COMING UP ON CYCLE OF HEALTH• DR. RICH LEADS A DISCUSSION ON THE MANY CONTRIBUTING FACTORS TO ALCOHOL ABUSE, ITS RELATIONSHIP TO VIOLENCE, AND THE PATHS TOWARD HEALING.

AND THE CYCLE OF HEALTH TEAM TAKES A LOOK AT A SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY RESEARCH LAB ANALYZING THE DEVELOPMENT OF DRINKING HABITS.

AND LATER, ON THE NEXT MEDICAL STUDENT MINUTE, AMELIA BOYD SHARES WHAT SHE'S LEARNED ABOUT A COMMON COVID SYMPTOM RESPONSIBLE FOR DISTORTING YOUR SENSES.

THAT'S COMING UP ON CYCLE OF HEALTH.

DON'T GO ANYWHERE.

HELLO AND WELCOME TO CYCLE OF HEALTH.

I'M YOUR HOST, DR. RICH O'NEILL.

TODAY'S TOPIC: ALCOHOL ABUSE, VIOLENCE AND RECOVERY.

RECENT STUDIES SHOW THAT NEARLY 29 MILLION PEOPLE IN THE US AGED TWELVE AND OLDER-YES, TWELVE AND OLDER-SUFFER FROM ALCOHOL USE DISORDER, AND NEARLY 500 PEOPLE DIE EVERYDAY FROM EXCESSIVE USE.

WHAT DOES THE RESEARCH TELL US ABOUT ALCOHOL ABUSE?

WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP TO VIOLENCE?

AND WHAT ARE THE PATHS TO HEALING?

TO HELP ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS TODAY, I'M JOINED BY DR. STEPHEN MAISTO, RESEARCH PROFESSOR OF PSYCHOLOGY AT SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY, AND SHANNON GALARNEAU, DIRECTOR OF CLINICAL SERVICES AT VERA HOUSE.

AND JOINING US REMOTELY IS ROGER, A MEMBER OF ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS OF SYRACUSE.

STEVE, LET'S START WITH YOU.

YOU HAVE BEEN A PROFESSOR AT S.U., TEACHING AND RESEARCHING ALCOHOL FOR SOME 30 YEARS.

>> CORRECT.

THAT'S CORRECT.

>> CAN YOU SUCCINCT GENERALLY HIVE I NO YOU ARE A PROFESSOR AND SUCCINCT IS NOT HIVE.

>> NOT PART OF MY VOW VOCABULARY.

>> CAN YOU SUCCINCTLY DESCRIBE ALCOHOL DISORDER.

>> THAT IS NOT EASY TO DO BUT THERE IS A TEM DEFINITION THAT IS USED IN THE UNITED STATES THAT ORIGINATED WITH THE AMERICAN PSYCHIATRIC ASSOCIATION IT'S LATEST EDITION, IT HAS HAD FIVE EDITIONS AND IT'S DIAGNOSTIC MANUAL.

THE FIFTH EDITION IS THE CURRENT ONE AND AS FAR AS ALCOHOL USE DISORDER WHICH I WILL NOW SAY AUD FOR EASE, THERE ARE 12 SYMPTOMS, THEY'RE CALLED.

12 CRITERIA THAT GO UNDER AUD.

AND YOU HAVE TO MEET AT LEAST A GIVEN NUMBER OF THESE SYMPTOMS OR MEET THE CRITERIA IN ORDER TO HAVE OR DIAGNOSED WITH AUD THAT IS EITHER MILD, MODERATE OR SEVERE.

SO MILD IS AT LEAST TWO OR THREE MODERATE IS THREE OR FOUR.

-- I'M SORRY, FOUR OR FIVE.

AND SEVERE IS SIX OR MORE.

AND THE SYMPTOMS MIGHT SEEM IRONIC, NOT ONE OF THE SYMPTOMS REFERS TO CONSUMPTION OF ALCOHOL PER SE.

BUT THEY CENTER ON CERTAIN KINDS OF BEHAVIORS, WHERE ALCOHOL BECOMES THE FOCUS OF ONE'S LIFE.

