Leslie Glass's Blog, page 344

Drug Makes Rats Less Likely To Imbibe Alcohol

From Science Daily:

Alcohol use disorders can have devastating effects on a person’s health, relationships and finances. Yet for some, the feeling they get when taking a drink temporarily outweighs these other concerns. Now, researchers have developed a new drug that could dampen alcohol’s effects on the brain’s “reward system,” causing rats to self-administer the beverage less frequently. They report their results in ACS’ Journal of Medicinal Chemistry.

Once consumed, alcohol enters the brain and interacts with neurotransmitters and their receptors, including some involved in reward-system pathways. When activated, these pathways can cause feelings of pleasure, relaxation and craving. Although alcohol-treatment drugs that interfere with the reward system exist, these drugs are not very effective and can have serious side effects. To develop a better treatment, Chunyang Jin and colleagues focused their efforts on a protein receptor called GPR88 that is found predominantly in reward-related areas of the brain. Previous research on mice genetically engineered to lack GPR88 showed that these animals seek and consume alcohol more than normal mice. This led the researchers to wonder if a drug that stimulates GPR88 could reduce alcohol cravings. They had previously developed a synthetic small molecule that activates GPR88 in vitro; however, this molecule could not effectively cross the blood-brain barrier.

The researchers tweaked the structure of the compound to make it more likely to enter the brain. They arrived at a molecule called RTI-13951-33 that was potent, selective for GPR88 and could cross the blood-brain barrier. When given RTI-13951-33, non-engineered rats drank less alcohol than before they received the drug. In contrast, the rats gave themselves sugar water at the same frequency with or without the drug. The researchers say they are now studying the molecule in both wild-type mice and those that lack the GPR88 receptor to prove that it is specific for that receptor.

 

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Life Risks After Non Fatal Overdose

What are the life risks after a non fatal overdose? Drug overdose deaths in the United States have risen exponentially due to sequenced drug surges: 1) prescription opioids, 2) heroin, 3) illicit fentanyl and related analogs, and 4) cocaine and methamphetamine—all used alone or in combination with other drugs. More than 66,000 American lives lost each year to drug overdose have sparked numerous initiatives ranging from increased naloxone availability and medically-supervised injection sites to expansion of addiction treatment resources. The personal stories behind overdose death statistics have helped stir public and professional alarm, but less attention has been given to the question, “What is the subsequent fate of the larger number of people who experience a non-fatal drug overdose?”

Research studies (see Stoové et al, 2009) have long associated surviving a drug overdose with the increased likelihood of a future non-fatal or fatal drug overdose. In a 2017 Massachusetts study of opioid overdoses, 10% of those who survived died within the next year from a drug overdose or other causes. In one of the most rigorous U.S. follow-up studies, Dr. Mark Olfson and colleagues compared the mortality rates of people who had survived a non-fatal opioid overdose to demographically matched members of the general U.S. population. They found that those who survived an opioid overdose died in the next year at 24 times the mortality rate of those in the general population, with most deaths attributed to drug-related diseases, subsequent overdose, circulatory disease, respiratory disease, cancer, HIV, viral hepatitis, and suicide. In another study that might be christened an investigation into lost opportunities, Dr. Linn Gjersing and colleagues found in a retrospective analysis of people who died of a drug overdose that 61% had previously sought emergency medical care and that 18% were frequent users of emergency medical services. The reasons for seeking past emergency care included somatic complaints (48%), injury (44%), alcohol and other drug-related medical problems (32%), and drug overdose (26%).

In reviewing these and related studies, I am struck by the following conclusions and implications.

*People who survive a drug overdose are at increased risk of dying in the year following such an incident.

*Many people who will later die of a drug overdose are already within systems of care but we do not see them nor do we intervene with services that might abort the trajectories of future drug-related deaths. Screening for alcohol and other drug problems must become standard practice within the assessment of all patients entering emergency care.

*It is possible to identify the characteristics of those patients entering emergency care who are at highest risk for a future fatal drug overdose, e.g., male; younger (18-34); middle adults (45-64); multiple medical (pulmonary, cardiac, hepatic, and other) conditions; prolonged history of drug injection; concurrent drug use (e.g., opioids/alcohol/ benzodiazepines); depression; past attempt at suicide (particularly for women); and current lack of access to, or participation in, medication-assisted treatment.

