{"id":115455,"date":"2024-10-01T01:56:00","date_gmt":"2024-10-01T06:56:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/?p=115455"},"modified":"2024-09-30T16:34:22","modified_gmt":"2024-09-30T21:34:22","slug":"event-draws-questions-about-drinking-sober-curious","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2024\/10\/01\/event-draws-questions-about-drinking-sober-curious\/","title":{"rendered":"Event draws questions about drinking, ‘sober curious’"},"content":{"rendered":"
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National speaker Marisa Silveri, PhD, and a panel of UNMC experts drew approximately 25 people to the Munroe-Meyer Institute\u2019s \u201cKicking off Sober October: Exploring Alcohol Use through Sober Curious conversations\u201d event on Sept. 13 in the Wigton Heritage Center atrium.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Silveri, director of the Neurodevelopmental Laboratory on Addictions and Mental Health at McLean Hospital and associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, spoke on her personal experiences, the latest evidence about the risks of heavy alcohol use and the \u201csober curious\u201d movement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The panel of UNMC experts, including addiction psychiatrist Al\u00ebna Balasanova, MD, and alcohol researchers Jennifer Blackford, PhD, and Todd Wyatt, PhD, drew many questions from the audience, according to event organizer Katelyn Kelley.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

See more information on \u201cRethinking Drinking.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kelley said the event \u2013 and the questions \u2013 ran the gamut, to people asking about the sober curious movement to people asking questions about dealing with alcohol addiction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs Dr. Silveri went over, no amount of alcohol really is a safe amount of alcohol,\u201d Kelley said. \u201cThere are ramifications in as far as hormones, insulin levels, many things \u2013 even with that one glass of wine that’s \u2018healthy\u2019 for you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first event was open to members of the medical center community, but Kelley said her team is considering opening the event to the public in the coming years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The event grew out of the work of Dr. Blackford for the Vanderbilt Alcohol Use Disorder Research Education Center, where she serves as associate director.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPeople were extremely interested in the question-and-answer portion of the event,\u201d Kelley said. \u201cPeople have a lot of interest in the topic, which is exciting.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

People also discussed how to approach a loved one with an alcohol use disorder, Kelley said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere was a lot of talk,” she said, “about planting seeds\u201d \u2013 soft conversational entry points that might lead to a deeper discussion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The event included tables with resources for attendees, including Northpoint Nebraska (a local recovery center) and Arbor Family Counseling (UNMC\u2019s Employee Assistance Program provider). There also were Counseling and Psychological Services flyers for students. Dry Spokes, a local dry bar, served mocktail samples for all attendees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Blackford\u2019s team studies alcohol use disorder, specifically looking at how anxiety and gender differences play a role in recovery. Several ongoing studies are looking for individuals who are in early recovery and people who have not had alcohol use disorder. To find out more about the studies, visit the study websites here:<\/p>\n\n\n\n