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By Charlene Rubush, April 26, 2013 3:09 pm

Doug Thorburn’s enlightening book How to Spot Hidden Alcoholics-Using Behavioral  Clues to Recognize Addiction in its Early Stages, provides some information that is quite astounding.

In the Introduction, he asserts that “One of the surprising things about alcoholism is how little most experts know. The main problem is that the definition they have agreed upon fails to describe the affliction in its early-stages. As a result, the current practice of identifying alcoholism is comparable to waiting until tumors become the size of basketballs before diagnosing cancer.”

When I reflect on my own personal experience with loved ones and friends, I can see how true it is. Too many people I’ve known and cared for have suffered this very sad, yet predictable fate. Some of them were combat vets and too young to have to die from this treatable disease.

We’re losing many of our returning Iraq and Afghanistan combat vets to this miserable illness, as well as our Vietnam vets, Gulf War, WWII; the list goes on and on.

Another tragic fact about alcoholism is found in Part III, titled “Middle-Stage or Polydrug Clues (pg.83.) The author notes “Although displaying multiple symptoms of early-stage alcoholism, most alcoholics are not identified as such until well into the progression of the disease.

Father Joseph Martin suggests that it can take about nine years on average for a spouse to begin tentatively diagnosing alcoholism in the other spouse. It probably takes another ten or twenty years for the non-alcoholic spouse to share suspicions with outsiders. No one is served by keeping the family secrets, yet the stigma of alcoholism precludes discussion, without which a confirmed diagnosis may be impossible.”  Continue reading 'A Surprising Fact About The Co-Alcoholic Spouse'»

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By Charlene Rubush, April 12, 2013 5:45 pm

April is Alcohol Awareness Month. Here are some statistics from the excellent book Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder for Dummies that might seem surprising. They also shed light on the link between substance abuse issues and PTSD.

• Thirty to 60 percent of people seeking treatment for substance abuse problems also have PTSD.
• People with severe PTSD symptoms are at greater risk for substance abuse problems than people with mild PTSD symptoms, indicating that drugs and alcohol are used as self-medication.
• Between 60 and 80 percent of Vietnam veterans seeking treatment for PTSD also have alcohol problems.

It may be hard to believe, but 18 million Americans have an alcohol use disorder!!

As someone who has spent a lot of time in Al-Anon and Open AA meetings, I have seen the amazing results that can come when one is open to learning about what alcoholism is, and how it affects lives.

I’ve seen people come back from the pit of hell and been awed by how they were able to turn their lives around into living a sane and productive life.

I’ve also known those who have refused to change, and paid a tremendous price; not only financially, but by death and lost relationships.

Today, there is a tremendous wealth of knowledge on addiction in its many forms. There are so many great resources available too, if one is open to becoming educated. I’ll be writing more on this important subject throughout the month. Stay tuned.

Here are a few great websites to check out on the subject:

To help determine a drinking problem, a test is available from Alcoholscreening.org (www.alcoholscreening.org) a service of Boston University’s School of Public Health.

Narcotics Anonymous offers a self-quiz that can give you insight into how drug use is affecting your life. Visit www.na.org/ips/an/an-IP7.htm and click on “Am I an Addict?”

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By Charlene Rubush, April 18, 2012 12:53 pm

I believe it’s safe to say—all of us know an alcoholic. They may be a “hidden” alcoholic, or their affliction may be obvious. Doug Thorburn, an expert on alcoholism and addiction, has written an eye-opening book titled Alcoholism-Myths and Realities—Removing the Stigma of Society’s Most Destructive Disease.

I’ve mentioned here before that I am a huge fan of Thorburn’s work. I often revisit his books and gain new insights. In Chapter 1, he writes:

Alcoholism is the most misunderstood of all diseases. This is rather surprising, since 1 out of 10 people has this disease and we are all directly or indirectly affected. Yet the doctors and psychologists whom we trust to treat diseases and mental disorders are almost completely untrained in understanding and diagnosing the affliction.

Thorburn also notes that psychologists are schooled in the idea that childhood trauma and other negative environmental factors can cause alcoholism even though the evidence shows that such influences only shape its course.

Facts about alcoholism:

• Secondary diseases are usually diagnosed long before alcoholism is identified, even though the latter is the root cause and primary contributing factor to at least 300 other illnesses and other disorders.
• Emergency room medical personnel treat symptoms of addiction, including accidents, in an estimated 50 to 80% of admissions, yet rarely test for alcohol or other drugs in the system.
• Most people balk at calling someone an alcoholic even if some of their behaviors are bizarre or destructive.
• Epilepsy, diabetes, leprosy, tuberculosis and other diseases were attributed in past centuries to character defects such as a lack of morals or witchcraft until their true causes were indentified.
• Over one hundred years after the stigma of the last of these diseases was largely removed, those labeled as alcoholics continue to suffer disgrace.
• Almost all those who have addicted family members in rehab, are ashamed.

When you think about these things, it’s pretty evident that we, as a society, are really failing those who are addicted and are suffering from alcoholism. I believe the only way attitudes will change, is with a massive movement on education. I’ve found all of Thorburn’s books to be outstanding.

For more information, go to Doug Thorburn’s websites:

http://www.AlcoholismMythsandRealities.com

http://www.preventragedy.com

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By Charlene Rubush, February 3, 2012 6:10 pm

After the Al-Anon meeting where I first heard the term dry drunk, I began to investigate what it meant. When I had first been led to start attending meetings, I actually believed that overindulgence in alcohol was an alcoholic’s major problem.

I was so uninformed, that I thought if a person quit overindulging, then all the attendant problems would magically fall away. Boy, was I in for a surprise. Mike, my former boyfriend of 9 months, hadn’t had a drink in over 5 years. Yet his behavior was unpredictable, extremely cold, and too often, angry.