CERTAIN KINDS OF CONSEQUENCES DISRUPTION OF LIFE.

THERE ARE ALSO A COUPLE OF SYMPTOMS THAT HAVE TO DO WITH THE PHYSICAL AND BIOLOGICAL CONSEQUENCES OR EFFECTS OF CHRONIC HEAVY CONSUMPTION OF ALCOHOL, SO ONE OF THE SYMPTOMS HAS TO DO WITH BUILDING UP A TOLERANCE TO ALCOHOL, THE OTHER SYMPTOM HAS TO DO WITH IDENTIFYING SYMPTOMS OF WITHDRAWAL IF ONE'S BLOOD ALCOHOL LEVEL DROPS DOWN OR DROPS TO ZERO, THESE SYMPTOMS WOULD START TO APPEAR.

SO THERE ARE 12 IN ALL.

AS I SAY, YOU HAVE TO MEET A CERTAIN NUMBER TO BE DIAGNOSED AT EITHER MILD, MODERATE OR SEVERE.

>> WOULD IT BE SAFE TO SAY THAT LIKE IF SOMEBODY IS WONDERING, DO I HAVE AN AUD, AN ALCOHOL USE DISORDER, THAT THEY COULD THINK IS ALCOHOL CAUSING BAD THINGS IN MY LIFE?

INCLUDING PHYSICAL STUFF, PROBLEMS WITH RELATIONSHIPS, FUNCTIONING IN GENERAL.

WOULD THAT BE A SAFE-- >> I MEAN THE SYMPTOMS REALLY OR THE CRITERIA REALLY ALL CENTER ON DISRUPTIONS TO ONE'S LIFE THAT PRETTY MUCH CAN BE TRACED BACK TO DRINKING ALCOHOL OVER TIME IN HEAVY QUANTITIES.

YES.

>> GREAT.

AND SO ROGER, WOULD-- ARE PEOPLE WHO MEET ANY OF THOSE CRITERIA, MILD, MODERATE OR SEVERE, ARE ALL OF THOSE FOLKS WELCOME IN ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS?

>> YES.

THE ONLY REQUIREMENT WE HAVE FOR ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS IS A DESIRE TO STOP DRINKING.

BUT IF YOU ARE JUST CURIOUS ABOUT ALCOHOLICS AND WHETHER OR NOT YOU ARE, YOU ARE WELCOME TO ATTEND AN OPEN MEETING OF ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS.

A.A. HAS BEEN AROUND NOW FOR 90 YEARS.

I FIRST WANT TO THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR INVITING ME ON TO THE SHOW.

>> DELIGHTED TO HAVE YOU.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR COMING.

>> IT'S VERY IMPORTANT TOPIC.

WE ARE NOT A RELIGION.

WE'RE NOT AFFILIATED WITH ANY SECT, DENOMINATION ORGANIZATION, POLITICS.

WE DON'T GIVE OUT FINANCIAL, LEGAL, MEDICAL, PSYCHIATRIC, EDUCATIONAL OR ANY SOCIAL SERVICES.

WE ARE TOTALLY UNPROFESSIONAL.

AND NOBODY IN A.A. WILL CALL ANYBODY ELSE AN ALCOHOLIC.

THAT'S UP TO YOU TO DECIDE.

WE SELF DIAGNOSE IN THAT FASHION.

WE ALSO DON'T ENGAGE IN ANY PUBLIC CONTROVERSIES, WE DON'T ENDORSE OR OPPOSE ANY CAUSES.

SO WE HAVE ONE SINGLE AND PRIMARY PURPOSE IN A.A., AND THAT'S TO CARRY OUR MESSAGE TO THE SUFFERING ALCOHOLIC OR THE PERSON WITH A DRINKING PROBLEM AND THE DESIRE TO STOP.

>> COULD YOU SAY THAT AGAIN?

>> WE HAVE ONE SINGLE AND PRIMARY PURPOSE.

>> YES.

>> AND THAT'S TO CARRY OUR MESSAGE OF ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS TO THE STILL SUFFERING ALCOHOLIC OR A PERSON WHO HAS A DESIRE TO STOP.

