Alcohol Expert

Colin Perriss: The Politics of Alcohol – Anything But The Truth

2011-02-02T03:29:00.000-08:00

Colin Perriss: The Politics of Alcohol – Anything But The Truth: "The alcohol policies from the main parties are worryingly similar although of course we will be told that they are all radically differ..."

Even Medical Professionals Cannot Avoid Addiction to Alcohol

2010-07-21T07:24:00.000-07:00

I'm not surprised to learn that medical professionals are finding themselves addicted to mind altering drugs including alcohol.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1277955/Special-Investigation-Why-ARE-doctors-addicted-drink-drugs.html?ITO=1490

But I am still surprised and often flabbergasted at the complete lack of targeted education about mind altering drugs, including alcohol, and why we really use them.

Time and time again we are told that we should 'drink responsibly' even though all alcoholics will have started out as being 'responsible drinkers'

It seems that we also assume that we will always and without fail be able to stay within the limits that we have set ourselves, each and every time we drink alcohol. This is despite the fact that even 'responsible drinkers' will have lost control of their alcohol intake at least one occasion, usually more. When asked why this has happened they usually have abosolutely no idea.

We have been using alcohol and yes I do mean using it, for so long that we do it without question, with little thought and adopt the 'sheep mentality' of following the flock and just doing what most people do.
When was the last time that we seriously questioned our behaviour around this activity?, or is it just too bigger question for us to contemplate?

Let us just say for example that after conclusive research we decided that drinking a poisonous mind altering substance is not actually normal after all. The fact that it 'tastes good' is either acquired or it is an illusion, and that actually it would be better practice to deal with the issues that lead us to use alcohol, instead of drinking it.

Truth is that the Global alcohol industry is a fast moving 'freight train' that would be difficult to stop, and who from any of the political parties will be brave enough to suggest that perhaps we need to look at classifying alcohol in line with other mind altering drugs that are currently illegal?

I would suggest that we will hear that people 'deserve' a drink and that they don't want to be told what to do. I agree that people should be responsible for their own decisions and actions but at the same time those very people need a better understanding of what is really going on and that 'responsible drinking' may actually be a myth. Is it not true that because of the mind altering nature of alcohol we can never be sure that we won't actually decide to be irresponsible after alcohol is in our system?I

Is poisoning yourself with alcohol rather than dealing with your issues and problems ultimately more rewarding? Probably not, but if some of the professionals aren't even getting the message, what does that say to the rest of the population?

In my opinion we need better education and a serious debate based on the facts of the matter, who will be brave enough to speak first?

http://www.enp4.co.uk/ Twitter: http://twitter.com/AlcoholExpert

Is 'Drowning Our Sorrows' good advice from our Chancellor George Osborne?

2010-06-22T08:42:00.000-07:00

Well, as you would probably expect me to say, no I don't believe that it is good advice!

You may have heard George Osborne during his budget speech announce that the proposed increase in duty on cider is to be cancelled. He then suggested that in relation to the coming England game, we could take advantage by either celebrating or drowning our sorrows. This may have been intended as a light hearted interlude, but it does have serious implications.

Previously Mr Osborne confirmed that there will be no increase in alcohol duty but that it would be looked at later in the year with a view to tackling 'binge drinking' and 'underage consumption'

You may notice that there is a void between the intended light hearted comments and the alcohol issues being targeted. I would suggest that the void is a lack of knowledge and a coherent message about alcohol. Unfortunately the chancellor failed to make the connection, and without the knowledge and understanding, it is an easy mistake to make.

Alcohol is a mind altering drug, and works every time if you want to quickly change how you view reality. Interestingly we are often taught by our parents and peers to 'self medicate' with alcohol. If the news is good we are encouraged to drink alcohol, if the news is bad we are encouraged to drink alcohol. In fact during any emotional event that you care to name during out adult lives, alcohol is somewhere in the mix.

The big question is why?

Alcohol reduces our ability and performance. So if we really are having great time' why would we want to use alcohol to dilute it? One reason is that we are taught that alcohol somehow enhances our already 'good' experience, when the truth is that it actually reduces it and progressively dumbs us down. But how can this possibly be true when our elders and society taught us?, please remember that our elders once taught us that the earth was flat and that burning alleged witches at the stake was 'normal' behaivior

Alcohol is a recreational drug, not that different in many ways to other recreational drugs, except of course that its legal. We are dealing with a powerful, toxic, legally available drug that is responsible for the deaths of more than 22,000 people a year in the UK, and that does not included the related indirect deaths such as accidents and violence.

