Coping up with Alcoholism

I had some relatives and friends that can be consider as alcoholic. However what does it mean? What leads these people on becoming alcoholic? Are their dangers or risk? Is there such a thing as safe drinking? Is there any help available for the alcoholics? Let's answer these questions one by one.

Alcoholism is a disease known as alcohol dependence syndrome, the severe stage of a group drinking problems that begins with splurge drinking and alcohol abuse or misuse. There are two faces in drinking of alcoholic beverages, one happy and another is sad. The alcohol misuses can cause harm or even death. Most accidents are caused by drunk drivers. Actually, alcohol abuse is the third cause of death, after cancer and coronary heart disease in France according to French Health Ministry. Death is mostly heavy unto young people. Alcohol also contributes to act of violence. According to Awake! Magazine that I've read, drinking can remove inhibitions and social restraints and can blur the way one interprets other people's action, making a violent response, more likely. A French study of prison inmates suggested that alcohol was involved in two thirds of rapes and indecent assaults. According to the magazine Polytika, those in Poland 75 percent of the wives have been subjected to violence. Alcohol may as well cause broken family and stunted educations or careers. Alcohol misuses include hazardous use, harmful use and dependence. According to the World Health Organization, hazardous use is a pattern of alcohol consumption carrying with a risk of harmful consequences. Harmful use or alcohol abuse involves drinking that is already provoking either physical or mental damage but has not yet led to dependence. Dependence is the loss of control to abstain from drinking.

Too much alcohol is a great danger to our body since one of its content is neurotoxins (ethanol), a substance that can damage or destroy the nervous system. A drunken person is suffering from some form of poisoning and if you are in large quantities of ethanol, it can lead to coma and even death. A person that is drunk develops slurred speech, blurred vision, sluggish movement, and weakened behavioral restraints and inhibitions which are all common symptoms of intoxication. According to Awake!, with prolonged exposure to alcohol, brain chemistry adapts to counter the poisonous effect of ethanol and to maintain normal nerve function. These leads to tolerance, whereby the same amount of alcohol has less of an effect than it would have had previously. Dependence occurs when the brain has adapted so much to the presence of alcohol that it cannot operate properly without it. Causing modifications of brain chemistry, alcohol abuse can lead cell atrophy and destruction, altering the brain's very structure. Too much alcohol may also damage the liver in three stages (steatohepatitis, apoptosis and cirrhosis). Another tragic outcome of alcohol abuse is the effect it can do to the unborn. When these pregnant women drink, the child within her also drinks and the toxic effect of alcohol is devastating at this formative stage of the fetus. Alcohol could cause irreversible damage to its central nervous system. And can result, fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), this include intellectual impairment, language problems, developmental delay, behavioral dysfunction or deficit, slow growth, hyperactivity and hearing and sight disorders.

Is there such a thing as safe drinking? An article from Nature states that even small amounts of alcohol increase the risk of injury and boost the chances of developing about 60 diseases. However what constitutes safe drinking? Millions have considered occasional drinking and drinking in moderation.

What help is available to those that misuse alcohol? First is to recognize the problem since it is a common reaction among those who abuse alcohol is to deny it. According to Awake!, acknowledging that one's level of consumption is potentially dangerous and reducing it accordingly is the best way to avoid serious problems later. If you are a non alcoholic and wanted to help a friend that is alcoholic you should listen attentively, use open questions that allow the person to express his emotions and feelings freely, display an empathetic attitude that helps him think that he is understood, give encouragement for even light progress, avoid being judgmental or having an attitude that could block him from open expression and from seeking help. However, individuals that are dependent in using alcohol may need professional help to become abstinent. Being occupied to some progressive activities can be a big help in coping with this problem. Alcoholic drinks aren't the last resort for a problem. Though it can make you forget your life's burdens temporarily, you will possibly suffer its effects because of abusive use of the alcohol, and if your drinking posses a threat to you well-being, do not be hesitant to make changes in your lifestyle. It is not yet too late to change, for yourself and for the ones you love.

OBESITY, A WORLDWIDE PROBLEM

Obesity seems to be spreading like an epidemic to humans. Wherever I go, I can always see these kinds of people that are why I get so curious. Is there a difference between obese and just overweight? According to Awake! Magazine that I've read, The Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, U.S.A. says that obesity is being seriously overweight because of excess body fat. The height-weight table will be a big help in determining when one is overweight or has passed into the obese stage.

