Sulphasalazine Can Reverse Liver Disease Even For Heavy Drinkers

Sulphasalazine, a cheap drug currently used for arthritis and IBD (inflammatory bowel disease) can reverse the scarring that comes with cirrhosis of the liver, say scientists from the University of Newcastle, UK. Doctors had always thought that fibrosis - scarring associated with cirrhosis - was irreversible. This new study on animals has shown the damage can be reversed with Sulphasalazine.

In the UK, about 10% of the adult population have liver problems, mainly due to heavy drinking and obesity/overweight.

The liver has hepatic myofibrobrlasts, these are cells that create scar tissue when the organ is injured. Hepatic myofibrobrlasts produce proteins which makes it more difficult to break down the scar tissue. In a healthy liver the scars gradually disappear and new healthy ones replace them. This does not happen when the liver tissue is diseased - and the scar tissue spreads.

The scientists found that Sulphasalazine stops the hepatic myofibrobrlasts from producing the protein that protects the scar tissue cells. In other words, it helps the scar tissue to gradually melt away.

If human trials show similar results, it could mean treating and-stage patients with Sulphasalazine rather than having them undergo a liver transplant. The scientists say they will start trials with heavy drinkers who no longer drink, but whose livers are not able to recover on their own.

This drug could be a Godsend for alcoholics who have given up drinking. Even a seemingly small recovery of 10% can make a huge difference to the patient's general health and quality of life, say the researchers.

The researchers say Sulphasalazine could halve the cirrhosis death rate in the UK. Treatment would cost £10 ($18.50) per week.

Some Facts About Cirrhosis

-- Responsible for 1.4 million deaths per year worldwide
-- Responsible for 5,000 - 10,000 deaths per year in the UK
-- Early stages are symptom free (so damage accumulates unnoticed)
-- There is currently no cure. The only end-stage treatment is a liver transplant
-- Most common causes are Hepatitis C (globally) and excessive alcohol consumption (developed countries)
-- Scotland has particularly high rates among developed countries

Medical News today

Alcoholics Anonymous established at SJU

A handful of Saint Joseph's students and faculty have started an Alcoholics Anonymous chapter this semester, and welcomes the University's community to share in this supportive group. After acknowledging dependence problems of their own, the group's founders were spurred to action in the hope of sharing A.A.'s recuperative power with others at Saint Joseph's.

"We wanted A.A. to be on campus to help anyone who struggles with addiction," said a St. Joe's student, sober for over a year, who helped found the Saint Joe's chapter. She asked that her name and the names of those involved with the group not be revealed. All of the identities of the meetings' attendees are kept anonymous as a principle of A.A.

"The purpose of meetings is that, as recovering alcoholics we have a daily reprieve from drinking, and meetings help to maintain our sobriety by keeping us in contact with other recovering people," she said in an e-mail. This student said she attended A.A. meetings outside St. Joe's before starting the new chapter.

With the help of a faculty member, this student contacted Joan Bradley at the counseling center, who helped them get started. Bradley had previously held an interest meeting with students and faculty about beginning an A.A. chapter on campus. She had also received emails from Father Timothy Lannon, the university President, and Dr. Linda Lelii, Vice President of Student Life, advocating a St. Joe's chapter. So far the group has met twice and usually draws four or five participants.

"They are open meetings and anyone can attend," said the chapter's student founder. "Any student that thinks his or her drinking is a problem would benefit."

Though the group is officially intended to accommodate alcoholics, meeting attendees often struggle with other addictions. One member attended because of an eating disorder.

As the group is in its infancy, the meetings are informal consisting of discussions or readings from "the Big Book." "Alcoholics Anonymous" is a 575-page book which outlines personal stories from the earliest members and includes "the 12 Concepts"-the 12 steps to recovery.

"The value of A.A. is in its support and structure," said Bradley. "Each person uses A.A. differently, but [the members] are there specifically to help you. This is what gives A.A. its strength and what makes it successful."

A.A. started in 1935 when a New York stockbroker and a surgeon from Ohio met in Akron, Ohio, to talk about their alcohol addictions. The men immediately recognized the benefit of their interaction-the openness and solidarity that encouraged them-and began meeting with other alcoholics in Akron's hospital. As this group slowly grew and its techniques proved successful, its founders wrote "the Big Book" and published it in 1939. Its publication made A.A. a national success as independent groups spread throughout the country.

Today, A.A. is an international fellowship with an estimated membership of over two million. Its success has proven so effective that courts often order alcoholic offers to attend A.A. meetings. Colleges and universities have made A.A. meetings part of their counseling services to aid students who have become overwhelmed by alcohol. Though there is a danger among college students not to admit an alcohol problem because of the social stigma attached to it, the founder of the St. Joe's chapter said that this has not been a problem yet.

"All the members have a pretty good respect when it comes to keeping people anonymous," said the chapter's student founder. "We need each other to stay sober. Meetings are the place where we gain a support system to help us through tough times and to share our successes."

The Hawk

Our attitudes on drinking need to shift

If Lincoln needed a call to action to cut down on binge drinking, a fourth-place national ranking for this risky behavior ought to be sufficient.

The latest survey by the Centers for Disease Control reported that one in five Lincoln adults drank five or more drinks in one sitting in the previous month.

The finding can’t be blamed entirely on the high number of college students in the city.

There’s also too much binge drinking in Lincoln among adults who aren’t enrolled in college.

At worst, binge drinking can lead to fatal alcohol poisoning, as well as other health ailments. Indirectly, it’s linked to car crashes, fights, sexual assaults, accidental pregnancies and similar problems.

The problem is engrained in the culture. Similar high rates of binge drinking are reported in the nearby states of North and South Dakota. Fargo, N.D., where almost one in four adults reported binge drinking, claimed the unenviable distinction of the highest rate in the country.

As bad as Lincoln’s rate is, it would be a lot worse if not for a concerted effort being made at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to curb binge drinking through the NU Directions program.

Since the campus-community coalition began its work in 1998, binge drinking on campus has dropped from 63 percent in 1997 to 42 percent, which is below the national average.

Some of the measures employed in the program include sanctions on Greek houses that permit alcohol violations and residence hall contracts that require parents to be notified of alcohol violations.

The coalition also has been active in working with police and other leaders to crack down on off-campus party houses. This year, students at UNL, Nebraska Wesleyan University and Southeast Community College are participating in the “We Agree” program to educate students about the consequences of parties that get out of control and encourage practices to prevent parties from being unmanageable.

A similar approach might be used to change cultural acceptance in the community at large.

Linda Major, director of NU Directions, said the first step would be to gather more data on the binge-drinking habits of Lincoln adults who are not in college, and then devise strategies to change the culture.

One significant finding among college students is that they typically believe binge drinking is more common than it actually is, which induces some to go along with an imaginary cultural norm. A similar phenomenon might be at work in the general population.

Before anyone accuses the Journal Star editorial board of being joyless, grim-faced purveyors of a new prohibition, allow us to make clear that light drinking can be part of a happy, fulfilling life. Numerous health studies have demonstrated that light drinking causes few health problems and may actually offer some cholesterol-lowering health benefits.

But the positive effects of alcohol quickly turn into negatives as the number of drinks rises. A community that tolerates binge drinking as normal behavior has a drinking problem.

Lincoln Journal Star

"Somehow I pulled myself together"

"I woke up early Sunday morning on the floor of my office, with my forefinger wrapped around the handle of an empty jug of wine and absolutely no recollection of buying it," G.G. said. "I have no clue where the idea came from, but somehow I pulled myself together, still very drunk, and I went to AA."

It was her first contact with Alcoholics Anonymous, at a 12 Keys clubhouse in Leavittown, Pa.

In the empty parking lot, as she waited for the building to open, a disheveled, unshaven man walked toward her car. "I looked at him and I thought, ‘Now there’s a real alcoholic.’ But he came right up to my window and bent down and said, ‘You never have to feel this way again.’ Turned out, he had eight years of sobriety and came to the parking lot every morning looking for people like me, to keep them company until the meeting started."

That was back in February 1978, and G.G., now 73 and living back in her hometown of Skowhegan, hasn’t touched alcohol since. Recently retired from a satisfying second career as a substance abuse counselor, she emphasized that virtually every user she has worked with has suffered from some kind of deep emotional pain, most often stemming from childhood trauma and pressures.

Family dysfunction comes in many forms, she said. "People can be addicted to religion, to their work and their ambition. A father who gets so angry at ball games, yelling at his kid for not being a better player — he’s setting that kid up."

Bangor Daily News

Drug 'may reverse liver disease'

A cheap and readily available drug could reverse severe liver disease, even in patients who find it impossible to give up booze, research suggests.

Sulphasalazine is currently used to treat arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease.

But a University of Newcastle team has found that it can also reverse the scarring associated with cirrhosis of the liver.

Liver disease is the fifth highest cause of death in the UK.

It is estimated that up to 10% of the UK population have problems with their liver - and most are linked to lifestyle factors, such as heavy drinking and obesity.

Scientists had thought that the scarring associated with cirrhosis - known as fibrosis - was irreversible.

However, recent studies have shown that is not the case.

Now the Newcastle team, in tests on animals, have shown that Sulphasalazine can aid the recovery process.

Regeneration

When the liver is injured specialised cells called hepatic myofibroblasts create scar tissue, and secrete proteins which prevent it being broken down.

In healthy liver tissue the scars eventually melt away and are replaced by new normal tissue.

However, in diseased tissue this process does not happen. Instead the scar tissue proliferates, and spreads throughout the whole organ.

The Newcastle team showed that Sulphasalazine could aid recovery by blocking the production of proteins that keep the scar tissue cells alive.

