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News/Research

People judge their level of intoxication, drunkenness on their peers

While becoming intoxicated can impair brain function and result in poor judgment, a new study by Cardiff University in the United Kingdom finds that people’s perception of how trashed they are is judged in comparison to how drunk they think their peers are, rather than based on how much alcohol they have consumed. Individuals are […]

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Older adults with long-term alcohol dependence lose neurocognitive abilities

Heavy drinking can lead to neurophysiological and cognitive changes ranging from disrupted sleep to more serious neurotoxic effects. Aging can also contribute to cognitive decline. Several studies on the interaction of current heavy drinking and aging have had varied results. This study sought to elucidate the relations among age, heavy drinking, and neurocognitive function.  Read […]

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Specific trauma experiences contribute to women’s alcohol use, differs by race

Trauma exposure has consistently been reported as a risk factor for alcohol use and related problems. Further, racial differences in alcohol use, alcohol use disorder (AUD), and trauma exposure between European American (EA) and African American (AA) women have been reported previously. This study sought to identify racial differences in alcohol involvement, and to examine […]

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Incidence of psychiatric disorders has increased in a shrinking population of smokers

While cigarette smoking rates have declined among younger people in the United States, those who do smoke are more likely to have a psychiatric or substance use disorder compared with those who began smoking in earlier decades, new research indicates. Read more

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Stimulant abuse may hamper moral judgment

Regular cocaine and methamphetamine users can have difficulty choosing between right and wrong, perhaps because the specific parts of their brains used for moral processing and evaluating emotions are damaged by their prolonged drug habits, according to a study among prison inmates.  Read more

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Study pinpoints behavior type linked to binge drinking in young adults

While there are a number of studies on alcohol misuse, most of the research has been focused on the adult population. Alcohol is the most widely used drug among young adults between the ages of 18 to 25. Binge drinking – almost a rite of passage – peaks during the college years. So this begs […]

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Marijuana use may start from age 11, study finds

Marijuana remains the most commonly used illicit drug in the North America, and its use is particularly widespread among adolescents. Now, a new study has identified the ages at which adolescents are most likely to try the drug, which may have implications for current marijuana intervention programs. Read more

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Smoking cannabis with tobacco decreases motivation to quit

Research, published this week, finds that individuals who smoke cannabis with tobacco have less motivation to quit than those who smoke it without tobacco. Read more

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Trauma induces more alcohol craving than stress among veterans with PTSD and co-occurring alcohol dependence

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and alcohol dependence (AD) are two of the most common and debilitating disorders diagnosed among American military veterans. AD and PTSD often occur together, and this co-occurrence has a worse prognosis than either disorder alone. Alcohol craving is related to relapse, but the relationship between PTSD symptoms, craving, and relapse is […]

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Researchers have found alcohol abuse is linked to discrimination

Another negative health outcome linked to discrimination has been uncovered by research: alcohol abuse. Read more

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