Alcoholism News

October 21, 2024

Top Headlines

For Heavy Drinkers, Chronic Pain Associated With Alcohol Withdrawal Could Be Permanent

Oct. 17, 2024 — One of the main physical symptoms of alcohol withdrawal is 'allodynia' -- increased sensitivity to mechanical stimuli that are normally innocuous, which is a clinical sign of chronic pain. In a new ...

Coffee During Pregnancy Safe for Baby's Brain Development, Study Suggests

Oct. 9, 2024 — A new study has failed to find any strong links between drinking coffee during pregnancy and neurodevelopmental difficulties in ...

Arrhythmic Hearts After Excessive Alcohol Consumption

Oct. 9, 2024 — Researchers find cardiac arrhythmias in partygoers who had drunk a lot of ...

Taking a Trip Down Memory Lane Could Be the Key to Drinking Less Alcohol

Aug. 22, 2024 — A new study suggests recollecting a previous drinking episode could put women off drinking too ...

Latest Headlines

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Study Demonstrates Effective Screening and Intervention for Unhealthy Alcohol Use in Primary Care Settings

Aug. 14, 2024 — A new study could lead to better alcohol use screenings for patients in a primary care ...

Children Can Inherit Early Aging Symptoms from Parents Who Abuse Alcohol, Researchers Find

Aug. 8, 2024 — Researchers say they now know that offspring are inheriting dysfunction in their mitochondria as a result of their parents' substance abuse. This ...

Alcohol Use in Older Adults Doubles Risk of Brain Bleeds from Falls

Aug. 8, 2024 — Little is known about the association between the frequency of alcohol use and the severity of injuries sustained after a fall in older adults. A study of 3,128 older adults who underwent an initial ...

Less Sleep and Later Bedtime in Childhood Linked to Future Substance Use

Aug. 13, 2024 — Adolescents were more likely to have consumed alcohol or tried marijuana by age 15 if they had later bedtimes and slept fewer hours during the night during childhood and adolescence, according to a ...

What Happens to Your Brain When You Drink With Friends?

Aug. 6, 2024 — Grab a drink with friends at happy hour and you're likely to feel chatty, friendly and upbeat. But grab a drink alone and you may experience feelings of depression. Researchers think they now know ...

Researchers Identify Brain Region Involved in Oxycodone Relapse

July 9, 2024 — Even years after they have recovered, a person who once struggled with alcohol or opioid addiction can relapse--and that relapse is more likely to occur during particularly stressful times. Now, ...

A Deep Dive Into the Genetics of Alcohol Consumption

Apr. 5, 2024 — Some people have genes that protect them from alcohol abuse. An examination of databases at 23andMe reveal that those same alcohol-protective variants have associations with conditions and behaviors ...

Even Moderate Alcohol Usage During Pregnancy Linked to Birth Abnormalities

Apr. 2, 2024 — Researchers have found that even low to moderate alcohol use by pregnant patients may contribute to subtle changes in their babies' prenatal development, including lower birth length and a shorter ...

Mar. 27, 2024 — The couple that drinks together might live longer together, too, says a University of Michigan ...

Low Social Status Increases Risk of Health Problems from Alcohol Problems

Mar. 20, 2024 — Men and women with lower income or education levels are more likely to develop medical conditions related to alcohol abuse compared to similar individuals with a higher socioeconomic status, ...

Students Who Feel More University Connection May Be More Likely to Binge Drink, Study Finds

Oct. 10, 2024 — Mentally healthy college students who felt connected to their university were more likely to binge drink than those who did not feel connected to their university, according to a new ...

Calorie Labels on Alcohol Might Help Some Drinkers Maintain a Healthier Weight

Sep. 19, 2024 — Just over half of heavier drinkers in England say they would make changes to their drinking if calorie labels for alcohol were introduced, according to a new ...

Shrinking the Pint Can Reduce Beer Sales by Almost 10%

Sep. 17, 2024 — Reducing the serving size for beer, lager and cider reduces the volume of those drinks consumed in pubs, bars and restaurants, and could be a useful alcohol control measure, according to a new study. ...

Innovative Modeling Aims to Curb Teen Drunken Driving Fatalities

July 29, 2024 — New research is shedding new light on the complex issue of drinking and driving among teens and young adults in the ...

