Blog | Sober Solutions

Does Discrimination Lead to Binge Drinking?

May 31, 2018 By Staff

african-american-man-discrimination

Unkindness associated with racism has been linked to health issues for some time. During the 1980s, researchers reported a connection between poor cardiovascular health and the discrimination experienced by African Americans. This led to additional findings that established a link between health issues in minorities and perceived discriminatory treatment. Recent research supports the finding that discrimination is bad for physical and mental health. It also puts the victims of discrimination at risk for binge drinking.

Binge Drinking and Coping with Discriminatory Stress

According to Paul Gilbert, Assistant Professor at the University of Iowa, many people deal with stress by drinking alcohol. Stress-related drinking is seen as a coping mechanism, even though drinking to relieve stress can cause additional stress.

Professor Gilbert was curious about whether the stress of being discriminated against would increase the probability that the target of the discriminatory behavior [Read more…]

Alcohol Advertising Leads to Teen Drinking

May 31, 2018 By Staff

Alcohol-Advertising

Over the past decade or so, numerous studies have been held that test the influence of alcohol advertising on teens. The results of these studies have consistently displayed that this advertising heavily influences teen drinking. Here’s a closer look at why that’s the case.

Primary Findings

Exposure to alcohol marketing has tangible effects on teenagers. For instance, among 7th graders that viewed these ads, nearly half of them began consuming alcohol in some form by 9th grade. For 7th graders that had just started consuming these beverages, over 75 percent of those that viewed alcohol ads continued drinking by 9th grade. [Read more…]

Problem Gambling is as Much an Addiction as Drugs and Alcohol

May 30, 2018 By Staff

So much has been seen and read in regard to addiction involving alcohol and drugs that gambling is often placed on the back burner. After all it is not something that is sold illicitly, nor can it make anyone but the victim feel its debilitating effects. With that being said, it must still be noted that gambling is as much an addiction as drugs and alcohol.

What many people do not realize is that gambling can have other victims tied into the one that is afflicted. If a person is married with children it is often reported that the hard core addict will spend an entire weeks income at a casino leaving family members without basic essentials such as food and utilities. The gambler is aware of this and will despise the suffering they are putting loved ones through, but the pull to gamble is stronger than their responsibilities. Besides, they have won before and can do so again thereby alleviating these family related problems. The end result is a never ending vicious cycle where much more is lost than what is gained.

Newspapers and magazines have brought this addiction to the forefront and enlightened the general public on the addiction of gambling and its causes. For many it is the adrenaline rush that accompanies the first few wins. That can lead to the feeling that if they can win a little they can win a lot. They are unable to grasp the known fact that casinos are the only real winners in the game of gambling.

Other known factors in the gambler’s personality are those that involve dealing with things such as loneliness, boredom, or lack of social skills. They may have just gone through a divorce, or perhaps the kids have all left home, and gambling fills these voids. Many escape the pain of this distress by entering the world of gambling. The new options of gambling from home via computer allow many to keep their addiction hidden for long periods of time. Yet whether from home or the high of casino activity, the addiction will lead to an abyss of deep despair that many cannot escape from without intervention.

Like all addictions there is no easy solution to the addiction of gambling. As it has been said with other problems, the habit may have to be dealt with on a ‘one day at a time’ basis. They have to find a completely new circle of friends than the ones made at casinos. Perhaps the computer will have to be taken out of the home. These are just a few of the number of things a person can do in the line of self-help but for many the urge is too strong to quit on their own. These people need the assistance of professional aid if they are going to beat the addiction that has been proven to be relentless. Luckily, there are treatment centers which specialize in gambling addiction.

The next time you come across an article that explains the problems associated with gambling addiction do yourself a favor and read that article too. Get as educated about this serious problem as possible. You just may begin to see that a close friend, family member, or even you, have fallen into the intense pull of gambling addiction.

News Anchor, Elizabeth Vargus enters Treatment for Alcoholism

May 30, 2018 By Staff

Written by: B. Lenz

ABC News Anchor and 20/20 host Elizabeth Vargus has stepped away from the podium and checked into rehab, according to online sources. She has admitted to having a problem with alcohol and has joined the long list of public personalities who have struggled with an addiction problem.

â€œI realized I was becoming increasingly dependent on alcohol,” she said in a Huffington Post article, â€œand feel fortunate to have recognized it for the problem it was becoming. I am in treatment and am so thankful for the love and support of my family, friends and colleagues at ABC News. Like so many others, I will deal with this challenge one day at a time. If coming forward today gives one other person the courage to seek help, Iâ€™m grateful.â€

Vargus, 51, was also briefly co-host of World News Tonight with Bob Woodruff after Peter Jennings died, but when Woodruff was injured in an Iraq explosion while on assignment, the partnership was ended. Her career with network news began in 1993 on NBC, then afterward ABC. The network is supportive of her recovery, and ABC news spokesman Jeffrey Schneider said in an Associated Press article, â€œElizabeth is a member of our family and we will support her in every way we can.â€

Vargus has two children and is married to singer/songwriter Marc Cohn. She entered rehab voluntarily a couple of weeks ago and is expected to be back on 20/20 in a couple more weeks.

