WEBVTT - Dr John Cameron: Alcohol isn't the root problem 0:00:05.761 --> 0:00:09.401 You're listening to the Weekend Collective podcast from News Talks. 0:00:09.401 --> 0:00:09.721 I'd be. 0:00:11.561 --> 0:00:12.921 Dumb shot wish. 0:00:14.121 --> 0:00:14.561 Jack do. 0:00:16.321 --> 0:00:21.321 There's a party downtown ett everybody had party. 0:00:25.321 --> 0:00:32.001 Everybody and welcome back to the Weekend Collective. By the way, 0:00:32.001 --> 0:00:33.601 as I mentioned, I'd like to mention every hour if 0:00:33.641 --> 0:00:35.121 you've missed any of the hours and you want to 0:00:35.161 --> 0:00:38.121 catch up with a couple of really interesting chats with 0:00:38.161 --> 0:00:40.961 the first with Alan Clark, former Prime Minister, about Luxon's 0:00:41.001 --> 0:00:43.841 visits to China, which did sort of stimulate a few 0:00:43.881 --> 0:00:46.201 of you to make some comments and calls, which is great. 0:00:46.241 --> 0:00:48.681 And also Warwick bag who is the dean of the 0:00:48.721 --> 0:00:52.441 Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences about the new announcement 0:00:52.761 --> 0:00:56.681 by Simeon Brown about what's the press release said something 0:00:56.721 --> 0:00:59.241 about patients first, which is as he admit, as I 0:00:59.281 --> 0:01:01.641 put to him, it is sort of putting patients first 0:01:01.721 --> 0:01:03.121 is sort of medicine one oh one. But it was 0:01:03.121 --> 0:01:05.441 more about the systems and everything. So you can go 0:01:05.481 --> 0:01:07.001 and check that out and the talk back as well 0:01:07.001 --> 0:01:09.921 by looking for the Weekend Collective on iHeartRadio and News 0:01:09.921 --> 0:01:12.801 Talks hed B. But the sound of that other person 0:01:12.841 --> 0:01:17.481 breathing in the background. There is my Sorry, I'll stop breathing. 0:01:18.721 --> 0:01:22.081 I thought that was your explanation of air about the 0:01:22.081 --> 0:01:25.161 about the politics side of things. Anyway, he's just back. 0:01:25.641 --> 0:01:27.801 He's just back, well, a couple of weeks ago from 0:01:27.841 --> 0:01:31.801 the accompanying the cricket our cricket team in Sri Lanka. 0:01:32.481 --> 0:01:33.601 What Bangladesh? 0:01:33.681 --> 0:01:35.481 Bangladesh? Sorry? What am I saying? 0:01:35.521 --> 0:01:35.641 Oh? 0:01:35.641 --> 0:01:39.241 Okay, completely wrong? Sorry in Bangladesh? Where do I get 0:01:39.241 --> 0:01:41.281 Sri Lanka from? I don't know? Anyway, And he was 0:01:41.521 --> 0:01:44.601 to show me the videos of just the rigmarole and 0:01:44.601 --> 0:01:47.001 get into the ground with this. Here's our bus, here's 0:01:47.041 --> 0:01:49.881 the decoy bus. Here's another decoy bus, and here's the army, 0:01:49.881 --> 0:01:52.641 and here's the ambulance. And here's some armed people and 0:01:52.841 --> 0:01:53.761 small police. 0:01:53.641 --> 0:01:55.201 And the fire engine to wash the blood off the 0:01:55.281 --> 0:01:56.721 road at the end of it. 0:01:56.801 --> 0:02:00.441 Is that what it's for? Anyway? John Cameron, Hello, how 0:02:00.481 --> 0:02:02.041 are you? It's good to be back. Did you have 0:02:02.041 --> 0:02:02.521 a good trip? 0:02:03.041 --> 0:02:07.681 Fascinating always fascinating Southern Asian countries. It's brilliant. 0:02:07.761 --> 0:02:10.241 Yeah, did you actually how do you eat when you 0:02:10.281 --> 0:02:12.281 go on? What what do you how do you choose 0:02:12.321 --> 0:02:14.161 your what do you eat? Do you like to eat 0:02:14.201 --> 0:02:15.081 local or do you like. 0:02:15.001 --> 0:02:18.961 To absolutely yep, yeah, curry cutty cuddy, just non stream 0:02:19.081 --> 0:02:21.361 for breakfast, curry for lunch, curry for tea. 0:02:21.361 --> 0:02:25.161 It's like being on a cruise. And what about the team, 0:02:25.201 --> 0:02:25.761 how do they go? 0:02:26.401 --> 0:02:30.521 Yeah they have to Basically we're locked down, so we 0:02:30.561 --> 0:02:33.601 can't leave the hotel. And so know what the hotel 0:02:33.641 --> 0:02:35.881 gives you? Yeah, they've got some western foods. You never 0:02:36.281 --> 0:02:36.681 so you. 0:02:36.601 --> 0:02:40.641 Can't go for a walkout on the street. Are you 0:02:40.681 --> 0:02:43.561 a good boy? Or do you sneak out? You just don't. 0:02:44.361 --> 0:02:47.201 Because three and a half weeks lockdown into a hotel. 