Much of his anger was related to his time in Vietnam. He had shared with me that he’d gotten very good at killing. I think he bore a lot of shame over that. To make matters worse, his family were all drinkers. When he finally hit bottom and went to AA, he had to abstain from being around his family. It was all so very sad.

Yet I wasn’t willing to subject myself to an angry person again (combat vet or not)  for the long haul. I had enough of my own baggage to deal with at the time.

Here are some thoughts from an article on Dry Drunk Syndrome by Buddy T.  from the About.com website:

“Unfortunately when many former drinkers go through the grieving process over the loss of their old friend, the bottle, some never get past the anger stage … whether they realized it or not, they began the stages of grieving—denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance—the same stages people go through when they have a great loss in their lives or have been told they have a terminal illness.”

Learning about the many aspects of alcoholism has opened my eyes to the harsh realities someone with an addictive personality, or predisposition to becoming alcoholic, must face.

As I heard many times in meetings, “There, but for the grace of God, go I.”I’m so grateful that I do not have the problem myself. I have much empathy for those who do.

To learn more about the Dry Drunk Syndrome, read the complete article at:

http://alcoholism.about.com/cs/info/a/aa081397.htm

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By Charlene Rubush, August 18, 2010 7:33 pm

To glean a better understanding of the mysterious, baffling disease of alcoholism, I often return to the work of alcoholism expert Doug Thorburn. Our society, as a whole, has a long way to go in learning about this insidious disease:

I’m listing below some startling facts from Thorburn’s excellent book, Alcoholism Myths and Realities- Removing the Stigma of Society’s Most Destructive Disease. It’s a well-known fact that our returning combat veterans are often struggling with alcohol abuse.

• Alcoholism is the most misunderstood of all diseases. This is rather surprising, since 1 out of 10 people have this disease and we are all directly or indirectly affected.
• Doctors and psychologists whom we trust to treat diseases and mental disorders are almost completely untrained in understanding and diagnosing the affliction.
• Medical doctors take as few as 24 classroom hours on the subject, virtually all on treating withdrawal and none on diagnosis.
• Psychologists are schooled in the idea that childhood trauma and other negative environmental factors can cause alcoholism, even though the evidence shows that such influences only shape its course.
• Secondary diseases are usually diagnosed long before alcoholism is identified.
• Alcoholism is the root cause or primary contributing factor to at least 300 other illnesses and disorders.
• Emergency room medical personnel treat symptoms of addiction, including accidents, in an estimated 50 to 80% of admissions, yet rarely test for alcohol or other drugs in the system.

I believe it is imperative that we teach a course on alcoholism in the primary grades. Thorburn notes (p.9) that most recovering alcoholics tell us they triggered alcoholism during their first drinking episode, usually at age 12 or 13.

Thinking back to my own education on this affliction, ( in my late 30′s) it took me attending a treatment center for 52 lectures on the subject, before I began to grasp the “big picture” of this disease. It is that complex; affecting body, mind and soul.

Doug Thorburn is one of the most forward-thinking of today’s alcoholism experts. I highly recommend all his books, and checking out his wonderful website and free newsletter. Get educated. The life you save may be your own, or that of a loved one. Go to:

 http://preventtragedy.com

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By Charlene Rubush, July 2, 2010 5:26 pm

Part Two:

IS THERE A HIDDEN ALCOHOLIC IN YOUR LIFE?

Doug Thorburn, in his excellent, informative book How To Spot Hidden Alcoholics—Using Behavioral Clues to Recognize Addiction in its Early Stages explains why most attempts to conquer problem drinking fail.

He uses numerous examples and case histories to demonstrate how subtle, seemingly innocuous behaviors are often early indicators of alcoholism that occur long before the alcoholic has lost control over his drinking.

 JUST AS CANCER STARTS IN A FEW CELLS AND SPREADS, ALCOHOLISM STARTS SMALL AND PROGRESSES TO A FATAL DISEASE

Some EARLY WARNING SIGNS include:

• Lying or twisted logic
• Belittling others
• Poor conduct
• Assigning inappropriate blame to others
• “Supreme Being” Complex
• Sense of “invincibility

Thorburn notes in the introduction that “One of the surprising things about alcoholism is how little most experts know. The main problem is that the definition they have agreed upon fails to describe the affliction in its early stages.

As a result, the current practice of identifying alcoholism is comparable to ‘waiting until tumors become the size of basketballs before diagnosing cancer.’ Yet, almost every alcoholic shows signs of the disease years or even decades before it progresses into obvious latter-stage alcoholism.”

The premise of Thorburn’s book is that we can, and must- identify early-stage alcohol and other drug addiction if we are to prevent tragedies. These include the breakup of families, domestic violence, highway slaughter, the destruction of financial and emotional health and even murder.

 By identifying alcoholism in its early stages, proactively imposing consequences and intervening, we significantly increase the odds of stopping the inevitable progression of the disease before an all-too-common tragic end.

 Charlene’s Note:

I have been studying alcoholism for years, and find Thorburn’s ideas on the subject to be the most progressive and sound.

The ignorance that prevails in our society on this disease is mind-boggling. It usually “takes a tragedy” to lead people to become educated on this complex disease.

Alcoholism affects every aspect of a person; mind, body and soul. It behooves us all to learn as much as possible on the subject. Social drinking can easily cross over into alcoholism, if one is genetically predisposed.

Doug Thorburn’s work can truly prevent tragedy. Visit his website and learn all you can. Subscribe to his excellent, free newsletter too:

http://www.preventtragedy.com