• The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence fights the stigma and the disease of alcoholism and other drug addictions.

Ask Dr. Bob

Previously Asked Questions

• November 2005:
  I have been drinking alcohol most of my life and it's been getting progressively worse. Once I start it goes on for a couple of weeks, morning till night, and the last session lasted for a month. Then I will go dry usually for 2 months, then craving kicks in and grows in intensity till I drink again and the cycle begins anew.
  
  If only I could control the craving, then I would be able to quit - otherwise I will just die one of those drinking days. What can be done?
  
  P.S.: I tried Revia, AA groups, counseling. None of it works. Maybe I should numb the craving down with some strong tranquilizer for a week or so, then the dry cycle will begin?
  
  
• October 2005:
  My mother is 76 years old. She has been drinking every day as far back as I can remember. She starts drinking a few hours before dinner and will have alcoholic beverages for lunch when available. She claims to be a "social drinker" and all her friends do the same.
  
  A few years ago I tried talking to her about her drinking because her behavior is rude and obnoxious and has embarrassed me when we are out in public, especially at a restaurant. She is combative at the dinner table. I avoid having meals with her because she is so irritable.
  
  I brought it up then and again recently and both times she retaliated with saying I'm crazy and kicking me out of her house. I am concerned for her because she drives home after being out and she justifies all of her behavior.
  
  Please advise... Is this typical for her to be so defensive? I could use some help here.
  
  
• September 2005:
  Most of the information related to "binge drinking" that I've found relates to college students. How would you define this as a general alcoholism-related problem regardless of age? I began binge drinking in high school, as I've seen it defined. I didn't drink any other way. As an adult, I am able to have one or two "social" drinks without adverse effect. However, when the mood calls for a party, I drink one after the other without thought to limits. The limits I normally have regarding behavior are ignored, I have had blackouts, and there is a history of alcoholism in my family. Sometimes I crave a glass of wine and if I have some on hand will have a glass or two. The out of control episodes occur when I have someone else to follow along with me, not alone. This type of episode hardly ever happens anymore but used to happen three or four times per week when I was in my twenties. I believe I may be an alcoholic, but am unable to reconcile the problem and myself as the same thing. I don't want to stop drinking altogether, but I hate that I have no control in certain situations. What is going on?
  
  
• August 2005:
  My 75-year-old aunt is an alcoholic. After hip replacement surgery and several other related operations, she has not had a drink in over 2 months. Her alcohol of preference is sweet vermouth followed by beer (it used to be scotch). She is now desperately asking for beer. She is physically and verbally abusive and I am afraid she will once again displace her hip because she does not stop lashing around. Is it okay to give her a nonalcoholic beer? I am afraid of triggering her need for alcohol.
  
  
• July 2005:
  I have Fibromyalgia, co-occurring with depression and anxiety. I presently take Neurontin; I was originally prescribed it for pain, but now I find myself taking it just to feel good. All the literature indicates Neurontin is not a drug of abuse, and yet I fear I am becoming psychologically and/or physically dependent on it. Can you shed any light on this matter?
  
  
• June 2005:
  My husband has begun hallucinating. What can I expect next? He was hospitalized after the last incident but continues to drink.
  
  
• May 2005:
  I'm curious as to how long alcohol will stay in the body. Doesn't it stay in the blood stream for about a day or so? But I'm wondering how long it can affect the cells and stuff. My friend keeps telling me that it can still affect functions in the brain, liver, and other organs for up to 3 months. I don't quite believe him, so I'm asking you.
  
  
• April 2005:
  I quit drinking 8 years ago after 20 times in detox. I went to AA, but thought it was of little value. I hold a steady job and have not relapsed. Why do addiction specialists still advise me to go to meetings?
  
  
• March 2005:
  My dad has this problem with drinking -- his liver is bad as well as most of his other organs now -- but he won't quit drinking. Is there anything I can do to help him?
  
  
• February 2005:
  How long does drinking go on before alcoholism occurs? Since becoming unemployed one month ago, my mother has been drinking in the morning and all day. Has she been alcoholic all along? What should she do now for treatment?
  
  
• August 2004:
  After stopping "cold-turkey," could a persistent headache be the result of alcohol addiction?
  
  
• July 2004:
  Can an alcoholic's personality become so altered that he would do things while drinking that he would not normally do? Or are traits like aggressiveness, irresponsibility, unfaithfulness and dishonesty blamed on alcohol but are more typical of the person's character?
  
  
• June 2004:
  How long after stopping drinking can a person develop DTs (Delirium Tremens) and can other medical conditions cause DTs?
  
  
• May 2004:
  Would you consider it an alcoholism-related problem when most times when I get very drunk, I end up acting like a completely different person. . . I am literally psycho in my behavior, and the next day, I feel depressed, and can't remember much of the previous night. What is it that makes me like this when I'm drunk? What should I do?
  
  
• April 2004:
  What disorders could develop with regular, heavy weekly consumption of beer and hard liquor?
  
  
• December 2000 through March 2004:
  Questions & Answers from the first three years of the "Ask Dr. Bob" NCADD website feature are now available in a new complimentary booklet called "Ask Dr. Bob: Questions and Answers on Alcoholism." To receive a free copy, e-mail your name and mailing address along with your request to: national@ncadd.org.
  
  
  
  

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  Disclaimer

  Dr. Bob does not provide specific medical advice or a medical diagnosis for any particular condition described, nor verify the authenticity of any information described in the questions presented. Patients should always consult their physician to discuss any specific symptoms, conditions, or modes of therapy for any particular mental or physical difficulties, diseases or conditions.
  

National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc.

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