Jane Kelley On (10 Oct 96) was overheard to say to Marie Weidemann
 JK> Genetic alcoholism means that the brain and body chemistry are there
 JK> BEFORE the alcohol is consumed!  That was the subject of studies done
 JK> in the Scandinavian nations some years ago and also repeated over
 JK> here.
 Citations please....
 JK> The sons of alcoholics will have certain symptoms long before they
 JK> drink.
 And what might these symptoms be?   There are many children of
 alcoholic parents who, having seen what alcoholism does, NEVER take
 that first drink.
 JK> This means that no drug found to be harmful to any alcoholic or any
 JK> bipolar individual should ever be given to a child with a family
 JK> history of alcoholism!
 Where, exactly, did you obtain this information?
 JK> And, IF THAT QUESTION DOESN'T COME UP BEFORE ANY MEDICATIONS ARE
 JK> PRESCRIBED FOR THE CHILD, then whoever treats the kid is guilty of
 JK> malpractice!
 Do you know of, not heard of but KNOW of your own knowledge, any
 physician who does NOT take a history as the first thing for a new
 patient?
 JK> We will see a whopping lawsuit over this shortly as folks understand
 JK> the problems that occur when doctors refuse to obtain the kind of
 JK> history necessary to make a diagnosis and prescribe treatment.
 Doctors are not infallible but I do not know of one nor have I
 read/heard of one who has _refused_ to obtain a family history.
 JK> Alcohol works just fine in the children of alcholics to allow them to
 JK> function well.  Then it gets very nasty, very soon.
 What are you talking about?  Alcohol works just fine?  Alcohol acts
 as a depressant on the CNS of everyone who drinks.
 JK> If your grandson is ADD, then be advised that there are plenty of
 JK> other forms of treatment that will also work well and not run the
 JK> risks that these do.
 I personally think that you may know something about alcoholism as a
 disease but you don't know very much about ADD or ADHD.
--- PPoint 2.02
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