John Boehner's Crying: Is He Drinking Too Much?

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Thu Dec-16-10 02:30 PM
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John Boehner's Crying: Is He Drinking Too Much?

Incoming House Speaker John Boehner's recent interview on "60 Minutes" with Lesley Stahl, where he once again cried publicly, has created a minor controversy among pundits, with observers trying to figure out the cause of his unusual behavior.

Is it depression? Or is Boehner simply in touch with his emotions? Does he wear his heart on his sleeve, or does he cry on a dime because he has a tender spot for all things American?
While it's impossible to know, some are beginning to speculate that Boehner's penchant for turning on the waterworks might have some connection to his consumption of wine. Liberal MSNBC host Ed Shultz, half-jokingly, called Boehner a "cheap drunk" the other day, Capitol Hill aides of both parties are wondering, and there's even a web page devoted to it.
So is drinking the issue -- and why might a person struggling with drinking be more prone to weeping in public?
Speaking generally, Dr. Robert DuPont, who served as the second White House drug czar and was the first director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, tells me that "alcohol reduces inhibitions. Whatever emotion you have, you're more likely to express it ." DuPont added that alcohol reduces the functioning of the frontal lobes, and "the frontal lobes have to do with judgment, which is why people do impulsive behavior."
Alcohol also "brings out underlying emotions," explains Dr. Michael Fingerhood, an associate professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins University. "It generally is unmasking what is inside them."
As is to be expected, Republican aides and lobbyists are not anxious to publicly discuss whether the incoming House speaker might have a drinking problem. And Boehner's staff declined to discuss the crying question at all. For his part, though, Boehner -- who was described in one profile as "a heavy-smoking, hard-drinking former linebacker" -- has made no secret of his affection for merlot, and those familiar with Capitol Hill know he frequents The Capitol Hill Club, as well as a favorite Italian restaurant on Capitol Hill, where he is frequently spotted sipping vino.

There are others reasons that could explain public crying, including depression (a common symptom is crying "for no reason"). Barbara Walters recently argued Boehner might have "an emotional problem." These are not necessarily mutually exclusive: As Dr. DuPont told me, serious drinking problems are associated with depression. (Other sedatives besides alcohol could also produce a similar response).
Most experts I talked to said that if a person exhibits strong emotional behavior over the span of a lifetime, there is little to be worried about. What is more concerning, however, is an abrupt change in how a person demonstrates emotion. Tumors, for example, have been known to cause drastic emotional changes in patients.
One might also argue that public crying could also be seen as positive sign that a man is in touch with his emotions and not afraid to show them. As Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf once said, "I don't trust a man who doesn't cry."

More:
http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/12/15/john-boehners-crying-is-he-drinking-too-much/