Tell-Tale Symptoms of Alcohol Dependence

 

Alcohol dependence, better known as alcoholism, is a serious—and sometimes debilitating—addiction to alcohol. With 17 million adults in the United States suffering from some sort of alcohol use disorder, it’s an ever-increasing problem. Fortunately, there are a few indicators of alcohol addiction which, when noticed, often prompt intervention and treatment. Recognizing a problem is the first step to fixing it, and with 88,000 alcohol-related deaths each year, it’s definitely a problem that needs to be solved.

 

Blackouts

The first sign of alcohol dependence is blackouts. It’s a common mistake to think blacking out and “passing out” are interchangeable, but that’s not the case (although you can faint from high amounts of alcohol consumption). Blackouts do not include losing consciousness like fainting does. Blackouts instead cause you to not remember what happened when you were drinking dependence

 

 

Unexplained Accidents or Illnesses

It’s possible to develop a new problem, such as stomach aches, or exacerbate an existing health condition with an alcohol addiction. Alcohol dependence also greatly increases the chances of having accidents—and of these accidents being far more severe than they would have been had alcohol not been involved.

 

Tolerance

With alcohol dependence comes a greater tolerance for alcohol, meaning that you need to drink more and more in order to get the same effect. Tolerance also means that you can drink more alcohol than the majority of people and not reach the same level of intoxication. Tolerance leads to excessive amounts of alcohol is being consumed, because you need to drink more to need more. According to Edmonton defense lawyer Rod Gregory, a high alcohol tolerance can lead to impaired driving, as an individual could be intoxicated and still seem sober enough to operate a vehicle to those who might be able to stop them.

 

Withdrawal

The more alcohol you drink, the more your body gets used to it. If you stop drinking alcohol, you could show signs of withdrawal. Drinking in order to avoid the symptoms of withdrawal is a huge red flag when it comes to alcoholism and alcohol dependence. Some signs of withdrawal include:

 

• anxiety


• trembling


• sweating


• nausea and vomiting


• insomnia


• depression


• irritability


• fatigue


• loss of appetite


• headache

 

Alcohol dependence is a serious disorder. When treated, the person has a huge chance of living a normal life. If you or someone you know is displaying these symptoms, seek help; it could save a life.

 

Categories: Alcohol, dependence, Symptoms

Will We Soon Be Dependant on Other Countries for Energy?

Many of those who write about the future UK energy situation often make reference to “the lights going out”, but for Professor Jonathan Stern, Chairman and senior research fellow, natural gas research programme, Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, the outcome is likely to have a far less dramatic effect on the UK’s environmental wellness.

According to Professor Stern, ‘It’s quite correct that a great deal of old coal and nuclear capacity will be retired over the next few years. For the rest of this decade, that will be replaced by as much renewables as can be built (mostly wind) and gas. Most of the gas-fired power generation which is needed has already been built; around 4GW is currently not in operation because it is unprofitable and most of the rest is running at far lower load factors than in previous years. If “the lights threaten to go out”, existing gas-fired generation will run at higher load factors and more can quickly be built.’

Professor Stern argues against environmental writers who assert that we will soon be ‘at the mercy of Russia and Kazakhstan’ as neither country even supplies the UK with any significant volumes of gas. However, the professor does allow that we may soon be more dependent on Norway, the Netherlands, Qatar and perhaps the US for our energy needs. But aren’t we, as a country, working on ways to reduce our dependence on other countries in this area?

‘Towards the end of the decade, the UK may produce some shale gas if drilling and fracking prove to be environmentally acceptable,’ the Professor explains. However, he adds that ‘the volumes will not be great and are unlikely to be “cheap” in comparison to imports. Post 2020, other carbon (with carbon capture and storage) and non-carbon generation options may become available, including increased production of shale gas. Outcomes will depend on costs, and costs will be affected by environmental acceptability and carbon pricing.’

Professor Stern concludes by saying, ‘The future of the UK power sector over the next decade has already been determined: wind and gas may not be the best possible option, but it is far from the worst, in relation to costs and carbon emissions. Apologies for the lack of apocalyptic or visionary sentiments about our future energy situation, but these are simply obscuring rather than illuminating the debate.’

Categories: dependence, Fracking, Shale Gas