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Liquor addiction - a social scourge

People have been consuming alcohol from time immemorial not only at joyful celebrations, but also at funerals. Have you ever asked yourself why people take to alcohol? Since consuming liquor is generally associated with a social setting of some kind or the other, what makes it so appealing?

A sporting event, a family celebration, holidays, meeting friends or co-workers after work or just enjoying a favourite beverage to complement a meal the consumption of alcohol is generally associated with social interaction.

Perhaps some take to alcohol as a ‘Status symbol’. Some alcoholics say that it provides an “escape” from problems. Anxiety over jobs, family issues or even lack of self-confidence can play a major role which could lead to irresponsible behaviour. Sometimes, a particular individual may take to drinks for some reason and after the addiction his reasons change.

Types of drinkers

There are four types of alcohol drinkers. The social drinker is one who drinks in moderation and only on special occasions for a little relaxation among friends or colleagues. Social drinkers do not allow liquor to control them.

The irresponsible drinker is the absolute opposite of the social drinker. These people often head for the bar and not for the social aspect of drinking. Problem drinkers become noisy and create a scene. They become angry and have lower productivity ratings. Another form of the irresponsible drinker is the underaged drinker. When an underaged person drinks, there are several risk factors involved. A young person may be unable to handle the side effects of alcohol. A young person is less mature and it can become worse with alcohol. It is illegal for underaged persons to consume alcohol and can result in legal action such as imprisonment.

Alcoholics lose all control of their drinking habit. Since the drink is similar to a drug, or medication for pain, a person can become highly addicted. This type of drinkers find it difficult to cope with problems without a drink. They are heavily dependent, and seek excessive amounts of alcohol.

They tend to gain weight and more often than not lose jobs. Binge drinkers often go for extended periods of time without drinking followed by periods of extreme drinking. A person may believe he or she needs to drink a large amount of alcohol because he had not drunk for a while. A binge drinker is a serious risk to him or herself. It can cause uncontrollable mood swings and is addictive. It can lead to alcohol poisoning and even death.

The health drinkers are those who drink alcohol for health-related reasons or to give them a deeper sense of peace. Often they drink red wines due to their antioxidants which are said to be good for heart health and before bed to relax. Should someone start drinking just to reduce the risk of heart disease? This question is commonly posed to doctors.

The answer is a definite no. There are many ways to reduce the risk of heart disease, and alcohol should not be used as a medication. Dismissing the idea that red wine is good for health, H.K Chopra, the Chairman of the World Heart Academy said, “It’s simply a perception among people that taking red wine will do wonders for the heart. Why don’t they take grape juice instead?”

What happens to you when you drink alcohol? It is a depressant, which means it slows the functions of the central nervous system. It actually blocks some of the messages trying to get to the brain. This alters a person’s perceptions, emotions, movement, vision and hearing. People who have taken too much alcohol may stagger; lose their coordination, and slur their speech.

They will probably be confused and disoriented. Depending on the person, intoxication can make someone very friendly and talkative or very aggressive and angry. Reaction times slow dramatically and this is why people are told not to drink and drive. People who are intoxicated may think they’re moving properly when they are actually not. They may act totally out of character.

Health-related problems

How does drinking affect your health? Alcohol consumption is linked to many harmful consequences for the individual drinker. The short-term health effects of alcohol on the body includes upset stomach; diarrhoea, lack of coordination and judgment, headaches and insomnia.

Drinking alcohol can cause many long-term health problems. Some of these problems can lead to even death.

These include heart disease (high blood pressure, irregular heartbeats, heart damage, heart failure), cancer (mainly in conjunction with the cancerous effects of other substances, such as cigarette smoke), liver problems (liver damage, hepatitis, cirrhosis and cancer), problems of the stomach, lungs, kidneys, skin, muscle and bones, infections, mental disorders (problems with attention, learning and memory; depression; mood swings; anxiety disorders), malnutrition and even impotence and infertility in men.

