20/20 program- more info

[Guest guest]

Found this article by Dr. Snyderman on Dr Koop's site.

That last paragraph makes me wonder.

http://www.drkoop.com/family/seniors/conditions/women_addiction.asp

Older Women and Addiction

Snyderman, M.D., F.A.C.S.

It's easy to think of drug addicted people as poor, young, minority

folks who smoke crack cocaine. But the reality is that older women on

alcohol, cigarettes, and prescription drugs make up a silent group at

risk for addiction.

A recent study by The National Center on Addiction and Substance

Abuse at Columbia University focuses on substance abuse in women over

59 and their susceptibility to addiction. Without realizing it women

may become addicted on seemingly small doses because of a slowing

metabolism that occurs as we age.

The study found that 1.8 million women over 59 are addicted to

alcohol, 2.8 addicted to psychoactive drugs like Valium, and 4.4

million women smoke cigarettes. The problem is compounded by the fact

that only 1 percent of physicians recognize the early signs of

substance abuse in women in this age group.

One-fifth of women who ask for referrals for substance abuse

treatment state that they have been denied help because their managed

care or insurance company would not cover the costs. What may

surprise you is that women with incomes over $40,000 are almost three

times likelier to abuse alcohol than those who make less than $40,000

per year.

The costs to society of not treating these women is staggering. In

1998 substance abuse will cost at least $10.1 billion is inpatient

hospital bills, $12.2 billion in nursing home bills, and $7.7 billion

for physician and home health care visits.

All told that means that we spend $30 billion for not treating these

women! On personal level a woman suffering from addiction watches as

her health deteriorates and her independence wanes.

In this study 80 percent of cases of addiction were missed and

depression diagnosed instead of the addiction. In many cases that

error led to the prescription of anti-depressants that could compound

the addiction.

Overall the study showed that only 2 percent of addicted women over

the age of 59 got help for substance abuse. Most often money was

spent to treat the complication of addiction like fractures,

hepatitis, cancer of the pancreas, stroke, and heart disease. This

study underscores our knowledge that treating the primary problem is

smarter and in the long run cheaper than treating the complication.

Snyderman, M.D., F.A.C.S.

Published: December 1998

Reviewed: December 1998

[Guest guest]

I'm with you on that one Tommy;

I joined his discussion group a few months back when we were

discussing methods of getting the media involved on this list. I

haven't gone there in awhile. Perhaps it's time to do a drive by.

Re: 20/20 program- more info

,

That's my big wonder too. What kind of spin will ABC news put on

this? I wish Stossel were moderating.

Tommy

[Guest guest]

I Just did a search While I'm not certain I think they may have done

away with it. Let me know if you track anything down. I'm having a

difficult time conducting a complete search as their login

verification seems to be down at the moment.

In the interim try this link on for size:

http://abcnews.go.com/onair/2020/stossel_suggestions__mailform.html

Re: 20/20 program- more info

Can you give me a link to his group?

[Guest guest]

Can you give me a link to his group?

> I'm with you on that one Tommy;

>

> I joined his discussion group a few months back when we were

> discussing methods of getting the media involved on this list. I

> haven't gone there in awhile. Perhaps it's time to do a drive by.

>

> Re: 20/20 program- more info

>

>

>

> ,

>

> That's my big wonder too. What kind of spin will ABC news put on

> this? I wish Stossel were moderating.

>

> Tommy

[Guest guest]

>What kind of spin will ABC news put on

> I wish Stossel were moderating.

>

> Tommy

I am glad that Stossel is not moderating. His " reporting " is

ideologically biased and is often shoddy and irresponsible and there

are questions about his professional ethics.

I think it is far better to have a reporter who is a medical doctor

taking on AA.

A couple of cricital analysis of Stossel's reporting:

http://www.fair.org/activism/stossel-fair-response.html

http://www.fair.org/extra/9505/abc-gender-differences.html

[Guest guest]

Hi- this was on the SMARTREC list- this seems to be the same program as has

been talked about already but this is more info on it. BTW this one is

apparently on June 7th.

Subj: 20/20 SPECIAL ON ALCOHOLISM - JUNE 7th

Date: 05/26/2000 4:08:08 PM Eastern Daylight Time

From: Dahlia.M.Roemer@... (Roemer, Dahlia M.)

Contacting your organization to inform you of the upcoming 20/20 special on

alcoholism airing Wed, JUNE 7.

Focusing on the debate in the medical and treatment communities- DR.

Snyderman, ABC NEws' medical correspondent , questions what alcoholism is

and how to treat it . Exploring the medical vs. behavioral model- 20/20

reports on several issues surrounding the intrinsic debate as to what is

working for a majority of Americans who suffer from an alcohol dependency.

Attached a press release which outlines the piece.

Please let me know if you are interested in any further information- Thanks.

Dahlia Roemer

NEWS

FOR RELEASE

June 5, 2000

DR. NANCY SNYDERMAN REPORTS A ONE-HOUR SPECIAL EDITION

OF ABC NEWS " 20/20, " " DRINKING: ARE YOU IN CONTROL?, " TO AIR WEDNESDAY JUNE

7

There is no debate that alcoholism is an enormous problem in this

country, devastating to those who suffer from it, those who live with it in

their families and to society in general. But there is question as to what

alcoholism is and how to treat it. Most Americans readily accept that

alcoholism is a " disease " and that the only treatment is abstinence. But

now, those views are being challenged and the means of treatment questioned.

