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Deciphering Mixed Messages About Alcohol
A recent radio broadcast of NPR’s Talk of the Town concerned itself with the stark truth about the toll that Alcohol takes on the American people. Tens of thousands dying each year, millions addicted or dependent, millions more who’ve suffered grievous damage directly related to alcohol use. You can listen to the archived broadcast, or…
Are There Gender Differences in Alcoholism?
Could it be that alcohol affects women differently than men? If so, what implications does that have for treatment? That’s the issue discussed in a recent Scientific American article. It starts out: “Alcohol abuse does its neurological damage more quickly in women than in men, new research suggests. The finding adds to a growing body…
Another Myth Debunked: The French Don’t Handle Alcohol Any Better Than Other People
Steve S., a member of the LifeRing board of directors, pointed out in a comment on this blog the other day that the idea that Europeans — and particularly the French — deal with alcohol better than Americans is simply not true. He wrote: “France has one of the world’s highest rates of cirrhosis of…
A Sober Look at Death From Drinking
A recent article in The Atlantic points to a study in Italy that makes the somewhat obvious point that drinking is bad for your health. The article starts out: “A number of studies in the past few years have suggested health benefits from drinking small or moderate amounts of alcohol. This can encourage people to…
A LifeRing Keeper: Support, Information and Experience
Here’s a post from one of the LifeRing email groups. It’s a response to a person who was expressing their despair over how difficult it was to quit drinking. In it, the writer tries to give both support and information while drawing on their own experiences, something common in all LifeRing venues. Ah, it all…
Alcohol has Different Effects for Women vs. Men, Young vs. Old, Article Says
An article at the Star.com website of the Toronto (Canada) Star newspaper discusses what researchers have discovered about differences in the effects of alcohol on females — especially adolescent females — from their male counterparts. In both genders, one researcher says, “Quantity and frequency can be a killer for novice drinkers. Adding alcohol to the…
New Guide Helps Identify at-risk Kids, 9-18.
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) has just released a guide for health care professionals to help identify children and teenagers age 9 to 18 who are at risk for alcohol-related problems, provide brief counseling, and refer them to treatment resources if that is indicated. While aimed at professionals, the guide contains…
Drug Shows Promise for Help in Preventing Relapse
A new study — on mice, not people — shows promising results with the use of a drug called Mifepristone to reduce relapse stemming from high stress levels. The drug was initially commercialized by the name RU-486, a drug that is widely used for inducing terminations of pregnancy. “It seems to impede the activity of…
“Addiction and Alcoholism: Beyond 12 Steps”
The MSN website carried an article by Maia Szalavitz recently that should be of great interest to those seeking an overview of addiction that looks deeper than “spiritual weakness.” It’s a bit long, but worth the effort. Here it is: Although addiction and alcoholism treatment research has advanced tremendously since Alcoholics Anonymous was founded in…