In comparison people living in Europe also consume a lot of alcohol. Much of it is wine drank during meals and, as it’s drunk with meals, it is consumed pretty slowly.

Most European countries therefore don’t see the same problem with binge drinking that the UK does.

In the UK, research shows that people are more likely to drink for shorter periods of time although consume much more alcohol. Beer is a typical favorite and it gets knocked back quickly. Also in the UK, getting drunk is often the goal for the evening.

In the rest of Europe, people go out to have a drink. In the UK, they go out to specifically get drunk. This is something that I don’t understand.

Recent studies appearing in the British Medical Journal illustrate a definite increase in binge drinking and alcohol abuse in the United Kingdom over the past 20 years. For many years the United States has had its own binge drinking problems; however when you look at the size of the population, the problem in the UK is worse than the US. Why?

I lived in England for the first 20 years of my life and from there moved to the US for the next 20 years. I went to university in the US and instantly recognized while college students do enjoy partying, the college binge drinking atmosphere tends to end when students graduate.

On the other hand, in the United Kingdom, binge drinking seems to be a lifestyle later on in life for many people, and from medical studies it appears like the problem is getting worse.

The time between Thanksgiving and New Years in the United States is the most dangerous and trying time for those trying to maintain sobriety and anyone of us driving on the public highways!

The holiday season sees the most number of driving fatalities than any other time during the year.

My Advice this season: - Use a Designated Driver.
This is always a smart move if you or anyone you know is planning to Celebrate whist drinking.

Stay Sober during the Holidays.
For some of us, the problem is not to avoid driving, the problem is to avoid drinking altogether! This season is not quite so Merry for alcoholic and their families. Unfortunately it becomes a time to ?get through? without any major incident or falling off any wagons.

The Holidays are supposed to be time for fun and family. This can be accomplished without alcohol.

There are many ways to have fun without drinking and have a safe and most importantly of all SOBER holiday

According to the results of a recent study, women who binge drink increase their risk of developing cancer.

The results of the study showed that women who drank roughly two bottles of wine during a two day period more than doubled their risk of developing breast cancer.

The study was conducted by doctors in Denmark. The results of their research have recently been published in the European Journal of Public Health.

During the study the drinking habits of 17,647 nurses were observed. What was discovered is that women who drank something like 22 to 27 alcoholic beverages a week more than doubled their risks of getting for breast cancer than women who only drank 1 to 3 drinks each week. The threat for cancer reached its highest point when alcoholic drinks were consumed over a short time period.

The usage and behavior information found that 10 percent of the women who participated in the study women could be classified as weekly binge drinkers. Binge drinking is defined as having on average four drinks each day. The number of women who were considered weekend binge drinkers, those who consumed a minimum of 10 drinks over the weekend, was 13 percent of the women.

For the study one drink is considered to be a glass or wine or spirits or one bottle of beer.

What aggravates the problem is the progressive nature of the disease. In the early stages of the ?mental obsession? having one or two drinks may be all that is needed to get the “song” to stop. Soon it will take six or seven drinks and then later possibly ten or twelve. It comes to a point when the only time the song stops is when he passes out.

The progression of the disease is so slow that even the alcoholic himself can, at times, fail to recognize the point at which he loses control and alcohol takes over his life.

It can?t be any wonder that denial is a common symptom of the illness. For those that do recognize there is a problem help can be as close as the white pages of the telephone directory. Unfortunately there are those who need help however they do all they can to resist it, for these people intervention may be the only alternative.

There is some truth to the adage that if you are a child of an alcoholic, you don?t ever really grow up.

Obviously you will grow up physically — but psychologically, emotionally, and spiritually many of us are still trapped in early childhood. We were never given the option of learning a “normal” way of thinking, feeling or reacting.

Children of alcoholics are raised by people who never grew up themselves. We had no “normal” example to follow. How are we supposed to understand how healthy families relate to each other? We certainly haven?t had any experience with it ourselves!

As we grew we became adults, got married and raised children who, just like us, have no idea how healthy and functional families operate. How could we understand how to be good parents? We’d never seen one in action! The cycle continues.

You may be wondering what resources are available to help you cut down on or stop alcohol use on your own.

