Over the years, numerous researchers have concluded that people who consume alcohol have heightened risks for getting injured. However, these researchers commonly focus on emergency room cases and don’t examine the connection between alcohol intake and injuries that don’t require emergency treatment. In a study published in April 2014 in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, researchers from the Alcohol Research Group used information from a periodic project called the National Alcohol Surveys to compare the rates of alcohol-related injuries treated in an emergency room to the rates of such injuries not treated in an emergency room. The researchers also looked at some of the factors that increase the likelihood that a person will experience an alcohol-related injury.
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Author Archives: Texas Drug Rehab
Heavy Drinking Leads to Risky Injection Behavior in IV Drug Users
People who consume too much alcohol on a daily or weekly basis seriously increase their chances of developing diagnosable symptoms of alcohol abuse or alcoholism. Public health officials refer to such a pattern of intake as heavy drinking or at-risk drinking. In a study published in March 2014 in The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, a research team from Great Britain and China looked at the impact that heavy drinking has on the odds that any given user of IV (intravenous) drugs will engage in risky behaviors that increase his or her potential for exposure to HIV and other serious blood-borne infections.
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How Does Alcohol Affect Drinkers Who Haven’t Eaten?
People who consume alcohol in bars or other social settings often have not eaten a considerable amount of food for a number of hours. In turn, lack of food can contribute significantly to a drinker developing a blood-alcohol level high enough to produce legal intoxication and increase the risks for alcohol-related harm. In a study published in March 2014 in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, researchers from three U.S. institutions compared the varying effects that hard liquor consumption, wine consumption and beer consumption have on the blood-alcohol levels of people who drink on empty stomachs.
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Is Prescription Opioid Use Increasing in Pregnant Women?
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Prescription opioids are widely prescribed medications commonly used to relieve medically serious pain. In the U.S., these medications rank as the most frequently abused legitimate pharmaceutical substances. Pregnant women who use prescription opioid medications have increased risks for bearing children with any one of a number of serious birth defects. However, according to the results of studies published in two journals in May 2014, intake of these medications by pregnant women commonly occurs. One of the studies covers usage patterns among women participating in the publicly funded insurance plan called Medicaid, while the other covers usage patterns among women with private health insurance.
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Proactive Approach by Doctors Helps Smokers Quit
Nicotine addiction is a common condition in people who regularly smoke cigarettes. Unfortunately, most of the smokers who try to break their nicotine addictions do not use methods with proven scientific effectiveness or seek the help of trained specialists. In a study published in March 2014 in the American Medical Association journal JAMA Internal Medicine, researchers from eight U.S. institutions sought to determine if doctors and public health officials can successfully go beyond traditional approaches by reaching out to cigarette smokers and proactively addressing the impact of nicotine addiction.
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Smartphone App Helps Alcoholics Stay Sober
Addiction specialists know that people recovering from alcoholism benefit from continued support after completing their primary treatment programs. However, not all people have the means or opportunity to receive appropriate continuing care. In a study published in March 2014 in the American Medical Association journal JAMA Psychiatry, researchers from four U.S. institutions assessed the usefulness of a smartphone application called the Addiction Comprehensive Health Enhancement Support System (A-CHESS) as a tool for providing the resources necessary to help recovering alcoholics maintain their sobriety after residential treatment.
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Cocaine Addicts Have Trouble Making Moral Judgments
Cocaine is a stimulant drug of abuse known for its ability to trigger physical dependence and addiction in repeated and heavy users. Researchers and addiction specialists are well aware that repeated exposure to the drug also has a widespread impact on the brain areas responsible for logical thinking and emotional processing. In a study published in March 2014 in the journal Addiction Biology, a team of Spanish researchers investigated the impact that cocaine addiction has on a person’s ability to deal with complex moral judgments known as moral dilemmas.
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A History of Addiction Treatment
Substance abuse and addiction have haunted humanity for thousands of years. From ancient drugs such as wine and opium to modern synthesized heroin and prescription painkillers, these substances have been the source of struggle and hardship for millions of addicts. Overcoming addiction is never an easy process; however, early addiction therapy, when it existed, used to be an ordeal in itself.
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How Do Conduct Problems Affect Teen Alcohol Use?
Conduct problems are disruptive or dysfunctional behaviors that reduce a person’s willingness or ability to follow established norms or a specific code of conduct. Young children and teenagers sometimes develop forms of these behaviors that are serious enough to qualify for an official mental health diagnosis. In a study published in November 2013 in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence, a team of British and American researchers looked at the potential impact of conduct problems on the frequency of alcohol consumption during adolescence. These researchers concluded that conduct problems have a strong influence on drinking levels in young teenagers.