0:02:47.321 --> 0:02:50.681 Wow, it doesn't quite sound like the international travel experience 0:02:50.721 --> 0:02:53.361 that people might imagine it to be. So hotel cricket ground, 0:02:53.361 --> 0:02:56.361 hotel cricket ground, you got it, that's it. That's okay. 0:02:57.201 --> 0:02:58.241 Swimming pool we're okay. 0:02:58.361 --> 0:03:00.401 What about so that's that what you do for exercise 0:03:00.841 --> 0:03:03.201 and a gym? And of course Bangladesh no booze. 0:03:03.721 --> 0:03:06.281 It's dry, absolutely dry. 0:03:08.041 --> 0:03:10.761 And well that ties in whether I want to talk 0:03:10.761 --> 0:03:12.241 about it for a health AUP. We want your cause. 0:03:12.241 --> 0:03:14.321 By the way, our one hundred eighty ten eighty text 0:03:14.441 --> 0:03:17.881 nine two nine two. There was a story that got 0:03:17.921 --> 0:03:20.881 my attention because the headline was something that would instantly 0:03:20.961 --> 0:03:23.241 irritate people, because you know, it's one thing to be 0:03:23.561 --> 0:03:25.761 told alcohol is a cart and a journ in it. 0:03:26.041 --> 0:03:28.161 If you the more you drink of it, the worse 0:03:28.241 --> 0:03:30.761 your health outcomes are, et cetera, et cetera. But this 0:03:31.441 --> 0:03:34.481 particular article was directed at women and it was aimed 0:03:34.481 --> 0:03:36.721 at reducing your risk of breast cancer if you are 0:03:36.761 --> 0:03:38.601 predisposed to it. I guess I think the risk went 0:03:38.681 --> 0:03:41.121 up from eleven out of one hundred to fourteen or 0:03:41.121 --> 0:03:44.921 something if you drank alcohol. And the recommendation was that 0:03:45.201 --> 0:03:49.201 no more than six glasses of wine per year, And 0:03:49.241 --> 0:03:51.841 I thought, no one's going to be I mean, who's 0:03:51.841 --> 0:03:55.241 going to pay attention to that? But I'd love to 0:03:55.241 --> 0:03:58.041 know your You have your cause on this as well, though. 0:03:58.081 --> 0:04:00.321 Have you ever given up alcohol? And how did you 0:04:00.361 --> 0:04:03.601 do it? And was it in response to you simply 0:04:03.641 --> 0:04:06.921 worrying about I mean, alcohol is one thing, but just 0:04:07.041 --> 0:04:10.001 drinking alcohol and health outcomes is it something that you 0:04:10.081 --> 0:04:12.641 pay attention to or not? I mean, John, as a doctor, 0:04:13.001 --> 0:04:14.921 you might have a tipple between even song. 0:04:18.641 --> 0:04:20.441 If you were going to market a drug today and 0:04:20.521 --> 0:04:23.121 alcohol was that dragon hadn't been marketed before, you wouldn't 0:04:23.121 --> 0:04:25.001 be able to bring it onto the market. There are 0:04:25.041 --> 0:04:28.601 so many risks and harmful events that happened from alcohol, 0:04:29.801 --> 0:04:35.081 both physiologically, sociologically, psychologically, all of the bits around our 0:04:35.081 --> 0:04:38.041 body and everything else. It's not a good substance. So 0:04:38.121 --> 0:04:41.481 when we're talking about alcohol, we don't have a safe level. 0:04:42.121 --> 0:04:44.361 There is no such thing as a safe level of 0:04:44.401 --> 0:04:48.961 alcohol intake. There is a low risk or lower risk 0:04:49.121 --> 0:04:51.721 level which you can look at, which is probably somewhere 0:04:51.721 --> 0:04:54.361 around about twelve to fourteen standard units of alcohol in 0:04:54.361 --> 0:04:57.641 an average week over all. Well, that's not the breast cancer. 