ALCOHOL

RELATED

PROBLEMS

TEETOTALLER: one who does not drink and has never drunk alcohol ABSTAINER: one who is not drinking alcohol anymore

Total about 15 – 20 % of population CONSUMER: one who drinks ALCOHOL, IRRESPECTIVE OF THE QUANTITY

Total about 80 - 85 % of population

DIFFERENT USE OF ALCOHOLALCOHOL FREE

RISK

MODERATE DRINKER

One who drinks 1 glass of wine or beer during a meal, and occasionally some spirits (coffee with brandy, liquor)

ALL ALCOHOLICS used to be

MODERATE DRINKERS

HEAVY RISK

PROBLEMATIC DRINKER

one who drinks SIGNIFICANT

quantities of alcohol, so as to

provoke BEHAVIOURAL

ALTERATIONS and

PHYSICAL DAMAGES

PROBLEMATIC DRINKERDAMAGES are INEVITABLE and start to show depending on:

AGE of onset of alcohol consumption PHYSICAL CONDITIONS QUANTITY CONSUMED GENDER

IT IS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME !

VERY HIGH RISK in danger of DEATH

The ALCOHOLIC

Every year in ITALY there are about 35.000 alcohol-related deaths

One who DOES NOT CONTROL

anymore his alcohol consumption

He is DEPENDENT on drinking

ALCOHOLISM is NOT a DESEASE,

it is a LIFE STYLE

There are many ALCOHOLISMS

People become ALCOHOLICS through many different pathways

ONLY the START

is the SAME for

ALL BEGINNING to

DRINK

ALCOHOLIC

TEETOTALLERS

ALCOHOLICS

MODERATEDRINKERS

PROBLEMATIC DRINKERS

ALCOHOL USE

You can shift from theoutside to the centrealmost

INADVERTENTLY

IRREVERSIBLEALCOHOLISM

MODERATEDRINKING

ABSTINENCE

PROBLEMATICDRINKING

ALCOHOLISM

DEATH

SOBRIETY

ALCOHOL USE

ONE WAY

IT’S NOT A PROBLEM of QUANTITYOver the last 50 years the “RECOMMENDED” or “SAFE” quantities have been constantly reduced.The B.A.C. allowed for driving has been reduced in many countries from 0,8 gr./L. to 0,5 - and in some cases to 0,0

IT’S VERY EASY TO INCREASE PROGRESSIVELY the daily quantity (ALMOST) without

noticing it

Evolution over the last 50 years of the recommended daily quantities of wine (considered safe):

Dr. Quartini (1960): 1 litre per day

Dr. Berardi (1984): 0,66 litres (man)

0,50 litres (woman)

 W.H.O. (2000): 0,14 litres per day(less than 1 glass)

 

Guess what the next “recommended quantity” is going to be……

DRINKING is a RISKY BEHAVIOUR

ALCOHOL is a PLEASURE just for a moment

then you start HAVING PROBLEMS

then it becomes the BOSS

There is no alcoholic out there

who was not, at one stage, a

moderate drinker

Every substance that:

W.H.O. World Health Organization

• is PSYCHOACTIVE

• provokes PHYSICAL ADDICTION

• provokes PSYCHIC ADDICTION

• provokes WITHDRAWAL SYMPTOMS

• is a DRUG

ALCOHOL is a LEGAL DRUG

Maradona

V. Van Gogh – Self portrait

•IT DOES ALTER the FUNCTIONING of the BRAIN:

•Initially it produces EUPHORIA, then AGGRESSIVITY

•Eventually it works as SEDATIVE on CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM

•It provokes A BAD HABIT, upto DEPENDENCE

ALCOHOL is a LEGAL DRUG

GETTING USED: In case of repeated consumption, the effectiveness

of a substance decreases over time, because the bodydoes create a sort of resistance

TOLERANCE: The need to take progressively larger quantities to get the same effect