*People identified as high risk for future drug overdose would benefit greatly from assertive linkage to harm reduction, addiction treatment, and peer-based recovery support services nested within models of care that integrate primary medicine, psychiatry, addiction treatment, and long-term recovery support.

Perhaps the most profound lesson in these studies is that we already know the pool of people from which future drug overdose deaths will be inordinately drawn. We desperately need protocol for assertive linkage to effective clinical and recovery support technologies to reach the walking wounded, and we need the moral and political will to make this happen within every local community. In the meantime, our country, and far too many of its families, silently weep.

Read all of Bill White’s Blog Posts on his website here www.williamwhitepapers.com

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Signs Of Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome

From Medical News Today:
Alcohol withdrawal syndrome is the group of symptoms that can develop when someone with alcohol use disorder suddenly stops drinking.

Alcohol use disorder was formerly known as alcohol addiction or alcoholism. If a person regularly drinks too much alcohol, their body may become dependent on the substance.

Alcohol is a depressant. Alcohol use disorder or drinking heavily over an extended period can change a person’s brain chemistry due to the continued exposure to the chemicals in alcohol.

Chronic alcohol use can cause complex changes in their brain, including to the neurotransmitters dopamine and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), which affect excitement and a person’s sense of reward.

The production of these neurotransmitters is affected when a person stops or significantly reduces alcohol intake. The brain has to readjust, which leads to withdrawal symptoms.

Symptoms

People with alcohol withdrawal syndrome can have a wide variety of symptoms, depending on how much alcohol they drank, their body type, sex, age, and any underlying medical conditions.

Common symptoms of alcohol withdrawal syndrome include:

nausea
vomiting
fast heart rate
agitation
headache
insomnia
sweating
nightmares
anxiety

Less frequently, people can develop severe symptoms of alcohol withdrawal syndrome. Severe symptoms are called delirium tremens or DTs.

Symptoms of DTs include:

severe tremors
elevated blood pressure
hallucinations, usually visual
extreme disorientation
seizures
raised body temperature

The DTs can be life-threatening. In extreme cases, the brain can have problems regulating breathing and circulation.

Drastic changes in blood pressure and heart rate can also develop, which may lead to a stroke or heart attack.

Alcohol withdrawal syndrome vs. a hangover

While some of the symptoms of alcohol withdrawal syndrome are similar to a hangover, they are not the same condition. Alcohol withdrawal syndrome and a hangover have different causes.

A hangover occurs when a person drinks too much alcohol at one time. Alcohol withdrawal syndrome occurs when a person with alcohol use disorder stops or suddenly decreases their alcohol intake.

Too much alcohol can irritate the stomach lining, cause dehydration, and lead to an inflammatory response in the body. As the alcohol wears off, these effects lead to common hangover symptoms, such as headache, nausea, and fatigue.

Alcohol withdrawal syndrome is different. If a person has alcohol use disorder, their body gets used to a certain amount of alcohol in their system.

The continued use of alcohol causes changes in the central nervous system and neurotransmitter production in the brain. When the supply of alcohol is suddenly stopped or decreased, withdrawal symptoms can develop.

When to see a doctor

Anyone that thinks they are dependent on alcohol should consider speaking to a doctor.

Alcohol use disorder can lead to various physical and mental health conditions. However, treatment is available and can be highly effective.

For those trying to detox from alcohol, it is vital to do so under the supervision of a doctor, as the withdrawal symptoms may be severe.

Diagnosis

A doctor can often diagnose alcohol withdrawal syndrome by taking a person’s medical history and doing a physical exam.

The doctor may ask for evidence that there has been a decrease in alcohol use after regular heavy use.

They may also do a blood test called a toxicology screen to measure the amount of alcohol in a person’s system. Blood tests and imaging tests can show if organs, such as the liver, have been affected by a person’s intake of alcohol.

Treatment

Treatment options for alcohol withdrawal syndrome typically involve supportive care to ease the effect of the symptoms.

Doctors usually use a type of drug called benzodiazepines to reduce alcohol withdrawal symptoms.

Heavy alcohol use also depletes the body of vital electrolytes and vitamins, such as folate, magnesium, and thiamine. So, treatment may also include electrolyte corrections and multivitamin fluids.

The American Society of Addiction Medicine has goals for detoxification from alcohol or drugs. The purpose of treating alcohol use disorder is to:

Make the withdrawal process safe for the person and help them live alcohol-free.
Protect a person’s dignity during the withdrawal process and treat them humanely.
Prepare a person for ongoing treatment for alcohol dependence.