0:04:57.641 --> 0:04:59.961 It's Interestingly, when I had a chat with Warreck Bagger 0:05:00.201 --> 0:05:04.081 from the Faculty of Medicine in Auckland, he had heard 0:05:04.081 --> 0:05:06.761 my introduction that we're going to talking about this and 0:05:06.801 --> 0:05:10.201 he took an opportunity, took the opportunity to say that, okay, 0:05:10.801 --> 0:05:14.161 this policy, aside that the government's announced prevention we need 0:05:14.321 --> 0:05:15.961 and he hit that two or three times. We need 0:05:16.001 --> 0:05:19.641 to focus on prevention. But if you could stop, if 0:05:19.681 --> 0:05:22.721 you could prevent the problems that alcohol causes in New Zealand, 0:05:25.561 --> 0:05:29.321 human can I use a technical extent you've known humongous. 0:05:30.321 --> 0:05:33.081 Our emergency apartments would be sitting around twiddling their thumbs 0:05:33.081 --> 0:05:37.041 on a Saturday night. Just the amount of the damage. 0:05:37.321 --> 0:05:44.961 And you know, domestic violence, true alcoholism and stuff prevably 0:05:45.001 --> 0:05:48.881 have problem drinking, the way it disinhibits people and the 0:05:48.921 --> 0:05:53.841 actions that happened from that distmdibition. Yes, it's fascinating because 0:05:53.881 --> 0:05:56.961 it's such an easy substance to obtain. You can make 0:05:56.961 --> 0:06:01.001 it in your garage, there's no problem with that. It's 0:06:01.041 --> 0:06:04.641 a natural product from the rotting of sugars, So that's 0:06:04.641 --> 0:06:07.601 what happened to it. And people go do lely google juice. 0:06:08.561 --> 0:06:11.721 So and yet a nice chardonnay of an evening can 0:06:11.721 --> 0:06:16.241 feel like quite a civilized sort of you know that. 0:06:16.321 --> 0:06:19.361 The argument, of course, it's like reducing a bit of 0:06:19.361 --> 0:06:21.321 stress and sitting back with your loved wine and having 0:06:21.321 --> 0:06:23.841 a glass of wine over a meal. Ah, what a 0:06:24.001 --> 0:06:25.121 nice way to end the day. 0:06:25.401 --> 0:06:28.121 Is that going to cause you any damage or harm? 0:06:28.321 --> 0:06:29.041 Probably not? 0:06:29.521 --> 0:06:33.321 What about the study six lasses of wine year, And 0:06:33.441 --> 0:06:35.081 it's easy to just it's easy to look at it 0:06:35.081 --> 0:06:37.761 and go, oh, just another bloody study. It's ridiculous, But 0:06:38.401 --> 0:06:40.521 it's not. The study they've just invented stuff out of 0:06:40.521 --> 0:06:40.961 thin air. 0:06:41.881 --> 0:06:48.361 So alcohol per se does not cause breast cancer. People 0:06:48.401 --> 0:06:51.881 who have a higher alcohol intake are more likely to 0:06:52.001 --> 0:06:54.961 develop breast cancer. Yes, so it is not the one 0:06:55.001 --> 0:06:59.721 thing that causes it. It's an amplifier of base risk. 0:06:59.921 --> 0:07:04.001 So if you are at risk of cancer of this 0:07:04.081 --> 0:07:07.281 particular case breast answer, you are slightly more at risk 0:07:07.401 --> 0:07:09.241 if you drink alcohol. 0:07:09.401 --> 0:07:13.321 Unfortunately, the highest risk for breast cancer is being female 0:07:13.321 --> 0:07:15.401 and having breasts. Yeah, you've got about a one and 0:07:15.481 --> 0:07:19.001 twelve lifetime risk. One on twelve women during their life 0:07:19.041 --> 0:07:23.041 will develop breast cancer. Yeah, so things that will accelerate 0:07:23.081 --> 0:07:26.481 that away. It's a small percentage acceleration on a rather 0:07:26.721 --> 0:07:29.321 common thing. So you see more events there. 0:07:29.521 --> 0:07:32.801 So what do people do with a story like that, 0:07:32.921 --> 0:07:35.041 or a study like that, or a recommendation because that 0:07:35.121 --> 0:07:38.601 came from the United Nations Health sort of I can't 0:07:38.641 --> 0:07:40.961 remember what the name of the body is, but it 0:07:41.001 --> 0:07:43.201 hadn't wasn't something that came from sort of to a taper. 