They plan to carry out trials in humans, but already believe the drug has the potential to provide an alternative to a liver transplant.

The drug will initially be given to heavy drinkers who have given up alcohol, but too late for their liver to recover naturally.

If this proves successful, the medicine will also be prescribed to alcoholics who continue to drink but show a determination to fight their addiction by reducing their intake.

Professor Derek Mann, who led the research, said just a 5% to 10% recovery of the organ could have a huge impact on quality of life.

Efforts needed

Professor Chris Day, head of Newcastle University's School of Clinical Medical Sciences, said the drug was likely to work best on people who had made some effort to kick their boozing habit.

But he said it offered a potential solution to the tricky ethical problem of offering people who abused alcohol a liver transplant.

Many people believe it is wrong to use organs that are in very short supply on people who have not demonstrated their ability to reform their drinking.

Professor Day said: "In that situation you may not give somebody a transplant, but you are not going to stop them getting a tablet, particularly if it only costs £10 a week.

"Cirrhosis is the fifth highest cause of death in the UK today, and it would not be too optimistic to say this drug could halve that death rate."

Professor David Jones, another member of the Newcastle liver team, said he and his colleagues regularly saw patients in their twenties with severe liver disease.

He said: "There is no point at which an alcoholic patient won't benefit from stopping drinking, but now we can actually help the healing process."

Anne Jenkins, of the charity Alcohol Concern, said: "The last 20 years have seen a significant increase in rates of liver cirrhosis, particularly among the 34-45 age group.

"Research that could help to reverse harm is obviously to be welcomed, but this work is at an early stage, and more needs to be done."

BBC News

Early successful alcohol treatment pays dividends

People with alcohol problems who remain abstinent within a year of first seeking treatment are more likely to be alive fifteen years later than those who don't fare as well early in treatment, a new study shows.

The findings confirm that "if you think you have a drinking problem, then it's important to get help, and it's important to get help early," Dr. Christine Timko of the Veterans Affairs Health Care System in Menlo Park, California, the study's lead author, told Reuters Health.

Some studies have found a nearly five-fold greater risk of death for alcoholics compared to people without drinking problems, Timko and her colleagues note in the medical journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research. However, it's not clear whether getting help early might reduce this risk.

To investigate, the team followed up on 628 people who had entered treatment 16 years previously.

Sixty-eight percent had died of alcohol-related causes in that time. Overall, the researchers found, study participants were 40% more likely to die over the course of follow-up than would have been expected in the general population.

Older people, those with more symptoms of alcohol dependence, and those who were unmarried had an even greater mortality risk.

Among those who were not drinking one year after they started treatment, the likelihood of dying was much lower, the researchers found. Risk of death also was reduced for those who spent eight weeks or longer in outpatient treatment during that year and also did not have drinking problems at one year. Spending more than four months attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, along with better drinking outcomes at one year, also cut death risk.

However, people who spent three weeks or longer in inpatient treatment were more likely to die. This is probably because they had more serious alcohol problems, or may have not had the social support of people who were able to get care without being hospitalized, Timko noted.

The findings show how important it is for health care providers who work with people with alcohol problems to find them treatment that will help them, even if they don't succeed in their first attempts at quitting, Timko added.

"Our data indicate that treatment will reduce the chances of dying from alcohol-related problems, but it's up to the programs to measure how well the patients are doing in treatment, and if they're not responding, they need to continue to try to help those people," Timko said.

Reuters: Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, October 2006.

AA membership 'cuts alcohol-related murders'

There is a "strong relationship" between membership in the drink support group Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and a reduction in alcohol-related murders, scientists have claimed.

The Canadian-based team's research, published in the October edition of journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, also found that there are significant links between alcohol and violence, especially among male beer and spirit drinkers.

Today's study explains that AA sessions have a particularly strong effect on reducing the number of murders involving men who primarily drink beer and spirits.

The impetus to the research was provided by the World Health Organisation, which has described alcohol as a "leading [contributor to the] global burden of disease", with related murders "just one of a number of negative consequences of its consumption".

And the study's lead author, Professor Robert Mann, senior scientist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, today said: "It is important to try to understand the factors that could reduce alcohol's adverse effects.

"We know that economic and legal measures such as taxation policies, increased drinking ages, and lowered legal limits for driving can exert powerful effects on alcohol problem rates. We also know that individual participation in AA and alcohol treatment can have very beneficial effects," he added.

In the investigation, researchers analysed data collated in Ontario relating to beer, spirit and wine consumption, as well as deaths involving people aged over 15 related to alcohol between 1968 and 1991.

"Our study showed that total and male homicide rates in Ontario were strongly related to average levels of alcohol consumption. These observations confirm previous research showing that alcohol is a leading contributor to violence, as well as violence-related mortality," revealed Professor Mann.

But the scientists explained they were not surprised to find that the violent effects of alcohol consumption were significantly more pronounced in male than female drinkers.

"Intuitively, the nature of both male drinking patterns and homicide is different than that of females. Males drink more often, more heavily, and consume more beer and spirits than females. Moreover, the nature of the link between alcohol consumption and violence is more readily a male experience, for example, drinking heavily in bar settings leads to aggression and violence," the authors write.

In The News

'Alcoholics Anonymous may prevent murders'

Alcoholics Anonymous, the worldwide group that helps addicts stop drinking, may also help drive down the number of murders in a community, Canadian researchers reported on Sunday.

As membership in the group in Ontario, Canada, increased between 1968 and 1991, murders there dropped off, said Robert Mann from the University of Toronto and Mark Asbridge from Dalhousie University.

Research has shown there is a significant relationship between drinking and homicide in Europe, the United States and Canada, they wrote in their report, published in the October issue of Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.

But they found an increase of one AA member per 100,000 people was followed by a drop of 0.3 to 0.5 percent in Ontario's homicide rate.

The relationship was only apparent when it came to men. They did not find a relationship in the case of women.

"Males drink more often, more heavily and consume more beer and spirits than females," Asbridge said in a statement.

"Moreover, the nature of the link between alcohol consumption and violence is more readily a male experience, for example, drinking heavily in bar settings leads to aggression and violence."

For the study, Mann and Asbridge used Statistics Canada data to calculate per capita total alcohol consumption as well as murders of people aged 15 and older from 1968 to 1991.

Alcoholics Anonymous gave estimated membership data from surveys and mailing lists.

"Our study showed that total and male homicide rates in Ontario were strongly related to average levels of alcohol consumption," Mann said in a statement.

"These observations confirm previous research showing that alcohol is a leading contributor to violence, as well as violence-related mortality."

Asbridge said government officials might want to reduce drinking rates and, presumably, violence by raising taxes.

"Right now, in Canada, beer is typically taxed at a lower level than wine and thus is more economical to purchase with respect to its alcohol content (to) price per volume of alcohol," he said.

"By making beer more costly we might have some aggregate impact on consumption patterns and, in turn, the negative consequences associated with its use."

Reuters

A clash of cultures in drink use

Dinner time and the table is set, food is being dished up, and there's the welcome clink of glass as the first sip of chilled white wine is taken . . . by everyone, including the children.

It's a scene common on the Continent, where youngsters are taught from an early age how to drink wine with their meals - watered down to begin with - and to be sensible with their alcohol intake.

Yet in Britain the very idea of allowing a youngster to have a glass of wine or beer at a meal, would make many parents gasp in astonishment.

But a new study suggests those who allow their children to have alcohol may actually be encouraging them to drink sensibly in the future. The study of more than 10,000 15 and 16-year-olds found that those given alcohol by their parents were less likely to binge-drink or drink in public places or on the street.

As a result, the report's authors have suggested parents of teenagers replace peer pressure to drink dangerously with positive role models for sensible alcohol consumption.

It's a move which some of Edinburgh's Mediterranean citizens believe would work. Josephine Williams, a 23-year-old waitress at Cafe St Honore in Thistle Street Lane, who was raised in France between the ages of ten and 16, says there are benefits to being given alcohol at a young age.

"When I was about 12 I was allowed to drink wine, although it was very small amounts, and it was really to get you used to the taste more than anything," she says.

"It was always on the dinner table, though. I was shocked when I came back to Britain and saw how people my age were drinking, and getting really drunk.

"There is no real binge-drinking problem in France, and I think if I have children I will try to introduce them to alcohol in the same way my parents did with me. Here there is a very unhealthy attitude towards alcohol."

However, Philip Contini, managing director of the Valvona and Crolla delicatessen, is less sure. Now 53, he was raised in the Italian wine culture, with his parents giving him his first taste of wine when he was six.

He has raised his two children Francesca, 26, and Olivia, 11, in the same way, but does not believe simply introducing children to alcohol at a young age is the answer to ridding Scotland of binge-drinking.

"In Italy, wine is the culture, he says. "Rich and poor are all brought up drinking wine, and for us it is like breathing. My family were in the wine business and when I was six or seven, every Sunday when the new deliveries arrived I would be offered a taste.

"My father would teach me about it, telling me to look at it, to see if it was cloudy or clear, and if it was clear it was OK to drink.

In my family, no one ever got drunk, we were so used to wine.

"When I was older and went out with my Scottish friends to the pub on Friday night, I was shocked. They would get absolutely blootered, and I just didn't want to do that." The idea of giving children an early taste of alcohol is one which Jack Law, chief executive of Alcohol Focus Scotland and a member of the Scottish Ministerial Advisory Committee on Alcohol Problems, has already suggested. He believes the practice would cut binge-drinking among youngsters by taking the mystery out of alcohol.

"It's all about enabling them to feel part of a positive social experience," he says.

Certainly something has to change. A major Scottish Executive study of children aged between 12 and 15 found that 51 per cent admitted to drinking alcohol when they were around 13, and the figure rose to 84 per cent by the time they were 15.