Detox process

When a person is detoxing from alcohol, the symptoms may begin anywhere from 6 hours to a few days after their last drink.

Symptoms may gradually worsen over the course of 2 or 3 days.

Most symptoms reduce after about 5 days. In some cases, mild symptoms can continue for several weeks. Although some people choose to detox at home, it is safer to seek help when detoxing.

Symptoms can become severe, and it can be difficult to predict which people will develop life-threatening symptoms.

Anyone who is having severe symptoms of alcohol withdrawal syndrome, such as seizures, hallucinations, or prolonged vomiting needs immediate medical treatment.

People with severe symptoms remain in the hospital for part or all of the detox process so a doctor can closely monitor their blood pressure, breathing, and heart rate and provide medications to ease the process.

Prevention

The most effective way to prevent alcohol withdrawal syndrome is to avoid drinking or drinking only in moderation.

Moderate drinking is officially defined as 1 drink or less per day for women and 2 drinks or less per day for men. However, if a person already has alcohol use disorder, they can help prevent some of the withdrawal symptoms by speaking to a doctor about safe withdrawal.

Risk factors for alcohol use disorder include a family history of problems with alcohol, depression and other mental health conditions, and genetic factors.

For those who think they may have alcohol use disorder or may be dependent on alcohol, seeking help is essential.

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Are You Trying Too Hard To Be Happy

 

The Declaration of Independence guaranteed Americans the right to pursue happiness, and we haven’t stopped looking for it since. But despite the college courses, research labs and countless self-help books dedicated to that search, only 33% of Americans actually said they were happy in a 2017 survey.

A new paper may help explain why: We’re trying too hard.

The research, published in the journal Emotion, found that overemphasizing happiness can make people more likely to obsess over failure and negative emotions when they inevitably do happen, bringing them more stress in the long run.

“Happiness is a good thing, but setting it up as something to be achieved tends to fail,” explains co-author Brock Bastian, a social psychologist at the University of Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences in Australia, in an email to TIME. “Our work shows that it changes how people respond to their negative emotions and experiences, leading them to feel worse about these and to ruminate on them more.”

The study involved two separate experiments. In the first, a group of Australian psychology students were asked to solve 35 anagrams in three minutes — but, unbeknownst to them, 15 couldn’t be solved. Thirty-nine of the students completed this task in a room decorated with motivational posters, notes and books. The proctor in this room was also told by the experimenters to speak cheerfully, and to off-handedly mentioned the importance of happiness. Meanwhile, another 39 students completed the same test in a neutral room, with a neutral proctor. A third group of 38 students completed a solvable task in a room that emphasized happiness similarly to the first room.

Afterward, the researchers asked all students to do a breathing exercise, during which they were periodically asked about their thoughts. Compared to the other two groups, students who performed the impossible task in the “happiness room” were more likely to think back to their failure and get stuck on these negative thoughts, which was in turn associated with feeling more negative emotions. Those who completed the impossible task in the neutral room and those who completed the solvable task in the happiness room did not differ significantly in how much they thought back to the exercise.

In a second experiment, the researchers asked about 200 American adults how often they experienced and thought about negative emotions, as well as their views on how society perceives those emotions. Participants who said they felt like society expects them to be happy, or looks down on emotions such as anxiety and depression, were more likely than other respondents to stress about feeling negative emotions, and to experience reductions in well-being and life satisfaction as a result.

“When people place a great deal of pressure on themselves to feel happy, or think that others around them do, they are more likely to see their negative emotions and experiences as signals of failure,” Bastian says. “This will only drive more unhappiness.”

Bastian says the study isn’t a condemnation of trying to be happy; rather, it underscores the importance of knowing and accepting that feeling unhappy sometimes is just as normal and healthy.

“The danger of feeling that we should avoid our negative experiences is that we respond to them badly when they do arise,” Bastian says. “We have evolved to experience a complex array of emotional states, and about half of these are unpleasant. This is not to say they are less valuable, or that having them detracts from our quality of life.”

In fact, recent research has suggested that experiencing negative emotions can ultimately boost happiness, and another new study finds that stressful or unpleasant situations may help people process bad news. Bastian also adds that failure can be invaluable for learning and growth.

“Failure is critical to innovation, learning and progress,” he says. “Every successful organization knows that failure is part of the road to success, so we need to know how to respond well to failure.”

Doing so will likely take a culture change. A society that embraces messy emotions and experiences, Bastian says, is one that is poised for better mental health.