DEPENDENCE: The need to continue to take the same substance, to prevent the withdrawal symptoms YOU CANNOT DO WITHOUT

OCCASIONAL CONSUMPTIONMODERATE DRINKING

INCREASE of TOLERANCE NEED to DRINK MORE

EVIDENT PHYISICAL and PSYCHIC PROBLEMS EVIDENT PROBLEMS in the FAMILY and WORKPLACE THE PROBLEM CANNOT BE HIDDEN

THE DEPENDENCE STAIRS

D E P E N

D E N

C E

FREQUENT CONSUMPTION NEED to DRINK MORE FREQUENTLY

INCAPACITY to CONTROL DRINKING EXCUSES, ALIBIS, TRICKS

PROBLEMS in the FAMILY DECREASE of TOLERANCE

COMPULSIVE CONSUMPTION CRAVING

• Have you ever felt the need to Cut down on drinking?

• Have you ever felt Annoyed by criticism of your drinking?

• Have you ever had Guilty feelings about your drinking?

• Have you ever drunk in the morning as an Eye opener?

CAGE QUESTIONNAIRE on DEPENDENCE

If you are a responder to at least TWO of such questions, you are likely to be already an alcoholic,

just ONE if you are a youngster

For ALL

DRUGS

LEGAL or ILLEGAL

the RIGHT QUANTITY is

ZERODr. Garattini 2006

WHAT can ENCOURAGE ALCOHOL consumption

• DRINKING CULTURE

• MARKETING

• COMMON PLACES and PREJUDGEMENTS

Caravaggio - Bacchus

very old TRADITIONS

widely spread and well accepted BEHAVIOUR

in order not to feel DIFFERENT

DRINKING CULTURE

MY GRANDFATHER DRINKS TO REMEMBER

MY UNCLE DRINKS TO FORGET

MY NEPHEW DRINKS TO BE SMART AND GET GIRLS

BUT

MY GRANDFATHER DOESN’T REMEMBER

MY UNCLE DOESN’T FORGET

MY NEPHEW DOESN’T GET ANY GIRLS

SIMPLY, ALL THE

THREE GET DRUNK

MARKETING IS A CONDITIONING FACTOR AND DOESN’T INFORM

Soft taste…

… the full taste of life..

It creates an atmosphere…

He knows what to drink…

…and you know what you drink

Italian taste

Wine is sincere

COMMON PLACES and PREJUDGEMENTS

ALCOHOL INCREASES STRENGTH ?

NO WAY !

ATHLETES CANNOT DRINK

ALCOHOL HEATS YOU UP ?

NO WAY !

alcohol dilates the veins: drinking

in the cold can be dangerous

HerculesJury Chechi

COMMON PLACES and PREJUDGEMENTS

ALCOHOL INCREASES BLOOD

NOT TRUE

ANAEMIA is very frequent among the ALCOHOLICS

ALCOHOL STIMULATES and MAKES YOU FEEL STRONG

NOT TRUE it is a depressant

of the NERVOUS SYSTEM it is an ANAESTETIC

COMMON PLACES and PREJUDGEMENTS

Casanova

Gargantua

ALCOHOL increases your sexual potency ?

NOT TRUE ! it may increase the DESIRE but the PERFORMANCE is much worse

ALCOHOL is a DIGESTIVE ?

NO WAY ! it provokes

AESOPHAGITIS and

GASTRITIS

COMMON PLACES and PREJUDGEMENTS

ALCOHOL can help in case of collapse ?

NOT SO alcohol dilates the veins:

it lowers the blood pressure and

therefore makes a collapse even worse

CONCLUSION

The very MODEST beneficial effects of ALCOHOL, strongly MARKETED, but scientifically UNPROVEN, are in any case NEGLIGIBLE, if comparedto the many DAMAGES (PHYSICAL and BEHAVIOURAL) that it can cause,in the INDIVIDUAL and in the COMMUNITY