Interview with Robert Doyle, MD, DDS co-author of Almost Alcoholic: Is My (or My Loved One's) Drinking a Problem?
Rosenberg: Your new
book addresses people who have not become full alcoholics but are in a gray
zone where they have developed a relationship or "commitment" to
alcohol and might be termed "Almost Alcoholics." You write that
drinking could already be subtly diminishing their quality of life even though
serious alcohol-related problems have not erupted yet. Can you elaborate?
Doyle: I can give an
example from my own life. A year ago during my physical, my doctor noted that
my blood pressure, usually at the low end of normal, had crept up to the high
end of the normal range. It was still in the normal range, but borderline. This made me reassess my diet and
commit to more regular exercise.
This January, my blood pressure was back at the low end of normal. If my blood pressure went above the
normal range, it might be a mark on my record that would cause insurance
companies to raise my premium fees or perhaps cause problems with changing
plans. I was not going to take the
chance, so I took action. The same
can happen with Almost Alcoholic drinking patterns. Why wait until a DUI traffic violation or a reprimand at
work to change course? Remember,
Almost Alcoholic patterns may be affecting people around you. Even if you don't think that drinking
directly causes you problems, ask yourself if others around you suffer from
your drinking. Often change is
easier in the Almost Alcoholic phase, so consider a change now.
Rosenberg: You write
in the book about people who seek help for insomnia, depression, anxiety, anger
and physical problems like diabetes only to discover that alcohol may be a
silent contributor or the main problem.
Doyle: People wonder
why they wake up in the middle of the night after heavy drinking and then can't
get back to sleep. Studies show
that even one glass of wine can affect a person's sleep architecture. Sleep problems show up in many
psychiatric disorders, such as depression, anxiety, and others. People who are depressed might think
that alcohol is helping because the first drink seems to act as an
antidepressant. After the first
drink or so, alcohol starts to act as a depressant. If a person is having problems with sleep, energy,
concentration, and memory may be off the next day. These are some of the same symptoms seen in depression and
certain anxiety disorders.
Patients sometimes think that they need a medication for depression or
anxiety. Many times they might,
but the best approach is to see if the alcohol is at the root of their
problems. If so, stopping or
cutting back on alcohol is better than adding a medication. Most psychiatric medications have side
effects, and they often don't work as well as they should or might even be
dangerous if a person continues to drink alcohol. I find that most people today prefer a holistic or natural
approach to treatment. Reducing or
eliminating alcohol gives people a natural option to try first.
Rosenberg: Many
heavy drinkers, including the people whose stories are in Almost Alcoholic, think
alcohol works as a way of coping. Why doesn't it?
Doyle: Alcohol
"disinhibits" you and so you may do or say something you will regret
later. It removes the filter on
emotions. I recently heard a comic say alcohol should have more meaningful
warnings on the label. For example, the warning might say, "The contents of
this bottle have been known to cause humans to lose their jobs." Or, "Warnings: Alcohol is know to result in
bloody noses or head injuries in certain bar settings. Alcohol can cause undue embarrassment
on the dance floor. The U.S.
Surgeon General recommends avoiding alcohol to reduce the risk of pregnancy,
especially with someone you met shortly before the bar closed." One must realize that alcohol causes
disinhibition, and that is different from becoming in touch with one's inner
emotions.
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