ON
ON MONDAYS WE TRY TO MAKE TIME TO TALK ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH AND WHEN PEOPLE TALK ABOUT
SUBSTANCE ABUSE, WELL THAT
COULD BE A TOUGH TOPIC FOR MANY
REASONS, INCLUDING THE MANY
MYTHS THAT DO SURROUND
THE ISSUE.
LIKE WHO IS MORE LIKELY TO
BECOME ADDICTED?
WHICH AGE GROUP IS MORE LIKELY
TO ABUSE SUBSTANCES AND HOW
ECONOMIC ESTATUS FACTORS INTO
SUBSTANCE ABUSE AS WELL.
SINCE OCTOBER IS NATIONAL
SUBSTANCE ABUSE PREVENTION
MONTH, WE BROUGHT IN OUR
PSYCHOLOGY EXPERT, OUR FRIEND
DR. MAX WACHTELL TO TRY TO HELP
DISPEL SOME OF THOSE MYTHS SO
PITCH THESE TO YOU.
DR. MAXON, TELL US WHAT YOU
THINK.
SO LET'S START WITH THE MYTH
ABOUT SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND
SUBSTANCE ADDICTION BEING
THE SAME THING THAT SEEMS TO BE
A MYTH.
SURE.
THOSE THOSE ARE DEFINITELY
DIFERENTE THINGS.
THEY ARE OBVIOUSLY HIGHLY
RELATED BUT ABUSE IS DEFINED AS
USING TOO MUCH MARIJUANA OR
ANOTHER DRUG CALLED OR BINGE
DRINKING.
BINGE DRINKING IS DEFINED BY
THE NIH AS CONSUMING ENOUGH
ALCOHOL TO GET YOUR YOUR BLOOD
ALCOHOL CONCENTRATION TO POINT
ZERO EIGHT WHICH IS ALSO
THE LEGAL LIMIT FOR DUI WITHIN
TWO HOURS.
SO USUALLY THAT'S FOUR DRINKS
FOR WOMEN, FIVE DRINKS FOR MEN.
SO THAT WOULD BE IT WOULD BE
ABUSE KNOW IF YOU'RE JUST
DRINKING TOO MUCH USE THEM TOO
MUCH ADDICTION REALLY COMES
WITH TOLERANCE.
SO YOU BUILD A TOLERANCE.
YOU NEED MORE AND MORE OF THE
SUBSTANCE TO TO GET THE SAME
HIGH.
AND IT ALSO COMES WITH
WITHDRAWAL WHEN YOU STOP USING
WHEN YOU STOP DRINKING, YOU
START GOING TO WITHDRAWAL
SYMPTOMS.
SO ABUSE AN ADDICTION
DEFINITELY NEED TO BE TREATED
SIMILARLY BUT THEY NEED TO BE
TREATED DIFFERENTLY AS WELL.
YES, CERTAINLY NEED TO BE
RECOGNIZED IF NOTHING ELSE.
AND THEN THIS IS A MYTH THAT
I THINK SOME PEOPLE THINK
OF MAYBE MORE OF AN EXCUSE FOR
MANY AND MAYBE YOU CAN TALK
ABOUT THAT AS WELL.
THE IDEA THAT EVERYONE DRINKS
AND EVERYONE USES MARIJUANA,
WHAT IS IT THE STATISTICS SAY?
YEAH, THAT'S THAT'S A GREAT
QUESTION AND IT DOES SEEM LIKE
YOU KNOW, LIKE WELL EVERYBODY
DRINKS EVERYBODY SMOKES WEED.
AND IN COLORADO THEY'RE
PROBABLY MORE MORE BEER
DRINKERS AND MORE WEED SMOKERS
THAN THERE ARE IN OTHER PLACES
US .
WHEN IT COMES TO ALCOHOL
THOUGH, NEARLY HALF
OF AMERICANS REPORT DRINKING
ZERO DRINKS IN THE LAST MONTH,
NO ALCOHOL AT ALL.
AND THEN YOU COMPARE THAT TO
LIKE THE TOP 10 PERCENT
OF ALCOHOL CONSUMERS IN
THE UNITED STATES.