We use alcohol to change the way we think and feel, usually because someone we respect taught us and it's considered 'normal'. So please bear in mind that when we drink alcohol, we deliberately drink a poisonous toxic substance that always damages some part of our body, progressively reduces our ability, and we have to buy it! Realistically we can achieve the objectives we use alcohol for by changing our thinking but we are not usually taught how to do it as part of our upbringing. So generation after generation, we just keep on doing it! without too much in the way of questioning.

I would suggest that if we apply some intelligent thought to what we are really doing, and disregard the past, we may find that something that we have done for thousands of years is actually all a bit odd.

I am ready to work with the UK government to provide real understanding and some low cost alternatives that really work.

I'll let you know if I get the call!

More information and contact details here www.enp4.co.uk

Will Views on Alcohol Change If We Really Do Elect A New Government?

2010-05-05T12:19:00.000-07:00

Only a few hours to go and it all seems very frantic on the election front, I've heard about the economy, Trident, immigration, and hung parliaments, but not much about alcohol.

As the results come in I'm wondering if alcohol will be the first choice to do some 'mind altering' as celebrations and commiserations get underway. Will it be shock and awe, or just more of the same? We'll know soon enough and hopefully the political 'punch and Judy' show will settle into the serious business of making a real difference to the lives of so many people who so desperately need some hope.

To date the political views on alcohol have been generally the same across the three main parties. They all seek to control the alcohol intake of the population by increasing prices and providing fear based messages about the damage alcohol causes to health and so on. So we can expect to see new labelling with stark warnings and 'problem' drinks such as high alcohol content cider and beer increasing in price.

In my opinion these actions will have little effect. I believe that the research that they are based on is straight out of text books but are reliant on the respondents telling the truth. That in itself can be a big problem with alcohol, I told lies about my drinking and almost without exception all of my clients have admitted lying about their alcohol intake when asked.

In our society, the alcohol is not the problem, it is a symptom of a much bigger problem that makes our economic challenges look relatively straightforward. Humans use alcohol to change the way they feel and think in the short term, and more and more drinking is being hidden away and takes place among the politicians favourite 'the hard working families'. Problem 'solving' is focused on the young 'binge drinkers' and obvious alcoholics while the bigger and growing area of 'middle class' alcohol misuse is largely ignored. From what I see that bubble is ready to burst and may require a dramatic re-think on exactly what a 'problem drinker' really is.

Fact is we need to consider whether drinking alcohol is normal and responsible. Just because we have been drinking alcohol for centuries doesn't make it 'normal'. Consider for a moment what we do. We drink a toxic, poisonous mind altering substance, that gives us no nutrition, no return on our financial investment, damages our bodies and collectively costs us billions a year in health care. Is that really 'normal'?

Will the next government be courageous enough to accept to fully understand and come to terms with why we endorse the use of the recreational drug we call alcohol but not cannabis? What exactly is the difference? Is it perhaps that one produces tax revenue jobs and export income? Is that why we call it normal? Is anyone brave enough to admit that perhaps that could just be that simple? Is the King in the altogether?

I am hoping that whoever end up being elected will be honest and truthful about the fact that they don't really understand what is going on with the UK's alcohol issues.That admission in itself will be a starting point for a strategy to change millions of lives in a way that we can all embrace.

Binge Drinking Back in the News

2010-04-20T03:54:00.000-07:00

'Binge Drinking' is back in the news with this article telling us that it is well established.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/8631099.stm

Yet again the focus is put on the activity of drinking large amounts of alcohol, but even the researchers appear to admit that they have no idea why people get drunk. Additionally the research is conducted in town centres where it seems to be assumed that most binge drinking takes place.

I would suggest from experience that much of the UK's binge drinking goes unnoticed. Much of it actually takes place at home after work, after business meeting and conferences and at many weekend social gatherings such as barbecues and parties.

But because this goes unnoticed and it seems under researched, the perception would appear to be that it is less of a problem, if it's really considered a problem at all. Much of the consequence of 'privately' binge drinking is kept private so we hear some much less about it. For example we don't hear about the relationship breakdowns, dismissals, damaged reputations and lost work days from what is actually a symptom of a much deeper problem.

Lies and alcohol are regular partners. Many people drinking way outside the 'safe' limits lie about how much they are really drinking when asked. This is often through embarrassment, sometimes they simply don't know how much they are drinking, more worrying is that most don't know why they are using alcohol. Unfortunately research does not telling what is really going on as it relies on people being honest when answering the questions. How sure can we be that people are telling the truth when under the influence of a mind altering drug such as alcohol?