Professor Mark Bellis - director of Liverpool John Moores University's centre for public health, and lead author of the latest report - says the ability to drink sensibly has to be learned.

"By the age of 15, the vast majority of young people are already using alcohol and this study suggests those who do so with their parents are more likely to avoid the most dangerous drinking behaviours," he says.

But Bellis believes the more Mediterranean approach to drinking alcohol, while desirable, is "unlikely ever to develop in the UK unless parents demonstrate such behaviours and help develop them in their children".

Philip Contini agrees and adds: "There are big cultural differences which I think have to be looked at, and simply giving kids a taste of alcohol at an early age is not like some kind of vaccine against binge-drinking.

"In Scotland it is the culture to drink heavily, it's in the blood. It might be worth experimenting with giving children wine at young age, but there is the chance it could make things worse."

Scotsman

Trade becomes scapegoat for underage excessive drinking

A new battle is raging against the licensed trade - as pubs and drinks companies are once again finding themselves the scapegoats for young people who are drinking and smoking too much.

The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) called for action last week to stop the spread of heavy drinking and smoking among young people as it published the results of a three-year study to a furore of media attention.

Its report, produced by a group chaired by Laurence Gruer, the director of public health science at NHS Scotland, believes alcohol needs to be tackled with the same urgency as hard drugs.

It proposes a range of ways to counteract drinking and smoking among younger people - including tougher drink-driving limits for under 25s, an increase in the legal limit to buy tobacco from 16 to 18, increased duty on alcohol, banning alcohol adverts on television and stopping drinks companies from sponsoring sports or music events watched by under-18s.

It claims that the youngest drinkers and smokers are under 10 years old and says that young people in Britain are the biggest drinkers in Europe.

The report, called Pathways to Problems, claims: “Younger drinkers are most likely to acquire alcohol from friends or relatives but by the age of 15 a substantial minority report buying alcohol from pubs, off-licences or shops.

“By the age of 16 or 17 most drinkers buy alcohol themselves, and 80 per cent of 16 to 24-year-old drinkers say they usually drink in a pub or bar.”

However, many in the pub trade are concerned at the proposals, which put the onus of responsibility onto publicans and drinks companies to sort out the social ills of the world.

While the recent press reports see the organisation calling for a range of restrictions on alcohol it also indicates that the most important factors which influence whether they drink or smoke to excess are early life

experiences, family relationships and circumstances and parental attitudes and behaviours.

Mishmash of research

So why is the drinks trade getting the blame yet again? The report, which on further investigation is a mishmash of research from other sources and not actually a new survey, reveals where these youngsters are drinking.

Mark Hastings, communications director at the British Beer & Pub Association, says a lot of the data used is “irrelevant” to the current pub market as some of it is from studies done up to 20 years ago.

He says: “It doesn’t differentiate between drinking in pubs or at home. While its recommendations are well-meaning they are totally misdirected and will not solve the problems.”

He also argues that Britain already has one of the highest tax rates in Europe and this bears no relation to youngsters’ drinking habits. In fact, he claims the restrictive regimes which treat alcohol as a type of “forbidden fruit” are more likely to cause problems as people fail to learn to respect alcohol at an early age.

“The idea of micromanaging and legislating for people to make better decisions is simply something that cannot work,” he argues. “What drives that behaviour is something much deeper than pricing structure.”

Licensee David Stocken of the Dolphin in Worthing, East Sussex, is concerned that a minority of bad operators who serve underage drinkers are causing problems for licensees.

He believes that the police and other authorities need to deal with underage drinking by tackling the main sources - off-licences, supermarkets and petrol stations.

“Kids stand outside supermarkets and get alcohol and nothing is being done about that. These kids are drinking on the streets. The general problem is that the authorities are tackling it in the wrong way,” claims David.

“There is a massive problem with underage drinking but this does not go on in pubs. Most pubs are responsible. We don’t want underage people in our pubs.

“If the police put a fraction of their effort into off-sales they would solve the problems.”

He argues that children who go to pubs with adults are seeing responsible drinking in action and says this breeds a more responsible attitude to alcohol.

Nigel Pollard, head of PR and sponsorship at Scottish and Newcastle UK, agrees. He says: “I think there is little evidence that control theory stops people drinking.”

On alcohol advertising he says the current OFCOM guidelines are very stringent and are actually working.

“What we have in place is working well and we need time for that to bed in,” he adds.

He defends drinks company sponsorship for clubs and events saying it is “very important for funding those clubs”.

He also argues that there are positive effects of drinks advertising. “Without adverts no-one would know about the Drinkaware Trust and we need adverts to reinforce positive images of drinking.”

However, some of the recommendations have already been rejected by government ministers.

Schools minister Lord Adonis said the government was focusing on existing policies to combat a consumption rise. A spokeswoman for the Department for Culture Media and Sport said ministers had “no plans” to ban alcohol adverts or alcohol firms sponsoring events.

In addition, a proposal by the panel for a new lower drink-drive limit for young adults was immediately ruled out by ministers.

The problems...

- The use of alcohol, tobacco and cannabis among 15-year-olds is one of the highest in Europe

- Among 6.8 million 16 to 24-year-olds in the UK almost 30 per cent drink more than twice the recommended alcohol limit at least once a week

- Of all drugs, alcohol has shown the most recent growth in use with the most recent alarming development being the growth in the number of young women drinking

- Factors which influence whether young people use alcohol and other drugs hazardously include difficult family relationships

- Young people have no difficulty getting hold of the products

- Drugs education has little impact on future drug use

And the solutions?

- The government needs to do more to ensure more young people are aware of the hazards of alcohol

- The legal age to buy tobacco should be raised to 18 from 16

- A ban on alcohol advertising to cut drinking among young people

- The ending of drinks sponsorships of sporting events

- An increase in alcohol duty

- The reduction of the drink-drive limit from 80mg to 50mg of alcohol for those aged under 25

- More accessible services for young people with alcohol and drug problems should be developed

The Publican

Alcoholism / addiction in Arizona

For years now AIDS has been the darling of the media industry with story after story concerning the ongoing epidemic or showing organizations adding to the aids quilt which is shown every year in Washington D.C. with its added blocks each designating a new death that year.... The latest figures from Atlanta's disease and control center, which are from 2004, reported 15,798 deaths due to AIDS in the USA for that year. Figures for Arizona vary for the same year with from 100 to 200 deaths attributed to AIDS.

In 2005 according to the National Traffic Safety Administration, automobile deaths in the USA was put at 42,636 with 16%, or 16,694 (slightly higher than AIDS deaths) of those attributable to drunken drivers. It doesn't however include the collateral damage done from those same deaths to survivors of those same accidents whose lives have been forever impaired due to brain damage, lost limbs, internal damage, etc.

Yet those stats are but the tip of an iceberg when it comes to the usage of alcohol; a socially acceptable means of destabilizing a human being's mental or physical acuity.

Figures can be used in many particular ways sometimes only to prove one's point of view but some figures speak for themselves. The American Council on Alcoholism estimates that some 16%, which is about one out of every 10 Americans is addicted to alcohol. Now remember that's only alcohol. If we add in those addicted to street drugs such as methamphetamines, coke, crack, heroin or marijuana, the figure rises to somewhere in the vicinity of 25%! That means that one out of every four people you meet on a daily basis has some form of addiction to substances that affect their lives.

But we have to go farther than that. Not only is substance abuse affecting the lives of those who use alcohol or drugs but it affects the lives of those in the alcohol / addicts families, his friends, co-workers and even every day people he or she might meet on the street.

Alcoholism has been called a family disease for years now probably due more to a book called Alcoholics Anonymous first published in 1939 for the fledgling 12 step group that goes by the same name. Alcoholics Anonymous got its start in 1935 by two men, Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith both alcoholics bedeviled by years of trying to stop drinking on their own. They began to understand with the help of a doctor who was in the practice of treating alcoholics, that it took a drunk to speak to another drunk about their problem. They also realized for the first time in human history that taking that first drink, a psychological problem leads to the second problem were the human body, not able to metabolize alcohol as in most people, ups the craving for more alcohol which just starts the circle again over and over.

From humble beginnings through a troubled first ten years, AA has now grown world-wide with membership counting around 2.5 million with meetings held in over 150 countries. But, more importantly how has alcohol or drug addiction affected you or your family? Sure HIV/AIDS is out but we know most of the ways it is transmitted and the impact it has had on the American public pales in comparison to alcoholism and drug addiction. And don't get me wrong. For every death by AIDS I too can relate having had friends die by that disease and I am aggrieved as is anyone who has lost a close family member and can certainly relate. Nevertheless, alcohol addiction has been the bane of mankind for thousands of years.

Today car wreaks, fighting, countless arguments within families with the addicted person swearing to never again get drunk or use, has ruined the lives of innumerable individuals with children, of course, getting the short end of the stick.

But now help can be found. Not just for the individual user but on a larger scale for the family he or she affects with the daily, weekly or non-stop usage that brings about loss of jobs, utilities, homes and cars not to mention self-esteem. The stiuma of a user in the house usually brings about countless excuses by the husband or wife as to why so and so can't go to work today or why the bill will be paid-sometime in the future.

Families stop functioning as such and are held captive unless something is done before death, insanity or constant detaining of the user in hospitals, mental institutions or rehab facilities drains the very will to live.

Alcoholics Anonymous is not perhaps the only answer to the downward spiral but at least for the user it could be a beginning. As for the families, Alanon has shown to be able to give the wife or husband of the user a beginning to set their own lives back in order as well as get back that self-esteem lost over the years of living with an active alcoholic I addict because, said to say, it does infect the entire family.

