Dr. Deb

April is Alcohol Awareness month and while many are aware of the dangers of alcohol and alcoholism, many adults are not aware of the lies we tell ourselves when it comes to drinking. Are you putting others in danger and not even realizing it?

I am not talking about heavy or binge drinking that effect 15% of the population. I am talking about 50% of adults who ever drink and have no intention or desire to get drunk. We are just hanging out with friends or unwinding at the end of the day. We tell the lie that we don’t want to be drunk so alcohol is not a problem.  “I’m fine.”

Dr. Deb’s List of Common Lies Told About Alcohol

I’m not drunk at a bar ..so I am fine

(more…)

I am not sure how I feel about New Year Resolutions. Too many times in my life I was starting that Monday diet that I followed “perfectly”…. until I didn’t. Then it was as if the floodgates opened and I made up for all the time that I felt deprived.

Perhaps that is why 80% of people that made resolutions for 2011 will break them, and most don’t make it through the end of January.  With almost 2 out of 3 people in my city overweight and 26% smoking, people do need to make some healthy changes, especially after the holidays.  Here are my “livable” New Year’s Resolution Tips that will help you to make long lasting lifestyle change.

Dr. Deb’s “Livable” Resolution Tips

1. Break It Down

(more…)

Whenever I order a drink, I get the craziest look from the bartender. Vodka and diet coke is an unusual combination (especially when I ask for cherries) but it gives me a low calorie buzz with a little kick so I don’t fall asleep before 10pm. But is it safe? Tis the Season for Celebrating but many can no longer party with Caffeine Alcohol Beverages (CABs) as the FDA, has issued warnings to several manufacturers.

How does Caffeine Make Alcohol more Dangerous?

Alcohol is a depressant so people usually stop drinking when they feel too drunk or too tired. Caffeine added takes away the perception of being drunk so one may continue to drink. Caffeine will not lower your blood alcohol level. You really don’t sober up with a cup of coffee, you just may feel more alert so you take on more risks and still perform poorly as tested by University of Kentucky researcher, Mark Fillmore.

Why is FDA banning Caffeine Alcohol Beverages (CAB)?

(more…)

Party like a Rock Star to ring in the New Year usually means lots of alcohol but many more are adding caffeine to the mix to “party stronger-party longer.” Rum and coke has always been around but new friends like red bull and vodka and even premixed alcoholic energy drinks are the rage. A new study in the journal Behavioral Neuroscience shows that mixing the two may be much more dangerous than you think.

Alcohol is a depressant so people usually stop drinking when they feel too drunk or too tired. Caffeine added takes away the perception of being drunk so one may continue to drink. You really don’t sober up with a cup of coffee, you just may feel more alert so you take on more risks and still perform poorly as tested by University of Kentucky researcher, Mark Fillmore

In a recent study in the Journal of Behavioral Neuroscience, scientists gave groups of young adult mice alcohol alone to cause intoxication, caffeine alone in the equivalent of one up to six or eight cups of coffee for humans and a combination of both.

They looked at 3 functions:

Learning, Anxiety and Locomotion

(more…)