She is not the only news anchor to own her alcoholism and address her problem. Former Fox News Anchor Laurie Dhue went the same route. While her co-workers were aware of her alcohol problem, she was reluctant to discuss it, for fear of reprisal, stigmatism, and the negative affect it may have created in her professional life. But as her alcoholism progressed, she reached a point where she had to do something, so she entered treatment. She may not have chosen to out herself publicly, but at a private prayer breakfast hosted by Fox columnist, Cal Thomas, she revealed how terrified and lonely she felt at the height of her addiction when she would get inebriated several times a week. She was unaware that there was a journalist at the gathering until she found her private matters in print.

â€˜Thereâ€™s still such a stigma attached to alcoholism in this country,â€ Dhue recounted in the article. â€œIt shouldn’t be a dirty little secret, but it’s still a closeted issue.

‘So that’s why I held off on telling people. And I also thought, â€œI’m never going to be able to get a job again. If people know I’m a recovering alcoholic, that may hurt meâ€.â€™

Once her secret was out, though, she began to open up in the hopes of helping others to push past the fear of scrutiny and embrace the recovery she credits for saving her life. Alcoholics helping other alcoholics seems to be a hallmark value in recovery, no matter what oneâ€™s livelihood or status is.

So maybe Vargus is that person. It takes courage and integrity to fight an addiction, especially for those in the public eye. She echoes Dhueâ€™s commitment to doing the right thing by getting help – right now, for herself, but later, who knowsâ€¦

Illegal Drug Prices Fall As People Become More Health Conscious

May 30, 2018 By Staff

these illegal drug prices fall as people become more health conscious Any time the “War on Drugs” is mentioned in mainstream media today its failures are consistently pointed out. The world hears about the billions of dollars spent to combat the illegal drug trade between nations, as well as on the streets at home. News papers such as the New York Times did a fairly wonderful job of pointing out the efforts downfalls on July 3, 2012, in an article entitled “Numbers Tell the Failure of the War on Drugs”. They pointed out how few arrests of major kingpins and cartel leaders were; as compared to the lives lost to both the drugs themselves, and the people on the ground does not promote furthering the current strategies. However, they lightly touched on one crucial fact that goes against the rest of the article. The street prices of illegal drugs has fallen substantially yet the purity of heroine, cocaine, and marijuana have risen drastically.

It makes little sense in any line of business to lower your price but increase the level of potency in your product; especially when you are making a ton of money. The New York Times also stated that the use of many of the narcotics has fallen among high school students (the abuse of prescription drugs has risen, however, twenty years ago this statistic was not even tracked).

What the Times failed to realize is that the “War on Drugs” is a multi-faceted approach. Studies cited in the Los Angeles Times suggests the reasoning for the price drop, and purity hike is due to education. This study shows that the purity of heroine, cocaine, and marijuana have risen by 80,81, and 86% respectively. The belief seems to be that the health risks, now known to adults and school age children, has caused fewer users; this means in order to make the same profit cartels must get users hooked faster and harder.

Abandoned educational systems like D.A.R.E. (Drug Awareness Resistance and Education) seem to have paid off. Funding was cut for this program because little impact had been noticed; the government, however, failed to realize that they needed to wait for the children going through this program to mature before any real results were found. The spread of diseases such as HIV an AIDS is assumed to be the primary contributor to the lowering numbers of illegal drug users; it has become apparent that an educated society is a healthier one. The Los Angeles Times article does agree that there is a noticeable rise in prescription drug abuse by both minors and adults. Possibly due to the false belief that this is a “healthier high”.

In neither of these articles were newer drugs such as bath salts or amphetamines taken into consideration; they simply have not been around long enough to have an accurate statistical base line. Even without the newer drugs admitted, the numbers suggest if we continue to educate both adults and minors on the health risks of drug use and abuse, the use of these deadly drugs will continue to drop.

Give Naloxone to Addicts – Another Harm Reduction Technique to reduce overdose deaths

May 30, 2018 By Staff

Itâ€™s an addictâ€™s worst nightmare. Someone youâ€™ve been shooting up with nods out and you realize theyâ€™ve overdosed. Panic sets in. Heroin is illegal, so taking your friend to the emergency room and signing in is not an option. Some drop off the victim and run. Thereâ€™s always a trip to the bathtub with cold water that may help. Sometimes, everybody just leaves and the victim is found later, dead. [Read more…]