Binge drinking alcohol is a symptom of a number of serious underlying problems that we face in the UK. The economic situation, the Globalisation of industry meaning less income streams available to all generations but especially the younger ones. Our young people are encouraged to 'work hard' by our politicians but many recognise that working hard and being paid the minimum wage will not get them their independence, a place to live and the possibility of a secure future. Many feel hopeless and just want it all to 'go away', binge drinking temporarily creates the illusion that it has.

In my view we have to face up to the fact that we have some very serious and deep rooted problems in the way our society operates and binge drinking is a symptom that. We need to take a close look at why so many of our population are using alcohol to 'self medicate' their lives and start to admit the uncomfortable truth that something somewhere is very badly wrong.

The Politics of Alcohol - Same Tired Ideas in Different Packaging

2010-04-15T04:08:00.000-07:00

The manifesto's are out for all to see and the alcohol policies from the main parties are worryingly similar although of course we will be told that they are all radically different from each other.

They all have an underlying theme of attempting to control alcohol consumption, through price, the threat of damage to our health or to suffer the wrath of our judicial system if we get on the wrong side of the law.

Problem is they are all still caught up in cosy world of 'responsible drinking' where a couple of glasses of wine are enjoyed by the fireside with the one we love in our comfortable country retreat. It would appear that many of the policy makers and government advisers live in this exact environment. In the real world where people are using alcohol to self medicate a range of complex issues, this scenario will seem a million miles away, and it is.

It seems that there is a complete lack of any understanding from our politicians as to why we have an alcohol problem in the UK. They seem to be under the illusion that people drink it because it is cheap, the uncomfortable truth is that many will be drinking it because they are in mental pain, caused by living in our often challenging society. They use alcohol to numb the pain because they simply don't know what else to do. None of the manifesto's that I have read have an answer for this and do not even seem to acknowledge it's existence.

There is also the illusion that we can guarantee that 'responsible drinking' can be achieved by everyone all the time by sticking to the governments recommended guidelines. The very same guidelines described as 'useless' and an 'intelligent guess' in this article that appeared in 'The times' http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/food_and_drink/article2697975.ece

Because alcohol is a mind altering drug, once you start drinking it, nothing is guaranteed. Apart from that even if it is only slightly, your mind will be in a different place than before you drank it. That might just be enough for you to decide that you will have just one more drink after all. After that who knows?

How Many Steps Do You Need To Take To Recover From Alcoholism?

2010-04-14T06:34:00.000-07:00

It could be argued that only one step is necessary to overcome alcoholism and alcohol addiction. Stop drinking it.

The action of stopping drinking alcohol is really quite straightforward. It takes a number of combined actions to drink it in the first place, so not drinking it takes less physical effort. But with alcoholism, the alcohol is not the problem, it is a symptom of the problem, and unless the problem or problems are addressed the desire to drink will continue.

In my view there are two steps required to successfully stop drinking alcohol permanently, but it can take as many steps as the individual perceives it will take for them to 'stop'. I would like to point out that there is a big difference between choosing not to drink alcohol from a place of knowledge, and abstaining from it through fear and ignorance of it.

I would suggest that it is important the that the alcoholic take personal responsibility for drinking alcohol. It is after all a choice, although from personal experience the choices can appear limited when looking at the world from an alcoholic place.

Alcohol is a mind altering drug, so it affects how we think, how we feel and the decisions that we make when under the influence of it. The impact of alcohol on individual people varies and is governed by the chemical and biological factors as well as the spiritual and emotional. But one thing is sure, the more of it you drink the more it will affect you, and if you continue to keep drinking it you will build tolerance to it. That means that it will take progressively more alcohol to get the 'same effect'.

Stopping drinking alcohol suddenly when there is an established biological dependency on it is potentially dangerous and if there is any doubt then a medical professional should be consulted before just stopping.

By not introducing mind altering drugs into our bodies we live in reality, we experience the World the way it really is. For many that have been drinking alcohol to avoid living in the real World or to at least get a 'break' from it, stopping drinking can be a frightening and disturbing prospect, I know, because it was for me.

We often know that we are going to have to work on changing our lives, sometimes radically, we will face challenging decisions. I have seen cases where individuals choose to be alcoholic rather than tell their partner that they just don't love them. People who are alcoholic because of a past event that they have never come to terms with and avoid doing so because of fear of pain and hurt.

If however we choose not to take action and to really 'sort our lives out' then there is likely to be some resulting symptom and for many that is drinking alcohol Why?, because it is legal, socially acceptable and still considered as 'responsible' drug use in an attempt make our lives more 'bearable'

It is only possible to lose control over alcohol by drinking it and that is a choice. Stopping drinking alcohol and living in reality 24/7 is also a choice. Ultimately we do have Power, but sometimes we just choose not to use it. http://www.enp4.co.uk/

Alcohol and Money

2010-04-12T03:11:00.000-07:00

Some drink because they have no money and experience financial problems, some drink because they have an abundance of money and yet still experience financial problems.

