Do You Know Your ACE Score?

What are Adverse Childhood Experiences and how do they impact your physical and emotional well-being?

The CDC (Center for Disease Control)/Kaiser Permanente ACE Study was conducted between 1995-1997 and collected confidential data from over 17,000 Kaiser HMO members during physical exams. This was one of the largest investigations into child abuse, neglect, and household challenges that looked at later physical health and well-being. For both waves of this study, two-thirds of the people who completed the ACE questionnaire reported at least one adverse experience, and more than 1 in 5 experienced three or more ACEs. The greater number of adverse childhood experiences reported was associated with both physical and mental health challenges in later life.

Adverse Childhood Experiences are potentially traumatic events that occur in a person between the ages of 0-17. They include experiencing violence, physical and/or sexual abuse, neglect, witnessing violence at home, losing a family member, or having a family member attempt or die by suicide. The CDC estimated that up to 1.9 million cases of heart disease and 21 million cases of depression could have been potentially avoided by preventing ACEs. Women and several racial/ethnicity groups were at higher risk of having experienced 4 or more types of ACEs. It is believed that having 4 or more ACEs is associated with a higher risk of injury, sexually transmitted infections, maternal and child health problems, eating disorders, teen pregnancy, involvement in sex trafficking, and a wide range of health issues including diabetes, heart disease, and cancer to name a few. Additionally, when there are significant trauma experiences as children, it can impact you as an adult when you experience a new trauma.

Prevention of adverse experiences is one way to help protect children. This may include treatment for substance abuse for their parents, mental health care for parents (and sometimes children), and additional help from community resources for children and families. Common mental health challenges for those who have experienced adverse childhood experiences as children include anxiety, depression, and post traumatic stress disorder. The good news is you can seek help from both medical and mental health professionals to treat the medical issues associated with ACEs and alleviate mental health symptoms that occurred from childhood trauma.

Please feel free to ask your therapist to assist you in screening for adverse childhood experiences during your initial consultation. For more information about ACEs, feel free to listen to the attached: TED Talk about this very important topic.

For additional reading about ACEs, feel free to search www.cdc.gov

The Real March Madness

As we all may know, March is known for St. Patrick’s Day, wearing green, the coming of Spring, and college basketball otherwise known as March Madness.

Although filling out your impeccable bracket is madness enough, there is even more madness that arises after March.

April is Alcohol awareness month. In 1987, the month of April was given this title to reduce the stigma of alcoholism and to bring the issue to the public’s eye. The truth is, “…about 18 million adult Americans have an alcohol use disorder. This means that their drinking causes distress and harm. It includes alcoholism and alcohol abuse” (National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 2017).

According to The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (2017), nationally in 2012, 18%.3 percent of people were binge drinkers. A binge drinker is someone who consumes four-five drinks or more on one or more occasions according to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control, 2017). Binge drinking is one-step that can lead a person into alcohol abuse.

How do you know if you or a loved one is at risk or on the verge of alcoholism? Some people may go for years of no one knowing or recognizing the signs of alcohol abuse or alcoholism. Untreated alcohol abuse or alcoholism can lead to severe damage of the body. Here are some significant signs of alcohol dependence:

·       Consuming large amounts of alcohol (4-5 drinks per regular occasion)

·       Beginning each day with a drink

·       Cravings

·       Blackouts

·       Dizziness

·       Aggressiveness

·       Agitation

·       Compulsive behavior

·       Vomiting

·       Delirium

·       Slurred speech

As stated before, people can hide their alcohol abuse. In order to know if someone has an alcohol problem, look for these signs. Usually a family member or friend who is close to the person will be able to try to spot the signs.

If these signs are found, one should not make the loved one feel ashamed or discouraged. The first step in helping someone with alcoholism is to let the person know that there is someone who can help. Let them know that you want to give them the help they need. Bring up the signs to their attention and suggest where to go for help. Going with them to get help shows that you are there for their benefit and support. Let them know that you care and explain to them why you want to help them and try to understand that there is a reason they feel the need to over consume alcohol.

Alcohol abuse can break families a part and can make a person do actions that he or she may not even realize they are doing. Recognizing alcoholism and making sure that a loved one gets the proper care needed can help not only the person with the alcohol disorder, but can also bring the family back together and can make each other stronger.

Here are some helpful sites for more information and steps to help anyone you know who might be alcohol dependent:

https://medlineplus.gov/alcoholismandalcoholabuse.html

https://www.ncadd.org/about-ncadd/events-awards/alcohol-awareness-month  

http://www.narconon.org/drug-abuse/signs-symptoms-alcohol-use.html

https://www.cdc.gov/