0:07:44.201 --> 0:07:46.721 So you put the information out there and saying if 0:07:46.721 --> 0:07:49.521 that is a big fear of what you're concerned about 0:07:49.561 --> 0:07:53.121 about your life, your health, put that into your framework 0:07:53.121 --> 0:07:56.721 of what you will accept your risk of so coming 0:07:56.721 --> 0:07:58.601 to the show today. Guess what. I sat in my 0:07:58.721 --> 0:08:01.841 car and I drove across town and did you know 0:08:01.921 --> 0:08:04.001 that three hundred and sixty people a year die from 0:08:04.001 --> 0:08:07.121 doing that exact same thing. So you always got to 0:08:07.121 --> 0:08:09.681 weigh up your risk benefit risk outcome where does it 0:08:09.721 --> 0:08:12.921 sit within your paradigm of worry or concern. 0:08:14.601 --> 0:08:16.361 That's actually quite a good way to put it, because 0:08:16.481 --> 0:08:19.921 life is full of risk, and if you were to 0:08:19.961 --> 0:08:23.441 suddenly think, well, there's an increased chance of a negative 0:08:24.921 --> 0:08:28.561 a negative result from any particular activity, wouldn't get out 0:08:28.561 --> 0:08:30.441 of bed in the morning, although staying in bed all 0:08:30.481 --> 0:08:31.281 days probably a risk. 0:08:32.681 --> 0:08:34.841 So we always weigh up risk benefit risk how it 0:08:34.841 --> 0:08:36.961 fits into our lives. And when I'm talking to a client, 0:08:36.961 --> 0:08:40.761 I say how much does this affect you? What is 0:08:40.801 --> 0:08:43.201 your worry about this particular thing, and then you can 0:08:43.241 --> 0:08:47.401 framework a way that you're the person you're talking to 0:08:47.641 --> 0:08:50.401 can understand how where it sits within their life. Yep. 0:08:50.721 --> 0:08:53.361 So yes, if you wanted to completely remove your risk 0:08:53.361 --> 0:08:56.801 of breast cancer as a female, minimizing alcohol's a good idea. 0:08:56.801 --> 0:08:59.761 Picking your parents well, again, so there's no strong family 0:08:59.841 --> 0:09:02.201 history of breast cancer, making sure you don't have any 0:09:02.241 --> 0:09:05.441 of these weird other syndromes that can do it. 0:09:06.081 --> 0:09:09.441 And yeah, I think it's you know that. This is 0:09:09.441 --> 0:09:11.241 why I think it's useful to have these conversations to 0:09:11.321 --> 0:09:13.081 soften when if you're just reading the news and you 0:09:13.081 --> 0:09:15.401 see a headline on that you know, recommendation NA more 0:09:15.401 --> 0:09:18.601 than six last one a, you think, oh my goodness, stress, stress, stress, 0:09:18.921 --> 0:09:22.441 And yet it's it's it's worth hearing from someone who's 0:09:22.841 --> 0:09:26.441 in terms of about the actually understanding risk because the 0:09:26.561 --> 0:09:28.601 headline will just make you think, oh my goodness, it's 0:09:28.601 --> 0:09:29.281 catastrophic and. 0:09:29.281 --> 0:09:32.281 It probably turns people off doing anything about it. So 0:09:32.281 --> 0:09:34.521 what you turn around to say, we know that having 0:09:34.641 --> 0:09:38.001 a moderate alcohol intake where an elkolon tape will increase 0:09:38.001 --> 0:09:41.601 your breast cancer. It's roughly around about this frame. See 0:09:41.641 --> 0:09:44.521 how fits for you? Yeah, been saying six six drinks 0:09:44.561 --> 0:09:46.361 a year, it's not going to help people. 0:09:46.601 --> 0:09:50.561 Yeah, be keen to hear from you. I mean, are 0:09:50.601 --> 0:09:54.121 these sorts of things, I mean, how do you approach 0:09:54.281 --> 0:09:57.161 risk when it comes to negative health outcomes for alcohol? 