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- 7. February 2012: Survey on Attitudes toward Alcoholism
- 2. February 2012: 1 in 9 high school seniors using synthetic marijuana
- 27. January 2012: Heavy Drinking and Alcoholism are Linked to Different Genes
- 18. January 2012: Family History; No Predictor of Remission from Alcoholism
- 11. January 2012: Consumption of Energy Drinks Linked to Alcohol Dependence
- 3. January 2012: More Americans now Die from Drug Overdoses than Car Accidents
- 27. December 2011: ACOG Recommends Alcohol Abuse Screen for Women
- 19. December 2011: Intake of Soft Drinks linked with Violent Behavior in Children
- 14. December 2011: Volunteering and Helping Others Reduces Risk of Substance Abuse among Teenagers
- 6. December 2011: Addicted to Excercise ?
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ACOG Recommends Alcohol Abuse Screen for Women
Clinical Context
The US Preventive Services Task Force recommends screening adults for alcohol misuse in primary care settings, but many clinicians struggle with the very definition of alcohol misuse. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism defines at-risk alcohol use among women as more than 3 drinks per occasion or more than 7 drinks per week. In addition, any amount of drinking during pregnancy is considered at-risk alcohol use. Binge drinking is defined as more than 3 drinks per occasion, whereas moderate drinking is defined as 1 alcoholic beverage per day.Women are at particularly high risk for negative consequences from alcohol misuse. The current Committee Opinion from the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) examines means to detect alcohol misuse among women and how to provide the best care for women with at-risk alcohol use.
Study Synopsis and Perspective
Women should be screened for alcohol use at least annually and during the first trimester of pregnancy, according to new recommendations from ACOG. The ACOG Committee Opinion, entitled “At-Risk Drinking and Alcohol Dependence: Obstetric and Gynecologic Implications” is published in the August 2011 issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology.“Alcohol is so ubiquitous in our society, many women may be surprised to learn that their drinking exceeds a safe level. They may consider their alcohol use normal because it’s similar to the drinking patterns of their family, friends, and social circles,” said Maureen G. Phipps, MD, chair of The College’s Committee on Health Care for Underserved Women. “But because of our physiology, we don’t process alcohol the same way men do, and too much can wreak havoc on our bodies. The risks are amplified in women who are or may become pregnant, because the effects of alcohol exposure on a fetus can be harmful.”The Committee Opinion defines at-risk alcohol use as more than 7 drinks per week, binge drinking (> 3 drinks per occasion), or any amount of alcohol intake among women who are pregnant or at risk for pregnancy. These ACOG guidelines offer suggestions for how healthcare providers can discuss alcohol use with their patients, screening tests to detect at-risk drinking patterns, information on when and how to refer alcohol-dependent women for professional treatment, a chart of standard drink measurements, and other useful resources.“Ob-gyns have an opportunity to educate women on making safe and healthy choices about alcohol intake,” Dr. Phipps said.Obstetrician-gynecologists play a key role in screening women for at-risk alcohol use and in offering brief intervention, patient education, and treatment referral when needed. Women who are not physically addicted to alcohol may benefit from brief intervention and motivational interviewing incorporated into an office visit. Pregnant women and those at risk for pregnancy should receive clear, compelling advice to avoid alcohol use, and assistance in becoming abstinent or effective contraception. Healthcare providers should advise women that low-level alcohol drinking in early pregnancy is not an indication for pregnancy termination.Among women in the United States, alcohol-related mortality is the third leading cause of preventable death. The adverse effects of high levels of alcohol use include reduced fertility, menstrual disorders, injuries, increased risk for some cancers, seizures, and malnutrition. Psychosocial problems may include loss of income, child neglect or abuse, impaired judgment, driving under the influence, and depression. Alcohol is teratogenic, and prenatal exposure may result in growth impairment, facial abnormalities, central nervous system and/or intellectual impairment, and behavioral disorders.“Women who develop alcohol or substance use dependence are often more likely than men to deny that they have a problem and to minimize the problems associated with their use,” the Committee Opinion states. “However, when they do seek help for the problem, it often is from their primary care providers. Importantly, most women who use alcohol at risk levels have no signs on physical examination. A detailed medical history obtained by a trusted clinician remains the most sensitive means of detecting alcohol abuse.”