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Breaking The Diet Rules In My Head

I am a stress-eater from way back. Cookie dough, icing, cupcakes, ice cream and brownies all have a special place in my heart.  They are trusted friends who pulled me through some tough times. Unfortunately, this self-soothing habit comes to middle-age with a high price. Here’s the story of how I’m trading my chocolate for zoodles and why I’m mostly happy about it.

Am I Addicted?

Just last week, I frantically drove to Walgreen’s for a M&M fix. As soon as I bit into those first three candy coated chocolates, a wave of serenity washed over me. It was euphoric, so much so that I wondered, am I addicted? According to Web MD, sugar feeds every cell in the brain, and worse yet, the brain sees sugar as a reward! The more sugar I eat, the more I am rewarding my brain. My thighs have yet to see a reward.

I tried several methods to quit sugar: harm reduction, abstinence and sugar substitutes. I tried Adkins, Keto, and Weight Watchers. None of these programs worked because my lack of knowledge isn’t a problem. My personality and defects of characters are. I struggle with perfectionism and all or nothing thinking. Each of these new programs just gave me more rules to follow. In recovery, I learned “Analysis is paralysis.” Too many rules means I get stuck in a self-defeating pattern like this:

Green beans is the only food that follows every rule on every diet.
Living off of only green beans isn’t humanly possible for me.
I strictly adhere to ALL of the rules for a short time and then I am overcome with hunger and stress.
In a state of panic, I dash to the nearest M&M selling retail outlet.
Two minutes and two bags later, I’m a peaceful failure.

There has to be a better way, but I couldn’t find it.

How Recovery Helps

I love food, and I love thinking about food. Because of this obsession, I relate my recovery lessons to food and internalize them in my kitchen. Step 1 tells me I am powerless over my addictive behaviors (like bingeing on M&Ms), and Step 12 reminds me that these behaviors affect every aspect of my life. With the help of my sponsor, I’m learning I do have power. I have the power, for instance, to decide what I eat and what I do.

Most importantly, I have the power to do what works for ME.

Based on that mindset, I created a list of “rules” that give me freedom to choose and set me up for success.

Rule Number One: Don’t ask anyone for any advice.

Freedom To Make My Own Rules

Next I made a list healthy foods that I really love like fruits, melons, cheeses, sausages, and nuts. I also looked back at when I was most physically fit – high school. I started doing the same regimented exercises I did back then. From my various studies in dieting techniques, I selected key components of each diet that worked for me. This relates to another recovery tool, “Take what you like and leave the rest.”

Intermittent fasting works well for me. I eat all of my foods in an 8 hour window and then I don’t eat for the next 16 hours. This really helps with my indigestion, another lovely middle-age side effect. During my juicing phase, our family developed a recipe for “Liquid gold,” a delicious blend of fresh squeezed orange, pineapple, lime, apple, and grape juices. This juice is my nightly treat. When I was doing The Plan, I learned that eating only one source of meat protein per day is easier to digest, so that’s another “rule” I incorporated into my new lifestyle. Finally, because accountability is a critical to recovery success, I enlisted the help of an accountability partner.

Recipe Of The Week

Last week, I found one of those vegetable spiral slicers at the grocery store. It was on sale for $3.50, so I tossed it in my cart. I bought three zucchini with NO expectations because they are after all zucchini. Unless they’re fried and coated with cheese, why bother?

I washed and spiraled my zucchini then sauteed them in butter. Thanks to my failed adventures in Keto, I still had some heavy whipping cream and Parmesan cheese in the fridge. I added a splash of each and let them meld together. The results were delicious. The recipe serves one, which lets me eat what I like and gives my family the freedom to eat what they choose – another example of recovery tools at work. Plus, zoodles, zucchini noodles, are also breaking the diet rules. They taste like pasta but are good for you.

Zoodles For One

1 Zucchini
2 Tablespoons of butter
3 Tablespoons of heavy whipping cream
3 Tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese

Wash zucchini and remove ends. Melt butter in skillet. While the skillet is heating, place zucchini in the spiralizer, (I bought mine at Aldi’s) and twirl. Add zoodles to hot skillet. Saute for about five minutes. Once zoodles reach your version of done-ness, add cream and cheese to skillet. Stir to incorporate and melt. Remove from heat and enjoy.