0:09:57.521 --> 0:10:00.561 And have you ever changed your drinking habits simply because 0:10:00.561 --> 0:10:02.521 you thought? You know what I mean? And plenty of 0:10:02.521 --> 0:10:04.321 people I know have I know people have stopped drinking 0:10:04.361 --> 0:10:06.441 because they thought, you know, I just realized I was 0:10:06.481 --> 0:10:09.121 drinking too much, and you know what, I don't miss it. 0:10:09.161 --> 0:10:12.801 So I'm fine. What motivated you to make a change 0:10:12.841 --> 0:10:14.921 in it? Was it the fact that the impact on others? 0:10:14.961 --> 0:10:17.721 I guess eight hundred eighty and eighty. By the way, 0:10:17.761 --> 0:10:19.521 of course, we have John in the studio to take 0:10:19.561 --> 0:10:22.161 your calls on anything that's particularly bothering you, and so 0:10:22.201 --> 0:10:25.481 if you want to get in quickly, then it's always 0:10:25.481 --> 0:10:27.961 good to pick up the phone right now, because otherwise 0:10:28.041 --> 0:10:29.481 we get to the end of the show and it's like, well, 0:10:29.521 --> 0:10:30.881 we've got three calls holding what We're not going to 0:10:30.921 --> 0:10:36.081 get you to you in time? How genetic you say, 0:10:36.081 --> 0:10:40.841 pick is one of your one of your life? How 0:10:41.441 --> 0:10:47.521 much various diseases and let's just focus on various forms 0:10:47.561 --> 0:10:50.921 of cancer. How much of it is genetic and how 0:10:50.961 --> 0:10:52.881 much is environmental or do we have a sort of 0:10:53.561 --> 0:10:54.601 I mean, depends on the cancer. 0:10:54.641 --> 0:10:57.161 Of course, cancer is not one disease. It's a squillian 0:10:57.201 --> 0:11:00.521 press cancer. It's breast cancer. Pre Minopausal breast cancers are 0:11:00.641 --> 0:11:05.041 very strong genetic link, very strong familial link. Postmenopausal breast 0:11:05.161 --> 0:11:09.321 cancer less so so breast cancers and young females. This 0:11:09.401 --> 0:11:14.761 is a disastrous disease I hated because it normally presents 0:11:14.841 --> 0:11:18.641 late despite screening and is very difficult to manage. 0:11:19.041 --> 0:11:21.361 Okay, I love to take your calls that they've got 0:11:21.361 --> 0:11:23.961 a few texts to get cracking with for a start, 0:11:24.441 --> 0:11:26.721 and this is completely unrelated, but let's get let's get 0:11:26.761 --> 0:11:28.601 into it. I was put on statins after heart attack. 0:11:28.641 --> 0:11:31.361 Blood tests show cholesterol down to one point too. Would 0:11:31.401 --> 0:11:33.241 it be okay to reduce statin dosage? 0:11:33.641 --> 0:11:35.481 It depends if you want to live or die. Up 0:11:35.521 --> 0:11:41.561 to you. Ok let's talk about what you want, the 0:11:41.601 --> 0:11:43.961 hard answer, the short answer, you got the short answer. 0:11:44.041 --> 0:11:47.761 Ah, I'm guessing that that coming off them as the 0:11:47.881 --> 0:11:49.961 if you want to die and staying on them as 0:11:50.001 --> 0:11:51.681 the you're on them for long term. 0:11:51.961 --> 0:11:54.161 So what we're dealing with here a secondary prevention someone 0:11:54.201 --> 0:11:56.961 who's had an event and survived it. We know that 0:11:57.081 --> 0:11:59.441 as low the lower that we can drive your low 0:11:59.441 --> 0:12:02.401 density life of protein fraction of your cholesterol picture, the 0:12:02.521 --> 0:12:05.721 less likely you are to have a subsequent event stroke, 0:12:05.801 --> 0:12:08.641 heart attack. And it's you know, when we started talking 0:12:08.681 --> 0:12:10.881 about getting your LDLs below two that it's gone to 0:12:10.921 --> 0:12:12.401 one point eight. Now it's one point six, now it's 0:12:12.441 --> 0:12:14.961 one point four. Really, the only way you're going to 0:12:14.961 --> 0:12:17.721 do that is by using these well, what are the 0:12:17.761 --> 0:12:19.921 commonest ways of doing it is by using a medicine 0:12:19.961 --> 0:12:22.401 called a stat And there are