Remember that alcoholism or drug addiction is a lonely disease that affects not just the user but everyone around him or her. Maybe it's time for a change.

Casa Grande Valley Newspapers

Alcohol expert drops in to tackle bingeing

A Leading expert on alcohol abuse will be in Cumbria next month after a survey pinpointed the county as one of the worst in the UK for binge drinking.

Professor Mark Bellis, who works with the World Health Organisation as the representative for England and advises the Home Office, will address the annual meeting of Cumbria Drug and Alcohol Advisory Service (Cadas).

Prof Bellis, who is based at Liverpool John Moores University, co-wrote two reports which revealed alarming levels of binge drinking – particularly among teenagers – in the north.

Around one-in-five people in England drink twice the daily recommended level in one or more sessions a week, the first study showed, and Copeland has the highest number of women admitted to hospital for drink-related conditions.

The second study, which was released yesterday, revealed that nine out of 10 teenagers in the north west drank alcohol.

Forty per cent of the 15 and 16-year-olds questioned admitted binge drinking.

Prof Bellis told the News & Star that binge drinking was escalating because of a variety of factors.

Deprived areas suffer from high levels of alcohol abuse, he said, but the issue was more wide-ranging than that.

“People sit at home and think it’s young people out in cities who are the culprits,” he said.

“But they are sitting there, drinking a couple of bottles of wine.

“The level of alcohol we are consuming as a nation is going up, and people are starting to drink earlier, particularly young girls.”

He said drinks promotions were a factor, together with the amount of drinking shown on television.

“The soaps are riddled with pictures of alcohol and people drinking,” he added.

“Even if the adverts are aimed at the over 18s, they are not just being absorbed by that market.”

Yesterday’s study revealed that children whose parents introduced them to alcohol in a responsible manner at home – known as the Mediterranean method – were less likely to develop dangerous drinking habits.

Prof Bellis said: “Parents can legally set a good example about drinking in moderation.

“We know the vast majority of 15-year-olds are drinking – they will either gets their role models from parents or peers.

“It’s not a case of stopping all drinking by children, we don’t want to stop them having good role models.”

News & Star

An year off bubbly, Alcoholics Anonymous drinks to its health

Ahmedabad, September 17: They aren’t saying hic, hic, hurray, but guess why the Ahmedabad chapter of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is celebrating.

AA, a voluntary group that helps alcoholics overcome their addiction, completed one year this month and the chapter held a meeting on Sunday to share their experiences of the past year. It’s ironical that the group is thriving in what is known to be ‘‘the driest State of them all.’’

AA, which works on the ideology of sharing experiences, strengths and hopes with one another, started with a strength of five members here. Now, there are around 35 members in the group, with members keeping their identity a secret.

One of the founding members of the Ahmedabad chapter said their main goal was to help people get over alcohol addiction and that they welcome people from all classes and religions.

‘‘We work on the simple principle of being honest to our selves. All Alcoholics Anonymous members take a vow every morning that they will not drink that day and try to adhere to their promise,” he added.

The members meet twice a week and share their experiences and problems in countering alcoholism. Apart from Ahmedabad, AA also has its chapters in Idar, Vadodara, Surat, Vapi and Daman in Gujarat.

Ahmedabad Newsline

Addiction often involves entire family

Many people think that an alcoholic is the man eating out of the trash, living on the street and drinking out of a paper bag. Or that the drug addict is the person arrested by the police who lives in the trailer park with needles all around.

However, addiction often looks more like the teacher, the physician, the lawyer and the parent next door. People with an addiction may be functional in their careers and they may only use at night or on the weekends.

The family may think nothing of the dad coming home from work every day with a six-pack, or the daughter who frequently returns from the restroom with the sniffles, or the grandmother who gets her "medicine" from several doctors or pharmacists. People who are addicted feel a lot of guilt and shame and are used to hiding the problem well.

According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual's fourth edition, symptoms of addiction include withdrawal and tolerance. Withdrawal symptoms occur when the person has been without the substance for a short period of time; they are physical and psychological. Accordingly, the person wants to use the substance again in order to reduce the cravings or the physical symptoms. Symptoms of tolerance occur when the person needs increasingly larger amounts of a substance to achieve intoxication.

Further symptoms of addiction are spending a lot of time getting, using or recovering from the substance. Addiction also causes the person to give up normal social, occupational, or recreational events. Often the person will continue using despite knowing they have significant problems.

People who are addicted have families who love them, and that makes it a family disease. Family members are often harmed by the damage addiction causes. While the alcoholic is able to escape from emotional pain, the family must cope with increasing dysfunction by both healthy and unhealthy means.

These survival roles can be taken on by any member of the family. Some adult members may take responsibility for the person's use and make futile attempts to make things better for the family. The responsible one gives stability to the chaos, the adjuster reduces the stress in the family, and the placater makes all members feel comfortable.

Children also take on survival roles such as the hero who alleviates family pain by being a high achiever, the scapegoat is the problem child whose behavior exposes the underlying family pain, the mascot who tries humor to distract from tension and the lost child becomes a quiet loner and keeps to himself. This is a relief for the family because there is one less family member to worry about.

All is not lost. There is support out there for people who have an addiction and the family members who love them. Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous, which are spiritually based, support addicts throughout the world; Al-Anon and Alateen groups support their families.

For local meeting listings for these groups, please see meeting section of any local newspaper or search the Internet for specific meeting times. Other self-help groups exist as well that emphasize the capacity to change independent of spirituality (Rational Recovery, Secular Organizations for Sobriety).

Dayna Haynes is pursuing a doctorate in clinical psychology at Argosy University in Tampa and currently works with substance-abusing adults at Manatee Glens, a not-for-profit health care provider that delivers services from seven Manatee County locations.

Bradenton Herald

Teenage drinking solution unveiled

Teenagers are engaging in uncontrolled, socially-damaging binge drinking in public places because they have too much money in their pockets to spend on alcohol, it has been claimed.

A report published today by the Centre for Public Health suggests that 90 per cent of teenagers aged 15 and 16 engage in binge drinking, where they consume more than five drinks in one session, and that the alcohol they drink is provided to them by older siblings, friends, and irresponsible adults.

The worst cases of teenage drinking occur where the children purchase their alcohol themselves, with the research finding that they are six times more likely to binge drink and nearly three times more likely to do so in a public place.

In order to move towards a society similar to that prevalent in many Mediterranean countries where children drink in moderation with meals, experts believe that parents have a crucial role in teaching their teenage children about the proper use of alcohol.

"The ability to drink alcohol sensibly is not a gift people are born with but one that must be learnt," urged Professor Mark Bellis, the report's lead author.

"By the age of fifteen the vast majority of young people are already using alcohol and this study suggests that those who do so with their parents are more likely to avoid the most dangerous drinking behaviours," he said.

In order to clamp down on uncontrolled teenage drinking, the report calls for the adoption of more stringent age checks on alcohol purchasing among those under 21, a renewed emphasis on "positive parental role models" and the issuing of advice to parents about how best to keep an eye on what their children are spending their money on.

"Advice to parents on monitoring and directing their children's spending may help, but this needs to be accompanied by local provision of affordable, appealing and accessible alternatives to binging on cheap booze," Professor Bellis added.

In The News

The road to recovery

Since its creation in 1989, National Drug and Alcohol Addiction Recovery Month has been held every September.

Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service’s Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, Recovery Month serves to educate the public on substance abuse and benefits of treatment from a societal aspect, celebrate those recovering and their supporters and encourage citizens to do their part in finding ways to improve availability and efficiency of treatment.

This year, the CSAT theme is “Join the Voices of Recovery: Build a Stronger, Healthier Community. Various events will take place throughout Virginia, including the 3K Recovery Run in Richmond, set to take place September 16.

Within the Virginia Tech community, the College Alcohol Abuse Prevention Center encourages students to “speak up and speak out” against alcohol and drug abuse. The CAAPC was established in 2001 to “provide leadership in the development, implementation and evaluation of alcohol abuse prevention programs for students on the Virginia Tech campus,” said CAAPC Director Steven Clarke.

During the last week of September, CAAPC will distribute information about services that recovering students can take advantage of on campus and in the community. Clarke suggested students research programs provided by the New River Valley Community Services website, particularly that of the substance abuse. This service provides rehabilitation for those trying to recover in environments that may lead them to relapse.

Students interested in group recovery should visit the Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous websites.

The Psychological Services Center of Virginia Tech, located on Prices Fork Road, and the Center for Applied Behavior Systems, located at 202 Williams Hall, provide regarding alcohol research being conducted.

Students may also seek individual counseling and psychiatric services at Cook Counseling Center and can research information on how to recover and to prevent further cases of substance abuse at the CAAPC website.

Collegiate Times

Pouring out help for victims of alcohol abuse

Sobering new statistics reveal binge drinking has grown into a massive national problem.

In the Chesterfield Borough area, an estimated 17 per cent of the population binge drink, and in NE Derbyshire it's an estimated 16 per cent – with hundreds of these people ending up in hospital.

Health chiefs in the county have now launched one of the first initiatives of its kind in the UK to cut the personal misery and ill-health caused by alcohol abuse.

It might be fatigue, indigestion, stomach pains, anxiety or obesity that makes people see their GP.

Or a fall, road accident or fight that lands someone in casualty.

But many such patients in Derbyshire are now increasingly likely to be asked five little questions about their drinking habits.

It's all part of a new strategy by primary care trusts in north Derbyshire through which an extra £78,000 a year is being pumped into the area's health services.

Training will be provide for GPs and other NHS professionals to spot where problem drinking is triggering illnesses – and enable patients to get the help or treatment they need.