Confronting The Final Frontier

I haven’t had any sugar for four days. I excel at abstaining for short periods of time, but I have one last recovery tool in mind to help me navigate this tricky love affair. Sometimes I have to wait to make a decision until “I know that I know.” This is case for me and sugar. Until I know that I know I can only eat one serving of M&Ms without falling off the wagon, I’m going to wait. Maybe I won’t ever be able to eat M&Ms again, but surely there is a way for me to set a healthy boundary with desserts.

Each day, I am feeling better and better. I’ve lost a few pounds. I am getting stronger, and my low-level pain is leaving. My stomach doesn’t ache, and I don’t crave M&Ms or other sugary treats as often. This progress make it easier for me to stick to my new rules and not risk sabotaging my success.

Want more of Pam’s delicious recipes seasoned with recovery tools? Check out our cookbook,  The Codependent in The Kitchen.

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Kanye West Discusses Living With Bipolar Disorder

From Katie O’Malley @ Elle: Appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live! last night, Kanye West gave one of his most candid interviews to date when it came to discussing his mental health, family life and allegiance to President Trump.

During the interview, the rapper revealed: ‘Just as a musician, African American, everyone around me tried to pick my candidate for me and then told me that I couldn’t say that I like Trump.’

The comments come over two years since West met with the US president following his election win and later vocalised his support for the former reality star.

Kimmel also asked the 41-year-old star about his wife Kim Kardashian’s recent visit to the White House where she met with the president to pardon former life imprisoned drug trafficker Alice Marie Johnson.

‘Were you ever concerned about her being alone in the Oval Office with President Trump?’ Kimmel (in bad taste) joked, alluding to Trump’s alleged harassment and sexual assault of several women over the years.

‘Well, he is a player,’ Kanye replied.

The ‘Fade’ singer also discussed the song ‘I Though About Killing You’ off his latest album Ye and the quote on the album cover which reads: ‘I hate being bipolar. It’s awesome.’

‘It’s important for us to have open conversations about mental health,’ Kanye told Kimmel. ‘We never had therapists in the black community. We never approached taking a medication.’

The comments come days after his wife Kim announced she launched her first Facebook fundraiser on behalf of the Child Mind Institute, a non-profit dedicated to changing the lives of kids with mental health issues or learning difficulties.

‘I think it’s good that when I had my first complete blackout at age 5, my mum didn’t fully medicate me,’ added Kanye.

‘There’s times where at least I’m happy that I know [I’m bipolar.] Like even like for this interview, I knew I wanted to stay in a calm state.”‘

The father-of-three also addressed his now infamous TMZ Live interview from May in which he said slavery ‘sounds like a choice’.

Reflecting on the controversial comments positively, he explained: ‘What was awesome is the world got to really experience someone in a ramped-up state. And that’s when you get these comments that just shoot out, almost like Tourette’s.’

The rapper – who has been married to reality star Kim Kardashian since 2014 – also expressed his fear at the prospect of his daughters North West and Chicago dating in the future.

Did you know the 12 Steps, which have helped millions find recovery, can also help their loved ones find peace and serenity? Check out our latest book, Find Your True Colors In 12-Steps.

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How Demi Lovato Is Changing the Conversation About Addiction

By Irina Gonzalez for Glamour:

On Sunday Demi Lovato released a statement on her Instagram account addressing her relapse and recent hospitalization following a reported overdose. It was her first time speaking out since she was rushed to the hospital on July 24, and she characteristically didn’t hold back from talking about her addiction. “I have always been transparent about my journey with addiction,” she wrote. “What I’ve learned is that this illness is not something that disappears or fades with time.”

She added, “I now need time to heal and focus on my sobriety and road to recovery. The love you have all shown me will never be forgotten, and I look forward to the day where I can say I came out on the other side.”

Lovato also thanked God for keeping her “alive and well,” as well as her family, her team, and the hospital staff who were by her side. But most of all, she thanks her fans for their continued support. “I am forever grateful for all of your love and support throughout this past week and beyond,” she wrote. “Your positive thoughts and prayers have helped me navigate this difficult time.” There are over 250,000 comments on the post from well-wishing celebrities and Lovatics alike.

This may not seem hugely significant to most—it’s natural for people to send thoughts and prayers after a hospital stay, right?—but as an addict myself, this feels like a turning point in how our society views addiction.

It wasn’t that long ago that Hollywood largely ignored or, worse yet, openly mocked famous female addicts. Women like Amy Winehouse, who died of alcohol poisoning in 2011, and Lindsay Lohan, who has been to rehab facilities several times, were largely painted as tragic figures and stereotypical “hot messes.”

