Online Media Toolbox

[ShawTHo]

Thanks for the welcome NoSugar, glad to be here!

[See the Light]

This Infographic Shows How Alcohol Contributes to Weight Gain

Saw this on this blog today (the infographic is more towards the bottom of the link..tried to add as attachment too, but its hard to see)..pretty interesting though

This Infographic Shows How Alcohol Contributes to Weight Gain

https://www.mywayout.org/community/newreply.php?do=postreply&t=90684

calories.jpg

[Pavati]

Hi,

I enjoyed these blogs:

Unpickled
Mrs. D is Going Without
The Six Year Hangover

Also, in addition to the books mentioned above:

Drinking, a Love Story (I think we've all heard of that one) - Knapp
Drunkard: A Hard Drinking Live - Steinberg

[NoSugar]

Repost from the Newbies Nest:

Turnagain, I listened to a couple more of the McCauley talks you directed me to. I think anyone who is trying to understand addiction and how both our limbic and rational brains ultimately get involved in the whole mess might like the "Going to the Edge" audio or video talks available here (# 5 is the same speaker and also is an interesting, similar talk):

1	ExplicitDr. Boone's Lecture to the Family	Dr. Boone's Lecture to the Family	11/5/12	Free	View In iTunes
2	ExplicitVideoGoing to the Edge of Current Neuroscience of Addiction(Video)	Going to the Edge of Current Neuroscience of Addiction - Dr. Kevin McCauley(Video)	4/28/09	Free	View In iTunes
3	ExplicitGoing to the Edge of Current Neuroscience of Addiction(Audio Only)	Going to the Edge of Current Neuroscience of Addiction - Dr. Kevin McCauley(Audio Only)	4/27/09	Free	View In iTunes
4	ExplicitChris R. from Ingram, TX - La Hacienda Family Lecture	Chris R. from Ingram, TX - "La Hacienda Family Lecture" - From Hunt, TX	3/6/09	Free	View In iTunes
5	ExplicitDr. McCauley, MD - Addiction: Is it really a Disease?	Dr. McCauley, MD - "Addiction: Is it really a Disease?" - From Corona del Mar, CA 9/18/2004	10/16/08	Free	View In iTunes

Unfortunately the sound quality isn't great on either the audio or video but worth the effort, I think.

[NoSugar]

A rational argument for why no one should drink alcohol:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uyHb4XsqABQ

Does Safe Alcohol Use Exist? Aurelijus Veryga at TEDxVilnius

[Guitarista]

Here's a link that Fin just posted in the newbies nest. A discussion panel talking a little about the neuroscience of addiction. Includes 2 'recovering' addicts. Circa 2012. Runs 53mins. Very much worth a look.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=7XtUF8mqrzM

[Guitarista]

Writer Ann Dowsett-Johnston. TED talk. 18 mins.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqtZjpI1oVQ

And another TED talk. Margo Talbot. Climbing out of addiction and depression. Love this one. 10mins.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kayj6oew9_M

Reclaim your brain from addictive living. Dr Pam Peeke. 13.54 mins. More on general addictions than AL focused.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqhzFd4NUPI

[Guitarista]

This guy makes a lot of sense to me. Addiction and self trust. TED talk 10 mins.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3p_LuTM73k

[NoSugar]

I agree with you about Marc Lewis, Mr. G. I ordered his book from the library after I had listened to the panel discussion earlier today. The video you posted makes me even more eager to read his book!

[Turnagain]

Here's an interesting short animation that shows how sugar impacts are brains. It delves a bit into how drugs, like alcohol, also impact the same systems. No surprise there, tho, since alcohol is the jet fuel of sugars!

http://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-sugar-affects-the-brain-nicole-avena

[NoSugar]

It is so hard to give up a short term reward even when we know that if we do, the longer term life rewards are of such greater value and in many instances, essential. It's a challenge even when the source of immediate gratification isn't something to which we're addicted so the situation when addiction is involved is all the worse! This video is so cute - it shows kids trying to delay gratification: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QX_oy9614HQ

In this popular test, several kids wrestle with waiting to eat a marshmallow in hopes of a bigger prize. This video is a good illustration of temptation and the hope in future rewards. This experiment is based on many previous and similar scientific tests.

I so related to the boy near the end when, after resisting and resisting, he finally got his reward.

[NoSugar]

Dr. Marc D. Lewis discusses the story and the science behind his book Memoirs of an Addicted Brain. Lewis is a professor at the Behavioral Science Institute, part of Radboud University Nijmegen, The Netherlands. Lewis's book documents the years he spent addicted to drugs including morphine and heroin, and links his first-hand drug experiences to his current behavioral science research into the interaction between drugs and brain chemistry.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBPBcJlZlsA

[Guitarista]

NS, the above talk by Marc Lewis is brilliant, and essential viewing i reckon. Thanks for finding it.

Here's an interview with Gabor Mate talking about his work with addicts in Vancouver, and a bit about brain function and compulsion. Gabor is also a hardcore badass compulsive classical music C.D. shopper, and talks about the negative impacts of this. But seriously, he explains this connection with compulsion in drug use. Circa 2010 i think. 27mins. Worth a look.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZ-FAX4Pz8I

[Guitarista]

A 2014 U.S. study shows a glass of red wine may not be good for the heart after all.

http://www.phillymag.com/be-well-philly/2014/07/10/huge-new-penn-study-red-wine-good-heart/

[NoSugar]

Thanks for the link, Mr. G. I deliberately believed those studies that alcohol was "good for you" and that, in fact, moderate drinkers were better off than tee-totallers. And even when I read the studies and saw the flaws, I just didn't let myself think about them very deeply and ran with the very convenient overall conclusions. But like your article says, the study that would provide good data can't be done: randomly assign a very large group of people to 2 subgroups and have one group exposed to a set amount of alcohol regularly and one not at all. Wait for many, many years and see what illnesses and how many deaths crop up in the 2 groups.

Alll those studies are done by doing complex statistical analyses on self-reported data from individuals about what and how much they drank over the years and what they ate and how much, and other lifestyle data. Then, the investigators look for statistical associations between all of those data and deaths, illnesses, etc. As we all know, correlation does not mean causation. Something else entirely could be causing both things or it could be just a coincidence. These studies are often done using data from thousands of people so sometimes the associations are really weak but because of the large number of observations, can be reported as statistically significant.

I'm a pretty big skeptic about the meaning of those types of studies. The study in the report you linked to is much more direct. There is a pretty good thought experiment we can all do, too:
Are cells that are bathed daily in a toxic, carcinogenic fluid, even a moderate amount of it, more or less healthy than cells that aren't :wink:???