Alcoholism News

September 9, 2016

Addiction Cravings Get Their Start Deep in Brain

Some Neurons Tell Brain When to Stop Drinking

Is Moderate Drinking Really Good for You?

Marijuana Use Disorder Is On the Rise in U.S.

Latest Headlines

updated 12:39am EDT

Physical Activity May Offset Some of Alcohol's Lethal Harms

Sep. 7, 2016 — Exercising, at even basic recommended weekly physical activity levels (at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity), may offset some of the harmful effects of drinking alcohol, suggests new ... read more

Scientists Reverse Alcohol Dependence in Animal Models

Sep. 6, 2016 — The more a person drinks, the more they reinforce activation in the neuronal "circuit," which then drives further alcohol use and addiction. It's as if the brain carves a special path between alcohol ... read more

More Evidence That TV Ads May Influence Kids' Drinking

Sep. 7, 2016 — The more advertising kids see for particular brands of alcohol, the more they consume of those brands, according to a new study. The work adds to evidence linking alcohol advertising to underage ... read more

Drinking to Belong: Students and Low Self-Esteem

Sep. 6, 2016 — It’s that time of year again, when students old and new are heading to university. Certain behaviors might be expected in the coming months, drinking in particular. Drinking is widespread among ... read more

Heredity a Major Factor in ADHD, Binge Eating and Alcohol Dependence

Sep. 5, 2016 — It is mostly hereditary factors that lie behind adults with ADHD often developing alcohol dependence and binge eating, concludes new research. Since heredity plays such a large role, it is important ... read more

High Alcohol Intake Associated With Slightly Decreased Female Fertility

Aug. 31, 2016 — Women who drink 14 or more servings of alcohol a week are slightly more likely to have reduced fertility, suggests a new study. In developed countries, up to 24% of couples experience infertility, ... read more

Researcher Finds Mechanism Affecting Alcohol Consumption

Aug. 30, 2016 — A researcher has found a mechanism that strongly influences whether or not an animal is likely to drink a lot of alcohol, turning lush mice into teetotalers, a new report ... read more

Youth Crimes Spike Immediately After Drinking Age

Aug. 31, 2016 — A new study in Canada has shown that minimum legal drinking age legislation can have a major effect on crimes committed by young adults. Young people just older than the legal age had significant ... read more

Neural Factors That Predict Adolescent Alcohol Use

Aug. 30, 2016 — Researchers have identified 34 neural factors that predict adolescent alcohol consumption. The list, based upon complex algorithms analyzing data from neuropsychological testing and neuroimaging ... read more

People With Alcohol Dependency Lack Important Enzyme

Aug. 30, 2016 — A research group has identified an enzyme whose production is turned off in nerve cells of the frontal lobe when alcohol dependence develops. The deficiency in this enzyme leads to continued use of ... read more

US Hospital Cuts Painkiller Gateway to Heroin Addiction

Medical Schools Tackle Opioid Painkiller Abuse

Vets Use Pot to Ease PTSD Despite Scant Research

Sugary Drinks Might Hurt Our Brains As Much As Stress Or Abuse

Alcohol-Related Hospitalization Associated With Doubled Stroke Risk in Atrial Fibrillation

Aug. 27, 2016 — Alcohol-related hospitalization is associated with a doubled risk of ischemic stroke risk in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation, according to a new study. The observational study was ... read more

Impulsivity Levels Help Identify at-Risk Offspring of Alcoholics

Aug. 26, 2016 — Researchers know that youth with a family history of alcoholism have a greater risk of developing an alcohol use disorder; this heightened vulnerability may be due to impulsive behavior. For this ... read more

Does Marriage Affect Drinking? A New Study Provides Insights

Aug. 11, 2016 — Are you more or less likely to drink often and heavily when in a relationship? That may depend on the ... read more

Reducing the Harms of Alcohol Through Weaker Beer

Aug. 10, 2016 — Could a small drop in the alcohol content of beer or other drinks reduce the harmful effects of alcohol in society at large? A new review, which explores the evidence, suggests this approach may be ... read more

New, Improved Guidelines for Diagnosing Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder

