Alcohol Abuse

© Leo Hidalgo

Of all the culturally conditioned behaviors we’ve mindlessly adopted, alcoholism is one of the most curious.

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• Family History: Obesity and Alcoholism

© _DJ_

Yale University researchers say that alcoholics who display abnormal activity in the prefrontal cortex during an MRI brain scan are as much as 8 times more likely to relapse.

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© Thomas Hawk

A new study shows that Nalmefene helps alcoholics who can’t quit, or aren’t ready to quit, to reduce their consumption.

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© Erik J. Gustafson

A Canadian study shows that raising the costs of the cheapest alcohol by 10% cuts alcohol related deaths by as much as a third.

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• Drinking Age: Researchers Ask EU to Impose Drinking Age of 21

© Jenny Kristine Nilsson

Though alcohol helps you to fall asleep, it disrupts total REM sleep and causes sleep disruptions in the second half of the night. In summary – it does more harm than good.

• Insomnia: Children with Insomnia

© Wellcome Images

Reversing alcohol induced liver damage: Researchers gain a better understanding of how the metabolism of alcohol damages the liver, at the cellular level, and say their study findings may help doctors narrow their therapeutic focus.

• Alcoholic Cirrhosis Kills 22 Year Old Londoner Who Was Denied a Liver Transplant
• It Is Never Too Late To Stop Drinking

© Brandon Christopher Warren

Your brain heals quickly once you stop drinking and after a couple of weeks people start to see big improvements. Researchers say alcohol treatment needs to be at least this long to take advantage of this return of function.

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• Alcohol Abuse Research: No Sex = More Drinking (Among Fruit Flies Anyway)

© Dhammza

AA study - Researchers say that while attending meetings improves your recovery odds, it’s helping others in the program that really makes the difference.

• Corona Crisis: Covid-19 and Your Recovery
• 12 Steps Meetings: Study: Young Adults Benefit in AA with Older Adults
• AA/NA: Researchers Say AA and NA Help Addicted Teens

© Cambridge Brewing Co.

People trying to reduce their alcohol consumption may want to pay attention to their glassware. Researchers at the University of Bristol say that people drinking alcohol out of curved glasses drink about twice as fast as people drinking alcohol out of straight-sided glassware.

• Harm Reduction: Half of Addiction Therapists OK Moderate Drinking

© NYC.Andre

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center say having gastric bypass surgery raises a person’s risk of developing an alcohol abuse problem by 50%.

© Flavijus

Harvard University Medical School researchers say that an extract taken from the kudzu root may help alcohol abusers drink less.

© Mendhak

In a recent study, the common anti smoking drug varenicline (Chantix) helped heavy drinkers reduce consumption by 36%.

• Quitting Smoking: Cigarette Withdrawal Can Cause Acute Depression
• Smoking Cessation Drug Chantix Doesn’t Cause Suicide, Say Researchers

© Aepoc

It won’t work once you’re dependent, but a new study says that for heavy and binge drinkers who haven’t yet crossed that line, recording the amount consumed each day is an effective way to cut down.

© Kirainet

Heavy drinkers given Nalmefene to take as needed reduced the amount they consumed by 66%.

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• Medical Marijauna Users Denied Organ Transplants

© Dave.Scriven

Researchers at Yale University School of Medicine say that compared to moderate drinkers, heavier drinkers show less activation in areas of the brain which modulate risk management.

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