As I understand it 97% of the World's money exists on computer hard drives. Regrettably people starve, die, live in appalling conditions because the 'right' data isn't sitting on a hard drive somewhere. Sounds too simple to be true?, well I would ask why?, because the resources exist to ensure that people do not starve, die, or live in appalling conditions. But we just choose not to use them because we have collectively given up control of the planet to those who control the data or 'money'. We let all this 'happen' without ever really questioning what is really going on and who exactly is controlling the money supply?

Alcoholism and financial difficulty have been partners for a long time. Sometimes the alcoholism comes first, sometimes the financial difficulty, the result is usually the same, someone somewhere ends up in a state of mental torture.

Hard work does not always, as the government would like us to believe, result in financial abundance. In fact some of those in society are working the hardest and doing the most but are also earning the least. Why is that?, because our financial system is a nonsense and more and more people are starting to realise the fact. Financial abundance results from understanding and knowing how the money system works and how to extract the most from it, not from 'working hard'

Unfortunately many feel unable to change the circumstances and see the challenge of changing the system as just too big to contemplate. But what can they do to feel better about it all? drink alcohol as a 'reward' for all the hard work perhaps?

Truth is many people recognise that their lives are not where they want them to be. They do jobs that they loathe, they are not able to see a way that they can generate income doing something that they have a passion for, so they compromise. After all, we need to pay the bills, because if we don't then..............

Fear will be used by those that we owe money to to get us to pay them, no matter what emotional or mental damage they may do, and they don't care what you need to do to pay, just so long as you do. They will threaten to repossess your house, send a bailiff to take your possessions, you will receive threatening letters and phone calls. Cash is king in the UK and your well being is secondary in the view of our financial institutions, so bring on the alcohol.

Alcohol is a very powerful mind altering drug. It has the ability to make us feel differently about things very quickly, and no matter what people may claim, that is our primary reason for using it. So when panic sets in about our finances and it seems that there is just nowhere to go, alcohol will make us feel differently about our situation, we will experience the illusion of 'relief' and we will commit that we will deal with it tomorrow.

But when tomorrow arrives we are less capable because our body has to deal with cleaning out the alcohol, and the illusion of 'relief' has worn off. Now the problem appears bigger and our ability to deal with it is also reduced. The spiral to financial oblivion has begun, alcohol is used to again create the illusion of 'relief', the financial position deteriorates, the alcohol use increases. Alcoholism awaits.

Help is available and there are alternatives, this is one of them http://www.enp4.co.uk/

Increasing the Price of Alcohol to Reduce Alcohol Abuse is Fantasy Island

2010-04-11T02:39:00.000-07:00

So research shows that we consume large amounts of alcohol because its cheap. Given that fact then I guess that we are also drinking large amounts of fizzy drink because they are also cheap and stocking up on chocolate bars when they are on promotion?

Having worked with a large number of people with alcohol problems all with differing financial positions, I can honestly say that the price of the alcohol has not been an issue for a single one of them. Without exception they were all using alcohol to 'self medicate' some problem or issue in their lives that they simply didn't have the knowledge to deal with.

When I was drinking alcohol I was never asked by a researcher if putting the price of alcohol up would make a difference to my buying habits. To my knowledge, none of the people that I have worked with have been asked the same question. So just who is asking the questions and giving the replies?

During my time as an alcoholic, I lied about my drinking habits when I was asked about them. Many of those that I have worked with have also said that they have told lies about how much they drink when asked. Can we be sure that the population are being completely honest about alcohol consumption and the real reasons that they are using it when asked by some random researcher? I suspect not.

Much of the UK's drinking problem is unseen for exactly these reasons. For many there is a big stigma surrounding the use of alcohol. Many are just too reluctant to admit that they have a problem at all. In my experience there is a bigger problem with binge drinking among the middle class, middle aged population than with the mostly blamed younger generation. But again all the research in the World just doesn't reveal this, but it is right in front of us for all to see.

Until we start to admit that drinking alcohol or legal drug use may actually not be 'normal' after all, will we start to address the real issues. We delude ourselves that we drink alcohol for the taste, even though I see no evidence of a big drive to create drinks with the same taste as alcoholic ones but without the alcohol. If it really was about the taste then surely we would want the poison removed?

