Why are some people more prone to addictive behaviors?

It's a question many of us ask who are fortunate enough to not be addicted to destructive habits.

We hear all the time about people being addicted to sex, gambling, drugs, alcohol and more, but what exactly is behind the cravings? I read a good article today, which speaks in plain english the medical and environmental reasons many can't control which contribute to addictions.

My favorite excerpt from the piece is:

"...genes alone do not cause an addiction. Researchers like to point out that, as with other ailments linked to lifestyle - heart disease, obesity, and lung cancer, for example - genes merely load the gun, while the environment pulls the trigger."

The article concludes with mention of gene screening and pharmaceutical treatment for alcoholism, future possibilities we'll be writing about soon.

The addictive behaviors post can be found here.

Time is More than a Unit of Measurement

I’ve continued to hold onto a youthful view of time throughout my life. Time was represented by the numbers on the classroom clock that the second hand would slowly tick past; then time was how many minutes I had left to get to work before the boss would start looking for me; time was how long it would take before a red light would turn green.

Last month though, my view of time matured significantly.

The deaths of a young mother I had come to love and her baby was so unexpected, it did not carry the luxury of knowing it was going to happen (see Dirty Tractor Racing Driver Tragically Passes Away). It left friends and family in a state of shock, and caused most of us to reevaluate our lives. We just didn't have a chance to spend more time with her.

And that’s when is occurred to me- time is a luxury, not just a unit of measurement.

Time is an asset we hold; but it is an asset that trumps the value of all our other material possessions combined. Without it, what good are those materials things anyway? It is our time with family, friends and loved ones that holds true value – good times to be passed on, bad times to learn from, and everything in between. Time to feel a cool breeze or enjoy the company of others is more precious than I had ever realized.

It is this true value of time I did not have the ability to comprehend before. I now see it is much more than the ticking of a clock. Now that my my eyes are opened, I am even starting to enjoy those simple moments stuck at a red light; almost glad to be there.

What are you doing with your time?

Dirty Tractor Racing Driver Tragically Passes Away

It is with utmost sorrow we announce Jill Cillan Lowers of "Dirty Tractor Racing" has passed away along with her son. Her sudden passing in the last week of August was due to a brain aneurysm.

Mrs. Lowers was pregnant and expected to give birth just one week later.

Mrs. Lowers raced in the female category of the Greater Washington Section-Mercedes Benz Club of America autocross circuit.

Words cannot express the sadness we feel. Her care-free, happy and loving personality will be forever missed.

We extend complete and deepest sympathies to her Husband Robert; may he find a reason to live again sometime soon.

Death by Alcohol in Russia - Taxation NOT the Answer

There was an article by Fox News published this week showing results from a study on cause of death in Russia in the era following the Soviet collapse. The study concluded that 50% of deaths in Russia are caused by alcoholism; a truly astonishing figure. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev recently called alcoholism a "national disaster" for the country.
Some of the other published results include:

• The average Russian drinks 50 bottles of vodka a year


• The average Russian male lives to be 60 years old, dying 15 years earlier than his American counterpart.


• Russian women die 13 years earlier than American women.

The story goes on however to say the problem is that Russia does not tax their alcohol and cigarettes like we do in the U.S., and if they DID it would limit the number of deaths attributed to drug and alcohol abuse. Taxation is not the answer, and lack of taxation is not the problem.

If Russian alcohol had the same taxes placed on it as in America, it would simply make the poor poorer, and government groups richer. Alcoholism in Russia is a societal problem at large, and one that should be addressed: First with better education than they have tried before, then offer progressive social programs to address the actual causes of alcoholism (such as depression, addictive behaviors, lifestyles), then stricter laws (including actual enforcement of a min. drinking age of 18), then purity laws on favorite liquors (vodka), and then, finally, taxation.

If the issue is so ingrained in Russian life, a gradual change of course is the way to go. Placing major new taxes on liquor right now will only generate disdain towards the government and even more hardship of the general populace. It could then lead to more depression and an increased shift towards cheaper and more devastating vices.

Another thought is that many of Russia's alcoholics wouldn't be effected by taxes anyway; so long as they continue distilling their own liquor. That's where education and social programs would have to lesson the problem, but it would be over the course of generations.