>> THAT'S GREAT.

SO PEOPLE ARE WELCOME THERE.

AND YOU ARE WORKING AS A GROUP TO HELP PEOPLE STOP DRINKING.

>> YEAH, BY ATTENDING REGULARLY A.A.

MEETINGS, ANYBODY WHO HAS A DESIRE TO STOP DRINKING CAN LEARN FROM EXPERIENCED A.A. MEMBERS HOW TO LIVE COMFORTABLY WITHOUT ALCOHOL ONE DAY AT A TIME THROUGH THE PRACTICE OF SOME IDEAS, OUR 12 STEPS AND SOME SPIRITUAL PRINCIPLES THAT ARE EXPLAINED IN OUR BOOK ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, WHICH WE CALL THE BIG BOOK.

NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH ANOTHER BIG BOOK.

THESE IDEAS AND OUR 12 STEPS AND THE SPIRITUAL PRINCIPLES CREATE A SATISFYING WAY OF LIFE WITHOUT ALCOHOL.

FOR THIS WE FIND HELP AND SUPPORT OF OTHER ALCOHOLICS IN A.A. TO DRAW UPON THEIR EXPERIENCE, THEIR STRENGTH AND THEIR HOPE.

SO IT'S A NEW WAY OF LIFE THAT IS WORKING SUCCESSFULLY FOR MILLIONS OF PEOPLE WHO APPROACH IT AND APPLY IT WITH SOME HONESTY AND SINCERITY.

IT'S WORKING THROUGHOUT THE WORLD FOR THOSE IN ALL STATIONS AND WALKS OF LIFE, RICH, POOR, YOUNG, OLD, AS YOUNG AS 12 SOMETIMES AS OLD AS 90 OR MORE.

AND WE ARE A WORLDWIDE FELLOWSHIP.

OVER TWO MILLION PEOPLE IN 180 DIFFERENT COUNTRIES FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE, ALL HELPING TO KEEP EACH OTHER SOBER ONE DAY AT A TIME.

>> SO, WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP-- MAYBE SHANNON AND STEVE, THIS IS A QUESTION FOR THE TWO OF YOU.

WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ALCOHOL USE AND VIOLENCE?

SHANNON... >> YEAH, SO I MEAN OBVIOUSLY FOR OUR AGENCY, WE ARE AWARE THAT VIOLENCE IS ROOTED IN POWER AND CONTROL.

SO ALCOHOL IS NOT THE MAJOR CONTENDER HERE.

BUT ALCOHOL DOES HAVE-- IT IS A CONTRIBUTOR, RIGHT?

WE KNOW THAT ALCOHOL LOWERS OUR INHIBITIONS AND SO IT DOES HAVE A HUGE IMPACT ON THAT.

SO-- IF SOMEBODY HAS A TENDENCY TO POWER AND CONTROL ISSUES, THEY GET UNDER THE INFLUENCE AND THEN THEY'RE MORE LIKELY TO ACT IN A WAY... >> ABSOLUTELY.

>> WELL, TELL US ABOUT VERA HOUSE.

I'M SORRY, I INTERRUPTED YOU.

YOU WERE GOING SAY SOMETHING ELSE.

DID YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO ADD?

>> YEAH, NO, JUST A GOOD PORTION, A MAJORITY OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE INCIDENTS OR VIOLENCE IN GENERAL, ALCOHOL IS INVOLVED IN THAT.

>> I SAW RECENTLY ABOUT TWO-THIRDS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE INCIDENTS.

WHAT IS VERA HOUSE?

WHEN I THINK OF IT, I THINK IT'S A PLACE WHERE SOMEBODY WHO IS A SURVIVOR OF VIOLENCE CAN GO TO BE SAFE.

TELL US ABOUT VERA HOUSE.

>> YEAH, SO VERA HOUSE IS, WE OFFER MULTIPLE SERVICES.

WE PROVIDE ADVOCACY, LEGAL SUPPORT.

I MEAN WE DON'T OFFER LEGAL ADVICE BUT SUPPORT.

WE HAVE SHELTER SERVICES.

WE HAVE COUNSELING SERVICES.

