In my last article, I made light of America's recession in the context of a consumer society which looks on the surface, as if it would rather "party" than take on the challenges of serious socio-economic issues. I suggested replacing alcohol with a new synthetic substitute that would leave no hangovers. Thereby freeing up Americans to have more time for problem solving in between party times.
Since making the joke, I've been wanting to follow up with something a little more serious -- addressing America's party culture. And particularly toward the popular American pastime we call binge drinking.
Binge drinking is defined as having over four or five drinks in a matter of a few hours. And, as we all know, it's becoming a cultural norm.
Over 25 percent of teenagers and young adults in the U.S. admit to being binge drinkers (according to the CDC). And over 33 million adults admit to binge drinking in the past year (2010).
Alcohol ranks third as the cause of preventable deaths (after cigarettes and poor diet) killing nearly 80,000 Americans a year. Half of those due to binge drinking. That's for adults. Binging is the major cause of alcohol related deaths for adolescents and young adults. To really hammer this home, think about this one: 90 percent of all the alcohol consumed by high school students is consumed through binge drinking.
As a culture, we seem to enable binging. Evenings of recreation for college students or young adults are often centered around drinking heavily as a primary activity -- as opposed to alcohol being a compliment to other forms of entertainment. In this environment, what can people do to defend themselves against a such an underestimated problem so poorly understood or defined?
Alcoholism is generally thought of as someone who drinks every day. So is binge drinking a form of alcoholism as well? And what can people do to curb a binge drinking habit in a culture which encourages it?
The challenges of a culture of alcohol abuse deserves much more study and attention. Malcolm Gladwell wrote a fascinating article about how culture drives drinking habits that is a must read, for anyone interested in the sociology of alcoholism.
While we continue to search for societal answers, Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is our most commonly recommended program for those seeking help. Unfortunately it has a high turnover rate. Many studies say AA has a 90 percent failure rate. For the 10 percent that stay in it, they will tell you that AA was the only thing that saved their lives. But for those who binge with long dry periods in between or others who simply don't fit into the AA culture, where should people turn?
Some binge drinkers have found traditional talk therapy to be beneficial. Or get help through their family or personal spiritual center. Unfortunately there is no one answer (yet). So if you're still looking for a solution that's right for you, there are plenty of alternatives to all of the above. Here are a few (in no particular order):
- Harm Reduction
People to choose their own goal -- safer drinking, reduced drinking, or quitting. Does not label people as "diseased" or "alcoholic."
- Moderation Management
Moderation Management (MM) is a behavioral change program and national support group network. Personal responsibility for choosing and maintaining their own path, whether moderation or abstinence.
- Just Be Well
Hypnotherapy and NLP to Help You Stop Binge Drinking. (There are many NLP programs like these.)
- "The Easy Way to Stop Drinking."
Allen Carr (author of "The Easy Way to Stop Smoking") offers a guide to why we drink and how we can escape the addiction.
- Essential Oils
The aromatherapy approach. Lemon essential oil is said to help with alcohol abuse and addiction.
- Massage
Massage has shown to improve the alcohol withdrawal process. And like aromatherapy, an act of self love can go a long way.
Part of curbing substance abuse is learning to care for oneself comprehensively. And alternative therapies can play an enormous role in centering you on that path. If you are struggling with alcohol abuse or addiction, chances are there is no one answer. A balanced and healthy lifestyle has commonalities but needs to be custom designed for each person's individual needs and challenges.
IMPORTANT: If you have a daily alcohol problem, or are in an emergency situation you should always seek professional medical help as soon as possible. "Alternative" therapies are best explored when the emergency is over.
DISCLAIMER: I am not a medical professional and my opinions are simply that of a journalist / filmmaker who has seen alcohol abuse in close proximity at all levels and in all forms. Substance abuse and the economics of substance abuse policy is something that affects each and every one of us. My intention and hope with this article is to add something positive to a national conversation about alcohol abuse. I look forward to reading about your thoughts and experiences as well.
Follow Matthew Cooke on Twitter: www.twitter.com/MatthewTwooke
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What ever happened to attending nighttime shows live, going to concerts, visiting museums, seeing a movie, or even gathering a literature circle? I mean, what is wrong with these ideas? They seem very productive, rather fun, and very cultural, don't they? Ah, but wait a minute! How I forget so shortly that the mind is so easy to tire when it is undisciplined. That it will become fatigued without sleep and through hard manual labor is ineluctable. There is a currency for the expenditure of mental processes, and these educational ideas, as many know, cost thinking and careful planning. On the other hand, the consumption of alcohol to blotto ecstasy doesn't.
Because of the way that AA is set up through the 12 Traditions chanted at the beginning of every meeting, members remain anonymous and do not allow themselves to bring AA into public controversy. Because of this predators, go unreported by the majority of the people in AA to law enforcement. Many young women are raped at these meeting and do not go the the police because they were sent thier by thier probation officer because of a DUI or other Alcohol related incident. If they do not go to AA they violate Probation and end up in jail. Financial issues are the same way. The practice of abuse is called 13 stepping (AA only has 12 Steps, the 13th one is abuse) There is a blog that is gathering information about these abuses and trying to make AA a safer place.
http://stop13stepinaa.wordpress.com
inappropriate sexual behavior happens in so many situations - work, school, church, the military - it's likely some poor soul is getting flashed on a public bus as i type...
a man approached me when i first started meetings - it was obvious to a few of the other men and they discretely talked to the man - i didn't have another problem. the fellowship (not religeous - many athiests and agnostics in AA) and the friendships formed can be very strong - very protective of one another...not so unlike members of sports teams - clubs...we are there to help each other - if one person is threatened, you can bet the others will rally to help.
after 6 years of not taking a sip of alcohol (no bread and wine at church) i still attend 1-3 meetings a week - i have never read the Bible and i can't quote 'The Big Book' - but i know that the fellowship of AA has helped me stay sober - and i am not willing to stop going to see if i
AA tries to get people to believe that a sky daddy, or sky mommy, reaches into your brain, rearranges your neurons and synapses and makes it all better. Can't people see the lunacy of that approach? It's delusional.