Social and family impact

Alcohol consumption is linked to many harmful consequences - the drinker’s immediate environment and society as a whole. Social consequences affect individuals other than the drinker; e.g. passengers involved in traffic casualties, or family members affected by failure to fulfill social obligations, or incidents of violence in the family.

Drinking at the workplace leads to potentially lower productivity. Sickness absence associated with the harmful use of alcohol and alcohol dependence imposes a substantial cost on employees and the public health care system. There is ample evidence to show that people with alcohol dependence and problem drinkers have higher rates of sickness absence compared to other employees.

It also leads to lower performance, lack of self-direction and problems in personal relations at the workplace.

It is well established that drinking can severely impair the individual’s functioning within his/her family.

Maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy can result in foetal alcohol syndrome in children, and parental drinking is correlated with child abuse and impacts a child’s environment in many social, psychological and economic ways. Drinking can impair performance as a parent, as a spouse or partner, and as a contributor to household functioning.

The drinking habit is mostly carried out outside the family and the home. In these circumstances, the time spent while drinking often competes with the time needed to carry on family life. Drinking also costs money and can impact on resources particularly of a poor family, leaving other family members insolvent.

Implicit in the habitual drinker’s potential impact on family life is the fact that drinking and its consequences can result in substantial mental health problems of family members. Men’s drinking often affects women in their roles as mothers or wives of drinkers. The risks include husband-to-wife violence, sexually transmitted diseases, and an increased burden in their role of economic providers.

Economic impact

The economic consequences of expenditure on alcohol are significant especially in high poverty areas. Besides the money spent on alcohol, heavy drinkers also experience other adverse economic effects.

These include lower wages, lost employment opportunities, increased medical expenses for illness and accidents, legal cost of drink-related offences, and decreased eligibility of obtaining and settling loans. The drinkers deliberately or unwittingly underestimate the amount of money they spend on alcohol. Also, the money spent on special occasions such as weddings and other celebrations can comprise massive expenditure on alcohol.

However, these events have an impact on society as a whole as they affect economic productivity or require the attention and resources of the criminal justice or public healthcare system, or of other social institutions.

Almost all religions condemn alcohol consumption. The Buddha was totally against any form of alcohol consumption, even in moderation, because of the effect it has on the mind. People with a shallow understanding of Buddhism may believe that alcohol is acceptable if used in moderation, justifying this in terms of the Buddha’s preaching of the ‘Middle Way’ philosophy. But it is not so! All Muslims are forbidden to consume alcohol. It is among the major sins and one will have to account for it on the Day of Judgement.

Whatever heights a nation achieves in its physical development would be worthless if it cannot equally match the same high qualities in moral and spiritual development.

Despite the huge sum of money that the Government would have earned by way of taxes, the Government has implemented the Mathata Thitha program to put a permanent end to tobacco and alcohol consumption in Sri Lanka.

Since this social scourge is well understood by many, not only funding is important, but public participation is also essential to monitor the process and feedback with inputs by which this scourge could be addressed more effectively than in the past.


Sugar and salt your enemies

We do love our chips, our cookies, and every restaurant table is set with a salt shaker and several forms of sugar, but the truth is that the use of both sugar and salt is constantly being discouraged by new research. Yesterday, a panel from the Institute of Medicine recommended that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulate the amount of sodium used in processed food. And it looks like Big Brother may just step in and protect us from ourselves.

Today, a report in the Journal of the American Medical Association slams sugar, finding that people who consumed more added sugar were more likely to have higher cardiovascular disease risk factors.

Researchers from Emory University analyzed existing government data on over 6,000 Americans, analyzing nutritional information and blood lipid levels. Sugar consumption ranged from 3 to 46 teaspoons daily, much of which came from prepared foods with added sweeteners (natural sugars from fruit were not included in this study).