some newer hum fangle 0:12:22.481 --> 0:12:24.121 things which are coming out which are going to be 0:12:24.281 --> 0:12:29.281 even more lipid lowering than the statins. But currently the 0:12:29.361 --> 0:12:31.961 best thing you can do is use medicines for secondary 0:12:32.001 --> 0:12:35.761 prevention if you've survived an event, so yeah, my advice 0:12:35.801 --> 0:12:37.041 would be to stay on the stat. 0:12:37.001 --> 0:12:39.641 Can I just ask one quick question on alcohol and 0:12:39.761 --> 0:12:44.921 addiction and why people who are alcoholics you just cannot 0:12:44.961 --> 0:12:49.281 touch it? What is the physical craving or the reaction 0:12:49.401 --> 0:12:52.241 that happens that means people just you can't touch alcohol 0:12:52.241 --> 0:12:55.081 because otherwise one sip and your back off it again. 0:12:55.161 --> 0:12:58.841 You know you've fallen off the wagon. Why Why is 0:12:58.881 --> 0:13:02.041 it basically abstinence or nothing for people who are alcoholic. 0:13:01.921 --> 0:13:05.481 Because controlled drinking is really hard to do because alcohol 0:13:05.481 --> 0:13:09.641 dis inhibits. So as soon as yeah, sort of alcohol 0:13:09.761 --> 0:13:12.121 plays havoc, the only organ alcohol doesn't play heivoc with 0:13:12.241 --> 0:13:16.561 is your kidneys. Alcoholic style with beautiful kidneys, absolutely pristine. Really, yeah, 0:13:16.601 --> 0:13:17.481 the rest of your bodies? 0:13:17.721 --> 0:13:19.401 Why why why the kidneys? 0:13:19.961 --> 0:13:23.121 Liver gets stuffed, pancreas gets stuffed, heart gets stuffed, brain 0:13:23.201 --> 0:13:27.361 gets stuffy. Stuff. He just struck on making weak brilliant. Wow, 0:13:27.921 --> 0:13:31.161 So one drink is always too much and never enough. Okay, 0:13:31.321 --> 0:13:31.801 that's the thing. 0:13:31.961 --> 0:13:34.361 Okay, I've had a few people ask me for that article, 0:13:34.361 --> 0:13:35.721 and I'll look. I'll try and find the link to 0:13:35.721 --> 0:13:38.361 that one so you can all read it, because headlines 0:13:38.401 --> 0:13:41.201 are one thing. Reading It is actually quite useful. And 0:13:41.241 --> 0:13:42.881 after I read it, I thought, oh gosh, it's not 0:13:42.881 --> 0:13:45.001 as catastrophic as I thought, because I was about to 0:13:45.001 --> 0:13:48.121 say with my wife, put that glass one down, I'll 0:13:48.201 --> 0:13:53.241 drink it for you and give it to me. Somebody's 0:13:53.241 --> 0:13:53.801 got to do it. 0:13:54.201 --> 0:13:55.441 I'll take one for the fun out. 0:13:55.481 --> 0:13:58.241 All right, let's take some calls, shall we? Twenty past 0:13:58.481 --> 0:14:03.681 twenty past four? Fell? Hello, good, we've got good things. 0:14:04.561 --> 0:14:08.561 And get to your guests there as well. Yes, John, Yes, 0:14:08.641 --> 0:14:10.521 and John? And how are you who going? 0:14:10.521 --> 0:14:13.241 Well? Good? Right, let's get into it. What's your question? 0:14:14.161 --> 0:14:16.761 Okay? Oh well, it's not so much a question. I 0:14:16.881 --> 0:14:18.321 just sort of wanted to bring up and give my 0:14:18.401 --> 0:14:26.441 experience about alcohol because I I'm a heavy drinker and 0:14:27.081 --> 0:14:31.241 I'm trying to I'm trying to ease it back, and 0:14:31.281 --> 0:14:33.921 I am easing it back. I did give it up 0:14:34.001 --> 0:14:37.041 for a month and a half at one stage because 0:14:37.401 --> 0:14:40.641 I ended up losing my job through through the drinker, 0:14:40.801 --> 0:14:44.361 and before that happened, I was trying to prove that 0:14:44.401 --> 0:14:47.321 I was an alcoholic, that I could go without a 0:14:47.321 --> 0:14:52.201 certain amount of time for a drink. I hope that 0:14:52.281 --> 0:14:54.681 it's kind of relevant because you just said I'm about 0:14:54.681 --> 0:14:57.561 bringing up to say what made you danger behavior? 