Alcohol Dependence News and Research

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Anxiety disorders can compromise success of alcohol-dependence treatment

Individuals who have an anxiety disorder when starting treatment for alcohol dependence have a significantly greater risk for relapse to drinking within four months, according to researchers at the University of Minnesota.

18 Aug 2005

Nicotine patch dosage can be adjusted to provide more effective treatment for smokers with a history of alcoholism

Tobacco-caused disease is the leading cause of death for patients with alcoholism, but a study led by The Mayo Clinic Nicotine Dependence Center brings hope to non-depressed, recovering alcoholics who also smoke - individualized nicotine patch therapy. The findings were published in the July issue of Journal of Studies on Alcohol.

15 Aug 2005

Study offers a unique perspective on the beginnings of the alcohol experience and usage patterns of 12-year-olds

Clues looking into the root causes of alcoholism are emerging from new findings that center on the genetic patterns of young drinkers, with particular focus on why adolescents are more likely to drink large quantities of alcohol even if they need more alcohol to get the effects they desire.

25 Jul 2005

Less than 1 percent of health plan members are actually diagnosed with alcoholism or related disorders

Less than 1 percent of health plan members are actually diagnosed with alcoholism or related disorders, according to data from a national performance measurement project released today in New York City at the American Medical Association Media Briefing, Alcohol Dependence: From Science to Solutions.

24 Jul 2005

New guide to help patients who drink too much

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) has released a new guide for health care practitioners to help them identify and care for patients with heavy drinking and alcohol use disorders. Helping Patients Who Drink Too Much: A Clinician's Guide (PDF) is now available free online and in print.

21 Jul 2005

Office-based buprenorphine treatment for drug abuse shows promise

Patients who receive buprenorphine treatment for opioid addiction in an office-based setting are more likely than those receiving methadone treatment to be young men, new to drug use, and with no history of methadone treatment, Yale School of Medicine researchers report in a study published in Drug and Alcohol Dependence.

28 Jun 2005

Buprenorphine treatment for opioid addiction shows promise

16 Jun 2005

Causes, consequences and clinical implications of alcohol-related brain shrinkage

Previous studies have demonstrated that the brains of alcoholics are smaller, lighter and "shrunken" when compared to nonalcoholic brains.

14 Jun 2005

Depression is more common than post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among UK ex-service personnel

The war in Iraq has heightened recognition that active military service can have an adverse effect on the mental health of some military service personnel. Despite this, little is known about the psychological health or treatment experiences of those who have left the British armed forces.

2 Jun 2005

Women more vulnerable to chronic drinking than men are

A study in the May issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research addresses this gap in research, using computed tomography (CT) to examine brain atrophy in the brains of alcoholic men and women. The findings support and build upon a prior hypothesis that women develop alcohol-related brain damage more readily than men.

16 May 2005

Withdrawal symptoms from marijuana may make quitting harder

Often considered a relic of the 1970's culture, marijuana is no longer a baby boom generation issue. Today, nearly 50 percent of U.S. teenagers try marijuana before they graduate high school, and by 12th grade, about 21 percent are regular users.

9 May 2005

Genetic variation linked to alcohol dependence

The same gene that accounts for part of a genetic risk for developing alcoholism in a U.S. population is found in a Russian population, according to a published study by a Yale School of Medicine researcher.

22 Apr 2005

Naltrexone combined with psychotherapy helps treat alcohol dependence

Long-acting injections of the drug naltrexone, combined with psychotherapy, significantly reduced heavy drinking in patients being treated for alcohol dependence, according to a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association by a Yale School of Medicine researcher.

7 Apr 2005

Promising new treatment for alcohol dependence

According to the World Health Organization's Global Burden of Disease project, alcohol dependence, a major public health problem, ranks fourth as one of the worlds leading cause of disability. In the US alone over 100,000 deaths each year, where alcohol was a contributing factor, could have been prevented.

6 Apr 2005

Alcohol ranks as the number one health risk in all but two countries

Alcohol ranks as the number one health risk in all but two countries – Canada and the United States – in the Americas, according to a publication of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).

16 Mar 2005

College students not at a greater risk for alcohol dependence problems

Although college students had higher rates of yearly, monthly, and weekly alcohol use than their peers not attending college, they did not appear to be at a greater risk for alcohol dependence problems, according to an article in the March issue of Archives of General Psychiatry.

7 Mar 2005

Risky injection behaviors are established at the onset of injection drug use

The circumstances surrounding the first injection experience of young injection drug users are significantly linked to future injection behavior, according to a new study from researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and other institutions.

7 Mar 2005