehabilitation. Many enroll in hospital-based or freestanding alcoholism treatment centers. According to a 1991 survey by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, nearly 575,000 people were treated in 8,298 facilities in the United States on Sept. 30, 1991. Of those, 12 percent were treated as inpatients, 88 percent as outpatients."

"Whether a baby's alcohol or drug-caused health problems will continue as the child grows older is not always known. Medical research does show, however, that children born to mothers who used marijuana and or alcohol regularly during pregnancy may have trouble concentrating, when they get older."

"The drug and alcohol abuse research literature reveals that addicts have a propensity to involve themselves in substance abuse rather than using more responsible and healthy coping mechanisms when experiencing anger, frustration, stress, or anxiety in their daily lives."

"Fetal alcohol syndrome is a combination of physical and mental birth defects that affects about 6% of the babies born to U.S. women who are alcohol abusers or alcoholics."

"It is important for drinkers to realize that when they frequently abuse alcohol on a regular basis, they increase the risk of becoming an alcoholic."

"In the United States, a number of family-oriented interventions have been used to help prevent alcohol abuse. These interventions include the following: family preservation programs, family services, family therapy, family skills training programs, in-home family crisis services, and family education programs."

"It is a well known and highly researched fact that alcoholics and people who engage in excessive and abusive drinking typically refuse to see or admit that their drinking behavior is a serious problem that requires professional help. If you or a person you are concerned about, such as a family member or a friend, drink at times or in places that are totally inappropriate, this is a sign of alcohol abuse and a strong indication that alcohol abuse help is needed."

"According to the U.S. research literature, individuals with alcoholism and drug abusers are at increased risk for HIV/AIDS, as well as other infectious diseases like hepatitis and tuberculosis."

"Substance abuse research shows that the body and/or brain develop physical tolerance to the activity or substance that requires increasing amounts of the substance or activity to get the same or similar effects."

"Alcoholism and medical research have discovered that drinking alcohol can be hazardous in smaller amounts if it is consumed along with the following drugs: street drugs such as heroin and opium; sedatives such as tranquilizers and barbiturates; anti-seizure medications such as phenobarbital; and narcotic pain medications such as Codeine, Codeine derivatives, and Darvocet. Not only this, but mixing alcohol and drugs not only compounds the drug and alcohol problems that the abuser experiences, but doing so increases the person's need for professional alcohol and drug treatment."

"If you drink to an excess, you may consume more alcohol than your body can metabolize and eliminate. Under these circumstances, the body and the brain may become "overloaded" and result in alcohol poisoning. If the amount of alcohol is great enough, the body and the brain will "shut down" and the person can die as a result."