Drunk drivers show risky lifetime drinking habits: study

Reuters – 1 hr 24 mins ago (Reuters) - Many people convicted of drunk driving appear to have a lifelong struggle with risky drinking habits, and using their conviction as a way of getting them into treatment could have long-lasting benefits, according to a U.S. study.

In interviews with 700 adults with a drunk-driving conviction, researchers found that nearly half had either been drinking heavily for the long haul, or had fallen back into heavy drinking after trying to cut down for a time, according to their report in the journal Addiction.

What's more, between one-fifth and one-third of those chronically risky drinkers met the definitions for alcohol or drug dependence, or for mental health conditions like depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.

"A DWI (driving while intoxicated) conviction identifies people at risk," said study leader Sandra Lapham, at the Behavioral health Research Center of the Southwest in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

"It's a red flag, and an opportunity to intervene."

Some DWI offenders with drinking problems may not believe anything is wrong. Others may want help, but can't pay for it, she added.

Lapham's team interviewed 696 New Mexico adults who'd been convicted of DWI about 15 years earlier, asking them about their lifetime drinking patterns.

Women were considered "risky" drinkers if they habitually had more than seven drinks per week or four or more on any given day. For men, the limits were more than 14 drinks per week or five or more drinks a day.

Overall, 13 percent of the participants had varying drinking patterns throughout their lives. Another 14 percent said they had managed to cut down from heavy drinking to more moderate levels and keep it that way.

And 21 percent said they'd become abstinent, after some period of risky drinking.

But nearly half the group had ongoing struggles. Nineteen percent reported a "Lifetime" of risky drinking and one-quarter said they'd gone back to risky drinking after trying to quit or cut back.

Those people, the study found, had high rates of alcohol or drug dependence as well as other mental health disorders, like depression.

These are people who need "intensive treatment," Lapham said - and getting them into treatment at the time of a DWI conviction could have the bonus of protecting other drivers and pedestrians, since DWI offenders have a high risk of repeat offenses.

"It's a difficult problem with no easy answer," Lapham added. SOURCE: http://bit.ly/KnqktC

(Reporting from New York by Amy Norton at Reuters Health; editing by Elaine Lies)

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Upper-Body Strength Key for NASCAR Drivers

HealthDay – 16 hrs ago FRIDAY, April 27 (HealthDay News) -- A resistance-training program that focuses on building upper body strength can improve success for stock car drivers, such as those on the NASCAR circuit, a new study suggests.

Researchers conducted interviews with 40 stock car drivers in 27 states and asked them about physical demands, injures and other issues regarding their profession. The drivers, most of whom were regionally or nationally ranked, also were asked about their physical-training regimens.

The study appears in the May issue of The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research.

Upper body strength, cardiovascular endurance and heat tolerance were the main factors noted by the drivers as important for coping with the demands of racing, said William Ebben, of the University of Wisconsin-Parkside and the Stock Car Research Center in Lakewood, Wis., and colleagues.

The drivers did resistance (strength or weight) training three days a week, with the majority of that time focused on building upper-body strength. The drivers spent another three days a week on cardiovascular-endurance training.

Cardiovascular endurance relates to how well the heart, lungs and vascular system perform during grueling physical activity.

The more time a driver spent on resistance training, the higher their track points standings, according to the study. It also found that drivers' ratings of their own physical fitness was associated with their track points ratings, according to a journal news release.

"Our results can assist professionals in the development of strength and conditioning programs for performance enhancement and injury prevention that are specific to the needs of this population of athletes," the researchers wrote.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers advice about strength training for older adults.

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Taking Away Car Keys Can Be Tough for Older Drivers

HealthDay – 16 hrs ago FRIDAY, April 27 (HealthDay News) -- Driving can be a major factor in elderly people's quality of life, affecting their mental health and overall well-being, an expert says.

If an older driver's diminishing abilities behind the wheel are cause for concern, the issue needs to be dealt with compassionately to preserve the person's dignity and keep them and others safe, says Dr. Kavon Young, a geriatric specialist with the Harris County Hospital District in Texas.

"Aging is a process where so many things are lost," Young said in a hospital district news release. "Part of what seniors try to hold onto is their independence -- the independence to make decisions about their health, their future and their driving. To them, driving is more than a way to get from one place to another."

