There is good new
s this month in the battle to fight alcohol abuse disorders.
Researchers from Queensland University of Technology have identified a new treatment that could be ready for human clinical trials shortly. This treatment innovation is an FDA–approved beta blocker called pindolol.
Pindolol More Effective Than Current Drugs for Treating Alcohol Abuse
Pindolol is already an approved treatment for high blood pressure and angina. Now, data from a study published in Addiction Biology, the Journal of the Society for the Study of Addiction, has shown that the drug can reduce ethanol/alcohol intake in animal models—similar to binge drinking in humans. Binge drinking is a significant indicator of human alcohol dependence.
“Drugs currently used for AUDs (alcohol use disorders)—acamprosate, naltrexone and disulfiram—have limited success—so this is a ground-breaking development with enormous potential,” said Professor Selena Bartlett, who is based at the Translational Research Institute at QUT’s Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation.
On the Fast Track to Approval
According to researcher Omkar Patkar, the preclinical study was the first step in putting pindolol on the fast track for human clinical trials and eventual approval as a drug treatment for AUDs.
“More research is required,” said Patkar, “but we believe the results from our study show that pindolol represents a novel, safe and ready-to-test treatment therapy option for managing alcohol dependence in humans.”
New AUD Drug Has the Potential to Save Lives
Study authors cite the fact that 3.8% of deaths worldwide are alcohol related. According to World Health Organization estimates, this amounts to 2.5 million people who die annually as a result of alcohol use. When added to the millions more who are injured or fall ill each year due to alcohol consumption, it isn’t hard to understand the enormous lifesaving potential of such a new drug treatment.
Effective Alcohol Addiction Treatment Available Today
If you are struggling with alcohol misuse, proven faith-based addiction treatments are available now, and Christian Rehab Network can help you find the one that best matches your needs. We’re here to stand beside you: handling paperwork, checking insurance coverage, and putting you in touch with the addiction treatment and spiritual healing that can restore your body and soul. Call us 24 hours a day at 877-310-9545.
Source: https://www.qut.edu.au/news/news?news-id=103499.
Every April since 19
87, the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc. (NCADD) has worked to educate the public and reduce the stigma surrounding alcohol misuse and its related issues. Declared Alcohol Awareness Month, this year’s theme is “Talk Early, Talk Often: Parents Can Make a Difference in Teen Alcohol Use.”
Parents may fear talking with young people about how alcohol can impact their lives—or they may be in denial that their teen would ever drink to excess. Andrew Pucher, President and Chief Executive Officer of NCADD, urge parents to be vigilant in addressing substance abuse with their kids.
“Alcohol and drug use is very risky business for young people, and parents can make a difference. The longer children delay drinking and drug use, the less likely they are to develop any problems associated with it,” said Pucher. “That’s why it is so important to help your child make smart decisions about alcohol and drugs.”
When organizations, parents, and communities engage in focused conversations about chemical dependency, walls come down and those who once hid in the shadows of their addiction feel empowered to come forward and seek healing.
Young People & Substance Dependency
Alcohol misuse and addiction is directly connected to violence and suicide, traffic fatalities and injuries, overdose cases, sexual misconduct, and mental illness. NCADD asserts that alcohol use by young adults is especially problematic, since more than 23 million people over age 12 have a chemical dependency.
Research shows that children who discuss the dangers of substance misuse with their families are only half as likely to use and abuse alcohol or drugs than young people who do not have these types of discussions.
Get Help for Alcohol Addiction
Check the events schedule for your college, church, or local NCADD affiliate to locate an Alcohol Awareness Month celebration. If you or a loved one is struggling with alcoholism, click here to find an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting in your area.
To request admission to a Christian rehab facility, contact Christian Rehab Network at 877.310.9545. Our free consulting service will place you in a faith-based program that is both affordable and appropriate for your needs. Don’t let April go by without getting the help you need!
