Brain damage from alcohol threatens one Kiwi in five

Drinking more than the World Health Organisation-recommended maximums of six standard drinks for men or three for females at one drinking session is considered potentially harmful.
The Australian support service, arbias, says that drinking at that level for eight to 10 years puts people at risk of alcohol-related brain damage.

Symptoms grew over time to include anxiety, paranoia, depression, anger and confusion...It often went unnoticed until the damage was severe.

The condition was usually permanent. "People think this is an issue that belongs to a wino on the street, someone with a paper bag and meths. That's such rubbish."

Now where is the research showing the rate of this 'acquired brain injury? Where is the control group ... sort of essential when the 'target population' for these services are obviously excessive drinkers with problems, otherwise they would not be referred. So a somewhat biased sample.

"Unlike many other countries (not specified), including Australia, there is no screening and diagnosis in New Zealand for alcohol-related brain damage."

Aha ... so it is simply presumed to be the case? And in fact may not pertain to ockers and kiwis - practice may enhance immunity to this insidious 'sub clinical' Korsakoff's neurosis - not quite Korsakoff's psychosis is it? And it is not necessarily the case that consuming excess alcohol will decease neurons.

It is quite possible the the majority of these symptoms: anxiety, paranoia, depression, anger and confusion are perfectly natural responses to exposure to imposed therapeutic endeavours.

There exists a strong belief that those in the people services manifest behaviour and attitudes akin to their client group ... so primary school teachers tend towards child-like behaviour and childish indecision; police and prison officers tend towards a 'because we impose the rule of law we are the law' perspective; psychiatrists and psychologists reflect the ambivalence, lability of mood, incongruity of affect and disorder in thinking often attributed to their clients ... and alcohol counsellors reflect that amnesic-confabulatory syndrome often conveyed with a disinhibited hypno sedated earnestness - as is apparent in this article.