Men who moderate their alcohol intake generally lead happier, more fulfilling lives, a 75-year long Harvard study shows. In 1938, the Grant Study set out following 268 Harvard undergraduate men in order to determine what factors contribute most strongly to human flourishing. Dr. George Vaillant, who directed the extensive and detailed project for over 30…
Alcohol produces its most prominent effects by making significant changes in the brain’s normal chemical environment. In a person with alcoholism, some of these changes persist over time and lead to lasting, disruptive structural and behavioral problems. In a study published in April 2014 in the journal PLOS One, a team of researchers from Spain…
Seeing a friend spiraling into self-destruction is never a pleasant experience. Not only will you be witnessing somebody you care about hurting him or herself, you’re also thrown into the uncomfortable position of having to decide what to do about it. It might not be the most appealing notion, but real friends look out for…
People with serious drinking problems may have overlapping symptoms of alcohol abuse and alcoholism, symptoms related only to non-addicted abuse or symptoms related only to alcoholism. After trying to quit, many of these individuals experience a short- or long-term relapse back into active alcohol consumption. In a study published in June 2014 in the journal…
Doctors and researchers know that some of the risks for developing alcoholism are passed on genetically from generation to generation. In a study published May/June 2014 in the journal Alcohol and Alcoholism, researchers from the Medical University of South Carolina and the University of California, Los Angeles assessed the potential impact of two genetic variations…
No family is conflict-free. But when one parent is addicted to alcohol, the amount of arguing that goes on in the home is higher than normal. That kind of home environment hurts everyone, including the children. The good news, according to a new study, is that if dad will take steps to deal with his…
Addiction specialists and researchers know that alcoholism does not manifest in the same way in all affected individuals. In the 1990s, a researcher named Thomas F. Babor proposed a classification system that divides alcoholics into two main groups, known as Type A alcoholics and Type B alcoholics, based on several underlying criteria. In a study…
Doctors and public health officials know that alcohol affects women and men in different ways. Specifically, women who drink have higher risks for certain serious health problems than their male counterparts; in addition, women who drink have unique health concerns not found in men. In a study review published in March 2014 in the Journal…
Previous studies of twin siblings and families point to a strong genetic role in the development of an alcohol abuse problem. The trouble is finding out which among the 24,000 human genes are most responsible for the vulnerability.
Energy drinks are a modern class of beverage that contain some sort of nonprescription stimulant, including substances such as caffeine, guarana or yohimbe. College students and other young adults consume these beverages with some regularity. In a study published in March 2014 in the journal Substance Abuse, researchers from six U.S. universities analyzed the potential…
