$Unique_ID{BRK00138}
$Pretitle{Mental and Emotional Conditions}
$Title{A Discussion of Alcoholism}
$Subject{Alcoholism AA}
$Volume{E-23}
$Log{}

Copyright (c) 1991   Tribune Media Services, Inc.


A Discussion of Alcoholism


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QUESTION:  You might help a great many people if you took the time to discuss
the disease of alcoholism.

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ANSWER:  Experts name alcoholism as the single biggest medical problem facing
our nation today.  Nearly 18 million adults in this country are problem
drinkers, and 10 million of them can be considered alcoholics.  Alcohol is a
factor in nearly half of all murders, suicides, and accidental deaths.
Alcohol claims at least 100,000 lives a year--25 times as many as all illegal
drug combined.
     The cost of treatment for alcoholism and related disorders is nearly 15
percent at of the national health bill, about $117 billion a year.
     There is controversy over whether alcoholism is a disease or a behavioral
problem, and emerging evidence suggest that a genetic factor may be involved.
Regardless, there is no question that alcohol can damage the liver, brain,
stomach and heart.  In most cases, the more alcohol consumed, the greater the
damage.  Alcohol is also suspected of causing breast cancer in women, although
this has yet to be proved.
     There is agreement that alcoholism should be treated, but confusion about
the best approach.  Studies show no clear-cut advantage to inpatient versus
outpatient programs, residential or non-resident settings, longer versus
shorter programs, intensive or less intensive methods.
     Alcoholics Anonymous strongly advocates total abstinence and maintains
that an alcoholic is never cured, only controlled--and AA has helped more
alcoholics than any other treatment program.
     The outcome of treatment is difficult to evaluate, but most patients who
are likely to do well have jobs, stable families, no history of past treatment
failures, minimal involvement with other drugs, and minimal mental health
problems.
     Although some programs use sedatives, most experts believe that
alcoholics can be helpful with counseling alone.
     Education, psychotherapy, relaxation training, vocational counseling,
family support and antidepressant therapy all play a part in inpatient
programs, and there are now more than 1,000 treatment centers in the U.S.  In
addition, hundreds of thousands of friends and families of alcoholics have
turned to Al-Anon and other family-therapy organizations to help them cope
with this problem in their lives.
     Even though every state in the country has raised the legal drinking age
to 21, drinking among teenagers persists; studies show that two out of three
high school seniors have drunk alcohol in the past month, and about 5 percent
drink daily.  One in four families have had alcohol-related problems.
     Experts are not optimistic that there will ever be a cure for alcoholism.
But they agree that psychological and emotional supports, like those offered
by Alcoholics Anonymous, will always be instrumental in controlling the
problem.
     The future may include drugs that block the craving for alcohol the way
methadone supplants heroin.  The currently available medicine Antabuse works
only in the most highly motivated patients.
     Medical professionals believe that any treatment is better than no
treatment.  Because early intervention leads to the highest success rate, it
is important not only to seek health, but to pursue it as soon as an
alcohol-related problem is suspected.
ÿ
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The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace 
the counsel and advice of your personal physician.  Promptly consulting your 
doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical 
problem.
