Alcohol Abuse Health Center

Features Related to Alcohol Abuse

1. The Truth About Toxicology Tests
   

   On television crime shows, the results of toxicology tests are spewed out at warp speed, sometimes available even before the autopsy is complete. In real life, toxicology test results take much longer. "Some of the tests take days, weeks, months," says Alan Hall, MD, a board-certified toxicologist a

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2. 12 Health Risks of Chronic Heavy Drinking
   

   It's no secret that alcohol consumption can cause major health problems, including cirrhosis of the liver and injuries sustained in automobile accidents. But if you think liver disease and car crashes are the only health risks posed by drinking, think again: Researchers have linked alcohol consumpti

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3. When You Don't Drink But Your Friends Do
   

   There's no graceful way out: Your best friend's getting married. Your boss says the holiday party is mandatory. Your mom expects you to play Santa on Christmas, like always. But now that you're sober, you're nervous about social functions where everyone will be drinking and expecting you to follow s

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4. Fighting Alcoholism With Medications
   

   There is no magic pill or one-size-fits-all treatment that can banish an alcoholic's need or desire to drink. But a handful of FDA-approved medications, when used in combination with psychological and social interventions such as 12-step programs, can help a significant number of alcohol-dependent p

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5. How I Learned to Stop Hating My Mother
   

   By Gretchen Voss "What about me?" I spat at my mother as she sat frail and broken in a wheelchair, her legs too wasted to carry her emaciated body. It was Christmas of 1999, and my father, two brothers, and I were at a family-counseling session during my mother's second — though not her last — stint

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6. When Alcohol Becomes a Problem
   

   Alcohol-use disorders (AUDs) are probably the most common mental disorders in the United States: Nearly one person in seven suffers from an AUD at some time in his or her life. The prevalence of AUDs among men is about three-to-five times greater than among women. Nevertheless, alcohol can have seri

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