By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally filed Thursday, May 19, 2016
Former Fox 5 anchor Amanda Davis concluded her three-part CBS46 series tonight on a happier note. She's in recovery from alcohol addiction and has been sober for 11 months.
She voluntarily checked into a rehab treatment center in California last summer after her third DUI. "I learned I wasn't alone," she said.
She noted that her favorite two alcoholic options were rum and coke and vodka and cranberry juice.
Milllions have alcohol addiction. It's more common than opiate addiction, which is being talked about a lot nowadays after Prince's recent death.
"There are a tremendous number of closet alcoholics," said Steven Lynn, a Smyrna psychiatrist in the segment.
She noted that there's a pleasure center in the brain that alcohol feeds on. For alcoholics, the switch is always on. Alcoholics don't know when to stop. Lynn notes that the addiction "doesn't disappear because the underlying problems are resolved."
He also said it's not easy to recover. Relapse is common. But there are plenty of support groups, notably Alcoholics Anonymous.
Davis said she was also treated for depression. "I got to the root of my depression, that heartache. Once I confronted it, I felt liberated."
Today, she said, "I feel whole again. I'm ready to see what life is in store for me. I'm here to say I fell down. Hard. But I got back up. And that's the key. I've learned no matter what, nothing is insurmountable... As the saying goes, I take things one day at a time and I'll be okay."
During the live Q&A, Davis told Ben Swann and Sharon Reed that her greatest regret is hurting her mother and daughter. They live outside of Georgia but were impacted by her problems. She said now their relationships are better, without getting into specifics.
She said there are some tests to see if you have an alcohol problem. You may have one if you answer yes to two of these four questions:
- Have you ever tried to control your drinking?
- Have you been annoyed when someone says something about your drinking?
- Have you ever felt guilty when you know you've been drinking too much?
- Do you get a drink to get over a hangover.
"Alcoholism is more insidious than drug addiction because it affects so many organs in your body," Davis said. "It kills more than opiates." And it's easily accessible.
She said she is aware of two treatments: harm reduction and abstinence. She chose the latter. "It's a little hard when your off switch is broken," she said.
All three videos will be on www.cbs46.com Friday.
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