Alcohol & Alcoholism

Emergency rooms reported 14,270 intentional poisonings in 2009, according to a new government report. Alcohol was a factor in 60 percent of cases.

Teens entering 12-step substance abuse programs with a background in formal religious practices have better outcomes than those without a similar experience in religion, a new study suggests.

Skipping the recommended six-month “dry out” period for alcoholics in need of a new liver, before performing a liver transplant, results in better survival rates, according to a study published in this week’s New England Journal of Medicine.

Financial stress may lead older adults to drink and smoke more, according to a study of more than 2,300 adults over the age of 65. Men and people with less education appear to be most likely to drink and smoke in response to money worries.

A new study finds widespread substance abuse among Native American, mixed-race and white teenagers.

Recent veterans enrolled in college are more likely than their peers, who are not veterans, to use tobacco products, binge drink and engage in other risky behaviors, a new study suggests.

Drinking alcohol can trigger an allergic reaction or worsen existing allergies, according to the Past President of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, who spoke yesterday at the group’s annual meeting.

The Senate has approved an appropriation of $5 million for research into alcohol-detection devices called interlocks, which prevent drivers under the influence of alcohol from driving.

Women who have three to six alcoholic drinks a week are at slightly increased risk of developing breast cancer compared with women who don’t drink at all, a new study has found.

The American Academy of Pediatrics says doctors should routinely screen their teenage patients for drug and alcohol use at every visit, and look for signs of dependence or addiction.

A growing body of research indicates even moderate drinking can increase a person’s risk of cancer, The Wall Street Journal reports.

Voters in Washington state are considering a measure that would change the way liquor is sold, The Wall Street Journal reports.

A new study links heavy alcohol consumption with a greater risk of developing lung cancer.

Major League Baseball is considering whether to issue a ban on alcohol in baseball clubhouses following reports of beer drinking in the Boston Red Sox clubhouse this season.

One in five songs that are popular with teens have explicit references to alcohol, and one-quarter of these songs mention a specific brand, a new study finds.

College students who drink heavily and have high levels of aggression and impulsivity may be more likely than their calmer counterparts to continue heavy drinking after college, a new study suggests.

The costs to society from excessive drinking add up to $2 per drink, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The costs include lost work productivity, medical expenses and property damage from car crashes.

A new tool created by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and the American Academy of Pediatrics is designed to help pediatricians talk to teenagers about alcohol use.

Rising unemployment is associated with an increase in drinking, a new study suggests.

Drivers in Florida have been arrested and convicted of driving under the influence based on defective alcohol breath test machines, according to the Herald-Tribune.

A study of people admitted for substance abuse treatment for the first time has found they waited an average of 15.6 years to seek help from the time they initially used the substance.

California Governor Jerry Brown has signed a law banning alcohol sales at self-checkout aisles.

Doctors frequently fail to ask their young adult patients about excess alcohol use. The findings come from a new study by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

People with a family history of alcoholism are more likely to drink when they feel under stress, a new study suggests.

Rates of alcohol-impaired driving have dropped 30 percent since 2006, according to a new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Drunk driving rates remain high among young men, binge drinkers and people who don’t always wear a seatbelt.