The move will cover the whole of Derbyshire, except Glossop and Derby City.

Dr David Black, director of public health for Chesterfield PCT, said: "Alcohol problems haven't been recognised by the people with them, or by the doctors."

Answering the five questions which health professionals will be trained to ask will "take about 20 seconds," added Dr Black.

Depending on answers to the questions about how often and how much people drink, patients score from one to a maximum of 25 – and if they score five or above it means it could be useful to discuss their drinking with a professional.

Support offered can vary from being a patient asked by a GP to keep a diary of alcohol being consumed, and being given a leaflet on safe drinking, to counselling, or – for heavy drinkers dependant on alcohol – help in detoxing from the community alcohol team.

Dr Black said: "We expect when this training is rolled out to GPs there will be a significant increase in referrals.

"Part of our strategy is giving health professionals the confidence to ask the questions, and also to ensure that when patients are referred there's a high quality service to help them that hasn't got waiting lists. That's why we're putting extra money into this."

"Most people who drink more than they should are not alcoholics. You can drink too much without realising it. A lot of people might think it is all right drinking half a bottle of wine a night but it can contribute to a lot of health problems."

Helen Severns, assistant director of commissioning for north Derbyshire PCTs, said: "We are probably one of the first to produce a localised alcohol strategy because we recognised the need."

Elaine Handley, manager for North Derbyshire Alcohol Service (NDAAS), says that when the service carried out a pilot project to train health professionals in Bolsover to carry out screening for alcohol problems, referrals of patients to the service increased by 25 per cent.

Elaine added: "I think it has been a difficult issue for GPs to raise with patients."

Chesterfield Today

Bitter aftertaste of binge drinking

Binge drinking and alcohol abuse is killing hundreds of Swindonians every year and landing thousands more in court and hospital, according to a public health watchdog.

The massive cost of binge-drinking, chronic liver disease, drink-fuelled sexual assaults and injuries are all catalogued in the North West Public Health Observatory report that says 21 per cent of the town's adults are binge-drinkers.

Excess drinking is taking an average nine months off the life expectancy of Swindon men and 4.4 months of life from women.

Dangerous drinking is killing 133 men and 100 women in the town every year.

Hospital emergency departments were filled with more than 1,300 people, draining emergency resources after drunken trips, falls and other injuries.

According to the report alcohol directly caused 389 admissions to Swindon's hospitals in 2004-5.

Last year, drink-fuelled rage ended with 1,032 assaults and 28 sexual assaults from a total 1,490 crimes.

Swindon and Wiltshire Alcohol and Drug Service director Bill Carlton said that the most disturbing part of the report was there is worse to come.

"With 233 deaths a year, I believe that's the tip of the iceberg," said Mr Carlton.

He said that the numbers of young people binge-drinking now had not yet begun to appear in the statistics on deaths and life expectancy.

Unless the national binge-drinking culture is changed, he said the country faces a massive medical and social treatment bill in years to come.

"It's a timebomb waiting to happen," he said.

"I hope it will frighten people into looking at how they are drinking."

He said that there needed to be more information made available to drinkers about the damage they could do to themselves.

"The breweries and drinks industry need to get more responsibly information out," said Mr Carlton.

"The social effects are colossal. The anti-social behaviour affects all parts of society." Cabinet member for health David Renard said the figures were "shocking".

"It's taking a serious toll in both human terms and financial terms," said Coun Renard (Con, Haydon Wick).

"When it gets to this extreme level, it's not acceptable.

"It does seem to have reached almost epidemic proportions. We need education at all levels."

Coun Renard said that the council would use all its powers to stamp out anti-social behaviour and the binge-drinking that creates it, including shutting down bars it says are not behaving responsibly.

The council was the first local authority in the country to use new licensing powers to close a bar when it stripped nightclub mbargo of its licence last week.

The bar operators still have the chance to appeal the decision.

Central sector inspector Ian Bamber said the report backed up what police already know - binge-drinking is damaging revellers and those around them.

Insp Bamber said Fleet Street on Friday and Saturday nights were the most obvious binge-drinking spots, something the police were trying to tackle with their Operation XS crackdown.

But he said that drinkers had to take responsibility for their own behaviour and that a "culture change" was needed.

North West Public Health Observatory's Professor Mark Bellis said the results "graphically illustrate the growing costs of cheap alcohol, a night-time economy almost exclusively packed with bars and clubs, and a failure to deliver a credible drinking message to both youths and adults".

Change of culture is needed, say police

Swindon is pretty much middle of the pack for its binge-drinking problem but you wouldn't know it to see Fleet Street on a Friday or Saturday night.

The police have vowed to crackdown on excess alcohol consumption.

Operation XS, or OP XS for short, was launched in June to tackle Swindon and Wiltshire's drinking problem in all its forms.

From drink-driving, to vandalism and violence, Swindon central sector inspector Ian Bamber said that his officers see it every weekend.

He said that the problem of binge-drinking had become more obvious in the past five or six years.

Insp Bamber said the police were doing what they could but there needs to be a culture change.

"We can only do so much," Insp Bamber said.

"This is a national problem.

"Binge-drinking as a description of how people have and how they view alcohol wouldn't have been around much more than five years ago.

"Binge-drinkers from our perspective are drinkers who are drinking until they drop.

"People are coming in who have drunk themselves stupid.

"There's a need to change that culture."

Alcohol could also fuel domestic violence as well as public disorder and road accidents, Insp Bamber said.

Insp Bamber said the police were not against people having a good time, they want them to stay safe.

"It's like they say on a lot of alcohol bottles, drink by all means, but drink responsibly."

Insp Bamber added that the police were working with landlords to turn off the taps for revellers who are already drunk.

OP XS is a county-wide campaign to reduce the number of deaths, injuries and arrests caused by excess drinking.

The seven-month operation will involve the force's 1,250 police officers, backed up by hundreds of PCSOs, special constables and police staff, patrolling the streets and taking a zero tolerance approach to anyone who commits crime as a result of excessive drinking.

Assistant Chief Constable Peter Vaughan said: "The message is about moderation, about the problems that arise from excess and how in some cases those problems prove fatal."

How our town compares
Percentage of the adult population defined as binge-drinkers:

Swindon: 21.1 per cent; England: 18.2 per cent; South west: 15.8 per cent; Slough: 18.7 per cent; Reading: 17 per cent; Oxford: 16.9 per cent; Bristol: 13.2 per cent.
Months of life lost by men from dangerous drinking:

Swindon: 9.1 months; England: 9.5 months; South west: 8.36 months; Slough: 10.72 months; Reading: 11.42 months; Oxford: 9.84 months; Bristol: 11.72 months.
Months of life lost by women from dangerous drinking:

Swindon: 4.4 months; England: 5.14 months; South west: 4.3 months; Slough: 4.02 months; Reading: 5.71 months; Oxford: 3.67 months; Bristol: 4.75 months.
Crimes blamed on drinking:

Swindon: 1,490; England: 523,666; South west: 42,883; Slough: 1,759; Reading: 2,405; Oxford: 1,810; Bristol: 7,569.

# The survey defines binge drinking for men as consuming eight or more units of alcohol on the heaviest drinking day in the previous week. For women, it was six or more units of alcohol.

This Is Wiltshire

Shocking cost to A&E of drunk patients

A Single patient has been admitted drunk to Milton Keynes General Hospital's Accident and Emergency Department a staggering 112 times – at a cost of more than £25,000.

The shock revelation was made by Julie Orr, a matron at the hospital, who says that A&E staff are having to deal with an
increasing number of drunk patients in the department.

Quite often staff can find drunk patients intimidating, aggressive and they can be very difficult to manage," she said. "They are very labour intensive because people can be uncooperative when they are drunk. Nurses are also concerned about the health and social care of much younger age groups being admitted to the department."

Ms Orr's comments were made during a speech about 'Alcohol and its Impact on A&E; at a Milton Keynes Community Safety Partnership forum in Queen's Court, at thecentre:mk.

She said that during the past six years the youngest patient suffering from the effects of alcohol intoxication was 10 years old and had to be kept in at the hospital for 24 hours under observation.

At present the number of alcohol related admissions is not recorded because often a drunk patient could often be treated for an injury rather than the direct effects of drinking.

Ms Orr added: "Alcohol is the reason for attendance and not the cause. Usually they have had a fight or a fall, and we have people who attend because they are intoxicated and have passed out.

"We do not know figures because they do not collect them. People come in with a hand injury and you find out later they have had five pints and punched a wall."

During the last two weeks of August alcohol-related admissions included: assault, head injuries, lacerations, falls, intoxication, collapse, road traffic accidents and self harm.

There are four times as many drunk men than women in A&E and the age usually ranges from 16 to 54 years old. According to Alcoholics Anonymous, nationally seven out of 10 admissions are alcohol-related.

Figures show that if you have had an alcohol-related admission you are likely to be back in A&E a year later with similar problems.

Ms Orr added that a community psychiatric nurse based in A&E, a police officer based at the hospital and a zero-tolerance attitude to abuse of staff in the department had helped reduce violence and harassment.

Milton Keynes Today

On a mission to clean up messy lives

The door to Lesley MacNiven's Corstorphine home clicked shut behind her and the thought of a soothing drink flitted across her mind.

Shooing it away as quickly as it had appeared, she instead tried hard to focus on what she'd been told at the rehab clinic where she had battled for months to wean herself off her alcohol addiction. "That's the trouble with rehab," she says with a deep sigh looking back on those early days on the road to recovery. "It fixes you up but it's just like a sticking plaster, it doesn't get to the root of the problem. It doesn't fix the reason why you feel you have to drink..."