WE PROVIDE SUPPORT BOTH TO SURVIVORS AND TO PERPETRATORS.

>> TO PERPETRATORS TOO?

>> ABSOLUTELY.

IF WE DON'T STOP THE CYCLE OF VIOLENCE, WE ARE NOT GOING TO HAVE ANY IMPACT AT ALL.

RIGHT?

AND BOTH OF THEM NEED SOME SORT OF INTERVENTION.

SO WE ALSO HELP THE SECONDARY VICTIMS.

AND I THINK-- >> YOU MEAN LIKE CHILDREN WHO ARE WITNESSING VIOLENCE.

>> ABSOLUTELY.

>> IN THEIR HOUSE.

>> ABSOLUTELY.

WE OFFER MULTIPLE SERVICES TO ALL OF THOSE PEOPLE WHO ARE IMPACTED BY THAT VIOLENCE.

AND THAT CAN BE SEXUAL ASSAULT.

IT CAN BE VIOLENCE THAT IS IN THE COMMUNITY OR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE.

>> STEVE, FROM YOUR RESEARCH KNOWLEDGE, WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ALCOHOL AND VIOLENCE?

>> IT'S COMPLEX.

SO IN A LABORATORY, IT'S BEEN STUDIED OVER A NUMBER OF YEARS.

I MEAN I HAVE DONE A COUPLE OF EXPERIMENTS ON THE TOPIC AS WELL AS MANY OTHERS IN THE FIELD.

AND RELATIONSHIP IS COMPLEX IN THAT THE ACT OF VIOLENCE OR VIOLENT TYPE BEHAVIORS SEEM TO BE A CONSEQUENCE WHEN DRINKING IS INVOLVED, OF BOTH THE AMOUNT OF ALCOHOL THE PERSON CONSUMES AND THEIR EXPECTATION, FOR EXAMPLE, ABOUT THE EFFECTS OF ALCOHOL ON AGGRESSION OR VIOLENCE.

SO PROBABLY THE AGGRESSIVE COMMON BEHAVIOR IS MOST LIKELY TO OCCUR IF A PERSON IS A DRINKER, IF THEY HAVE THE EXPECTATION OR BELIEF THAT CONSUMING ALCOHOL, ESPECIALLY IN HIGHER QUANTITIES MAKES THEM MORE AGGRESSIVE.

>> SO IF I'M A DRINKER AND I THINK, IF I HAVE THIS DRINK, I'M MORE LIKELY TO BE AGGRESSIVE, THEN IF I THINK THAT, THAT MAKES ME MORE AGGRESSIVE.

>> IT'S SORT OF LIKE A SELF FULFILLING PROPHECY SORT OF THING.

>> LIKE A MINDSET, RIGHT?

>> LIKE A MINDSET THAT SHANNON JUST REFERRED TO.

SO IT'S INTERESTING.

THAT'S A CULTURAL BELIEF THAT HAS BEEN HANDED DOWN, ESPECIALLY IN WESTERN SOCIETY, ESPECIALLY AMONG MALES.

IT WOULD BE INTERESTING TO LOOK AT THIS QUESTION IN DIFFERENT CULTURES, DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE WORLD TO SEE IF THAT HOLDS UP.

SO IT'S NOT A SIMPLE FACTOR THAT YOU DRINK AND THEREFORE YOU ARE NOR DISINHIBITED, WHICH WAS THE FORMER WAY OF THINKING ABOUT IT.

IT'S MORE COMPLICATED THAN THAT.

IT DEPENDS ON I PERSON'S BELIEFS, THE CONTEXT AND OF COURSE, THE ALCOHOL ITSELF, WHICH HAS DISINHIBITING EFFECTS.

>> AS SHANNON WAS REFERRING TO.

YOU KNOW I KNOW HAVE YOU A DAY JOB OUR CYCLE OF HEALTH TEAM VISITED THE LAB WHERE STEVE WORKS, SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY'S NEW IMPACT LAB, IMPACT STANDING FOR INVESTIGATING MECHANISMS FOR THE PREVENTION OF ALCOHOL CONSEQUENCES OVER TIME - A MOUTHFUL THERE.