Alcoholics Anonymous and other 12-step programs are virtually the only

treatment options available to alcoholics; of those who seek help, more than

90% drop out after one meeting, some because they are turned off by the AA

philosophy. In an eye-opening report, ABC News medical correspondent Dr.

Snyderman challenges the established beliefs and conventional theories

about drinking, opening the door on a heated and often hostile debate within

the medical and treatment communities. The special, one-hour edition of

" 20/20 " looks at bold new ways to approach the problem and calls for a

re-examination of long-accepted views about one of our country's most urgent

and costly problems. Dr. Snyderman's report will air WEDNESDAY, JUNE 7

(10:00-11:00 p.m., ET), on the ABC Television Network.

Editors please note: Photos of Dr. Snyderman will be available

via www.abcmedianet.com.

The American Medical Association labeled alcoholism a disease more

than 50 years ago. But according to many experts, there was no solid medical

evidence behind the decision. Now there are many people from a variety of

disciplines charging that our unwavering devotion to the " disease theory "

has left us with a one-size-fits-all approach to drinking that may leave out

many more than it includes. Although the 12-step approach has undoubtedly

saved lives, many question whether the program -- virtually the only method

of treatment offered in the U.S. -- is helping enough of the millions of

Americans with drinking problems.

" I wouldn't have a life without it, " says recovering alcoholic

Curtis Burke, of the Alcoholics Anonymous in which he has participated for

over a decade. He is among millions of alcoholics who have been saved by AA

and similar programs. Alcoholics Anonymous is considered by many, including

Dr. Enoch Gordis, head of the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and

Alcoholism, to be one of the " incredible genius creations of the 20th

century. " In Alcoholics Anonymous, founded in 1935, the three important

steps to sobriety are admitting powerlessness to alcohol, turning yourself

over to a " higher power " and never drinking again.

But a growing number of researchers, including Dr. Alan Marlatt,

psychologist and alcoholism expert at University of Washington, believe, not

that the old remedy is wrong, but that it only helps a small segment of the

population. Considering more than 90% of those who seek help drop out after

one meeting of AA and similar 12-step programs, he explains, " We could say

they're all in denial, or we can say from a consumer's perspective that we

haven't reached them with the right message about how they could get help. "

Psychologist Marc Kern argues that AA's treatment has not kept up with

current research and moreover that the " disease " label was not established

for medical reasons but to take away the shame of being an alcoholic.

" There's nothing medical being conveyed there. [AA] is a social,

psychological support group. What kind of disease is treated that way? "

Some who advocate alternative treatments point out that calling

alcoholism a disease was done for insurance purposes -- if it is a disease,

insurance pays for treatment. Referring to the seven-billion-dollar-per-year

treatment industry (excluding Alcoholics Anonymous) in the U.S., Dr. Nick

, one of England's top alcohol researchers, explains: " There's a huge

treatment industry in the USA which will have a great deal to lose by a move

away from the disease concept. "

Psychologist Dr. Marc Kern, who struggled with severe alcohol and

drug addiction for years, believes he is living proof that AA's abstinence

philosophy is not the only answer. Advocating a behavioral model, Dr. Kern

believes some alcoholics can learn to drink responsibly. Dr. Kern and others

agree that millions more problem drinkers would seek help if they had

options; claiming that abstinence, the very essence of 12-step programs,

turns off a great number of people. He reveals he enjoys an occasional glass

of wine and thinks his patients deserve the same choice in treatment.

Dr. Alan Marlatt tells Dr. Snyderman that the very idea of

abstinence keeps most alcoholics out of treatment: " All they think of, it

requires me to be 100 percent abstinent starting day one, and I'm not ready

for that. " He says the goal should be to reduce the amount of damage alcohol

causes in a person's life.

Banton, who followed the AA program for six years, felt like

a social outcast while in treatment. Although sober, he was uncomfortable

with the methodology. " [With AA], you are terrorized to fall into line . . .

Anytime you say anything that conflicts with their model, then you're in

denial. " Searching for his own solution, he found experts who considered his

problem a behavior that could be changed vs. a lifelong disease. Feeling

" free[d] of the label of 'alcoholic', " Mr. Branton says he has been drinking

occasionally for the last three years without ever getting drunk.

Additionally, the report explores the strikingly different attitudes

Europeans have about drinking. It also probes the problem of teenage

alcoholism and what many consider our naïve approach to young drinkers. It

shatters the myths surrounding alcoholism -- that it's caused by a

difference in metabolism, that there is an " alcohol gene, " and that there is

something called the " craving brain. " Dr. Snyderman asks that we as

individuals and as a country open our minds to a new way of thinking about a

searing problem that is not going away.

Meredith White is the executive producer. Carol Berczuk is the

senior producer. Resa s is the producer. (CLOSED-CAPTIONED)

ABC News Media Relations: Dahlia Roemer

Joe B.

[Guest guest]

There's an 'Are you a libertarian' link from <http://www.boortz.com>,

as well as lots of other political links.

At 08:53 PM 6/1/00 -0700, Janice Young wrote:

>Another dumb question from an unenlightened member - what exactly is a

>Liberatarian? How are they different from Republicans and Democrats? Are

>they right or left or moderate? No opinions please - just a basic

>explanation of the term.

>

>Thanks in advance.

>

>jan

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http://listen.to/benbradley