THEY CONSUME ABOUT 80 PERCENT
OF THE ALCOHOL EVERY THAT DROPS
DOWN EVEN LOWER WHEN YOU'RE
TALKING ABOUT KIDS UNDER AGE
KIDS, ABOUT 18 PERCENT OF THEM
SAY YEAH, THAT A DRINK WITHIN
THE LAST MONTH ONLY ABOUT
ELEVEN PERCENT OF THEM SAY THAT
THEY HAVE GONE ON A BIG BINGE
DRINKING EPISODE IN THE LAST
MONTH OR SO AND THEN AND THEN
THE THC STATS THE MARIJUANA
STATS ARE LOWER THAN THAT.
SO REALLY THERE AREN'T A LOT
OF PEOPLE WHO DRINK OR USE
MARIJUANA OR CONSUME DRUGS BUT
THE ONES WHO DO YOU KNOW
THEY'RE AT RISK FOR CONSUMING A
LOT.
WHAT ABOUT THE PROFILE THAT
SUBSTANCE ABUSE IS A PROBLEM
ONLY WITH LOWER SOCIO ECONOMIC
GROUPS?
IT SEEMS LIKE THAT MIGHT BE A
CONVENIENCE FOR MANY TO USE
THAT AS A CRUTCH.
RIGHT.
YEAH.
RIGHT. YEAH. YOU CAN'T BE AN ALCOHOLIC IF
YOU'RE DRINKING A HUNDRED FIFTY
DOLLAR BOTTLE OF WINE.
LET'S SAY THAT A MILLION IT'S
THE DRUG ADDICTION.
THE HALD ADDICTION IS AN EQUAL
OPPORTUNITY PROBLEM DOESN'T
DOESN'T MATTER TO A PERSON'S
AGE.
IT DOESN'T MATTER THEIR SOCIO
ECONOMIC STATUS.
THEY CAN IT CAN HIT ANYBODY.
ANOTHER VERY HARMFUL MYTH AND
THIS COMES I THINK BOTH
EXTERNALLY AND INTERNAL.
THE IDEA THAT PEOPLE WITH
SUBSTANCE OR DEPENDANCE ISSUES
ARE WEAK OR BAD.
AND I IMAGINE FOR PEOPLE
SOMETIMES THEY SEE THEMSELVES
THAT WAY IF THEY ARE HAVING
SUBSTANCE DEPENDANCE ISSUES AND
IT ALSO HURTS WHEN PEOPLE
OUTSIDE OF YOUR LIFE FEEL THAT
SAME WAY ABOUT YOU.
THAT IS A HUGE ONE.
AND THIS IS REALLY WHERE
THE STIGMA COMES AND HONESTLY
THE PEOPLE WITH SUBSTANCE ABUSE
ISSUES ARE NOT WEAK OR BAD.
NOW THEY MAY DO BAD THINGS WHEN
THEY ARE UNDER THE INFLUENCE OR
MAYBE STEAL MONEY FROM LOVED
ONES OR MANIPULATE IN ORDER TO
GET THE SUBSTANCES THAT SO THEY
MAY BE DOING BAD THINGS BECAUSE
THE SUBSTANCE DOESN'T MEAN THAT
THEY'RE A BAD PERSON.
THERE'S NO SUCH THING REALLLY
AS AN ADDICTIVE PERSONALITY.
BUT WHAT WE DO KNOW IS THAT
ADDICTION IS SOMEWHAT OF A
BRAIN DISEASE.
SO YOU KNOW, RESEARCH IS
SHOWING THAT THERE ARE VERY
SUBTLE DIFFERENCES IN THE WAY
THAT A PERSON'S BRAIN WORKS
WHEN THEY'RE MORE SUSCEPTIBLE
TO TO ADDICTION OR TO SUBSTANCE
USE OR ABUSE.
AND THAT ISN'T A WEAKNESS.
IT'S TO IDSTRICT YOU KNOW, IT'S
IT'S A BRAIN DISORDER AND IT'S
SOMETHING THAT NEEDS TO BE
TREATED AS A DISEASE, A
TREATMENT THAT BECOMES THE BIG
THING.
HOW CAN YOU HELP?
HOW CAN PEOPLE GET HELP?
THERE ARE MANY VEHICLES FOR
THAT BUT IT'S JUST GOOD TO TALK
ABOUT SOME OF THESE SO PEOPLE
CAN CERTAINLY IDENTIFY AND
CERTAINLY KNOW THE DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN FACT AND FICTION.
DR. MAX