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Health risks associated with alcohol use

Dr. Howard Becker, Director of the Charleston Alcohol Research Center at MUSC and Senior Research Career Scientist at the Ralph H Johnson VA Medical Center
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Dr. Howard Becker, Director of the Charleston Alcohol Research Center at MUSC and Senior Research Career Scientist at the Ralph H Johnson VA Medical Center

This week Bobbi Conner talks with Dr. Howard Becker about health risks associated with alcohol use. Dr. Becker is Director of the Charleston Alcohol Research Center at MUSC and he’s a Senior Research Career Scientist at the Ralph H Johnson VA Medical Center.

TRANSCRIPT:

Conner: I'm Bobbi Conner for South Carolina Public Radio with Health Focus here at the radio studio for the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. Drinking too much alcohol can take a serious toll on your health. Doctor Howard Becker is here to talk about alcohol and health risks, and also first steps to make a plan to reduce or stop drinking. Doctor Becker is the Director of the Charleston Alcohol Research Center at MUSC, and a senior research career scientist at the Ralph H. Johnson VA medical center. Doctor Becker, how significant of a problem is heavy drinking?

Dr. Becker: Alcohol misuse is a leading preventable cause of death in the United States, and actually, globally. Over 150,000 people die each year due to alcohol related causes. It's a leading reason for those that are in need of liver transplant. And over the last decade, there's a particular concern about increased heavy drinking among women and the 55 year and older group in our population.

Conner: What are the health risks associated with regular or heavy alcohol consumption?

Dr. Becker: Alcohol influences all parts of the body, and it's actually been recognized to be an aggravating factor or a risk factor for over 200 different diseases. It has detrimental effects on the GI system. That's the esophagus, the stomach, pancreas. It is a major cause of liver disease. It has a negative impact on cardiovascular function, bone, muscle and of course it has a negative impact on brain function. The Surgeon General just put out an advisory about heavy drinking, posing an increased risk for a whole host of different cancers.

Conner: What amount of drinking can lead to increased risks of some of those problems?

Dr. Becker: It's very difficult to pinpoint a threshold of alcohol consumption. Heavy drinking is typically defined as drinking five or more drinks for men, or four or more drinks for women on a daily basis. That kind of drinking really can be quite harmful in terms of your health and social interactions with your environment, friends, workplace, etc..

Conner: If someone realizes they have a problem with alcohol and they want to make a change to reduce or stop drinking, what's a good first step?

Dr. Becker: Seeking help is really the most important thing of all. You can find a variety of ways to address this issue. You can go to primary care providers. You can go to a number of different clinics that are available throughout the state that will also provide assistance with ways in which you can cut down on your alcohol drinking, and how that could improve health on a variety of different ways.

Conner: Are there effective medications available that can help reduce alcohol cravings or help curb use of alcohol in some way?

Dr. Becker: Yes, there are indeed medications that are available to help those that want to cut down or maintain abstinence. There are, in fact, three FDA approved medications that are available. One of them is naltrexone. There's also a extended release injectable form of that medication, acamprosate or Campral, and then finally antabuse. These have been effective to varying degrees, and they do help with cutting down on the cravings or desire to drink. In fact, our Alcohol Research Center, which is NIH funded at MUSC, is focused on the development of new medications that can help improve the lives of those suffering with alcohol use disorder.

Conner: Doctor Becker, thanks for this information about health risks associated with alcohol use.

Dr. Becker: My pleasure.

Conner: From the radio studio for the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, I'm Bobbi Conner for South Carolina Public Radio.

Health Focus transcripts are intended to accurately represent the original audio version of the program; however, some discrepancies or inaccuracies may exist. The audio format serves as the official record of Health Focus programming.

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Bobbi Conner has been producing and hosting public radio programs for over 30 years. She was the longtime host of the national Parents Journal public radio program. Conner has lived in the Charleston area for over twenty years.