Marriages, even Christian marriages, can survive for years under the strain of alcohol abuse. The personal stresses that led to the substance abuse do not get better, but they fade into the background as a tug of war develops between the partners. Finally, equilibrium of sorts is reached, where the offending behavior is met with co-dependency and accommodation.
Rehab: Ending or Beginning?
When the alcoholic spouse finally has a reckoning with addiction, they must begin the healing process as an individual. Recovery is the goal, and they must direct all attention to healing their body, mind, and relationship with God. Exploring and healing the marriage must wait.
For the spouse waiting at home, this time is the most difficult. It may be a time of unrealistic expectation, where you expect to resume an idealistic married life now that the offending alcohol has been expelled. Not understanding that the marriage relationship could be one of your husband or wife’s drinking triggers, you may wish to spend time with them and lend your support.
Or, this could be a time of great uncertainty when you wonder if your marriage can survive the lengthy recovery process. You may feel abandoned and worried that your spouse might no longer need you when they are no longer drinking.
Reconciliation Requires Clarity from Both Partners
Most addiction treatment programs include family counseling at an appropriate time in the recovery process. But why wait to begin your own healing? You can start a recovery program of your own by:
When you and your spouse have both come to know yourselves as individuals and restored your relationships with God, you may be able to reconcile your relationship with one another and begin to rebuild your marriage.
Christ-Based Rehab
If alcohol abuse is driving you and your spouse apart, Christian Rehab Network can help. Our affiliated rehab centers provide quality care along with focused, church-based guidance to help you restore your health and your relationship with God. Call 877-310-9545 to explore the Christ-based services that are available for you.
Alcohol does not discriminate: young and old, rich and poor, males and females, Christians and non-believers alike succumb to its allure and false promises. But for women in particular, alcohol abuse carries special dangers and stigmas.
Alcohol Affects Women Differently
Women make up about one-third of individuals who become dependent on alcohol. This does not mean that they are less prone to alcohol abuse, however. In fact, the opposite may be true. Because of their physiology, women may be more at risk:
In addition, women who abuse alcohol during the childbearing years endanger their pregnancies and increase the risk of birth defects in their unborn children.
Stigma Is Attached to Women Who Drink
American culture generally accepts alcohol use among men as normal. For women, though, there is a different attitude. The stereotype of a “loose woman” who drinks with abandon and is promiscuous is still very much alive. Add to this the fact that 50% of women who seek help for alcohol abuse also report being sexually abused, either in childhood, or when their drinking was misunderstood as a sexual invitation. Many women who abuse alcohol began to drink as a way to ease the pain of such encounters.
The attitudes toward women who use and abuse alcohol can be even more severe in Christian communities. Some believe that alcohol cannot be part of a godly life. Others may feel that a woman’s role as mother and family caregiver is incompatible with the self-indulgence of alcohol dependence. These attitudes leave Christian women who drink with feelings of extreme shame and unworthiness.
There Is Help
Shame, loneliness, and self-loathing are spiritual side effects of alcohol dependence, and just like the physical effects, they must be treated. If you are a Christian woman who is struggling to find your way out of alcohol addiction and back to God, Christian Rehab Network can help. Our partner facilities offer clinical treatment and Christian fellowship that is specifically oriented to meet the needs of women. Call 877-310-9545 today to find a caring Christian rehab center near you, and begin your physical and spiritual rebirth.
Within the last decade, we have heard the words, “sober living program” more often than ever. But what exactly is a sober living program? And how does it affect the recovery process of those with addictions?
The National Institute of Health conducted studies that show that recovery patients who go directly from rehabilitation programs back to their original home environments face a great deal of very difficult challenges and modes of temptation. Often these familiar and sometimes stressful environments decrease the patient’s chances of success.
This is where sober living programs and housing opportunities come in; these programs help to bridge the gap between in-patient recovery and living at home. Sober living programs ease the recovery patient back into the everyday life they have had to leave behind in order to get sober.
