Binge-Drinking & Dementia

Britain could be heading for a dementia epidemic caused by heavy drinking, according to research.

The alcohol-fuelled revelry of the young and middle-aged will rack up brain damage, impairing their mental faculties in later life, it is claimed. The study by the psychiatrists Dr Susham Gupta and Dr James Warner, published in The British Journal of Psychiatry, has shown that excessive alcohol consumption can cause the loss of brain tissue, and binge-drinking is associated with an increased risk of dementia.

They warn of a "silent epidemic" of alcohol-related dementia unless urgent action is taken, and suggest that laws similar to those used to restrict smoking might be needed. Alcohol is said to account for around a 10th of all cases of dementia, and heavy drinking may contribute to almost a quarter.

The scale of the problem in the UK, fast becoming Europe's biggest alcohol consumer, has been overlooked, the scientists claim. Dr Gupta is a specialist registrar at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, London. Dr Warner is a consultant in older adult psychiatry in north-west London. Their research points out that the price of alcohol relative to income has halved since the 1960s and consumption has soared...

The researchers write: "Given the neurotoxic effects of alcohol and the inexorable increase in consumption, future generations may see a disproportionate increase in alcohol-related dementia. This could be compounded by recreational drugs, whose long-term effects are uncertain. There is a need to develop tools for assessment of alcohol-related cognitive impairment. It is difficult to motivate change in public behaviour when there is a delay between risk-taking behaviour and the onset of complications.

~By Kristina Backer, The Independent, 1 November 2008  

Total Abstinence Is Preferred Option

Proof Positive, Dr Neil Nedley, page 447

“The World Health Organization has become a strong advocate of total abstinence from alcohol even in the current context of the ‘alcohol-for-your-heart’ hype. Their thinking reflects the judgment of many scientists, physicians, and public health professionals who are well aware of the facts that I have documented in this chapter. The WHO today uses the phrase ‘the less you drink, the better.’1 It is highly significant that this international body has taken the stance that even moderate amounts of alcohol consumption should be avoided. They insightfully made a number of critical observations that lead to their conclusion.” Some of those insights are found in the chart below.

“Especially noteworthy is this international body’s confirmation of one of my theses in this chapter: for people on an already healthful lifestyle (or who are going to adopt such), there is no evidence that alcohol provides any heart benefits. The World Health Organization’s position confirms in my mind that we truly are in an enlightened age regarding the effects of alcohol on human health. Indeed, when all the information is taken into account, the only conclusion that makes ‘health sense’ is total abstinence.”¹

~1. Emblad, H. Moderate drinking: serious warning by WHO specialists. WHO Press Release. November 1, 1994.

The Root Of Intemperance

“In order to reach the root of intemperance we must go deeper than the use of alcohol or tobacco. Idleness, lack of aim, or evil associations may be the predisposing cause. Often it is found at the home table, in families that account themselves strictly temperate. Anything that disorders digestion, that creates undue mental excitement or in any way enfeebles the system, disturbing the balance of the mental and the physical powers, weakens the control of the mind over the body, and thus tends toward intemperance.”

~Education, E.G. White, pg 202,203.