Being forced to hang up the car keys can harm a senior's self-esteem and may trigger depression, anxiety and loneliness, Young said. In some cases, a person may feel isolated and not want to keep up with their medical care.

"A lot of factors ... go into discussing driving with seniors because the goal is to maintain their dignity in the process. These are adults and should be treated as such," said Young, an assistant professor in the division of geriatric and palliative medicine at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.

If you're concerned about an elderly loved one's ability to drive safely, have an open and honest talk about driving and safety concerns, Young suggested. Most seniors will limit their driving if they don't feel safe, but some may not be aware of vision and memory deficits, and will not restrict their driving.

Young said signs that an elderly person's driving could be cause for concern include: longer drive times for short distances; not obeying traffic signs; forgetting destinations or locations; hitting curbs; and being angry or anxious when driving.

"Start the discussion early and agree that you won't make a decision based on one particular event," Young said. "Having this agreement will take the pressure off the senior. Sometimes family members or caregivers get upset and decide to stop all driving privileges, which can be traumatic for the senior."

In cases where an elderly person's driving abilities are a concern, you can suggest that they limit drives to short distances; drive only to familiar places; avoid driving at night; avoid driving during bad weather; and make use of a chauffeur list that includes family and friends.

More information

The U.S. National Institute on Aging has more about older drivers.

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Should Elderly Drivers Need a Doctor's Note?

Print

Many older baby boomers will turn 65 this year — the largest generation of senior citizens ever to own driver’s licenses.

The influx of senior drivers may make it the right time to start implementing physician-mandated screenings to check whether some are medically fit to take the wheel, say some physicians.

“The restriction of licenses throughout Canada generally occurs only after accumulation of moving violations,” Dr. Donald Redelmeier, a professor of medicine at the University of Toronto, wrote in an editorial published today in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

“This approach is often too late to prevent injuries,” Redelmeier wrote.

Sixty-nine percent of Americans ages 55 and older use more than one medication that can affect their driving, according to a 2009 study by the AAA Foundation.

Graduated licensing programs that have restricted night and highway driving for young adults seem to have reduced the accident rate in both Canada and the U.S.  Redelmeier proposed similar programs for the elderly.

“The principle is to prevent trauma rather than to await a series of incidents before taking any action,” Redelmeier wrote.

But some researchers say physicians are overestimating how dangerous elderly drivers really are.

While it’s true that the older you get, the more likely you are to get in a crash, current data shows teenage drivers are far more likely to get into a crash than the elderly, according to Ezra Hauer, a professor in the department of civil engineering at the University of Toronto.

“In spite of what data show consistently, almost one-third of Canadians believe that elderly drivers are a ‘very or extremely serious traffic safety problem,’” Hauer wrote in a commentary published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

That perception may also apply to physicians who could be tasked to screen the elderly, he said.

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Should Elderly Drivers Need a Doctor's Note?

Print

Many older baby boomers will turn 65 this year — the largest generation of senior citizens ever to own driver’s licenses.

The influx of senior drivers may make it the right time to start implementing physician-mandated screenings to check whether some are medically fit to take the wheel, say some physicians.

“The restriction of licenses throughout Canada generally occurs only after accumulation of moving violations,” Dr. Donald Redelmeier, a professor of medicine at the University of Toronto, wrote in an editorial published today in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

“This approach is often too late to prevent injuries,” Redelmeier wrote.

Sixty-nine percent of Americans ages 55 and older use more than one medication that can affect their driving, according to a 2009 study by the AAA Foundation.

Graduated licensing programs that have restricted night and highway driving for young adults seem to have reduced the accident rate in both Canada and the U.S.  Redelmeier proposed similar programs for the elderly.

“The principle is to prevent trauma rather than to await a series of incidents before taking any action,” Redelmeier wrote.

But some researchers say physicians are overestimating how dangerous elderly drivers really are.

While it’s true that the older you get, the more likely you are to get in a crash, current data shows teenage drivers are far more likely to get into a crash than the elderly, according to Ezra Hauer, a professor in the department of civil engineering at the University of Toronto.

“In spite of what data show consistently, almost one-third of Canadians believe that elderly drivers are a ‘very or extremely serious traffic safety problem,’” Hauer wrote in a commentary published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

That perception may also apply to physicians who could be tasked to screen the elderly, he said.

SHOWS: Good Morning America 

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