Articles Index
Drugs and Alcohol in the News
The latest headlines on drug- and- alcohol-related news, updated by your About.com Alcoholism Guide.
Daily Drinkers at Risk for Serious Liver Disease
If you are a daily drinker, you can reduce your risk of developing liver disease significantly if you start planning several alcohol-free days every week.
Marijuana Use Linked to Risk of Testicular Cancer
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Is There Medication That Will Reduce Alcohol Craving?
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Valerie's Story of Alcohol Liver Disease
I stopped eating and finally ended up in ER a couple of times before they diagnosed the liver failure and the rest. I was dying. The doctors just gave up and shipped me off to a county hospital to die. There I was given Last Rites twice.
Valerie Describes Her Journey as a Liver Disease Survivor
Nine years after she was given Last Rites due to her failing liver, Valerie is close to getting a college degree.
Older Drinkers More Impaired by Moderate Alcohol Consumption
If you are over age 50 and you have a couple of drinks when you go out to eat, you may want to take some extra time before getting into the car and driving home.
Spring Break Is Potentially Life Threatening
Spring break is no longer an innocent respite from the rigors of college academics, it's potentially life threatening, according to the American Medical Association.
Are You a Functional Alcoholic?
Many people think of alcoholics as disheveled, homeless winos who have lost everything, but there are people who meet the criteria for a medical diagnosis for alcohol dependence who are highly functional in society and still have their jobs, homes and families.
Protect Your Baby With a Home Pregnancy Tests
If it is possible that you could become pregnant, keeping a supply of home pregnancy tests available could significantly improve the health of your newborn.
Dealing With Having an Relapse
If you tried to quit drinking or using drugs, but had a relapse and returned to drinking or using, you are not alone. Statistics indicate that up to 90 percent of people who try to quit have at least one relapse before achieving long-term sobriety.
Smoking Pot Doubles Risk of Fatal Accident
Driving after smoking even a small amount of marijuana almost doubles the risk of a fatal highway accident, according to an extensive study of 10,748 drivers involved in fatal crashes between 2001 and 2003.
Home Pregnancy Tests Lead to Healthier Newborns
Having a home pregnancy test handy can lead women to seek prenatal care earlier and stop harmful behaviors - such as smoking and drinking - because they find out they are pregnant sooner, researchers found.
Intervention Method Can Reduce Risky College Drinking
An intervention method combining a counseling session with a commercially available online feedback profile can reduce risky drinking among college students.
Recovery Coaches Reduce Babies Exposed to Drugs
The use of specially trained case workers, known as recovery coaches, for women who have given birth to substance abuse exposed children can reduce the number of future substance-exposed babies and increase the likelihood that mothers will be reunited with their children removed by child-welfare systems.
Smokers Underestimate Marijuana's Harm
Young people who do not smoke marijuana end up with a better quality of life and higher levels of educational achievement than their peers who do smoke marijuana. Those who do smoke pot early in life have lower incomes and greater health problems later in life, according to a study.
12 Steps for Christians
You do not need to abandon your faith in order to work the Twelve Steps, but you may need to get back to its foundations.
The Symptoms of a Hangover
A hangover is a collection of unpleasant physical and mental symptoms that occur after a session of heavy alcohol consumption.
The Causes of a Hangover
Hangovers are caused by a variety of factors including the direct effect of alcohol on the systems of the body as well as other factors associated with drinking behavior.
How to Prevent Getting a Hangover
The only certain way to prevent hangover symptoms is to not drink any alcohol are all, but if you do plan to drink there are steps that you can take to reduce your chances of getting a hangover.
The Cures and Remedies for Hangovers
People who do not drink alcohol do not get hangovers. Therefore, the best cure for a hangover is to prevent it from happening in the first place by not drinking.
Tips for Parents About Middle School Drinkers
What can parents do to prevent early onset drinking?
Can Alcoholics Learn to Drink Moderately?
One of the most common questions people who try to quit drinking ask is if they really have to stop forever. Can they learn how to drink in moderation? Can they become social drinkers? Is it true that they can never have another drink?
Raising Taxes Lowers Drinking Rates
With the health effects of excessive alcohol consumption costing society millions in additional healthcare expenses, one tool lawmakers have to reduce drinking rates is to increase the price of alcoholic beverages by raising taxes, research shows.
What Is It Like to Be Addicted to Heroin?
What is it like to be addicted to heroin? What is life like for a heroin addict?