Lesley's friend and colleague Veronica Leigh nods in agreement. Like Lesley she is a recovering alcoholic, with booze-fuelled escapades behind her which once resulted in her smashing up her ex's van with a crowbar. Drink-free for eight years, she has transformed her life to become a successful businesswoman who can now boast of living in a converted castle and popping off to Paris for a weekend jaunt.

Both are 44, blonde, groomed and oozing confidence; a long way from their messy battles with the bottle, when evenings were spent in their homes in separate parts of the city rolling drunk on the road to self-destruction.

And both now firmly believe they have what it takes to help solve the nation's depressing and destructive addictions, from today's binge drinkers who morph into tomorrow's alcoholics, to drug addicts and self-harmers.

They have already approached the Scottish Executive and addiction clinics with their plans to offer a unique form of post-rehab clinic counselling which they believe can help keep recovering addicts on the wagon. And they have unveiled an innovative plan to tour the country's schools delivering their brand of self-improvement techniques combined with stark tales of how drink almost drove them into the gutter.

But perhaps the most remarkable story in their journey towards transforming their own lives comes tomorrow, when Veronica and Lesley are due to travel to London to embark on the first steps towards what could make them household names as the next generation of reality TV life coaches. Rather than sweeping into your untidy house and clearing away your mess, their proposed programme will offer to clear up your inner demons instead.

Could Veronica and Lesley be coming to a small screen soon?

A London-based television company has expressed interest in the idea and invited the pair for a film test. In the show, the reformed alcoholics would use their personal experiences of addiction and recovery to encourage addicts to examine just why they have fallen into addiction. And having identified the reasons, there is at least a chance of avoiding them.

It's failing to address those key issues, the pair believe, that sends many recovering addicts from the rehab clinic straight back to the bottle or the needle.

"Some people do call us the Kim and Aggie of the mind," smiles Veronica. "Thing is, you see them going into people's messy houses and cleaning them up, but I think you need to look at why the person got into that mess in the first place. Go back in a few years and the house will be just as bad. It's the same with addiction."

"You have to go 'below the surface' to get the root causes before people enter the outside world and find they need somewhere to come back to," adds Veronica, who has helped clients ranging from business leaders seeking to improve their prospects, injured sportsmen and young people with addictions through her company, Ultimate Personal Development.

And she has watched closely the recurring drug problems surrounding model Kate Moss's boyfriend Pete Doherty, as he bounces from rehab clinic back to drugs, back into rehab.

"It's a familiar pattern," she explains, "they leave, go back into the same circumstances that they were in before and they just go and get drunk or do drugs again. I believe it takes a year to transform your personality - no doubt about that. Yet people come out of rehab and go straight back to where they came from - no wonder so many end up back where they started.

"You never know, we might well get Pete Doherty at the door one day. It's not impossible."

Lesley, who spent two years recovering from her alcohol problem at Castle Craig, the Borders clinic for addictions before becoming a therapist there, is acutely aware of the gaps in the system. She recalls her own countless trips to Edinburgh's treatment centre, the Andrew Duncan Clinic within the Royal Edinburgh Hospital, to be handed a lithium tablet and then often sent on her way.

"I was usually drunk when I was dragged there by my mum. But they wouldn't treat people who were drunk - can you believe that? - so I was sent home to sober up. Then I'd arrive kicking and screaming because I was sober and didn't think I needed to be in a place like that. I actually ended up being barred.

"The trouble is that people come out of rehab but there's no support for them. Helping someone through an addiction isn't a five-minute fix-it job. It takes a lot of time. But I left Castle Craig where I had been both a patient and a therapist, and went straight back to the place I was when I was drinking.

"I went to Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and saw the same people I'd seen before I went to rehab. And I could feel myself going backwards, not forwards.

"The trouble is some people are in rehab clinics for months and months but why? It's because they are frightened to leave, they know they'll go straight back into the same environment they came from. The rehab clinic becomes their addiction because it's saving them from the reality.

"You also have to ask who is actually benefiting when clients keep going back to private clinics - after all, they receive thousands of pounds of public money every week for patients."

Lesley was trying desperately to stay on the wagon when she heard Veronica give a talk about her life-changing experiences at an AA meeting. Stunned by the similarities in their experiences, she called seeking support.

Soon Veronica had helped turn Lesley's life around again using therapy techniques aimed at encouraging individuals to take responsibility for their own actions. Now trained in the same techniques, Lesley has joined forces with Veronica's organisation to press the Executive, rehabilitation clinics and doctors to recognise them as a legitimate tier of the recovery process.

"We know better than anyone what it's like to be alcoholics," says Lesley, proudly declaring that she hasn't touched an alcoholic drink for five years. "We're not talking through a hole in our heads, because we've been there and we know how it is."

The talk turns to their drunken experiences, the uncontrolled emotional swings and the desperate measures each would go to in order to secure their next drink. Perfectly in tune with each other's thoughts, they finish each other's sentences and laugh raucously at each other's jokes.

Veronica smiles broadly and turns to Lesley. "Hey, we should be on the telly," she chuckles. "Shouldn't we?"

Scotsman

Churches use God to answer need

For years, many churches have allowed Alcoholics Anonymous, Al-Anon (for spouses) and co-dependent groups to use their facilities for meetings. They still do in Morgan County, with the added benefit of having some people in recovery join the church. But with the complex family problems caused by sexual addictions, often paired with alcohol or drug abuse, churches of different denominations are using weapons they know — the Bible and Jesus Christ.

Almost a year ago, Pastor Jim Taylor of Grace Missionary Church heard about some couples in his congregation struggling with porn addictions. He used Sunday services to preach about the evil of pornography. Elder John Phillips and some other church leaders formed a recovery group that was geared toward porn, alcohol and drug addiction.

A group of women also began meeting to talk about how their partners’ addiction to porn was affecting their lives. Phillips said there were about six or eight men who showed up the first night.

“Some of them began their porn addiction at a young age — through magazines and older siblings who introduced them to porn material and videos. But now the Internet is the major problem for porn addicts; it is a continuous temptation and it’s private,” Phillips said.

The group had only the Bible for their curriculum, along with prayer, sharing and relationship-building. “We had a major meltdown with men who were finally letting their hair down after hearing that other Christians also had addiction problems,” Phillips said. “I was only involved with the group for about six weeks. But as men formed relationships, shared and prayed for each other, they were quicker to open up.”

Brad Lykins, who has currently taken over the group, said the regular attendees are developing their skills and building their relationships each week on Thursday nights. “Then we can really open up the group when we move to the new church building this fall.”

“We’ve been studying in the book of Jonah — it’s a good example of how our sin can affect people all around us. We do have some people from outside the church come in from time to time, but we’re still in training,” Lykins said. “We offer support and accountability. There’s a mix of addictions in our group — porn, tobacco, alcohol. The privacy of the Internet makes it easy for men and teens to stumble onto it and get hooked. We learn how to fight the temptation with God’s armor. If you’re trying to mentor other people, it motivates you to deal with your own problems.”

Addicts in crisis

Joe Mills, who is active with the “Overcomers” addiction group at Eastview Christian Church, said men and women generally attend the Friday night group when their lives are in crisis. Some spouses come without their addicted partners so they learn to cope themselves. There are currently 18-20 members who come regularly. If they stop coming or fall away, church leaders call them and ask about their lives.

“We had four couples start coming to the group who were on the verge of divorce. But we’ve seen so much healing and families being restored. People are being baptized and coming to Jesus Christ,” Mills said.

He came to lead Eastview’s group when church members found out his background.

He had been a counselor and was director of the Department of Mental Health. Gov. Evan Bayh appointed him to the Drug Free Indiana initiative.

“They said they really had something for me to do,” he said.

Mills said the chance to help people find Christ, build relationships and use the Holy Spirit as their weapon for addiction has been very fulfilling.

“It’s not difficult to get people to stop overeating, abusing porn or alcohol. But when they do, there’s a void left. They have to fill it with something powerful, and if they don’t, they will return to their habit,” Mills said. “When we become clear that Jesus is Lord, we strive to become more Christlike; and that desire muscles out other things.”

Mills said every church has people with addiction problems, and helping them gives Christ’s command to be a servant new meaning.

“One young man came to the group in March of 2005. After he went through it, he began bringing his lessons and teaching other addicts. It become so easy to open up among friends in a group. One person kicks it off by sharing, and it opens the floodgates,” Mills said.

“There’s a saying: If you’re a liar, you can stop lying — but it’s meaningless until you share the truth. If you’re a thief, you can stop stealing — but you’re not really healed until you can give away your possessions,” Mills said.

He said representatives of Eastview’s group have talked to Morgan County judges and the chief probation officer asking to be used as a referral for addicts. “We also refer people ourselves to Camp Hebron, just north of Bloomington, if they need a more structured atmosphere,” Mills said.

Harder for men to share

Pam Williams leads the women’s “Cornerstone Ministry of Reconciliation and Encouragement” on Tuesday nights, 6:30 p.m., at Mount Gilead Church in Mooresville. Associate minister Dave Thurman had been leading the “Celebrate Recovery” men’s group on Sunday night. But it is not meeting at this time, according to Williams. “Celebrate Recovery” is an addiction curriculum from Search for Significance author Rick Warren’s Saddleback Church. The men had been meeting for about five years, and Williams said she took over the women’s group three years ago.

Thurman said there is a large number of women attending, about 15-18, but the men’s group stayed around five or six members.

“I haven’t noticed that pornography addiction was linked to alcohol or other problems,” Thurman said. “I have found that the Internet has made pornography addiction much more prevalent than it used to be. People who would not ask for a sexy magazine or video in a store privately view porn in their own homes because it’s anonymous.”