If you are thinking of quitting drinking you need education and emotional support, especially if you have abused alcohol or are alcohol-dependent. Some resources that can help you stop drinking include:

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). Alcoholics Anonymous guides those all over the world who have a wish to quit drinking by arranging meetings with other people who have this problem. The groups are made up of people who have similar alcohol problems.

Family physicians or other medical practitioners, psychologists, or other health professionals.
Inpatient or outpatient treatment centers or hospitals.

There are many local and national alcohol treatment hotlines available (check your local white and yellow pages).
You can also search for these organizations and health professionals by accessing their Web sites online.

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) arranges meetings all over the world to help those who have a desire to quit drinking. You can also receive information, education, and assistance to help you quit drinking alcohol by talking with your doctor, calling an alcohol treatment hotline, or asking your local hospital or alcohol treatment facility.

Today is the day you can begin quitting drinking alcohol. If you are thinking of doing this the first step might be to see a doctor, contact a support group, or even set a date in the near future to quit.

While it is possible for some people to quit drinking on their own, others might need medical assistance to get through the physical process of withdrawal.

If you are thinking of quitting drinking it is important to discuss with your doctor whether you will need to withdraw from alcohol under medical guidance. Medications are available that will help you safely quit drinking alcohol. Medications are also available to assist in maintaining sobriety. With your doctor’s help, withdrawal from alcohol is safer.

Stopping alcohol use can:

*Help you avoid or decrease the likelihood of health problems that arise from alcohol use, such as liver damage.

*If you drink and are pregnant you can quit in order to prevent harm to your unborn baby.

*Aid in reducing related family concerns or relationship problems.

*Increase your ability to be productive at work, school, and home.

*Reduce any legal issues that you might have as a result of misuse of alcohol.

? Two of the most widely abused substances in the world are alcohol and caffeine.

? Two broad categories encompass the idea of alcoholism - abuse and dependence. Dependence is considered the more severe problem since the person typically needs higher quantities of alcohol to become intoxicated. In addition, a person dependent on alcoholic will go through withdrawal symptoms, if alcohol is reduced or stopped.

? How a person will use alcohol is chiefly influenced by feelings developed during the first 20 years of life. Other peoples attitudes and behaviors toward drinking, peer pressure, societal and familial relationships all impact a person?s attitude.

? The problem of alcohol abuse and dependency and its related problems are escalating. Currently nearly 15% of the US population could be diagnosed as problem drinkers. Roughly 5% to 10% of male drinkers and 3% to 5% of female drinkers could be identified as alcohol dependent - in the USA alone this amounts to about 12 million people.

? Something in the range of 20% of teens is considered “problem drinkers.” Problem drinking often results in accidents connected to alcohol use, or having difficulties with the law, family members, friends or school.

? Typically within 10 minutes of taking the first drink the effects of alcohol emerge and will peak between 40 to 60 minutes. Alcohol will stay in the bloodstream until the liver breaks it down. If alcohol is consumed quicker than it can be broken down, the person?s blood alcohol concentration level rises.

? Every state has its own legal definition of what constitutes intoxication. Intoxication is defined by your blood alcohol concentration. The maximum legal limit usually falls between 0.08 and 0.10 in most states.

It is essential to understand the specifics regarding alcoholism since alcoholism is considered one type of drug addiction.

The particular facts that surround alcoholism include recognizing that physical and psychological dependence is involved when dealing with this addiction. Alcohol acts as a depressant on the central nervous system and leads to depression. Depression itself leads to decreased activity, increased anxiety, tension and inhibitions.

Another reality of alcoholism is that alcohol affects how our body and organs function. Gastrointestinal tract irritation can occur through erosion of the esophagus and stomach linings, which in turn causes nausea, vomiting and even bleeding.

Further facts include that when people drink regularly they are not absorbing vitamins properly, which can lead to nutritional deficiencies if the abuse of alcohol continues. Problems with the liver can develop and can lead to a disease called cirrhosis.

Through continued abuse the muscles of the heart can be affected. Sexual dysfunction also occurs in men, causing problems having or maintaining an erection; women may stop producing estrogen.