Welcome to the Alcohol Problems & Solutions website, debunking myths and sharing effective peer-reviewed ways to reduce drinking problems and live healthier for almost a quarter century.
Alcohol and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an important concern. Most people drink alcohol. At the same time, many people have RA. I. Rheumatoid Arthritis Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic or long-lasting disease. It’s inflammatory in nature. (In fact, “arthritis” means joint inflammation.) The immune system attacks the body for reasons doctors don’t understand. In effect, the body attacks itself. Almost one in five people has the disease in the U.S. Perhaps a billion people around the… Read more
Chronic kidney disease and alcohol is an important matter. Millions of people regularly drink alcohol. And many people suffer chronic kidney disease (CKD). CKD afflicts large numbers of people. In fact, it affects about 10% of adults around the world. The percent is higher in the U.S., with 37,000,000 suffering CKD. In addition, doctors diagnose about 500,000 with CKD each year in that one country. I. Risk Factors A risk factors is anything that increases… Read more
You really can control your alcohol drinking. A popular myth is that if you have a drinking problem, you have to abstain from alcohol. But that simply isn’t true Most people who have a drinking problem are not alcoholic. But even many alcoholics can learn to drink in moderation. For example, federal government did nation-wide research. It found that 17.7% of alcoholics in the country are now drinking in moderation. Very few ever received any… Read more
A person with a drinking problem usually has a direct negative impact on 4-6 others. Most people don’t know how to help a problem drinker. In fact, most feel helpless. There are also two common myths. The first is that anyone with a drinking problem is alcoholic. The second is that those who are alcoholic can never drink again. To the contrary, those with drinking problems may only need to cut down rather than abstain.… Read more
Almost everyone has heard that alcoholism and denial are related. And probably everyone has heard the old “Have you stopped beating your wife” trick question. Answering either yes or no damns the respondent. Similarly, the Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) 12-step program also supports a “heads I win, tails you lose” trick question. Question: “Are you alcoholic?” Answer: “No.” Response: “You’re in denial. That provers you’re alcoholic!” People use this concept of denial to convince problem drinkers… Read more
The following article by Dr. Alex Berezow is reprinted by permission of the American Council on Science and Health. In it, he points out fallacies of an Atlantic anti-alcohol article. Completely banning alcohol would only prevent about 3.5% of cancer deaths. That, of course, means the other 96.5% of fatal cancers are caused by things other than alcohol. Given that cancer is the #2 leading cause of death in America, there’s a good chance that you’re going… Read more
Government dietary guidelines must be be reasonable and science-based. Imagine you’re at a friend’s party. You finish nursing your first beer and casually reach for a second. Everyone immediately stops and stares. Your friends start whispering to themselves, wondering if they should stage an intervention. Ridiculous and unjustified, right? Wrong! At least according to a proposal to significantly alter the U.S. Dietary Guidelines by recommending men drink no more than one alcohol beverage per day.… Read more
What are the DUI trends in the US? (DUI is driving under the influence of alcohol. Often defined as DWI or similar initials.) Fortunately, it has dropped greatly since 1980. However, it remains a major problem. That’s because even a single DUI death is a needless tragedy. I. The Study Researchers wanted to measure DUI trends over a 15-year period. To do so, they used data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health… Read more
Peripheral arterial disease is caused by plaque (fat and cholesterol) in the arteries that supply the extremities. The plaque narrows the arteries and decrease blood flow. It usually causes leg problems. The most common symptom of PAD is leg pain while walking (claudication). Over 200 million people around the world suffer the disease. This is important because PAD increases the risk of heart attack and stroke. People want to know the answer to a simple… Read more
Alcohol Facts:
- The alcohol content of a regular beer, glass of dinner wine and shot of whiskey or other distilled spirit (80 proof) are all the same. This is alcohol equivalence.
- The U.S. government reports that moderate consumption of alcohol (beer, wine or distilled spirits) improves health and increases longevity.
- Parents have great influence over the choices their children make about alcohol now and in the future.
- Drinking by students in the U.S. continues dropping to historic new lows.
- Distilled spirits (whiskey, brandy, rum, tequila, gin, etc.) contain no carbohydrates, no fats of any kind, and no cholesterol. Get the nutrition facts.