In-patient recovery programs can be lengthy, which for many patients becomes an expensive burden. Studies have shown that longer stays in in-patient recovery programs, do not help or increase the chances of a full recovery from addiction, so longer stays in rehab clinics and hospitals is not recommended. A sober living program is much better equipped to help patients learn to cope with the normal stresses of everyday life.
One of the main advantages of sober living programs for recovery patients is their ability to assist with providing the basic skills required to achieve long-term sobriety outside of a hospital or clinic facility.
Patients who have the opportunity to take advantage of sober living programs and housing opportunities increase their chances of being able to cope with the maintenance of their sobriety, while taking on many of the responsibilities they had to leave behind during their healing process.
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True rehabilitation transforms the individual and helps them to replace old destructive habits with more positive and healthy activities. Alcoholism is a dangerous disease that can ruin a life and greatly diminish the quality of the lives of those around the person recovering.
There is much compassion for this disease, which is why it is crucial to recovery, that the person recovering be given ways to steer themselves away from alcohol and engage in rewarding activities.
Usually, alcohol abuse is driven by the massive amount of stress that comes with daily living. If we can find ways to help reduce the stress and the temptation to numb ourselves, everyone can lead better and healthier lives.
Here are some activities to try instead of drinking:
Taking a 15 minute walk can offer the same positive effects such as meditation. Walking works two-fold in relieving stress and decreasing temptation, by engaging the muscles in the body with activity and also engaging the mind with the surroundings of the area, nature, and the community.
Visual entertainment is one of the most stimulating ways to steer one away from drinking and into a magical world where stories are told through movies. A matinee or evening twilight time is perfect times to take in your favorite flick.
Coffee shops are everywhere these days; from huge popular chains like Starbucks to your local privately-owned cafes. Having a cup of delicious coffee with a fun and supportive friend who knows what you are going through, is one of the best outings one can have at any time of the day.
Window shopping is a lost art. Simply going to the mall or your nearest shopping center or flea market, is a wonderful activity that allows you to enjoy meeting people, and also making a wish list of all the pretty items you see. If you feel up to it, take a friend along for company and someone to chat with.
You don’t need to be an “artist” to create art. There is an artist in each of us that simply needs to be allowed to come out. Creating can be a natural high in itself. Scrapbooking your favorite pictures, poems, or quotes; or creating a colorful collage out of magazine clippings that will enable you to express your feelings in a more fun, non-destructive, and creative way.
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Alcoholism is an epidemic. More and more rehabs crop up each year, and the number of people going through detox is staggering. There are some important medical facts to be aware of when you stop drinking, even if you have only been drinking for days or weeks.
Alcohol detox is serious, and you should always seek medical advice. The symptoms of alcohol withdrawal can start very quickly after your last drink and can include anxiety, shakiness in mild cases, but can be as severe as seizures and delirium tremens (Fever, Confusion, and Rapid Heartbeat). There is a 1%-5% chance of death from the DT’s.
The symptoms of alcohol detox can progress from mild to severe very rapidly, and medical treatment is always necessary. Early attention from a doctor can greatly reduce your chances of developing seizures or the DT’s. If you deal with other medical issues like heart disease, seizures, or lung disease, seek medical help immediately.
It is best not to go through alcohol withdrawal on your own. You never know how severe your symptoms will get. Rehab is always recommended. There you will be monitored consistently, and receive medical intervention as soon as you need it.
If you are not in rehab, make sure you have a friend or family member with you, and consider severe symptoms such as, rapid heartbeat, hallucinations, confusion and seizures medical emergencies. Call 911 immediately or go to the closest emergency room.
Alcohol withdrawal syndrome should be taken very seriously. Be alert to your symptoms, and above all, be honest with yourself about what is happening to you. Seek medical help as soon as possible. You should not go through detox by yourself. The support of friends and family is almost as necessary as medical treatment.
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