Sadly, there seems to be no apparent "quick fix" to the problem. If any pharma company is looking to begin human trials of an anti-dependence medication, it looks like Russia is the place to start.

What do you think?

Cirrhosis Support Group Recommendation

On the Dirty Tractor Blog we try to stay light hearted and occasionally touch on emotional and sensitive issues surrounding liver disease. When it comes to dealing with a serious medical condition such as cirrhosis of the liver though, we recognize the definite need for more in-depth medical discussion and a variety of sources for information. This is why we’re glad an email came our way inviting us to take a look at an online Cirrhosis support group located on MDJunction.

The support group is made up of “a community of patients, family members and friends dedicated to dealing with Cirrhosis, together.” It carries articles, diaries and an impressive forum.

Upon review, I found the forum is unusually active for a medical group of this type and contains potent topics such as: "Dealing with the illness," "Fatigue with cirrhosis," “Ulcers on the antrum in stomach" and "Hepatic Encephlopathy." There is also plenty of discussion regarding how to cope with the disease for all affected parties.

If you’d like to check it out, visit http://www.mdjunction.com/cirrhosis, it’s even free to join.

A Dirty Tractor in Sin City

Every so often, people are put in situations where they are totally lost and out of place…

Dirty Tractor recently took a business trip to "sin city" itself; Las Vegas. We are a laid back group, enjoy the country and like to be outdoors as much as possible. On top of that, part of our mission is to make people aware of liver disease causes and effects. So, when in a city like this, the only phrase to describe what we felt was “culture shock.” The only other people that probably felt more out of place was a pair of Mennonites walking through the ‘Vegas airport.

However, one thing we don’t do is preach against people’s lifestyles. Even though we deal with late stage cirrhosis sufferers on a daily basis, we STILL don’t bash alcoholics, or anybody who drinks for that matter. Why? Well, we understand the reasoning behind why certain people drink more than others, the benefits of light drinking on occasion and even letting loose every once in a while. But in ‘Vegas, letting loose is a daily and nightly event – 24/7.

What saddened me the most on this recent trip was seeing men in wheelchairs and on oxygen playing the slots, 70 year old singles playing blackjack alone and young people passed out on the streets. I guess after dealing with end-of-life issues for a while in the “real world,” seeing people waste precious time in casinos and bars is hard for me to watch. Add in the constant noise and lights and it's almost unbearable after a while.

For those who follow Dirty Tractor on Twitter, you read how we spent the last night of our Las Vegas trip in a hotel room eating chicken noodle soup and looking forward to a flight home. Some may say we are boring and didn’t give the city a chance; we did – we walked the streets, toured the casinos, even sat at a couple bars – and realized after it all that making the most of life is feeling good about yourself and spending true quality time with your family.

I just don’t see that happening in Sin City. “Viva Las Vegas” for those who like it, we’ll be enjoying a cookout in the hills.

Losing a Friend

Knowing a little about alcohol induced liver disease and the symptoms people show as it gets worse, I've been worrying about one of my close friends.

Living a seemingly care-free, relaxed lifestyle his entire life, he's never hid the fact he likes his liquor. A few years ago a typical night would include a few drinks with dinner, a couple more at the local bar and about 6-8 more at home before bed. His personality was such that he would just brighten up a room if he had a few beers in him - laughing, joking and generally carrying on in the most lighthearted way. Doing this habitually over a few decades has begun to catch up with him though.

Last time I was at his house, after drinking two beers he was starting to slur his speech and get sleepy-eyed. If he were to have two more, I think he'd pass out on the spot. His liver just can't efficiently filter the alcohol out of his system anymore. He realizes it too, and obviously worried himself - usually when we talk now he asks a few questions about people I know who are suffering from cirrhosis - how they're doing, what their symptoms were and if there was any chance they'd ever recover.

It's sad to see my friend this way, but even after scaring himself over the fact he might not have much of his liver functioning anymore, he still continues to drink as much as he possibly can each night.

Some people may say "it's his own fault" or "he did it to himself;" while that may be true, words like that make the situation no easier to deal with. Watching someone you care about lose their health by their own hand is like watching a sandcastle get slowly and inevitably taken back by the sea. The same people that blurt out such inconsiderate things would say "maybe you shouldn't have built it so close to the waves." Well, maybe I liked it there - and maybe I liked my friend the way he was.