Aug. 10, 2016 — A group of experts on fetal alcohol spectrum disorders has produced proposed clinical guidelines for diagnosing FASD, which can result when a mother drinks during pregnancy. The proposed guidelines ... read more

New Study Evaluates Link Between Young Women's Beliefs on Alcohol Use and Sexual Risk-Taking

Aug. 10, 2016 — A new study looks at how young women's beliefs about alcohol and sex affect condom usage during sexual encounters involving alcohol. The work shows that just over two-thirds (66.9 percent) of ... read more

Molecule in Brain May Drive Cocaine Addiction, Scientists Show

Aug. 10, 2016 — Increased levels of a molecule in the brain, called hypocretin, may contribute to cocaine addiction, a new study suggests. The research shows that blocking hypocretin may reduce compulsive ... read more

Financial Worries Linked to Mental Health Issues Among University Students

Aug. 9, 2016 — Experiencing financial difficulties and worrying about debt at university increases the risk of mental health conditions such as depression and alcohol dependency, according to new research. The work ... read more

Drink-Seeking Rats Provide Sobering Look Into Genetics of Alcoholism

Aug. 4, 2016 — Alcohol-craving rats have provided researchers with a detailed look into the complicated genetic underpinnings of ... read more

Alcohol Advertising Linked to Adolescent Drinking

Aug. 2, 2016 — A new study finds that exposure to several different types of alcohol marketing is positively associated with the amount and frequency of drinking among adolescents across ... read more

Flexible Wearable Electronic Skin Patch Offers New Way to Monitor Alcohol Levels

Aug. 2, 2016 — Engineers at the University of California San Diego have developed a flexible wearable sensor that can accurately measure a person's blood alcohol level from sweat and transmit the data ... read more

Neuroscience-Based Framework for Addiction Diagnosis

Aug. 2, 2016 — When it comes to an addictive disorder, you either have it or you don't. But this dichotomous nature of the diagnosis fails to recognize the complexity and diversity of addiction's origins ... read more

Adolescent Exposure to Drugs, Alcohol Fuels Use in Adulthood

July 29, 2016 — Teenagers who have easy access to drugs and alcohol in the home are more likely to drink and do drugs in their early and late 20s. That's according to the one of the first studies to look at how ... read more

Adolescent Drinking Damages Later Verbal Learning and Memory Performance

July 27, 2016 — Adolescence is both a time of rapid neurobiological changes and of the initiation of drinking – alcohol is the most commonly used substance among students in grades eight to 12. Binge-drinking ... read more

Health Insurance Coverage Is Associated With Lower Odds of Alcohol Use by Pregnant Women

July 26, 2016 — Researchers have studied the relationship between health insurance coverage and tobacco and alcohol use among reproductive age women in the US, and whether there were differences according to ... read more

Significant Pain Increases the Risk of Opioid Addiction by 41 Percent

July 22, 2016 — What do we really know about the relationship between the experience of pain and risk of developing opioid use disorder? Results from a recent study -- the first to directly address this question -- ... read more

Smokers Quitting Tobacco Also Drink Less Alcohol

July 21, 2016 — People who have recently begun an attempt to quit smoking tobacco are more likely to try to drink less alcohol than other smokers, according to ... read more

Glutamate Levels in the Brain May Be Linked to Alcohol Craving

July 20, 2016 — Craving consists of cognitive, emotional, and behavioral elements related to a desire to drink alcohol, and can be experienced during intoxication, withdrawal, and/or prior to relapse. Different ... read more

Study With Aye-Ayes, Slow Loris Finds That Prosimians Prefer Alcohol

July 19, 2016 — In the first controlled study of its kind using nectar-simulating solutions, researchers found that two aye-ayes and another prosimian primate (slow loris) could discriminate different concentrations ... read more

Working Memory in Aging Adults Becomes Increasingly Affected by Alcohol

July 15, 2016 — Working memory can be thought of as short-term memory, temporarily holding ideas and recent events in the mind for quick recall. Working memory often declines with age; it may also be susceptible to ... read more

Saturday, August 27, 2016