0:14:58.281 --> 0:14:59.401 You have? 0:14:59.441 --> 0:14:59.721 You have? 0:14:59.761 --> 0:14:59.881 You? 0:14:59.961 --> 0:15:01.481 Have you stopped drinking? Where are you at. 0:15:03.121 --> 0:15:07.801 Not stop drinking? And I haven't managed the stop drinking 0:15:07.881 --> 0:15:10.081 and I don't know if whatever will because I'm caught. 0:15:10.081 --> 0:15:12.721 And that you could say it's denial too, because it 0:15:12.841 --> 0:15:15.561 sounds like classical denial of being an alcoholic, because it's 0:15:15.561 --> 0:15:18.401 the sort of thing, is that thing an alcoholic would say. 0:15:18.841 --> 0:15:22.241 But I still believe that I am not an alcoholic. 0:15:22.321 --> 0:15:26.801 I know I've had a drinking problem in the past 0:15:26.881 --> 0:15:31.401 and up until now, and I've had suffered over the 0:15:31.481 --> 0:15:34.321 last a number of years with depression, and there was 0:15:34.361 --> 0:15:36.321 a time when I was suicidal when I thought, well, 0:15:36.361 --> 0:15:37.721 one of the ways I'm going to do this is 0:15:38.121 --> 0:15:40.521 I'm going to drink myself to death because I like 0:15:40.601 --> 0:15:43.801 the drink as well. That's the other thing. But I've 0:15:43.881 --> 0:15:48.001 changed that sort of I've got help and getting help 0:15:48.041 --> 0:15:51.361 luck enough to be getting help to decide through a psychologist. 0:15:51.641 --> 0:15:56.401 So I've changed that way of thinking. So that's I 0:15:56.401 --> 0:15:58.761 don't want to do that anymore because I've always and 0:15:58.801 --> 0:16:03.601 I've always believed too in my in my mind, I've 0:16:03.641 --> 0:16:06.321 always known that there is never at the bottom of 0:16:06.361 --> 0:16:08.721 a bottle, you know. The answer has got to be 0:16:09.001 --> 0:16:12.081 to come right is to be with yourself and find. 0:16:12.321 --> 0:16:15.321 So it's like you're trying to talk yourself back towards abstinence. 0:16:15.361 --> 0:16:17.081 Phil Johnny, I'll just bring john in. 0:16:17.201 --> 0:16:20.001 Yeah, but it's very hard. It's making that step. One 0:16:20.081 --> 0:16:22.681 of the things, as you're saying, I've got a problem 0:16:22.681 --> 0:16:26.001 with alcohol, When you've got a problem with alcohol, it's 0:16:26.001 --> 0:16:28.601 that the next step is the first step is understanding that, 0:16:28.841 --> 0:16:30.961 but not just understanding it, but taking the next step, 0:16:31.081 --> 0:16:33.041 which is to say I need to remove alcohol from 0:16:33.041 --> 0:16:35.561 my life. That's a bigger step. Otherwise you're giving yourself 0:16:35.601 --> 0:16:38.521 permission to continue with the behavior that's hurting you and 0:16:38.561 --> 0:16:39.361 it gets really tough. 0:16:39.441 --> 0:16:41.281 It does sound like fels on that sort of zone 0:16:41.321 --> 0:16:43.721 where he's accepted he's got a problem. He's trying to 0:16:43.761 --> 0:16:45.961 he's pretending. He tells me he knows when he tells 0:16:46.041 --> 0:16:48.361 himself that he doesn't. But he knows. 0:16:48.361 --> 0:16:49.401 He doesn't want to do anything. 0:16:49.441 --> 0:16:51.281 So don't want to do anything about it. But anyway, 0:16:51.401 --> 0:16:53.601 good luck with that, fel We've got to keep moving 0:16:53.641 --> 0:16:56.041 with the cause. But well, first we'll be back after 0:16:56.041 --> 0:16:58.681 the break. It is twenty three and a half past four, 0:16:59.041 --> 0:17:00.281 is feeling down? 0:17:01.561 --> 0:17:10.481 Make you's welcome back to News Talks as we can 0:17:10.521 --> 0:17:12.801 collective the health up with John Cameron as my guest, 0:17:12.841 --> 0:17:16.081 Doctor John Cameron not to be mistaken with doctor John 0:17:16.161 --> 0:17:17.641 the New Orleans jazz artist. 