What causes obesity? One is genetics, like on one theory states that human body naturally store excess calories for possible future needs. In science parlance, 25%-40% of the variability in population body weight can be explained by genes. Another is the person's lifestyle which is the major cause of obesity. The Mayo Clinic says your diet determined that the body weight and physical activity. Eating excess calorie, leading a sedentary lifestyle or a combination of both may lead to obesity. According to the book Food Fight, the obesity is very difficult to treat and most people who lose weight don't keep it off. Most optimistic estimates that 25 percent lose weight and maintain the loss often requiring many tries.

Obesity can lead to severe health problems. Dr. Scott Loren-Selco, a neurologist at the University of Southern California Medical Center, warns of the danger of type 2 diabetes for even young people who are obese. Though according to Dr. Edward Taub, a famous writer on nutrition says that it ha recently become more fashionable, and even politically correct, to believe that being overweight is just a normal and acceptable part of modern life. This is truly an amazing public relation feat accomplished by the economic interests that thrive on fattening us.

According to Mayo Clinic on Height Weight, fat in the abdomen increases the risk of high blood pressure, coronary artery disease, diabetes, stroke and certain types of cancer.

However is there any solution for so many youths and adults that are overweight and in danger of serious health complications? Some diets that could eliminate carbohydrates and increase intake of protein can lead to weight loss. However, they say that over the long run, there can be negative secondary effects like excessive iron levels in the blood, kidney problems, and constipation. So, if you want a low carbohydrate diet, be sure to consult a doctor first. However there is another way to loose weight and it is for a long term effect. Exercise and reasonable diet are a good way to lose weight.

Eliminating those excesses fats isn't that easy at all. So, for all that haven't affected by this epidemic yet, we should start to move now, exercise and eat reasonable diet. What do you think?

In honor to the late Senator Benigno Aquino Jr.

The day passes by so fast! I woke up late this morning since I don’t have any appointments. At noon my cousin called and invited us (me and sister) for lunch at Mc Donald’s. I ate my favorite cheese burger and coke float. Mc Donald’s have the best cheese burger that I ever tasted. I even ate two of my favorite! After that delicious lunch, we go home.

And I heard over the news, today is the 24^th death anniversary of our hero here in the Philippines, Benigno Aquino Jr. He was given birth on 1933 in Tarlac Province here in the Philippines. At 22, he became the nation’s youngest mayor in his hometown Concepcion. And after six years later he became governor of Tarlac province. In 1967, he became the youngest senator in the country’s history. Meanwhile, he married Corazon Cojuanco and raised five children. In 1973, he emerged as the leading candidate for the presidency when President Marcos was scheduled to leave office after completing the maximum two terms as president. The Marcos government had already begun its campaign against Aquino, labeling him as a Communist sympathizer because of the contacts he had established with insurgency leaders in central Luzon. Aquino's ambition to be president was dashed when President Marcos declared martial law and dissolved the constitution. Marcos took all power unto him and jailed his political opponents, including Aquino.

Aquino spent over seven years in prison and was found guilty of murder, subversion, and illegal possession of firearms. Aquino denied these charges as well as the legitimacy of his trial and conviction by a military tribunal. In 1980 he was allowed to go to the United States for a heart bypass operation, and he remained in exile as a research fellow at Harvard University until his ill-fated return in 1983. His opposition ended in August 1983 when, after living in exile in the United States for three years, he returned to Manila and was gunned down at the airport. His death precipitated massive demonstrations against President Marcos.

Be-Bench the Model Search

Last night I watched “Be-Bench the model search” in ABS-CBN here in the Philippines. It was like “The America's Next Top Model” though there are both male and female contestants. I can still remember Tyra Banks hosting the show (I really love this girl! She seems so perfect!). I always love this kind of shows. It's like making your dreams come true. I guess it is everybody's dream to be a top model right?

The show gives the contestants challenges related in modeling like dressing up by themselves, catwalk on the runway, photo shoot and a lot more. Actually they are taught the right way to be a model. And it's really good to see the difference on later part of the show. They got a good pair of hosts (Piolo Pascual and Kris Aquino) too! Now, the models are in tight competition against each other. Actually, Bench is the name of great clothing lines, especially on shirts and pants. I guess this is a good move from Bench since they can find their model and be advertised at the same time. I guess the best things I bought from Bench are my favorite pants and shirt. What I love more about this boutique is that the clothes are in good quality and quantity.