16. February 2012 at 02:41
I am a first time author and I have written a book about my own personal experience. My direct web page http://www.teresajoyce.com
Through the writing my book, I have found the strength and hope to come back from a very dark place. My greatest wish would be to impart that message to others. We can all achieve that. There is a place deep inside of us that remains untapped, unless you reach your lowest point, and allow the soul within you to take hold. Today my outlook on life is so very different, instead of the glass being half empty, the glass is half full. It was time to heal the child within me, she had suffered enough.
There is always a light at the end of the tunnel; my aim is to reassure that.
After an accident in which I injured my back, I was ill health retired. This has given me the time and dedication to put pen to paper. My life was no longer full, and I found myself with an abundance of alone time, to sit and reflect everything I had tried so hard to bury. Although this has been extremely difficult for me, my hope is that anyone finding themselves in the same type of situation may take some strength from its content. If this book were to be catalogued where would it fall, a true account, a personal autobiography or self-help? The real truth is in all three.
Whilst writing, I was forced down a road that I never really wanted to walk again. It’s an insight to the lengths someone will go to achieve their goal. At times I had to walk away to deal with the emotions that it invoked. To say this person was very unhinged would be an understatement. Teetering on the edge of insanity, and crossing over more times than I can count. Where everyone else involved just became fall out. It was as if I were being pursued by the devil himself. Overly more there seemed to be nothing I could do to stop him and the destruction he left in his wake.
The facts within are very hard to believe, but believe it I must because I was there. It’s still incredible to me to think that I came out of it the other side. That said only just. I have spent many years under the mental health care umbrella, while trying to deal with the enormous sociological and psychological residue it has left behind.
Bio
Teresa Joyce was born on the 15th December 1958 the middle child of three. After losing her father at a very young age; this was to set the pattern for the rest of her life. Losing was something she would have to get used to. Today she still has some memory of her father, but in truth it’s all a little hazy. Her mother through no fault of her own after that loss had no other alternative, other than to return to her parent’s home with her children in tow. This family unit were to spend only a few years there, until the wind of change came around once more. Her mother was set to meet the man that was to become her stepfather, and they moved once more to a new city with the promise of a new life. Hopefully it would be a happy one for all concerned, but it became a place for Teresa that felt far more like a prison. One in which she would spend many years months days and hours hating. She swore to herself that she would leave all this behind at the first possible occasion.
Teresa Joyce - There’s a fine line
ISBN 978-1-84991-185-6 www.chipmunkapublishing.co.uk
Web site www.teresajoyce.com
Email address teresajoyce.joyce@gmail.com
Publication date – 16th February 2011
Telephone number – England - 01275545676
Summary/Description
Covers – Memoir/Mental health system/Abuse/Sexuality
People would be hurt both physically and mentally. No one was safe if they stood in the way of my stepfather and what he claimed was his. I would be abused and blackmailed unable to stop or control anything going on around me; I felt that the only way out would be to check out on life completely and it seemed a welcoming prospect. Running from memories of all those years living by his rules, buried so deep within me I never really remembered or faced until I was forced to do so.
I would find myself in a situation that I had no control over and in the grip of a complete madman, who was hell bent on destroying my life. Running from memories of all those years living under his rules, buried so deep within me I never really remembered or faced until I was forced to do so.
I saw myself delving deeper and deeper into my own unconscious thoughts, revealing to me memories which seemed so alien. Happy memories for me are something that I hold in short supply, and I always thought that they were in my childhood, but that was about to be blown out of the water.
But the problem with opening Pandora’s Box was that once opened, I could no longer close the lid and I am still carrying it along with me - like an uninvited guest at a party that never knows when it’s time to leave. It has left me with an enormous sociological/psychiatric residue.
The onset of a set of circumstances beyond my control would stamp its seal, rendering my marriage unworkable. Engineered by the involvement of the one man I had learnt to hate - my stepfather.
I myself would spend many years within mental health care; in fact I am still under their care umbrella. I would move from a heterosexual relationship into a lesbian relationship. Firmly believing that anything controlled or even remotely integral to men, was something I never ever what’d part of again.
To sum it all up I really want to make a difference for those in need, I believe my book would do this. If you live your life with a rain cloud over your head, you will never know if it has stopped raining, unless you find the strength to put the umbrella down.
Kind regards
Teresa Joyce