This may not seem hugely significant to most—it’s natural for people to send thoughts and prayers after a hospital stay, right?—but as an addict myself, this feels like a turning point in how our society views addiction.

It wasn’t that long ago that Hollywood largely ignored or, worse yet, openly mocked famous female addicts. Women like Amy Winehouse, who died of alcohol poisoning in 2011, and Lindsay Lohan, who has been to rehab facilities several times, were largely painted as tragic figures and stereotypical “hot messes.”

Back then, the conversations around addiction were largely based on the false assumption that it could be cured simply by having more willpower. People couldn’t understand why these women would “squander” their talent. But addiction is—and has always been—a disease.

When I first went into treatment, I was ashamed to admit to my loved ones what was happening. It took years of problematic drinking that steadily increased until I was blacking out almost every weekend. Eventually, I lost my dream job before I could admit that I had a problem. I was deeply ashamed, and it got worse when I relapsed five times after my stint in rehab.

But like Lovato, I couldn’t hide that I needed help again. A month before her relapse and hospitalization, Lovato released a new single, “Sober,” inwhich she admits to relapsing. It’s a powerful song, especially when she apologizes to family and fans for no longer being sober. When the song came out, I remember thinking how brave she was to admit all of this when so many of us addicts hide our relapse for as long as possible, fearing rejection from loved ones who may see it as weakness or be disappointed, in our disease and in us.

Lovato had just celebrated six years of sobriety, but here she was admitting to the world her truth. Her latest Instagram is just as powerful as she reminds us, “Illness is not something that disappears or fades with time. It’s something I must continue to overcome and have not done yet.”

The transparency about Lovato’s journey with addiction has shined a much-needed spotlight on addiction. Most of all, it’s finally changing the conversation. In the past, she might have been written off as a troubled party girl; now Lovato has brought awareness to the cycle of sobriety and relapse that all addicts face. She’s been an advocate for recovery, and her honesty has allowed Hollywood, and our culture, to slowly change.

There was a time, even just a couple of years ago, when I was going through early recovery, when massive support toward an addict was unthinkable. Now, though, it’s an open, honest conversation. “Sending love Demi,” wrote Macklemore in the comments of Lovato’s recent Instagram post. “I’ve relapsed many times. The recovery community has always welcomed me back with infinite love and support.”

But it’s not just the recovery community that’s sending infinite love and support. Her fans, famous and nonfamous, are recognizing the disease of addiction and standing by her. I wish I had known this kind of support was possible when I was going through my darkest time, but I’m glad to know it exists now. It’s precisely love and support that we addicts need in order to continue fighting against our disease.

Perhaps Lovato put it best: “The love you have all shown me will never be forgotten…I will keep fighting.”

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Your Workplace Wellness Program Probably Isn’t Making You Healthier

By Megan Mcardle from The Washington Post:

Have you ever participated in a “workplace wellness program” or known somebody who tried one? Did you notice any difference? If not — and you wouldn’t be alone — a team of enterprising policy analysts in Illinois may have found an explanation. They ran a neat little experiment on employees of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and wrote up the results in a recent working paper for the National Bureau of Economic Research.

First, 12,459 benefits-eligible university employees were invited to complete a 15-minute online survey about health and wellness. Roughly 4,800 bothered to fill out the survey, at which point they were randomly divided into seven groups. Six of the groups were offered varying levels of incentives to participate in a new wellness program. “Those who successfully completed the entire program earned rewards ranging from $50 to $350,” the researchers noted, “with the amounts randomly assigned and communicated at the start of the program.” Members of the seventh group were told they might be contacted for future surveys and were otherwise left alone.

After the program had run its course, the researchers — Damon Jones, David Molitor and Julian Reif — compared the people who were offered the wellness program with the people who were left alone. Thirty-nine wellness-related outcomes were measured, from sick days to health-care spending. The researchers found no significant effect in 37 of the 39 outcomes. The two variables that showed “significance” weren’t actually all that significant: One was “an increase in the number of employees who ever received a health screening,” the paper reports, and the other “an increase in the number who believe that management places a priority on health and safety.”

The result from Illinois contrasts sharply with some of the earlier literature on these sorts of programs. A 2010 meta-analysis published in Health Affairs found that medical costs fell by $3.27 for every dollar spent on wellness programs, while the cost of absenteeism declined by $2.73.

