Alcohol & Alcoholism

Alcoholism and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can be safely treated together, a new study concludes. The study addresses concerns that treating PTSD could worsen alcoholism by bringing up painful memories, Reuters reports.

A new government report shows 37 percent of U.S. pedestrians killed in 2011 were drunk, USA Today reports. Thirty-five percent of those killed had blood alcohol levels that were at or above the legal limit for driving.

Mothers who consume a high-fat, high-sugar diet during pregnancy may be more likely to have children with an increased vulnerability to drug or alcohol abuse, a study of rats suggests.

Alcohol plays a major role in almost 20 percent of deadly crashes that involve recreational boats, according to The Journal News.

The U.S. Postal Service is considering delivering alcoholic beverages as a way to raise revenue, according to Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe. He told the Associated Press alcohol deliveries could raise as much as $50 million annually.

In recent years, a growing number of states have passed laws protecting retailers from being liable for harms caused by customers served alcohol illegally, according to a new study.

The percentage of pregnant women in substance abuse treatment programs who were being treated for alcohol abuse decreased between 2000 and 2010, according to a new government report. During the same decade, the percentage of pregnant women in these programs being treated for drug abuse rose.

Illinois Governor Pat Quinn has signed a law aimed at reducing the number of people who operate a boat under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

The results of a study of compulsive drinking habits in rats could one day lead to a treatment for similar behavior in humans, according to researchers at the University of California, San Francisco. The treatment would only be effective if a person wanted to stop drinking, they say.

The United States Navy announced it is cutting back the sale hours for alcohol at base stores, in an effort to reduce sexual assaults, The Washington Times reports.

A drug prescribed for both epilepsy and weight loss may help reduce cocaine use in people addicted to cocaine and alcohol, a new study suggests.

Most women who drink before becoming pregnant continue consuming alcohol throughout their pregnancy, Australian researchers have found.

A child’s personality traits before age 5 may help predict whether they will use alcohol in adolescence, a new study suggests.

People who are both smokers and heavy drinkers have a faster decline in brain function, compared with those who don’t smoke and who drink moderately, a new study suggests. Smoking and heavy drinking is associated with a 36 percent quicker decline in cognitive function.

Women are more likely to describe intoxication with moderate words such as “tipsy” or “buzzed,” while men tend to use harsher words such as “hammered” or “wasted,” according to a new study.

School anti-alcohol policies are more effective when students think they are being enforced, researchers at the University of Washington have found. Students’ perceptions of the policies’ enforcement are more important than the details of the policies.

A growing number of small, inexpensive personal devices measure a person’s blood alcohol level, providing drivers with an easier way to assess their fitness to drive. Experts warn the devices do not guarantee a person can drive safely, The New York Times reports.

A study of youth exposure to alcohol finds 37 percent of children in one Pennsylvania county had tasted alcohol by age 8, and two-thirds had tried it by the time they were 12.

As the workday grows ever longer, an increasing number of companies are offering alcohol as an office perk, according to The Wall Street Journal. Employment lawyers say the trend can lead to problems including drunk driving, assault, sexual harassment or rape.

The risk of concussion is three to five times higher for teenagers who use marijuana or alcohol, compared with their peers who do not smoke marijuana or drink, according to a new study.

Disrupting memories of past drinking, by blocking a pathway in the brain linked to learning and memories, may help reduce alcoholic relapse, a study of rats suggests.

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder and autism spectrum disorder may share some molecular similarities, a new study of rats suggests. The findings could help researchers trying to develop new treatments for both disorders, Fox News reports.

Some men who use the baldness drug finasteride (Propecia) report drinking less alcohol, according to a new study. The researchers say they are not sure why the medication may reduce the urge to drink, but suggest the drug may change the brain’s chemistry.

A new study of designated drivers finds 35 percent of them drink. Many imbibing designated drivers have blood-alcohol levels high enough to impair their driving, researchers from the University of Florida report.

Dr. Stuart Gitlow, President of the American Society of Addiction Medicine, argues DSM-5 changes the terminology of addiction, but the disease remains unchanged.