News - Woke Up and Found Myself Here

New Medications May Offer Hope To Drinkers Battling Alcohol Dependence

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Individuals who experience the physical, mental and social symptoms associated with alcohol dependence are offered hope through the results of two recent studies by researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). In separate investigations, researchers found favorable results for a medication to help heavy drinkers who are trying to modify their consumption, as well as a medication to reduce alcohol withdrawal symptoms and prevent relapse.

Rolling Stones Guitarist Ronnie Wood enters Rehab for Alcoholism

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LONDON (AP) Ronnie Wood entered a rehabilitation facility Wednesday for help with alcoholism, said a spokeswoman for the Rolling Stones guitarist.

"Following Ronnie's continued battle with alcohol he has entered a period of rehab," the spokeswoman said on condition of anonymity as required by her agency. "His close family and friends say he is seeking help and look forward to his recovery."

Alcoholism and Neural Tube Defects: What Every Alcoholic Should Know

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It is widely acknowledged that alcoholism can lead to health problems. The question that can be posed here however, is does anyone know and understand to what extent heavy drinking can affect the body? How about for specific at risk populations? For instance, what happens when pregnant women drinking alcohol? Is eating well, sleeping eight hours a night and maintaining low stress levels enough to maintain a healthy pregnancy? Though all of these factors are important, there are specific vitamins that are needed to ensure a healthy pregnancy and subsequently a strong baby. One such component being emphasized by the medical community and organizations like the Centers for Disease Control is folic acid.

Consequences of Drinking Alcohol

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Many changes happen to an individual when they consume alcohol. There are changes in a person’s body and mood, as well as their actions and likelihood to be involved in certain situations. Alcohol consumption changes the way a person’s brain works. When someone is or has been drinking, they can have a slower reaction time, poor judgment, and a loss of balance and motor skills, among other things. With the physical dependence of alcoholism, the substance has created more substantial changes in the brain. The individual can no longer quit drinking on their own without becoming ill, and they should not try to detox without medical supervision.

How Drug Addiction and Alcoholism Develop in the Brain

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The reward system, also called the limbic system, in your brain is affected any time you do something that brings you pleasure. This can mean the good feelings that arise from accomplishment of personal goals, the enjoyment of a social relationship, winning the lottery, and drug and alcohol abuse.

This response developed for human survival, and it was meant to drive people to do the things that help them succeed in life, even eating food.The problem is that substances of addiction also set off the limbic system. They create intense feelings of pleasure the first times an individual uses drugs and alcohol by sending a lot of dopamine into the brain. Substance abuse has other negative effects as well, but the reward response often overrides them. An individual’s brain begins to change immediately because the flood of dopamine is unnatural. It attempts to compensate for this, leading to increased tolerance levels for drugs and alcohol. The brain begins to make less dopamine, and with further use, it begins to require the substance in order to function normally. It also changes the way an addict thinks and causes them to seek substance abuse regardless of the consequences.

Alcohol May Raise Breast Cancer Risk

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Researchers See Possible Link Between Drinking and Breast Cancer Fueled by Hormones

Even a drink or two a day of alcohol may raise the risk of the most common type of breast tumors -- those fueled by the hormones estrogen and progesterone, according to one of the largest studies if its kind.

A second study shows that specific variations within two genes involved in metabolizing alcohol are associated with an increased risk for breast cancer in postmenopausal women.

While the studies do not prove cause and effect, they lend plausibility to growing evidence implicating drinking as a risk factor for breast cancer , says Elizabeth Platz, ScD, a specialist in cancer prevention at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

"The beauty of the research is that it tells us something about the mechanisms" by which alcohol may raise breast cancer risks , she tells WebMD.

Platz moderated a news conference to discuss the findings at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research.

Alcoholism: Losing Old Friends to Stay Sober

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Alcoholism, like many addictions, is a disease of reinforcement. When you take drugs or alcohol, you feel better and when you stop drinking, you miss the feeling. By this same mechanism, the people you associate with can start to reinforce your drinking behavior.

Even though, for many, alcoholism ends up being a disease of solitude and loneliness, but it could start off completely differently. The divorced alcoholic that drinks half a bottle of whiskey every night before going to bed, probably started off drinking socially with friends.

That is not to say that everyone you might drink with is an alcoholic, but when trying to recover, it is wise to cut ties with people who could influence you to drink. If you have friends that you only saw on the weekends at the bar, these friendships reinforce your alcohol use. And when you're trying to get sober, it can be challenging to be with these friends.

Stopping Alcoholism Before It Starts

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April is National Alcohol Awareness Month and it provides organizations in the recovery community such as the David Lawrence Center with an opportunity to encourage local communities to focus on alcoholism and alcoholism issues.

Taking action and intervening early before serious problems occur — legal or otherwise — is a critical concern for youth in Collier County. Alcohol use by young people is extremely dangerous, both to them and to society at large. It is associated with traffic fatalities, violence, unsafe sex, suicide, educational failure and other behavioral problems.

Alcohol continues to be the No. 1 drug of choice among American young people. Those who begin drinking before age 15 are four times more likely to develop alcoholism than those who begin at age 21. Each day, 7,000 kids in the United States under the age of 16 take their first drink. Underage alcohol use costs the nation an estimated $53 billion annually.

MusiCares Launches New Online Addiction Recovery Videos

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MusiCares and the MusiCares MAP Fund have produced a compelling new series of informational videos with artists. These short pieces cover a variety of topics from addiction and the challenges of getting sober to life on the road and the benefits of sobriety and offer intimate portraits of successful music people dealing with their own recovery or that of their band members. The videos feature Bob Forrest, Dave Kushner, Ozzy Osbourne, and Slash, as well as manager Bill Siddons. In addition, the page features Alice In Chains' Jerry Cantrell and Sean Kinney with Metallica's James Hetfield and Robert Trujillo performing "Them Bones" at the 2006 MusiCares MAP Fund Benefit Concert.

Fighting Alcoholism With A Pill

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A major shift is under way in the treatment of alcoholism.

Since the disease was first recognized by the medical establishment more than a half century ago, alcoholics seeking treatment have essentially had two options: traditional psychotherapy or abstinence support groups like Alcoholics Anonymous. Although a handful of medications have been available -- including Antabuse, which makes people nauseous when they drink -- they have had limited success and are prescribed to a fraction of patients seeking treatment.

Now, a new wave of drugs is poised to radically change the way doctors approach the disease. Over the past decade, neurobiologists have been decoding the brain's addiction pathways, paving the way for a crop of targeted medications that act on brain receptors to blunt cravings, ease withdrawal symptoms and dull the euphoric effects of alcohol. In one of the most controversial developments, the new drugs may help alcoholics simply cut back their drinking, rather than give up alcohol completely, which some doctors say may be a more realistic goal for many patients.