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"Our president has said, wine is the soul of France." President of the Fund Actions Addictions, Dr. Michel Reynaud does not intend "especially" to abandon the French production of their grape varieties. But the specialist, guest of Melanie Gomez, Sunday on Europe 1, warns about the risks of excessive alcohol consumption, especially in the "gray zone" that precedes dependence. And give advice to those who wish to lift their feet in the fall, after a summer often synonymous with aperitifs with family or friends.
Beware of "tantalizing" alcohols
Michel Reynaud first warned about the marketing of certain spirits, especially wine, tending to forget the risks associated with its consumption. "Wine fairs organize events in which one euro is donated to associations against cancer ... By not saying that alcohol, and therefore wine, is one of the major factors of cancer, especially breast cancer." ...) Everything is done by the alcoholic so that this notion is not perceived. "
"These are well-known strategies in the United States," says the doctor. "It's called 'pinkwashing', it's turned into pink to attract women, and that's how rosé became the second wine sold in France, before white wine", targeting, according to him, customers female. "We know that with the increase in tobacco, we have an increase in lung cancer in women and we know that we will have an increase in breast cancer in the next ten years with the valuation of consumption. of alcohol ", warns Michel Reynaud.
Regularly review your consumption
Rather than talking about alcoholism, the doctor also prefers to use the periphrasis of "alcohol use disorder". "Behind the word alcohol, we all have the image of the great alcoholic dependent, but it hides all the other problems earlier and on which it is advisable to act as quickly as possible," he says, inviting to ask the right questions.
"75% of the French are below these standards, but the remaining 25% consume 80% of the alcohol sold. (...) There is a whole intermediate risk area, where we still have car accidents , the moments of violence and then, eventually, the problems of liver, weight gain, hypertension .... "
"Up to two glasses a day, there is really no reason to worry," says Michel Reynaud. Beyond that, a management can be organized: "We can help with drugs such as Baclofen (a muscle relaxant prescribed to fight against alcohol dependence, Ed), but there must be a motivation of the patient, a follow-up of the doctor, a reflection on the times when one consumes, why one consumes ... The cure in the specialized services, it is only in the subjects which are seriously dependent.
Break the "taboo" of alcohol addiction
The specialist points out: care begins with the verbalization of the problem, not always obvious when alcohol is consumed in a social context. "In France, we consider that there is only one alcoholic or two out of ten who are cared for.The others are not supported because there are not enough addictologists, not enough services, that GPs are not necessarily trained and interested ... But also because patients have trouble talking about it: society allows them for a long time to hide it. "
Michel Reynaud therefore encourages "daring to speak" to his general practitioner. "You have to see all the gradation for the consumers who start drinking too much, that's what we're aiming for with the doctor." Another possible interlocutor: the "expert patients", who lead listening forums on the various portals of assistance to people in situations of addiction. "We've seen it for breast cancer patients and it's the same with alcohol: those who have gone through it are often very good advice, with a lot of empathy. 'it is possible to return to a non-harmful consumption.'