0:17:17.721 --> 0:17:19.241 But I don't know, maybe you can play the piano, 0:17:19.321 --> 0:17:24.241 John anyway, talking about any questions you've got. But we 0:17:24.321 --> 0:17:27.681 did start the start the conversation around drinking issues and 0:17:27.961 --> 0:17:32.161 alcohol and you know your decisions around if you've ever 0:17:32.241 --> 0:17:36.961 changed your alcohol consumption habits, right Helga, Hello. 0:17:37.521 --> 0:17:39.081 Oh hello, how are you good? 0:17:39.161 --> 0:17:40.001 Thanks? 0:17:41.041 --> 0:17:43.801 I'm not ringing about myself because I don't drink. I've 0:17:43.841 --> 0:17:46.761 got a granddaughter. And whilst I wanted to ask you 0:17:46.841 --> 0:17:49.801 what's nati dudes, because she ended up two months ago 0:17:50.001 --> 0:17:53.601 completely getting it pancreas removed. 0:17:53.881 --> 0:17:57.521 Okay, of course of alcohol, would that be? It could 0:17:57.521 --> 0:18:01.761 well be so, yep, the alcohol is the direct tos 0:18:01.761 --> 0:18:07.361 into the pancreas. Oh really, there are other causes. There 0:18:07.361 --> 0:18:10.881 are other potential causes for pancreatitis or information of the 0:18:10.881 --> 0:18:15.281 pancreas and the teenager. It would be unusual. There's more 0:18:15.361 --> 0:18:18.201 like to be one of the other causes and people 0:18:18.241 --> 0:18:20.721 in middle years. Yes, it's one of the one of 0:18:20.721 --> 0:18:22.241 the major causes of pancreatitis. 0:18:23.401 --> 0:18:26.721 Oh wow, that's serious. She is rust and put on 0:18:26.881 --> 0:18:27.481 more theme. 0:18:28.921 --> 0:18:29.521 How's she doing that? 0:18:29.721 --> 0:18:33.601 I'll never drink again? But she said, I'm never drinking again. 0:18:34.161 --> 0:18:37.241 Sometimes it takes that, doesn't It Just a wake up call, 0:18:37.281 --> 0:18:40.881 which is makes you start thinking about the behaviors that 0:18:40.921 --> 0:18:44.561 you're doing and the cost to you and to your future. 0:18:44.721 --> 0:18:47.441 And so hey, look if she's had that wake up call, 0:18:47.921 --> 0:18:51.121 taking it on board and taking care of that problem, 0:18:51.241 --> 0:18:52.641 sweet as that's great. 0:18:53.441 --> 0:18:54.601 Oh, thank you very much. 0:18:54.721 --> 0:18:55.841 I should be very proud of her. 0:18:56.841 --> 0:19:01.761 Yeah, Tom, Hello, good. 0:19:01.561 --> 0:19:04.681 Happening, sir. You said any question ahead. 0:19:04.561 --> 0:19:09.041 Finish health related but you know well, yes. 0:19:08.921 --> 0:19:15.041 Yes, the hipocratic. My son's lar krying to get his 0:19:15.161 --> 0:19:18.641 last exam form being anesthetist. I don't think he put 0:19:18.921 --> 0:19:21.521 I don't think he put a sticky on me. I've 0:19:21.561 --> 0:19:24.841 asked him for a reference and he totally refuses because 0:19:24.841 --> 0:19:26.121 he says he'd get sacked. 0:19:28.361 --> 0:19:31.161 That's a very hard job to do in the caesiology. 0:19:31.921 --> 0:19:37.801 Uh reference, a simple reference, nothing technical. 0:19:39.001 --> 0:19:41.201 Sorry, I'm just missing what you're after. Mate? 0:19:41.801 --> 0:19:43.641 Oh is my phone going for music? 0:19:43.681 --> 0:19:43.881 Shure? 0:19:45.761 --> 0:19:48.561 I tried to say, a simple reference, nothing technical. 0:19:49.321 --> 0:19:49.921 So what what? 0:19:49.921 --> 0:19:50.121 What? 0:19:50.121 --> 0:19:53.721 What would you like a reference to that? 0:19:53.841 --> 0:19:55.121 I'm not stupid. 0:19:56.721 --> 0:19:57.681 On what subject? 0:19:58.681 --> 0:20:04.121 The subject is shooting all my family shooters. My son 0:20:04.201 --> 0:20:06.761 shot the one I'm I'm shot his first person when 0:20:06.801 --> 0:20:07.321 he was eight. 0:20:07.561 --> 0:20:10.921 Okay, by the time, I think this is sort of unrelated, 0:20:11.081 --> 0:20:13.241 so I might we might just move on to Ray. 0:20:13.321 --> 0:20:16.881 Hello, gooday doctor Cameron? 0:20:16.961 --> 0:20:17.201