But that earlier literature was vulnerable to a problem known as selection bias: The companies that offer wellness programs, and the employees who use them, might not be representative of the population as a whole.

For example, thanks to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, we know that higher-wage employees are more likely to be offered a wellness program at work. And thanks to decades of social-science research, we also know that people with higher incomes tend to be healthier. This is true even when they use precisely the same health care as those who don’t earn as much: The famous Whitehall Studies of British civil servants from the 1960s to the 1980s found that senior bureaucrats fared much better than those in the lower tiers, even though they were all covered by Britain’s National Health Service.

There can also be selection effects between those obnoxiously fit folks who leap at the opportunity to fine-tune their health and those who are too sick, or uninterested, to participate. That’s what the Illinois study found: Average annual medical spending for those who didn’t participate in the wellness program was about $1,400 higher than for people who participated, even before they joined.

Which is exactly why the study needed to be designed as a randomized experiment. If you look at the results of wellness programs without controlling for the types of people who use them, it can seem as though they’re making people healthier when they’re just scooping up healthy employees and running them through useless hoops. Companies might even see real benefits in terms of health-care costs — but only because the incentives offered for wellness-program participation make their workplaces more attractive for healthy people than sick ones.

If selection bias really is driving the apparent benefits, then the incentives often offered for participation essentially redistribute wealth and resources upward, from the sick to the healthy and, by extension, from lower-earners to the more affluent. Government policies encouraging wellness programs should be discontinued. But even without government help, companies might well decide it is in their interest to keep them going. Decades of government policy have given employers a substantial financial interest in your health, between your health insurance, your workers’-compensation premiums and the liability problems that sick employees can create.

That’s not to say employers are cynically using these programs to discriminate against the unhealthy. Selection bias is insidiously seductive that way: It can make useless or even counterproductive interventions look as if they’re working spectacularly.

But it does mean that no matter what future research shows, employers will probably find reasons to keep these programs going. Because even if they don’t produce any actual wellness, they might still be very healthy for the bottom line.

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My Sober Birthday And Not Missing Out

My sober birthday is coming up. After a decade of passing on the martinis, sobriety is my norm. It’s also the norm for my family. That means no martinis, wine, or beer in our homes or at our gatherings. We’re not against alcohol. Alcohol is fine in moderation. Since not everyone can control the amount they imbibe, we have to make the world comfortable for those who want the recovery lifestyle. Let’s just say we walk the recovery walk ourselves, and we’re not missing out. At home, we actually talk, play games, enjoy our communications in a way we couldn’t when alcohol was part of our lives. There are more benefits, of course, but too many to mention here.

Why My Sober Birthday Matters

We live in a truly boozy world where there is the universal belief that no end-of-work day, sports event, party, family reunion, celebration, or moment of depression is complete without having a couple of drinks. The result is not good for our children, workplaces, schools, or family environment. There are, however, some easy changes we can make.

Children will do what their parents do, what their friends do, and what they see on TV and in the movies. So, parents need to think about the messages they send with their own habits. Not drinking (or smoking dope) at home in front of children will remove the tease factor, and the temptation to steal from parents’ stash. Face it, your kids will steal your alcohol, cigarettes, pain pills, whatever you use. It’s a fact of life. They will lie about doing it, and you will believe them. Sending a different message at home makes a difference.

My Sober Birthday

I remember my sober birthday date, August 25, 2008. Sober birthdays are very meaningful. Just as many “alcoholics” can remember their first drink, I clearly remember the two events that caused me to eliminate the booze from my life. One night a drunken and scary fight between close friends made me want to be safe from the behavior changes that occur with drinking. I didn’t want to be part of it. I was on vacation with them and had to leave. Drinking was toxic to them and to me. But sobriety was already on my mind. Some of own family members were finally ready to take the sobriety step and I wanted to walk with them into what we then thought was the Missing Out Sea of Misery.

Recovery Changes You Can Make

The first thing that happens when you stop drinking is that friends and family members who do drink are dismayed and suspicious, you may need counseling or help to deal with it.. They try to argue you out of your choice to abstain, and keep trying to give you a drink, “just one” even years later.

The world outside of recovery has not changed, and even worsened with regard to health risks in my decade of sobriety. And temptations to relapse are everywhere. But there are many signs of hope as well. The recovery lifestyle is gaining acceptance. And happily, many people now celebrating sober birthdays are parents just like me.