THEIR STUDIES INVOLVE ADMINISTERING ALCOHOL TO PARTICIPANTS IN ORDER TO UNDERSTAND THESE COMPLEX RELATIONSHIPS.

LET'S TAKE A LOOK.

>> THE IMPACT LAB HERE AT SYRACUSE IS FOCUSED ON UNDERSTANDING REASONS THAT PEOPLE ARE DRINKING.

SO WE ARE REALLY EXCITED TO BE IN THIS SPACE WHERE RELATIVELY NEW TO BE IN IT.

WE HAVE BEEN IN HERE FOR A FEW MONTHS NOW.

WE ARE EXCITED TO GET SOME RESEARCH PROJECTS UNDER WAY.

THIS SPACE WAS DESIGNED SPECIFICALLY FOR THE PURPOSE OF CENTERING ALCOHOL SAFELY IN HUMAN RESEARCH STUDIES.

WE FOLLOW STRONG ETHICAL GUIDELINES WHEN WE ARE ADMINISTERING ALCOHOL IN THE LAB.

WE FOLLOW AT MINIMUM THE REQUIRED GUIDELINES PUT OUT BY THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON ALCOHOL ABUSE AND ALCOHOLISM FROM THE NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH.

THERE ARE SO MANY FACTORS THAT MOTIVATE PEOPLE TO DRINK.

IT IS INCREDIBLY COMPLEX.

SO OUR BEST ESTIMATE RIGHT NOW IS AROUND UP TO HALF OF ALCOHOL USE DISORDER, THE CLINICAL DIAGNOSIS OF ALCOHOL USE DISORDER IS HER ITABLE.

DUE TO GENETICS THAT VAIRY ACROSS PEOPLE.

THEN THE REMAINING IS DUE TO THE ENVIRONMENT.

ONE OF THE MISSIONS THAT WE HAVE IN THE LAB IS TO UNDERSTAND HOW INDIVIDUAL RISKS AND ENVIRONMENTAL RISKS COME TOGETHER TO REALLY LEAD TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF ALCOHOL PROBLEMS AND ALCOHOL USE DISORDER.

BY STUDYING THE ENVIRONMENT HERE , WE ARE REALLY HOPING TO UNDERSTAND WAYS THAT WE COULD IDENTIFY RISKS EARLIER TO INTERVENE ON THEM EARLIER.

WE MIGHT FIND THAT THERE ARE CERTAIN INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE MORE SUSCEPTIBLE TO CERTAIN TYPES OF ENVIRONMENTS AND IF WE CAN IDENTIFY THOSE AT RISK GROUPS, THEN THAT WILL MAKE IT MORE LIKELY FOR US TO INTERVENE EARLY AND DELIVER PREVENTION EFFORTS DIRECTLY TO THOSE GROUPS OF PEOPLE.

ONE PROVIDE THEM WITH A LIST OF RESOURCES FOR ALCOHOL USE AND FOR OTHER MENTAL HEALTH CONDITIONS BECAUSE WE KNOW ALCOHOL USE DISORDER IS REALLY CO-MORBID AND CO-OCCURRING WITH OTHER TYPES OF MENTAL HEALTH CONDITIONS.

SO WE ARE WORKING TO GET SOME MORE STUDIES UNDER WAY.

ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE ARE REALLY INTERESTED IN, I HAVE A GRADUATE STUDENT IN THE LAB WHO HAS A REALLY NICE INTEREST IN THE ROLE OF TRAUMA AND STRESS AND PTSD AND ALCOHOL USE BECAUSE THOSE ARE REALLY CO-OCCURRING CONDITIONS.

WE ARE CURIOUS ABOUT HOW CONSUMING ALCOHOL AFTER EXPERIENCING TRAUMA MIGHT BE RELATED TO THE MAINTENANCE OR THE EXACERBATION OF PTSD SYMPTOMS.