The report stated, "In the United States, total consumption of sugar has increased substantially in recent decades, largely due to an increased intake of added sugars, defined as caloric sweeteners used by the food industry and consumers as ingredients in processed or prepared foods to increase the desirability of these foods."

This increase in sugar means trouble for your heart, upping risk factors such as higher triglyceride levels and higher ratios of triglycerides to HDL-C, or good cholesterol. Much of this sugar comes from unexpected sources, particularly in packaged food such as cereals, baked goods, and even a can of Spaghetti O's (13 grams per serving). A 12-ounce can of Coke has 39 grams, a 6.75 ounce box of Hi-C juice fruit juice has 25 grams, and even a 12-ounce glass of Ocean Spray Cranberry Cocktail has 50 grams per serving.

You need to be an informed consumer in order to maintain your health. Current federal food labelling requirements include serving size, calories, calories from fat, fat content, cholesterol, sodium, carbohydrate and protein amounts. There is a wealth of information to be gleaned from these labels, and they are especially helpful for anyone who has special dietary requirements, such as reduced sodium, gluten-free, low cholesterol, or low-fat. So learn to read those labels, make informed decisions, and keep your salt and sugar intake at moderate levels.

And a healthy diet can go a long way in the prevention of obesity, as well as build a solid foundation for maintaining health later in life.

- Health News


Mother’s exposure to air pollutants affects child’s cognitive ability

A study by the Columbia Center for Children’s Environmental Health (CCCEH) carried out in Krakow, Poland has found that prenatal exposure to pollutants can adversely affect childrens cognitive development at age 5, confirming previous findings in a New York City (NYC) study.

Researchers report that children exposed to high levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Krakow had a significant reduction in scores on a standardized test of reasoning ability and intelligence at age 5. The study findings are published today online in Environmental Health Perspectives.

PAHs are released into the air from the burning of fossil fuels for transportation, heating, energy production, and from other combustion sources.

"The effect on intelligence was comparable to that seen in NYC children exposed prenatally to the same air pollutants," noted Frederica Perera, professor of Environmental Health Sciences and director of the CCCEH at the Mailman School of Public Health, and senior author. "This finding is of concern because IQ is an important predictor of future academic performance, and PAHs are widespread in urban environments and throughout the world." "These results contribute to the cumulative body of published evidence linking ambient air pollution levels and adverse health effects in children and are clearly relevant to public health policy," says Susan Edwards, study lead author.

The study included a cohort of 214 children who were born to healthy, non-smoking Caucasian women in Krakow, Poland between 2001 and 2006. During pregnancy, the mothers completed a questionnaire, wore small backpack personal air monitors to estimate their babies PAH exposure, and provided a blood sample and/or a cord blood sample at the time of delivery.

The children were followed through the age of 5 when they were tested using the Raven Coloured Progressive Matrices (RCPM) Test of reasoning ability and intelligence. The researchers accounted for other factors such as second-hand smoke exposure, lead and mother’s education. Study participants exposed to air pollution levels below the median (17.96 nanograms per cubic metre) were designated as having "low exposure," while those exposed to pollution levels above the median were identified as "high exposure."

The present finding confirms the CCCEHs previous report in 2009 that prenatal exposure to PAHs adversely affected children’ s IQ at age 5 in a cohort of children of nonsmoking African American and Dominican American women in NYC (Perera et al, 2009).

"Air pollution knows no boundaries," said Linda Birnbaum, director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, which funded the study. "Researchers around the globe are finding that air pollution is harmful to childrens development."

The authors also included researchers from Columbia Universitys Mailman School of Public Health, Jagiellonian University and The Southwest Research Institute: Zhigang Li, Shuang Wang, Virginia Rauh, Wieslaw Jedrychowski, Maria Butscher, Agnieszka Keiltyka, Elzbieta Mroz, Elzbieta Flak and David Camann. The research was funded by NIEHS and several private foundations.

- Medical News Today

 

 

 

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