Even if you’re not ready for full sobriety, you can make a difference by not drinking in front of your children.

Did you know the 12 Steps, which have helped millions find recovery, can also help parents find peace and serenity? Check out our latest book, Find Your True Colors In 12-Steps.

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Drinking Brings on Drunchies

Everywhere we go, we see the snack revolution toward chips, more chips and even more chips. Salty fatty foods abound. Can you resist? This may be one reason obesity is on the rise. But the love of unhealthy food goes beyond daily snacking. It accompanies drinking. Surprise. And it’s called getting the “Drunchies.” or drunk munchies. It’s the desire one has to eat salty, fatty, unhealthy foods during or after a night of heavy drinking.

From Science Daily With obesity continuing to rise in America, researchers decided to look at a sample of college students to better understand how drinking affects what they eat, both that night and for their first meal the next day when, most likely, they’re hungover. It should come as no surprise that they’re not eating kale smoothies and fresh oranges at 4 a.m.

“Given the obesity epidemic and the rates of alcohol consumption on college campuses, we need to be aware of not only the negative effect of alcohol consumption, but also the impact it has on what people are eating while they are drinking,” says Jessica Kruger, clinical assistant professor of community health and health behavior in the University at Buffalo’s School of Public Health and Health Professions.

Kruger, PhD, is the lead author on a newly published paper that examines heavy episodic drinking and dietary choices while drinking and on the following day.

Kruger and her colleagues from the University of Michigan, University of Toledo, and Bowling Green State University, conducted their study on a sample of 286 students at a large public university in the Midwest. (The study, published in the Californian Journal of Health Promotion, did not receive any federal funding.)

Research on the effects of drinking and diet is scarce, Kruger said, adding that eating more unhealthy foods following alcohol consumption is an often overlooked behavior in traditional addiction research.

The inspiration for the study came from an ad she and some of her co-authors saw in a university newspaper. “It said, ‘Got Drunchies?’ and had ads for pizza, tacos, and other fast-food places that were open late after the bars closed,” Kruger says.

With 65 percent of U.S. college students reporting that they regularly drink alcohol, it’s important, Kruger says, to study how alcohol consumption impacts diet, especially on and near college campuses, which tend to have a wealth of unhealthy fast-food options nearby.

Consider, for example, that the average beer contains 150 calories. If a person drinks five beers, that’s 750 calories, or a third of their daily energy intake. Add two slices of pizza or a burrito to that at the end of the night, and it’s a recipe for weight gain.

“So, we dug a bit deeper and first figured out what the ‘drunchies’ were, and then decided this would be interesting to study. Our first study in this area focused on what people ate while drinking alcohol. This study explored what they eat the day after drinking,” Kruger said.

Study participants were asked to complete an anonymous online survey, which began with general questions around diet, such as “What do you typically eat for your first meal of the day?” and “How often do you eat something before you go to bed?”

Later in the survey, they were asked how often they ate something before bed on nights when they drank alcohol, and what they ate. They were also asked what they typically ate for their first meal the day after a night of binge drinking.

Researchers found that drinking influenced study participants’ dietary behaviors before going to bed. “All alcohol drinkers were more likely to eat something before they went to bed after drinking alcohol than in general before they go to bed,” Kruger and her colleagues wrote.

Specifically, they were more likely to opt for salty snack foods and pizza. Healthy foods, such as dark green vegetables and other veggies they would ordinarily eat, weren’t as appealing.

Of particular concern, the researchers noted, was the fact that participants didn’t report drinking more water or other non-alcoholic beverages before bed. That exacerbates dehydration, which may lead to additionally unhealthy food choices.

The following day after drinking, participants’ dietary patterns varied from the night before. They were less likely to skip meals the morning after a night of drinking compared to a typical morning.

And they favored foods like pizza or tacos over milk and dairy products and grains, most likely because of the so-called hangover cures that get passed down to students and which entail eating foods that “soak up” the alcohol. Dispelling these myths is one way to promote a healthy diet even after a night of binge drinking, Kruger says.

So what’s happening in the body that causes the drunchies? “It is believed that after drinking alcohol, the amount of blood glucose in the body can rise and fall which stimulates the brain to feel hungry,” Kruger explains.

Kruger says the study’s findings point to the need for universities to encourage healthy eating at all times of the day, including late at night, by reducing the offerings of unhealthy foods and promoting nutrient dense options.

Story Source:

Materials provided by University at Buffalo. Original written by David J. Hill. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

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