He said churches are wise to host secular organizations such as AA and SAA at their facilities along with their own recovery programs because some people need both. It also opens the door for those outside the church to start a walk with Christ and attend services regularly.

“The love and support of Christian people means so much,” Thurman said. “We use God’s word and the power of the Lord to fight back. In the book of Galatians, it talks about freedom in Christ.”

Williams said there are all kinds of addictions represented in her group: overeating, smoking, shopping, recreational drugs such as pot or alcohol, etc. She describes it as a “recovery group,” with members working together and one-on-one to heal their hurts, hang-ups and habits.

Williams also counsels individuals and refers them to 12-step programs and the recovery group. “Women turn to the Bible and see their worth through God’s eyes — not how they think of themselves. They learn to be accountable to God, to themselves and to their families,” Williams said.

Although her group does attract people who have addictions, she does not want that driving their decision to participate. She does want to offer them hope, however. “People need to make the choice to turn their lives over to God and let his presence replace the addiction. I want them to let God tell them who they are.” She said her group leaders have trained for 1½ years and will go another year.

Some of those women have struggled with addictions. “You have to keep working your program to keep a group going. You have to know how to problem-solve all the time. You have to have a compass guiding your decisions.”

Reporter - Times

Frontline staff 'need' training to tackle alcohol misuse

Providing frontline NHS staff with basic knowledge about the social and physical effects of alcohol misuse could save large amounts of money and resources, doctors claim in this week's British Medical Journal (BMJ).

It is estimated that in 2004, 38 per cent of men and 16 per cent of women aged between 16 and 64 had an alcohol use disorder, equivalent to roughly 8.2 million people.

About £217 million is currently spent on targeting this, compared to the estimated £20 billion cost of alcohol misuse.

Writing in the BMJ, Robin Touquet, emergency medicine consultant of St Mary's hospital and Imperial College, London, and Alex Paton, a retired consultant physician, question whether £3.2 million recently made available by the government for initiatives to help people with alcohol will be effectively spent.

"We hope that some of the new money will be used to support those clinical settings in which alcohol misuse is common and detection and intervention are most likely to be rewarding – for example, in hospital emergency departments, general practices, and hospital wards," they write.

The doctors express concern that alcohol services tend to be "fragmented", as specialist alcohol units are "controlled by mental health trusts, which are separated administratively from acute hospital trusts".

They propose that alcohol services could be improved by placing more funding for hospital emergency departments, where over one third of overall attendances are alcohol-related, with two-thirds occurring after midnight.

"If all frontline staff had basic knowledge about the social and physical ill effects of and the detection of alcohol misuse, and the benefits of brief advice and liaison with alcohol health workers, problems would be tackled far earlier – often preventing the development of dependence – and large amounts of money would be saved," Drs Touquet and Paton add.

They conclude that the new two-year foundation training for junior doctors offers an important opportunity to develop such knowledge.

In The News

Many risks for children of alcoholics

There is a genetic component to alcoholism that makes the children of alcoholics four times more likely to develop alcoholism than those from non-alcoholic homes, a new report has stated.

According to the report, Suffer the Children, from UK addiction specialists, the Priory Group, there is a widespread misconception that addiction is all about the addict and that they are the only ones who suffer. However the reality is that alcoholism affects the entire family, particularly the children.

"Alcohol abuse is a multigenerational issue - generation after generation, children of alcoholics suffer from and, as adults, frequently perpetuate destructive family systems", explained Dr Michael Bristow, a consultant psychiatrist with the Priory.

The report notes that 70% of adult children of alcoholics (ACOAs) develop patterns of compulsive behaviour around alcohol, drugs, food, sex, gambling or spending. Furthermore, they are up to four times more likely to become alcoholics than the general adult populations and 50% of them will go on to marry an alcoholic.

It also points out that parental alcohol abuse contributes to child abuse and these abused children are then at an increased risk of becoming alcoholics in adult life and subsequently abusing their own offspring.

"The reported rates of alcohol abuse in physically or sexually abusive families ranges from 25 to 84%. Around 55% of family violence occurs in alcoholic homes and incest is twice as likely among daughters and sons of alcoholics than their peers", it said.

Aside from the issue of abuse, the report emphasises that children raised in alcoholic families have 'markedly different developmental experiences than those raised in non-alcoholic families'.

"Their development in key areas is hindered, adversely affecting their adult relationships, employment prospects and quality of life", Dr Bristow said.

The report points out that the most significant characteristic of ACOAs is their confusion about what 'normal' is.

"Their dysfunctional childhoods provided them with little or no 'normal' life experiences, so they guess at what correct behaviour is to stop others from discovering that they genuinely don't know how they should act, react, talk or simply be", the report states.

However it adds that the cycle of alcoholism and abuse can be stopped.

"Alcohol dependency can be successfully treated at all stages if the person is willing to change. Rehabilitation is a positive, life-changing process that can transform the alcoholic parents and the alcoholic family system", Dr Bristow explained.

Meanwhile therapy can 'transform the lives' of ACOAs.

"ACOAs need to start and keep talking - to put their feelings into words and communicate with people", the report says.

Irishhealth

3.6 Million Adult Children Of Alcoholics In The UK

According to a new report published by the Priory, over, 3.6 million adult children of alcoholics have to bare the consequences of being raised by alcoholic parents According to ‘Suffer the Children’, a new report published today (Monday 4 September) by the Priory, there are currently over 3.6 million adult children of alcoholics (ACOAs) in the UK who bear the emotional, behavioural and cognitive scars that are a direct result of being raised by alcoholic parents.

Journalist Lauren Booth, who was raised in an alcoholic home, said, “After I finished reading ‘Suffer the Children’ I cried for a long, long time. Aspects of my character, memories from my own childhood and, most startlingly, fears about my own ability to parent were clearly laid out in black and white. It’s absolutely true that the children of alcoholics have little knowledge of what normal is. So how can we create our own happy families? Reading this report I recognised in myself traits of the Hero child, having fought to both hide and compensate for my parents’ sickness and never ever stopping to see if I was all right. I now realise how many of my personal relationships have been sabotaged in ways described by the Priory report. Finally, I must at last accept that my own relationship with alcohol is unhealthy. In a different way than my parents’ addiction, certainly, but unhealthy enough for me to take action today. Adult children of alcoholics have a duty (and a need) to break this cycle of unhappiness and abuse. We can give our own lovely children a better life and better life chances.”

Priory addictions expert Dr. Michael Bristow said, “There is a widespread misconception that addiction is all about the addict, that it is solely the addict who suffers from his illness. The reality? Alcoholism affects the adult alcoholic’s entire family, particularly the children. One in 25 parents drinks heavily, including those who binge drink, which means that one million British children currently live with parents who have serious alcohol issues. Alcohol abuse is a multigenerational issue - generation after generation, children of alcoholics suffer from and, as adults, frequently perpetrate, destructive family systems that ruin lives.”

Abused children, addicted adults

Parental alcohol abuse contributes to child abuse and abused children are at increased risk for becoming alcoholics in adult life and for abusing their offspring. There is also a genetic component to alcoholism that makes children of alcoholics four times more likely to develop alcoholism than those from non-alcoholic homes.

The reported rates of alcohol abuse in physically or sexually abusive families range from 25 to 84 per cent. 55 per cent of family violence occurs in alcoholic homes, incest is twice as likely among daughters and sons of alcoholics than their peers and alcohol is a factor in 90 per cent of child abuse cases. In one study of adult daughters of alcoholics, 31 per cent of respondents experienced physical abuse as children, 19 per cent were victims of sexual abuse and 38 per cent witnessed spousal abuse. These rates are three to four times higher than for women raised in non-alcoholic families.

70 per cent of ACOAs develop patterns of compulsive behaviour around alcohol, drugs, food, sex, work, gambling or spending and they are three to four times more likely to become alcoholics than the general adult population. 50 per cent of ACOAs marry alcoholics.

“Up to five per cent of all adults in the UK, or 2.3 million people aged 20+, are alcoholics,” said Dr. Bristow. “While clinicians working with addicted patients have long recognised the distinct problems afflicting ACOAs, the issue has never reached the millions of British children and adults who need to understand and overcome their dysfunctional legacies. The aim of ‘Suffer the Children’ is to raise awareness of the millions of people whose lives have been shattered by parental alcohol misuse - the children and adult children of alcoholics - and to offer them hope.”

“The cycle of alcoholism and abuse can be stopped. Alcohol dependency can be successfully treated at all stages if the person is willing to change. Rehabilitation is a positive, life-changing process that can transform the alcoholic parent and the alcoholic family system,” Dr. Bristow said.

The Priory

Driven by the next drink

Just over 70 years ago, two self-confessed hopeless drunks set up a group in America dedicated to helping others stop drinking.

New York stockbroker Bill W, and Ohio surgeon Bob S, met in 1935 and became the founders of the group, which we now know to be Alcoholics Anonymous.

After fighting his own addiction, which doctors declared a lost battle, Bill had managed to get sober with the help of an old school friend who spoke about a spiritual awakening. Amazed at his friend's 'miraculous' recovery, Bill followed his advice and managed to remain sober by helping other alcoholics, one of them being Dr Bob.

The surgeon found himself face to face with another alcoholic, now sober, who knew exactly what he was going through. After Bill told him his sorry tale of how he had hit rock bottom and just about lost everything in his life, he explained how he had done it.

Bill explained how a doctor had told him alcoholism was a disease that affected the mind, body and spirit. Bill talked of recognising his powerlessness over alcohol, turning it over to a 'higher power' and steps to help maintain sobriety. Bob got sober and never drank again.

