Massachusetts General to
Start Screening All Patients for Alcohol, Illegal Drug Use
Patients at Massachusetts General Hospital will soon be
asked questions about their alcohol and illegal drug use, no matter why they're
at the hospital. The program scheduled to start this fall is part of a broader
plan to improve addiction treatment at the Boston hospital and its community
health centers. Please
click here to continue reading.
When Airlines Serve
Alcohol, and the Beverage Cart Requires a Bouncer
When Joshua Konowe, a technology entrepreneur, took his seat
in an emergency exit row on a flight to Belgium last fall, he was unaware that
his seatmate had washed down an anti-anxiety pill with her glass of wine. Please
click here to continue reading.
We need to talk (about our
drinking)
A few cocktails on a patio after work. A cold beer by the
grill. A glass or two of wine with dinner or after the kids are tucked into
bed. For most adult Canadians, drinking alcohol is an ingrained ritual, a way
to unwind or celebrate milestones with family and friends, to simply enjoy
life. What many people don’t realize is that the cumulative effects of regular
alcohol consumption can take a serious toll on their health: Cancer, heart
disease, depression and erectile dysfunction are just a few of the ailments
that medical research has linked to drinking. Please
click here to continue reading.
Once You Receive Addiction
Treatment Are You Cured For Life?
Addiction is a complex, often chronic brain disease for
which there is currently no cure. There is always a risk of relapse, similar to
other chronic conditions, such as high blood pressure or diabetes. Some may
view this as discouraging and think, “If there is no cure, what is the point of
getting treatment?” Though the thought of dealing with a life-long disease can
be daunting, it is possible to live a healthy life with proper care. Please
click here to continue reading.
Drunken Monkeys: What
Animals Tell Us about Our Thirst for Booze
Ever since childhood, when he saw his father descend into
alcoholism, evolutionary physiologist Robert Dudley has been curious about
humans’ strong attraction to booze. Please
click here to continue reading.
Politicians’ Prescriptions
for Marijuana Defy Doctors and Data
New York moved last week to join 22 states in legalizing
medical marijuana for patients with a diverse array of debilitating ailments,
encompassing epilepsy and cancer, Crohn’s disease and Parkinson’s. Yet there is
no rigorous scientific evidence that marijuana effectively treats the symptoms
of many of the illnesses for which states have authorized its use. Please
click here to continue reading.
Storytelling Can Enhance
Professional Training
If telling a story can bring a complex medical concept to
life for a patient, can it achieve the same for a provider? Researchers from
the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine believe that just
might be the case, having tested a patient anecdote in an effort to train
emergency physicians on the risks of prescribing dependence-inducing opioids.
They found that doctors who heard an anecdote about a man complaining of back
pain were better able to recall details of prescribing guidelines after an hour
than were doctors who simply received a straight summary of the guidelines. Please
click here to continue reading.
A Different Path to
Fighting Addiction
When their son had to take a medical leave from college,
Jack and Wendy knew they — and he — needed help with his binge drinking. Their
son’s psychiatrist, along with a few friends, suggested Alcoholics Anonymous.
He had a disease, and in order to stay alive, he’d have to attend A.A. meetings
and abstain from alcohol for the rest of his life, they said. Please
click here to continue reading.
Many Teens May Get Several
Pro-Marijuana Tweets a Day
Many American teens and young adults receive pro-marijuana
tweets several times a day, according to a new study. The findings are
concerning because young people may be especially receptive to social media
influences, and a person's drug use patterns tend to be established in the late
teens and early 20s, the study authors noted. Please
click here to continue reading.
Anatomy of American
Alcohol Consumption
Americans are drinking less beer, but more wine and spirits,
according to data from Euromonitor International. The trend, according to the
research firm’s senior alcoholic drinks analyst Spiros Malandrakis, has to do
with story as much as substance. Big beer companies have remained pretty
complacent in flavor and instead have focused on predictable advertising and
discounts to boost sales, he said. (Craft beer, a sector that is known for its
innovation in beer’s flavor, has seen huge growth but only makes up 8% of the
total beer market.) Please
click here to continue reading.
Ten Ways Addiction Is
Different in America
Whether it's our drug use, our laws, or the treatment
options we have on offer, the US frequently stands out. And that's not always
something to celebrate. Please
click here to continue reading.
Teens Drawn to Heavily
Advertised Alcohol Brands
Though ads are in compliance with law, researchers say
findings suggest current regulations aren't enough
The brands of alcohol favored by underage drinkers are the
same ones that are heavily advertised in magazines read by young people, a new
study reveals. The findings provide further evidence that alcohol ads can
encourage young people to drink. They also show that the alcohol industry's
voluntary advertising standards are inadequate, according to the authors of the
study in the July issue of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. Please
click here to continue reading.
Why I'm Skeptical about
Marijuana's Medical Benefits
There’s a little place up the street from me with a great
beer list. My favorite is a Trappist ale that I order maybe once or twice a
year (an ale whose name I never remember but simply refer to as “my medicine”).
It’s great after a particularly stressful day, not because of the serenity of
the monks who brew it, but because of its ridiculously high alcohol content. A
glass of this medicine takes the edge off of just about anything. Please
click here to continue reading.
Teen Addiction Treatment
Programs that Measure Up
You’d think that a recent “special issue” of a leading
magazine for addiction counselors focused on adolescents and young adults would
mention at least one teen program shown in scientific studies to have sound
research backing. Please
click here to continue reading.
The Heroin Antidote? How
Naloxone Can Help and Hurt Addicts
February 2, 2014 was the day the nation started taking
heroin seriously again, the day people learned about the darkness that comes
with drug addiction, it was the day we lost an incredible actor Philip Seymour
Hoffman. Hoffman's death ignited a media frenzy and opened the door for the
public to see the heroin epidemic that as treatment providers, we've been
seeing for the last decade. Something that has come out of the increased
awareness of heroin addiction is a newfound interest with the controversial
drug naloxone (also known under the brand name, Narcan) that can reverse the
side effects and overdoses of opioids. It is a right move that more states are
giving police and first responders' access to this drug, but it is one that
comes with a lot of controversy.
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