St. Patrick’s Day is supposed to be a holiday to celebrate the saint who, they say, drove the snakes from Ireland. It has long been a day of particularly rowdy celebration because the saint’s day is a break in the middle of Lenten fasting, a day when Irish Catholics are allowed to cut loose during […]
It’s hard to be objective when it comes to figuring out whether you or your loved one has a problem with drinking. Emotions run high, rationalizations and denials lead to confusion and it can seem hard to draw the line between what’s acceptable and what’s going too far. Although the boundaries are fuzzy, issues with
Are You an Alcoholic? 10 Warning Signs of Addiction Read More »
People affected by post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are unusually likely to develop problems with alcohol use disorder (alcoholism and/or alcohol abuse). In addition, when a person with PTSD drinks excessively, he or she commonly experiences a worsening of PTSD symptoms. In a study scheduled for publication in February 2015 in the journal Addictive Behaviors, a
How Do Alcohol Expectations Affect Drinking in People With PTSD? Read More »
Is your feeling about the holidays “Hooray for the holidays!” or “Ugh, the holidays are here again?” While everyone around makes a mad dash to splurge on last-minute shopping or preparations for a fantastic family holiday dinner, are you preparing to put up with various bad behaviors on the part of loved ones? Maybe it
Holiday Blessings or Bust? How to Tell if Drugs or Alcohol Are to Blame Read More »
Alcoholism and gambling disorder are well-defined examples of two recognized forms of addiction: substance addiction and non-substance-based behavioral addiction. Impulsive behavior is typically viewed as a core characteristic of both forms of addiction, although the specific types of impulsivity present may vary. In a study published in June 2014 in the journal Addictive Behaviors, a
Gambling Disorder, Alcoholism Feature Similar Impulsive Behaviors Read More »
Addiction researchers have firmly established that some of the damaging brain changes found in people with non-substance-based behavioral addictions are roughly equivalent to the damaging changes found in the brains of people addicted to drugs, medications or alcohol. In a study published in 2014 in the journal Addiction Biology, a team of German researchers compared
Gamblers, Alcoholics Share Risk/Reward Brain Changes, Differ on Cost Assessment Read More »
As Veterans Day rolls around, we all take a moment to pay our respects to those who’ve fought for our freedom in both historical and current conflicts, but it’s easy to forget that veterans can’t leave the horrors of war on the battlefield. Drugs have been a part of war for centuries, and although in
Veterans and Addiction – A Forgotten Consequence of War Read More »
In our society, it is commonly accepted for people to turn to alcohol when they are feeling down. In the movies and on TV, the hero or heroine is often portrayed drowning his or her sorrows at the local bar after losing a job, getting a divorce or experiencing another major disappointment.
Topiramate (Topamax) is a medication that, while originally intended for use as a seizure treatment, now sometimes plays a role in the treatment of alcohol use disorder (alcoholism and/or alcohol abuse). Significant numbers of the people affected by this disorder also have diagnosable cases of the mental health condition PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). In a
Topiramate Reduces PTSD Symptoms, Alcohol Cravings, Study Finds Read More »
When most people think of an alcoholic or drug addict, they probably don’t think of an elderly person. The term “alcoholic” typically calls to mind a skid row bum sipping from a brown paper bag under a bridge or on a park bench, or a middle-aged person staggering out of a bar. The term “drug