SO ONE THE TYPES OF INITIAL STUDIES TOWARD THAT RESEARCH QUESTION IS TO BRING PEOPLE INTO THE LAB AND TO HAVE THEM LOOK AT A STRESSFUL PROMPT ON THE COMPUTER AND THEN TO CONSUME ALCOHOL AND TO SEE HOW THEY ARE IMPACTED BY THAT STRESSFUL PROMPT BASED ON CONSUMING ALCOHOL OR NOT.

I THINK WE COULD DO SO MUCH MORE RESEARCH ON UNDERSTANDING ALCOHOL USE AND PARTICULARLY WHY PEOPLE DEVELOP PROBLEMS AND HOW WE ARE GOING TO BE BEST SUITED TO TREAT THOSE PROBLEMS.

ALCOHOL IS THE MOST COMMONLY USED SUBSTANCE IN THE UNITED STATES BY FAR.

AND IT LEADS TO THE MOST PROBLEMS AND THE MOST ECONOMIC BURDEN FOR THE U.S.

SO GIVEN THAT, I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE FOCUS OUR EFFORTS TO TRY TO UNDERSTAND AND TO REDUCE SOME OF THE NEGATIVE BURDENS OF ALCOHOL ON SOCIETY.

>> ROGER, WE ARE TALKING ABOUT VIOLENCE.

AND I'M THINKING, IS IT OKAY FOR SOMEBODY WHO COMES TO A.A. TO TALK ABOUT THEIR VIOLENT IN THEIR LIFE?

IS THAT SOMETHING THAT WOULD BE ACCEPTABLE?

>> IF IT'S RELATED TO THEIR ALCOHOLISM.

WE TRY TO STAY AROUND THAT.

BEE DON'T-- WE DON'T STRAY TOO FAR FROM PROBLEMS OTHER THAN ALCOHOL.

THAT'S WHAT WE DO.

>> IF IT IS RELATED THEY MIGHT HAVE A MENTOR-- DO YOU CALL THE PEOPLE-- I KNOW YOU HOOK PEOPLE UP WITH AN INDIVIDUAL.

DO YOU CALL THEM MENTORSES.

>> SOMETIMES MENTORS, FRIENDS, SPONSORS.

>> SPONSORS.

THAT'S THE TERM I MEANT.

AND I HAVE ALWAYS WONDERED, WHAT HAPPENS IF SOMEBODY COMES TO A MEETING UNDER THE INFLUENCE?

>> WELL, IF THEY SHOW UP UNDER THE INFLUENCE, THEY'RE WELCOME, JUST LIKE ANYBODY ELSE, AS LONG AS THEY'RE NOT DISRUPTIVE, THEY CAN SIT AND STAY.

WE HAVE HAD THAT HAPPEN MANY TIMES.

>> GREAT.

THANK YOU.

NOW, SHANNON, WE JUST HAVE TWO MINUTES LEFT SO WE HAVE TO GO REALLY FAST.

WHAT'S THE RELATIONSHIP OF BEING A SURVIVOR OF CHILD ABUSE AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE?

>> THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.

OBVIOUSLY WE LEARN WHAT WE LIVE AND WE TALK ABOUT THIS, YOU KNOW, CLINICALLY.

WE TALK ABOUT NATURE VERSUS NURTURE ALL THE TIME.

SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT INTERGENERATIONAL TRANSMISSION, WE ARE GOING-- >> INTERGENERATIONAL TRANSMISSION?

>> FROM ONE GENERATION TO THE NEXT.

>> SO OUR BELIEFS ARE PASSED DOWN.

SO ARE OUR BEHAVIORS, SO, YOU KNOW, OFTEN TIMES WE ARE GOING TO REPEAT THE THINGS THAT OUR PARENTS DO.

AND THAT'S VERY TYPICAL.

SO WE HAVE TO BREAK THAT CYCLE.

WE HAVE TO UNLEARN THE THINGS THAT WE HAVE BEEN TAUGHT.

>> YEAH, I FLOW SOME AMAZING THINGS THAT IF YOU ARE THE SURVIVOR OF CORPORAL PUNISHMENT, IT ACTUALLY DISRUPTS YOUR BRAIN.

>> YEAH,.

>> IT LOWERS YOUR I. QMPLET WHICH IS AMAZING REALLY.

