ABUSE OF DRUGS & ALCOHOL DO NOT EQUAL TO GOOD HEALTH                  
                            
As a Certified Personal Trainer and Licensed Professional Counselor I feel it is relevant to increase awareness about alcohol and drug abuse. Alcohol and drug abuse can have adverse or negative consequences for our health. For many people this is not an issue, however over the years I have observed and noticed numerous individuals who although attempted to exercise on a regular basis also were abusing alcohol and or other drugs which worked against them and was counter productive towards what they were trying to accomplish through exercise.

What do drugs and alcohol have to do with a lifestyle of fitness and good health? The answer is that the excess use or abuse of drugs like Alcohol can be counter-productive to being able to achieve your physical fitness goals.  Certainly the use of illegal drugs such as marijuana, cocaine, and others will cause a significant amount of harmful affects and stress upon the body and definitely will not be conducive towards living a healthy life style. When it comes to illegal drugs, there is no such thing as moderation. Any use of an illegal drug  always has negative consequences to your health.

Specific to the use of Alcohol, many have heard about the moderate consumption of alcohol such as a glass of wine in the evenings being good for your heart and cardiovascular system. Studies have shown or suggested this positive benefit.

* "The problem is that many people don't understand or they want to rationalize what "moderate" means    or how much alcohol is too much to drink."

According to the DSM-IV (Diagnostic AND Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 4th Edition by The American Psychiatric Association),

Alcohol Dependence often has a familial pattern and at least some of the transmission can be traced to genetic factors. The risk for Alcohol Dependence is three to four times higher in close relatives of people with Alcohol Dependence. Alcohol Dependence can be associated increased tolerance and with severe and dangerous withdrawal symptoms including seizures that require hospitalization for a safe medical detox.

"Alcohol Abuse" is defined by the excessive use of alcohol that impacts one's social and interpersonal relationships as well as their health. With Alcohol abuse there typically is not a physical dependence meaning the person can stop drinking alcohol without life threatening or uncomfortable physical withdrawals.

The Journal of the American Medical Association defines alcoholism as "a primary, chronic disease characterized by impaired control over drinking, preoccupation with the drug alcohol, use of alcohol despite adverse consequences, and distortions in thinking."




    

                                                                                        Am I drinking too much?

Research and clinical studies have also shown that Alcohol inhibits and impairs "protein synthesis" in skeletal muscle cells which is essential for maintaining muscles and growing muscles. So it is counter productive to people who are trying to increase lean muscle mass.  Alcohol has also been shown to inhibit key brain proteins.   University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers have found evidence that alcohol inhibits the actions of key proteins called N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA) receptors in specific regions of the brain. "NMDA receptors in the brain are key sites of action of the neuro-transmitter glutamate, which increases the activity of brain neurons," said lead author Dr. Darin J. Knapp, research assistant professor of psychiatry at the university's School of Medicine. There are many other adverse effects of alcohol such as liver damage/cirrhosis. It is clear that alcohol will work against you if you are trying to get into optimal physical health.

In regard to other substance abuse or dependence disorders:

A maladaptive pattern of substance use leading to clinically significant impairment or distress, as manifested by one (or more) of the following, occurring within a 12-month period:

1. recurrent substance use resulting in a failure to fulfill major role obligations at work, school, home (e.g., repeated absences or poor work performance related to substance use; substance-related absences, suspensions, or expulsions from school; neglect of children or household)
2. recurrent substance use in situations in which it is physically hazardous (e.g., driving an automobile or operating a machine when impaired by substance use)
3. recurrent substance-related legal problems (e.g., arrests for substance-related disorderly conduct)
4. continued substance use despite having persistent or recurrent social or interpersonal problems caused or exacerbated by the effects of the substance (e.g., arguments with spouse about consequences of intoxication, physical fights)

* If you feel you have an alcohol or drug dependence/abuse problem feel free to contact me through my website so I can point you in the right direction for help. I do provide drug and alcohol counseling and can help in this area as well. I can also give you referrals for community resources as well. 

* A healthy lifestyle that includes a structured schedule of weekly regular exercise is very conducive to maintaining  sobriety and a sober life!