Alcoholism

Battling alcohol addiction; Loneliness often cause of problem among seniors

Rose is the classic elderly alcoholic. After her husband died from Alzheimer's disease, the 73-year-old woman confined herself to her home.

Her only contact was with the driver of the Dial-a-Bottle home delivery service who kept her supplied with the liquor she drank in ever-increasing amounts.

By the time authorities found her, Rose -- not her real name -- was suffering severe malnutrition and dementia -- a condition that causes mental confusion, said Marilyn Wright of Victoria.

From the "demon rum" campaigns of the 19th century to today's freeway billboards soliciting customers for expensive treatment programs, North America has seldom enjoyed a comfortable relationship with alcohol.

The recent report of a gene "significantly associated with alcoholism" is unlikely to make it easier. The scientific conclusions are tenuous at best and the manner in which they were presented shows how medical research can be contorted to satisfy social demands.

Several safe and effective over-the-counter remedies are available to relieve the symptoms of a hangover. All are preferable to the "hair-of-the-dog-that-bit-you" treatment of popular lore.

"A hangover symptom that is relieved by having a drink can be an important warning sign of alcohol addiction," said Dr. Robert Maslansky, an internist at New York University Medical Centre and director of Addictive Rehabilitation Services at Bellevue Hospital Center.

More than 10 million North Americans are estimated to be alcoholics and another 7.5 million are alcohol abusers.

Have you noticed all those flattering articles and remarks about Barbara Bush? All of a sudden the media seem to have gone weak over wrinkles.

"She speaks for today's woman who's not afraid of being her age," said one absolutely wrinkle-free female commentator on NBC.

Well, I thought to myself, as I massaged my Dior Capture Complex Liposomes into my own skin, I believe in fighting back against mortality.

It did occur to me though, that life was being a little unfair.

Alcoholism: The Genetic Inheritance [?]
by Kathleen Whallen Fitzgerald
Doubleday, $24.95
A Time to Heal
by Timmen L. Cermak
McClelland & Stewart, $22.95