Bipolar Disorder and Alcohol: It's Not as Simple as 'Self-Medication'

July 23, 2024 — Bipolar disorder and alcohol problems seem to go hand-in-hand, leading to a widespread belief that drinking acts as a kind of 'self medication' to ease bipolar's life-altering symptoms ...

New Study Highlights Significant Increases in Cannabis Use in United States

May 23, 2024 — A new study assessed cannabis use in the United States between 1979 and 2022, finding that a growing share of cannabis consumers report daily or near-daily use and that their numbers now exceed those ...

A Closer Look at Cannabis Use and Binge Eating

Feb. 13, 2024 — New research examined how often people experiencing binge eating are also using cannabis recreationally, and whether patients who use cannabis experience more severe eating disorder symptoms or ...

Removing Largest Serving Sizes of Wine Decreases Alcohol Consumption, Study Finds

Jan. 18, 2024 — Across 21 licensed premises in England, removing the largest individual serving size of wine from the menu reduced the volume of wine sold, according to a new ...

Reduced Drug Use Is a Meaningful Treatment Outcome for People With Stimulant Use Disorders, Study Shows

Jan. 10, 2024 — Reducing stimulant use was associated with significant improvement in measures of health and recovery among people with stimulant use disorder, even if they did not achieve total abstinence. This ...

Scientists Give New Insight Into a Molecular Target of Alcohol

Jan. 8, 2024 — By investigating a molecule in the brain tied to cellular communication, scientists uncover important information about the proteins that do -- and do not -- influence alcohol drinking ...

Drugs Used to Treat Type 2 Diabetes Reduce Alcohol Cravings, Use in Individuals With Obesity

Jan. 8, 2024 — An analysis of those posts, together with a remote study of individuals with obesity who reported using semaglutide and tirzepatide, found that the drugs decreased cravings and reduced alcohol ...

Survey Finds Americans Struggle to Maintain Healthy Habits During the Holiday Season

Dec. 4, 2023 — The holiday season is a time for joy and celebration but many Americans admit the endless flurry of activities make it difficult to eat healthy, exercise and get adequate rest, according to a new ...

Study Identifies Peptide as Key Mediator in Heavy Alcohol Drinking

Dec. 1, 2023 — Researchers have identified that a peptide called pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide (PACAP), is involved in heavy alcohol drinking. In addition, they have discovered that this ...

Combined Use of Alcohol and THC Can Affect Rat Brains, Study Finds

Nov. 30, 2023 — The increased legalization of cannabis over the past several years can potentially increase its co-use with alcohol. Concerningly, very few studies have looked at the effects of these two drugs when ...

Lab Unlocks Keys to Alcohol Withdrawal Headache

Oct. 30, 2023 — Researchers have discovered mechanisms by which specific cells are activated in alcohol withdrawal-induced headache. The research may benefit further studies of various substance use disorder ...

Fathers' Parental Leave Might Protect Men Against Alcohol-Related Morbidity

Oct. 6, 2023 — Men who have been on parental leave have a significantly reduced risk of being hospitalized due to alcohol consumption, according to a new study from ...

Intellectual Disability More Common in Families With Substance Use Disorder

Sep. 7, 2023 — Children of a parent with alcohol or drug use disorder have a greater risk of intellectual disability, even if the problem only lies with the father, researchers report. According to the study, ...

Heavy Drinking, Handgun-Carrying Linked Among Rural Youth

Aug. 23, 2023 — Alcohol use and subsequent handgun carrying were positively associated during adolescence and young adulthood among individuals who grew up in rural areas, similar to findings in urban areas. ...

Routinely Drinking Alcohol May Raise Blood Pressure Even in Adults Without Hypertension

July 31, 2023 — An analysis of data from seven studies involving more than 19,000 adults in the United States, Korea and Japan found a clear association between increases in systolic (top-number) blood pressure and ...

Lean Body Mass, Age Linked With Alcohol Elimination Rates in Women

June 26, 2023 — Research links women's lean body mass with how quickly they eliminate alcohol from their system. Women with obesity and those who are older eliminate alcohol from their bloodstreams faster than ...