IT LOWERS YOUR I.Q.

>> TRAUMA HAS A HUGE IMPACT ON THE NEUROBIOLOGY OF OUR BRAIN.

>> LET'S TALK ABOUT RECOVERY.

WHAT DOES RESEARCH TELL US ABOUT RECOVERY FROM ALCOHOLISM?

OR ALCOHOL USE DISORDER.

>> THAT'S A VERY DYNAMIC AREA OF RESEARCH.

IT WAS SORT OF STAGNANT FOR A LONG TIME.

SO, FOR EXAMPLE WHEN I WAS IN GRADUATE SCHOOL AND I STARTED DOING RESEARCH IN THIS AREA, THERE WAS REALLY ONE IDEA ABOUT RECOVERY FROM AUD AND THAT WAS YOU HAD TO ABSTAIN FROM ALCOHOL ENTIRELY.

AND THE DEFINITION OF RECOVERY TOTALLY CENTERED ON THE WHETHER YOU WERE DRINKING OR NOT.

THAT WAS REALLY IT.

AND IT MIGHT HAVE HAD ATTACHED TO IT, OVER A GIVEN, FROM A GIVEN AMOUNT OF TIME OR MORE, SO TYPICALLY, IF YOU ARE ABSENT FROM ALCOHOL FOR SAY ONE YEAR OR MORE, YOU WERE CONSIDERED TO BE MAYBE ENTERING THE RECOVERY STAGE.

BUT THAT WAS PRETTY IT.

IT WAS PRETTY SIMPLE.

>> SO THAT WAS FIT REALLY WELL WITH ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS GOAL OF ABSTINENCE.

>> YES.

>> AND ABSTINENCE WORKS.

>> IT WORKS FOR SOME PEOPLE.

>> FOR SURE.

AND THERE ARE OTHER PATHS.

>> SO RELATED TO THAT, EXACTLY.

RECOVERY RESEARCH HAS REALLY BLOSSOMED, I WOULD SAY IN THE LAST 15 OR 20 YEARS AND A LOT HAS BEEN LEARNED.

ONE OF THE MORE IMPORTANT THINGS THAT, IN MY OPINION, THAT HAS BEEN LEARNED IS THAT PEOPLE WHO ARE DIAGNOSED WITH A.U.D.

OR HAVE BEEN DIAGNOSED WITH A.U.D.

AND LATER ON HAVE BEEN DEEMED TO HAVE RECOVERED FROM A.U.D., WHAT WE HAVE FOUND IS THAT THERE ARE MULTIPLE PATHS THEY TOOK, MULTIPLE OR DIFFERENT WAYS TO REACH THAT END POINT OF BEING IDENTIFIED AS RECOVERED FROM A.U.D.

NOT JUST ABSTAINING FROM ALCOHOL.

AND RECOVERYth IS DEFINED MORE COMPLEXLY.

IT DOES INCLUDE A USE CRITERIA AND WHETHER YOU ARE DRINKING OR NOT BUT IT COULD BE NOT DRINKING HEAVILY.

IT COULD BE YOU ARE DRINKING AT A MORE MODERATE OR LOWER LEVEL.

NOT RISK LEVEL.

>> SO THERE ARE MULTIPLE PATHS.

AND MULTIPLE DEFINITIONS OF RECOVERY.

THAT'S GREAT TO KNOW.

AND BEFORE WE WRAP OUR SHOW TODAY, LET'S SWITCH GEARS AND TAKE A LOOK AT THIS WEEK'S MEDICAL STUDENT MINUTE WITH Ms. AMELIA BOYD, A THIRD YEAR MEDICAL STUDENT AT UPSTATE MEDICAL UNIVERSITY.

SHE'LL SHARE WHAT SHE'S LEARNED ABOUT PHANTOM LIMB WITH A TWIST - IN YOUR NOSE!

LET'S TAKE A LOOK.

HI, I'M AMELIA BOYD, A THIRD-YEAR MEDICAL STUDENT IN THE UPSTATE NORTON COLLEGE OF MEDICINE WITH MY MEDICAL STUDENT MINUTE ABOUT A VERY INTERESTING THING I'VE LEARNED.