How about using it to relax? Truth is that if we don't know how to truly get into a relaxed state without alcohol then we already have a problem. In these circumstances the action of being relaxed is alcohol dependent, and that is often the starting point for many alcoholics.

Time to face the facts. Putting the price of alcohol up will not stop people with alcohol issues or who 'binge drink' from buying any less alcohol. They will just buy products with higher alcohol content, they will make their own or we will see a whole new underground black market develop.

People are using alcohol to change their metal state quickly. Binge drinkers are using alcohol to 'self medicate' their lives, not because it's cheap. We need understand why we are all still under the illusion that using mind altering drugs on a regular basis is 'normal', or is it the way we live our lives that needs looking at?

Could it be that a Completely Sober Population could be a Real Problem for a UK Government?

2010-04-10T03:11:00.000-07:00

So another election is upon us. Mephedrone is the big discussion at the moment, but again the talk is focused on what the drug does and the possible consequences of using it, rather than the reasons people are choosing to use it in the first place.

It is estimated that more than 20,000 people die in the UK from alcohol related illness. That figure does not include road and other accidents resulting from the use of alcohol.

Let us imagine for a moment that everything is perfect in our life. We live with our ideal partner, in the perfect house and we get our income from doing work that we enjoy, we do not have any financial worries and we are in good health. Why then would we want to introduce any mind altering substance to dilute the experience?

The uncomfortable truth is that so many people are using alcohol just to 'cope' with life. Many of them are unseen and don't appear in the government figures, they are 'average' families under extreme pressure, often financial, just trying to get to the end of the week without having a breakdown!

Imagine a completely sober population living in the reality that is modern life in the UK 24 hours a day 7 days a week. It would be the first time that so many people would experience the UK as it really is. What would happen if the illusion of getting 'relief' from life by using alcohol was no longer an option? Just maybe there would be a massive realisation that they way we are all living is driving so many to drink alcohol in an attempt to 'escape' life.

Is it possible that we may collectively decide that some real changes were made? for the benefit of the majority, not just those who know how to make the system work for them?

Then of course there is the employment and tax revenue positions to consider. Thousands maybe millions are employed making alcohol, creating advertising, packaging, transport, exports and tax. As a government how is it possible to balance a situation where a drug is legal, thousands die as a result of using it, 1.7 Billion a year is spent managing the health consequences and yet it still contributes massive amounts to the economy?

I really don't know. But unless we start to be honest about it we may never know. It really is a very big cause for concern when a government adviser's speak the truth about alcohol but are sacked because it doesn't comply with government policy. The truth may be uncomfortable but it cannot be adapted to fit the way the government would like it to be.

I do not endorse under any circumstances the banning of alcohol or making it illegal. I believe that choice and free-will are birthrights. I will say though, especially having experienced both sides of the alcohol divide, that drinking alcohol is just not 'normal', but for some the illusion is that life is just too hard to live without alcohol.
We all have all the resources within us to deal with whatever presents in our lives but we are rarely taught how to use them, we drink alcohol instead, or use other mind altering drugs.

Why?, because we were taught to do it by our parents and peers and encouraged by the government through the promotion of 'responsible drinking' whatever that is!

Alcoholism, the problem or just a symptom?

2010-04-01T12:12:00.000-07:00

Hello! and a very warm welcome to my very first blog!

I'm Colin Perriss and I'm a former alcoholic or recovered alcoholic, whatever you prefer, and yes I am recovered, although I realise that there are many who argue that alcoholism is for life and that recovery is simply not possible.

I do not agree with the view that alcoholism is for life. Tough as it may seem alcoholism is a choice, for me, I chose to drink alcohol instead of facing the problems and difficulties in my life that needed my attention and some significant work to resolve them.

Alcohol is a very powerful and often underestimated mind altering drug. Like it or not, we use alcohol to quickly change our mental state without having to work at it. I started as a 'responsible drinker' but that all changed when I started to use alcohol to change my mental state instead of addressing the very issues that were making me want to drink in the first place!

In fact drifting from 'responsible drinking' to alcoholism is a real risk for all of us. For example if we use alcohol to 'relax' we are already taking risks! It may be worth considering what it is that is stopping us from relaxing in the first place? If alcohol is present then I would argue that we are not truly relaxed!, just the illusion of being relaxed because whatever is troubling us is being suppressed by the alcohol.

In my experience alcoholism is usually a symptom of an underlying issue of some kind. Binge Drinking is a big issue for the UK, and those indulging in it are wanting to change their mental state in a big way, quickly.
Is it the binge drinking that it the problem? or is that just another symptom?, a sick society perhaps?

Alcoholism is not for life, unless you choose it to be that way of course. http://www.enp4.co.uk/