Both men immediately got to work helping other alcoholics at a local hospital, where one patient quickly achieved complete sobriety. The three men made up the core of the first ever A.A. group. Later that year, a second group of alcoholics formed in New York, followed by another in Cleveland in 1939. In just four years, 100 alcoholics had turned their back on alcohol and were sober.

Early in 1939, the Fellowship published its book Alcoholics Anonymous, which was written by Bill, and explained the group's philosophy and its core method, the Twelve Steps of recovery. It also included case histories of 30 recovered members.
The Fellowship rapidly developed and today has an estimated 2.5 million members in 165 countries. While some people may think that A.A. is not the answer for them, since its formation, it has helped more alcoholics around the world to achieve and maintain long-term sobriety than any other method of treatment.

This fact gives some glimmer of hope to a country, which for many, appears to be soaked in alcohol. The UK is renowned for its drink bingeing culture, and after smoking, alcoholism kills more people than any other drug. According to Government statistics, one in 13 adults is dependent on drink - twice as many as are hooked on all other forms of drugs.

It makes for scary reading, and even more so when you consider that alcoholics are masters at denying they have a problem. Some afflicted by this disease use A.A. as a last resort, literally crawling back through the doors, admitting defeat and begging for help. Others are not sure if they have a problem and come along to listen and to decide for themselves. And, of course, some are still in denial and only attend due to family pressure or by a court order.

Alcoholism crosses all boundaries, age, race, religion, gender and social background. Enter a meeting and you are just as likely to find a homeless person there as you would a priest or a judge. In A.A.'s experience, there is no such thing as a typical alcoholic. Patterns of drinking differ from person to person; some people drink daily, some binge drink, some people only drink a certain type of alcohol, while others will drink anything they can get their hands on.

Some alcoholics will go to great lengths to hide their addiction while others quickly became notorious drunks. While each person is unique, they are paradoxically the same because they all suffer from the same disease.

And there is nothing quite like sitting in a room full of alcoholics and feeling their sense of unity. They are in it together; sharing stories of their darkest hours, their road to recovery; understanding each other like nobody ever has done before. The genuine love and concern in those rooms is palpable, and members old and new are welcomed with open arms. It may sound overzealous, but it's true. There is genuine compassion for a kindred spirit and those who were afraid to walk through those doors, soon realise they are not on their own; finally they have a found a place where they can let go of their angst and belong.

But while there is some pretty heart-rending stuff to deal with, it's not all doom and gloom. One would imagine a room full of people feeling sorry for themselves, miserable at their sobriety. On the contrary, I have never seen so many smiling, happy faces. They are positively elated, grateful at their sobriety and enthusiastic to pass on their experience to help anyone who wants it. They are calm, quietly confident and peaceful to have broken free of their once destructive existence.

Part of A.A.'s code of conduct or 'traditions' includes that members avoid being identified by name, photograph or on tape, film or video within the media. I was very privileged to be invited to one of the Brighouse meetings and talk in depth with two of its members.

For obvious reasons, names have been changed but all other information is entirely factual.

Jane is in her 60s and has been sober for more than 12 years.

"Before I came to A.A. I'd been drinking for 30 years, the last 12 on a daily basis," she says. "The first 10 years of my drinking were quite sociable, quite fun and I thought that's what young people did. The next 10 years I realised I was using alcohol when in difficult situations and the last 10, I just drank because that's what I did and I couldn't stop."
Jane, like many alcoholics, tried at first to go it alone, to prove that she could do it herself.

"I tried to cut down, I decided to only drink on certain days, or after 9pm or only when I was with other people," she explains. "But for the last 12 years of my drinking, it was very rare for me not to have a drink. I think once in 20 years I managed to string four or five sober days together just to prove that I didn't have a problem."

In Jane's mind it was inconceivable, she was a respected person in a highly regarded professional job, she had a husband and a family, surely she couldn't be an alcoholic?

"Everything on the outside was ok, nothing was amiss," she recalls. "But I held it all together. The house was spotless, the washing was on the line and parents' evenings were attended. I told myself my life was difficult, I worked hard and I deserved a drink, and I wasn't hurting anybody but myself.

"But increasingly, inside, I felt dead. It was all a sham," adds Jane. "All my energy went into keeping up the front. Nobody said anything at work, because I drank when I got home. I planned my life around my drinking, so I never needed to drive in the evenings."

Jane wasn't just trying to fool those around her; she was also trying to fool herself.

"I never knew how much I had drunk, because I wouldn't just drink from one bottle, I would have stashes hidden around the house and would drink from them all," she admits. "I was trying to confuse myself so I didn't know how much I had drunk."
But there came a point where Jane just couldn't hide from her problem anymore. She returned from a drink-fuelled holiday, continued drinking heavily and found she was starting to get 'blackouts', where she lost hours and sometimes days from her memory.

"I realised that I just did not want to live like this any longer," she says. "A member of my family came to visit me one day and I told her I had a problem with drinking and would she ring A.A. for me?"

While breaking down and admitting she had a problem, Jane was still bizarrely anxious to maintain outward appearances.

"I decided that I wouldn't attend a meeting for the next two days until I had got myself back into a reasonable state," she smiles. "Of course, I thought to myself, that if I was going to A.A. in the next couple of days I'd have to make sure I'd have plenty to drink today. I felt so ill the next day; I don't think I could have drunk anything if I'd tried. I had to stay in bed all day.

"But when the time came, I put on my make-up and went to that meeting, but unfortunately not with a very good attitude," she admits. "I was filled with utter terror, shame and horror. I thought is this what it''s come to? I thought it was the pits! I told myself, I just had to do it on my own. I'd get the information, study it and I'd do it. But it didn't work."

Despite her self-deluded pride, Jane kept going to meetings. She liked listening to other people's stories.

"I knew from listening to other people that I was an alcoholic, I didn't want to be, but I was," she admits. "I'd never heard anyone talk about how they drank before, what they thought and did about alcohol. I started to feel really comfortable."

Jane stayed away from alcohol for the first few months, but soon her alcoholic mind was playing tricks with her again. She had forgotten that she had vomited blood the day before her first meeting, and she had forgotten how terrified she had been that she was slowly killing herself and putting herself at risk of liver damage, stroke and fits.

"Somewhere inside me, I told myself I was just having a rest," she smiles. "I thought I could drink again and control it now. I didn't think it was fair that I couldn't have a drink. I was more frightened of stopping drinking than carrying on; the thought of life without alcohol was just horrific.

"I told myself that my life was so stressful that I needed to drink to help me," adds Jane. "I suffered with depression, anxiety and sleep problems. I had no idea that drinking was making them worse."

But despite attending meetings, Jane continued to drink on and off for 15 months.

"By this time I knew there was a solution, I knew there were people just like me and the programme had worked for them," she recalls. "They just kept telling me to keep coming back and the day would come when I would want to be sober more than I wanted to drink."

The day came, and Jane remembers sitting at home, describing herself as being in 'an empty black hole'.

"I knew I could be saved from this but I was turning my back on the solution. I was totally powerless over alcohol and knew it would never be safe for me to drink again. I knew that if I carried on drinking, life would get worse.

"I realised that I didn't drink because my life was stressful, I drank because I had an illness and it wasn't my fault," adds Jane. "But it was my responsibility to do something about it.

"A.A. has taught me how to live without alcohol, face reality and feel comfortable and content," she explains. "Before, I was so anxious and afraid and always turned to alcohol. But that false confidence I got from drinking, I now have when I'm sober. I have freedom. I used to feel that I'd been put on this earth without a rule book, but now I have a real sense of direction and purpose."

Bob, also in his 60s, has been sober for just over 11 years. While Jane managed to conceal her alcoholism from most people, Bob's drinking cost him his driving licence and nearly ruined his marriage.

From being a teenager, he kidded himself that drinking made him feel good about himself and was a cure for his panic attacks.
"I started drinking at 17, and from the start I drank excessively, I could never go out and just have one or two," says Bob. "I drank with a group of lads and I loved it. I thought it was magic because when I drank it changed me into something I wasn't. It made me feel better."

Before Bob started his long drinking career, he went to see his doctor about his panic attacks. I asked him if he could give me something, but instead I found booze. By the time he was 18 years old Bob was already suffering from 'blackouts'.

"I'd been studying for professional exams, and one night I went out and got drunk and made a mess of myself," he recalls. "I got up to go to work the following morning as if nothing had happened. When I went into the pub to see the lads after work, there was a massive cheer when I walked in and they told me what I'd done the night before, but I had no recollection of it."
During another blackout when he was aged 19, Bob had also tried to start a fight with his father. Again he could not remember a thing about it.

"I was just drinking on a weekend at that time, but then I got a good job with a local company and was very successful and got promoted," he says. "There was a big drinking culture there and most lunch and tea-times I would go out for a beer."
The company was part of an international group and as Bob's work took him travelling he soon discovered spirits and fine wines. During that time he also got married and had two children.

"Things looked good on the outside, I had all the trappings, a company car and a detached house. But I didn't stop drinking. Even when the amount of alcohol had given me the effect I was after to make me feel better, I just carried on drinking. I didn't know why, but I just couldn't throw it away. I started to become more conscious of my drinking and suspected that it wasn't normal. I'd started hiding it at home because I was fearful of criticism. I would lie about how much I'd had; if I'd had four it would only be two, if it was six it would be three, and if I was drunk then I hadn't been drinking at all."
But his denial about his drinking caught up with Bob when he was crashed while driving and wrote off two cars during a 'blackout' drinking session. He spent the night in the police cells.

"The next morning I swore I would not drink again, but I still blamed other things for the accident. I blamed other people for letting me drive, the fact that I was taking medication, it was snowing and I'd hit a puddle, anything but the drink. I carried on drinking after that for another 1