Addiction Experts Say ‘Controlled Drinking’ Can Work For Some
Seventy years ago, Bill Wilson — the co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous — declared his powerlessness over alcohol. The failed businessman contended that, as an alcoholic, he had to “hit bottom” before changing his life and that sobriety could only be achieved through complete abstention. For generations, Americans took these tenets to be true for everyone. Top addiction experts are no longer sure. They now say that many drinkers can evaluate their habits and — using new knowledge about genetic and behavioral risks of addiction — change those habits if necessary. Even some people who have what are now termed alcohol-use disorders, they add, can cut back on consumption before it disrupts education, ruins careers and damages health. “We’re on the cusp of some major advances in how we conceptualize alcoholism,” says Dr. Mark Willenbring, director of treatment and recovery research at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Read more…
Diabetes and Alcohol
You’ve counted carbs, cut out candy, and even conquered the exchange system to get a dietary handle on your diabetes, but you’ll be darned if you’re going to give up what may seem like one of the few pleasures you have left—drinking. Whether it be green beer at the bar on St. Patrick’s day, a champagne toast at your daughter’s wedding, or a glass of wine at dinner with friends, alcohol may be the hardest “food” for people with diabetes to manage because social drinking is such a pervasive part of our society. So is drinking acceptable if you have diabetes? Read more…
