Summary

ARE YOU OR IS SOMEONE YOU LOVE STRUGGLING WITH ADDICTION?When it comes to drug and alcohol addiction, it's hard to know where to turn for help. The professionals at the Betty Ford Center--one of the world's leading and most trusted sources of treatment for oddiction--hove provided thousands with the strength, support, and expertise that substance abusers need to get well. Now, the former medical director of the Betty Ford Center shares that expertise in this remarkably honest and complete book, which answers vital questions that surround this difficult subject:"My son seems to be following in his alcoholic father's footsteps. How can I help him?""My wife's the alcoholic, why do I need treatment?""Can the brain rerover from cocaine abuse?""Even a double dose of my prescription tranquilizers doesn't seem to help. Am I addicted?""If I get sober, what are my chances of staying sober?""l am uncomfortable with the spiritual aspect of AA. Is there on alternative?""Is it true that people who are forced into treatment get nothing out of it?"Whether you are ten years sober, a current or potential substance abuser, or you care about someone who is, this volume will help you better understand--and fight--the destructive powers of addiction.

Author Biography

JAMES W. WEST, M.D., F.A.C.S. James W. West, M.D., F.A.C.S. is the vice chairman of the betty Ford Center Board of Directors, and was the medical director of the Betty Ford Center from 1983 to 1989. He graduated from the Loyola University School of Medicine, and was a member of the surgical team that performed the first human kidney transplant in 1950 at Little Company of Mary Hospital in Chicago. Dr. West practiced surgery for forty years and was an assistant clinical professor of surgery at Loyola University School of Medicine. After pursuing further studies in the areas of psychiatry and the subspecialty of substance abuse disorders, Dr. West started the Illinois State Medical Society Panel for the Impaired Physician. He was an assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Rush-Presbyterian St. Luke's Medical Center and he also taught in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Chicago. He is the author of many publications in the fields of surgery and substance abuse disorders. In March 1993, the Betty Ford Center honored him with the naming of the James W. West, M.D., Training Center.

Preface
Foreword
Letter to My Readers
Who Is an Alcoholic?	p. 1
What Is the Disease?	p. 16
Intervention and Dealing with Loved Ones	p. 31
The Brain	p. 39
The Body	p. 50
Age and Gender	p. 76
Drugs	p. 100
Cross Addictions and Dual Disorders	p. 125
Treatment	p. 135
Prevention	p. 181
Relapse	p. 189
Recovery Wisdom	p. 196
Resource List: Alcohol and Other Drugs	p. 198
Table of Contents provided by Blackwell. All Rights Reserved.

Supplemental Materials

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Excerpts

THE BODYQUESTION:I've heard it said that if drunk long enough and in large enough amounts, alcohol has a feminizing effect on the male. Is this true or not?ANSWER:True. But what you may not know is that it does this by way of liver damage. After a number of years of drinking heavily and often after suffering repeated bouts of alcoholic hepatitis and the inevitable cirrhosis of the liver, men also experience alcohol related damage to the testicular tissue. This causes a decrease in the amount of their circulating testosterone. So, the combination of these two tissue injuries leads to the condition of hyperestrogenism, increased circulating female hormone from natural stores in the damaged liver, and hypoandrogenism, decreased circulating male hormone. The feminizing effect of this condition can result in loss of hair on the chest and upper body, loss of facial hair, and enlarged, femalelike breasts.QUESTION:I am a 57-year-old retired executive. I have been a social drinker all my life, but since retiring I have upped my drinking to about 8 or so ounces of vodka spread over the day. About three months ago, I noticed a kind of numbness in my feet. Is this from alcohol? The doctor says it isANSWER:I believe your doctor is right. Alcohol has a direct toxic effect on the nerve fibers in the legs and arms. Alcohol can cause the degeneration of the myelin insulation of the nerve fiber as the nerve "dies back" from the feet and hands toward the upper leg and arm, accompanied by a loss of sensation in the hands and feet. Also, painful feet and weakness of the thigh muscle are part of the progression of this alcoholic polyneuropathy. Excessive sweating in the face and neck may also occur as a result of this condition. About 10 percent of hospitalized alcoholics experience this condition, which usually improves with abstinence, but slowly. Alcohol is the cause - no alcohol is the treatment.TREATMENT: GETTING HELPQUESTION:How long does alcohol withdrawal last? I ended my last binge twenty-seven days ago and I'm still shaky and cannot sleep. I started going to A.A. and have been going daily since that last drink. When do I start feeling better?ANSWER:Soon; hang in there. It really does get better. Because you were a heavy drinker, you are still experiencing what is called protracted withdrawal syndrome. Signs and symptoms of this state include physiological and psychological variations, such as unstable blood pressure, respiratory irregularity, irritability, anxiety, insomnia, and depressed mood. In addition to these symptoms, you may have surges of cravings for a drink. These are the times to call one of your new friends in A.A. who can tell you how he or she got through this challenging period. You are nearing the end of this distressing time of your recovery and, after it passes, you'll get even more out of what you hear at your daily A.A. meetings. Eat a balanced diet, take vitamins, particularly the vitamin B complex, do some simple exercise, and check with your physician to be sure that you haven't incurred some physical condition that needs attention. Don't give up!QUESTION:What do you think about trying to quit smoking while I'm undergoing treatment for alcoholism?ANSWER:I think it's a good idea. It used to be thought that dealing with one addiction at a time is enough, but a study at the Mayo Clinic (Hunt, R.D., Eberman, K.M., et al. Nicotine Dependent Treatment During Inpatient Treatment for Other Addiction. Alcoholism, Clinical and Experimental Research 1994; 18) showed that the process of treatment for one addiction, such as alcohol, enhances the effectiveness of dealing with the other, in your case, nicotine. The number of deaths due to alcoholism, 100,000+, and tobacco, 450,000+, annually, makes the idea of dealing with alcohol and nicotine together not only a good idea, but a life-extending one.Copyright © 1997 by James W. West, M.D., F.A.C.S.

Excerpted from The Betty Ford Center Book of Answers by James W. West
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.