YOU CAN GET PHANTOM LIMB BUT IN YOUR NOSE.

YOU MAY HAVE HEARD OF PHANTOM LIMB, A PHENOMENON THAT HAPPENS WHEN SOMEONE LOSES AN ARM OR A LEG BUT STILL FEELS SENSATION IN THE MISSING BODY PART.

THESE FOLKS OFTEN REPORT ITCHINESS, TWITCHING OR PAIN IN THE LIMB THAT HAS BEEN AMPUTATED AS IF IT IS STILL THERE.

BELIEVE IT OR NOT, WE CAN HAVE A SIMILAR EXPERIENCE IN OUR NOSE.

IF YOU HAVE HAD COVID 19, YOU MAY ALREADY KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT.

UP TO ONE HALF OF PEOPLE WITH COVID REPORT DECREASED OR DISTORTED SMELL AND TASTE.

AND MANY ALSO EXPERIENCE OLFACTORY HALLUCINATIONS.

THEY SMELL BURNING FOOD, CIGARETTES OR CHLORINE WHEN NO BURNING FOOD OR OTHER OLFACTORY STIMULUS IS PRESENT.

INTERESTINGLY THIS SEEMS TO BE MORE COMMON IN WOMEN AND YOUNG ADULTS BUT CAN AFFECT ANYONE.

ALTHOUGH WE DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHY THESE PHANTOM SMELLS OCCUR, A LEADING THEORY IS THAT COVID DAMAGES OLFACTORY NEURONS, NERVES IN THE NOSE THAT NORMALLY SENSE SMELLS AND SEND ODOR SIGNALS TO OUR BRAIN.

AS WE RECOVER FROM COVID-19, THESE NEURONS SLOWLY GROW BACK.

HOWEVER, THEY MAY GROW BACK IN A DISORGANIZED OR DYSFUNCTIONAL WAY AT FIRST AND BE TRIGGERED BY ABERRANT IMPULSES LIKE FROM BLOWING OUR NOSE LEADING TO PHANTOM SMELLS.

IF YOU NOTICE SMELLS THAT OTHERS DO NOT, YOU MAY WANT TO TAKE A COVID TEST OR VISIT YOUR DOCTOR.

I'M AMELIA BOYD FROM THE UPSTATE COLLEGE NORTON COLLEGE OF MEDICINE.

>> THAT'S ALL THE TIME WE HAVE.

I WANT TO THANK OUR GUESTS.

DR. STEPHEN MAISTO, RESEARCH PROFESSOR OF PSYCHOLOGY AT SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY.

SHANNON GALARNEAU, DIRECTOR OF CLINICAL SERVICES AT VERA HOUSE.

AND ROGER, A MEMBER OF ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS OF SYRACUSE TO HEAR OUR COMPANION COMMUNITY FM RADIO SHOW, CHECK UP FROM THE NECK UP, INCLUDING A NEW EPISODE ON ALCOHOL TREATMENT WITH DR. BRIAN JOHNSON, VISIT WCNY.ORG/COMMUNITYFM.

AND IF YOU WANT TO SEE THIS EPISODE AGAIN AND PAST SEASONS, WCNY.ORG/"CYCLE OF HEALTH."

FOR "CYCLE OF HEALTH," I'M PSYCHOLOGIST DR. RICH O'NEILL.

HOPE TO SEE YOU NEXT WEEK!

ON THE NEXT "CYCLE OF HEALTH," Dr. RICH AND AN EXPERT PANEL WEIGH IN ON ALL THINGS WEIGHT.

FROM THE ROOT CAUSES OF OBESITY TO CURRENT NUTRITIONAL GUIDELINES AND THE LATEST WEIGHT LOSS MEDICATIONS TO LOOK OUT FOR.

PLUS, OUR TEAM VISITS A LOCAL PICKLEBALL COURT TO HAVE FUN WHILE STAYING FIT.

AND ON THE NEXT MEDICAL STUDENT MINUTE, RAQUEL BATISTA SHARES THE CORRELATION BETWEEN A HEALTHY DIET AND A HAPPY BRAIN.