In the final analysis, AA is faith healing non sense that is based on the writings of a stock scammer and a Proctologist with zero training or certification in substance abuse.
Let's imagine that you have an alcohol abuse problem and you are faced with a choice between entering one of two doors. Behind the first door are two doctors trained in the entire range of scientific approaches to dealing with alcohol abuse - some of the success rates are as high as 70-80%. Behind the second door are a stock fraud and a proctologist holding a quasi-religious book written in the 30's whose stated purpose is to " fit ourselves to be of maximum service to God and the people about us." Oh, and it has a 5-10% "success" rate. Which door would you prefer? If you had a child with an alcohol abuse problem, which would you prefer for them?
Some who binge will get addicted, and for those poor souls, it will be a lifelong battle.
Anyone with alcoholism in their family needs to beware.
They are addicts because they can't handle their emotions and feelings. The book 'Emotional Intelligence' was an eye-opener for me as it pointed out this fact. And the way out for binge drinkers, as well as for addicts and alcoholics, is to learn to handle their raging emotions and emotional stress.
http://www.amazon.com/12-Steps-Day-Lost-Path/dp/1453730168/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1288469502&sr=1-1
With people making that much each years, which they'll lose if the cure for addiction was known and people did not stay addicted, they have a very strong incentive to see to it that the nutritional, psychological and other addiction cures that researchers have developed, do not reach the common man.
Bill W in his last years had found out about alcohol causing hypoglycemia in alcoholics and how Vitamin B3 can cure alcoholism and the depressions that alcoholics go through. And he wrote three papers on vitamin B3, which were suppressed. In the 1970s James Milam wrote the book, 'Under the Influence' showing that alcoholism is basically a physiological disease that causes hypoglycemia. This book is a must read for those who want to know how alcoholism can be detected in its early stages. Unfortunately people are still not aware of this research. So Abram Hoffer, Bill's doctor, in 2009 wrote Vitamin Cure for Alcoholism: http://www.amazon.com/Vitamin-Cure-Alcoholism-Orthomolecular-Addictions/dp/1442974729/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1301851236&sr=1-2 Joan Larson's '7 Weeks to Sobriety' and Charles Gant's 'End Your Addiction Now' also show the nutritional way of treating alcoholism and addiction. My book '12 Steps in a Day: The Lost Path' gives a brief Psychodynamic therapy for handling emotions, and thus avoid drinking problems.
Harm reduction and moderation management? If someone is an alcoholic, he/she cannot be "taught" moderation.
Sorry if people refuse to be labeled as having a "disease" - but you are what you are. I'll take the American Medical Association's word for it. Alcoholism is chronic, progressive and fatal.
Oh, and I don't accept the premise that binge drinking makes someone an alcoholic.
I think the best definition of an alcoholic/addict (which comes from AA) is an individual who cannot control their [drinking-using-gambling, etc] and whose life, and the lives of others, is negatively impacted as a result.
As in: (AA First Step): I acknowledge that I am powerless over alcohol/drugs/gambling [whatever] and my life has become unmanageable.
To take that further, if a binge drinker is unable to stop drinking, and they lose their job, relationships, driver's license then they may, indeed, be an alcoholic.
"Alcoholism is generally thought of as someone who drinks every day." That feels puritanical. I thought it was someone who reaches an inebriated state everyday or nearly every day.
Exposing quackery and abuse in the addictions treatment industry
http://scienceblogs.com/terrasig/2010/07/exposing_quackery_and_abuse_in.php
We're addicted to rehab. It doesn't even work.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/06/AR2010080602660.html?sub=AR
AA is Faith-Based, Not Evidence-Based
http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/?p=490
Humanists Challenge Alcoholics Anonymous Monopoly
http://www.americanhumanist.org/news/details/2007-09-humanists-challenge-alcoholics-anonymous-monopoly
AA Isn't the Best Solution: Alternatives for Alcoholics
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/stanton-peele/aa-isnt-the-best-solution_b_629004.html
Secular Organizations for Sobriety
SOS is an alternative recovery method for those alcoholics or drug addicts who are uncomfortable with the spiritual content of widely available 12-Step programs.
http://www.cfiwest.org/sos/index.htm
http://www.sossobriety.org/
SMART Recovery
http://www.smartrecovery.org/
http://stinkin-thinkin.com/
http://morerevealed.com/
http://orange-papers.org/
EFTCoaa is a group committed to deprogramming from AA's cult doctrines. We encourage those who need medical attention to seek it, and maintain links to other groups for support of abstinence such as Rational Recovery, S.O.S., SMART etc.
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/EFTCoaa/
12-Step Coercion Watch is a discussion list for those concerned about the violations of religious liberty that are occurring throughout the world where people are being coerced into the 12-Step programs of Alcoholics Anonymous and its many offshoots such as Narcotics Anonymous.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/12-Step_Coercion_Watch/