Binge drinking is a pattern of consuming a large amount of alcohol in a short amount of time. This type of alcohol use disorder may not involve physical dependence on alcohol, but it can still lead to a lot of unpleasant and unintended consequences, such as accidents, violence, health problems or job loss.
Adolescence is frequently a time of drug and alcohol experimentation in America. For this and other reasons, it also represents a crucial time for preventing drug and alcohol use. If you have children, you may wonder if the ways to prevent drug abuse among teenagers differ from the ways to prevent drug abuse among adults.…
A substantial number of people who go into drug treatment will relapse back into active substance use at least once before they establish lasting sobriety. And s drug abuse relapse does not generally appear out of the blue. In fact, several emotional and psychological warning signs typically appear before actual substance intake begins again.
Public health specialists, doctors and experts divide addictive substances into two broad categories: drugs (including prescription medications) and alcohol. The core signs of addiction to all of these substances are essentially the same and define the presence of a diagnosable condition called substance use disorder. The primary difference in any case of this disorder depends…
Dealing with an addict spouse may seem like a struggle at times, but there is light at the end of the tunnel. The person you fell in love with and married is still there, but is challenged by a disease. Fortunately, recovery is possible.
Texas has particularly strict laws around controlled substances and narcotics. The state’s laws are also complicated. The laws are explained in the Texas Penal Code and the Texas Controlled Substances Act, Health and Safety Code. Here’s a basic summary of Texas drug laws:
What is excessive drinking? If you follow public health discussions on the risks of alcohol consumption, or have simply seen headlines addressing the topic, you may be asking yourself what is considered “excessive drinking.” In the U.S., the guidelines used to define this dangerous pattern of alcohol intake — also known as heavy drinking —…
The party’s over. It turns out those studies over the years suggesting that a glass of wine a day can help you live a longer life got it wrong.
A new British study confirms that problem drinking is more common among lesbian and bisexual women than among their heterosexual counterparts. But confounding all expectations, the same research project also discovered that women’s rates of alcoholism are relatively unaffected by sexual preference. In other words, even though lesbian and bisexual women drink more, they don’t…
This is the first in a five-part series.