Your 12-year-old son keeps getting in trouble at school — for picking on his classmates, lying to his teacher, and even stealing other kids’ things. You think he’s just “acting out.” Until you find out he’s been sneaking out at night for the last 6 months. It becomes apparent that…
Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is the current diagnosis for what may also be called chronic alcoholism, alcohol addiction, alcohol abuse, dipsomania, and alcohol dependence. We can define unhealthy drinking behaviors in a variety of ways, but problems are the common denominator. That is, our friend/enemy/frenemy alcohol (technically ethanol) is a…
In my experience, online dating in NYC was mostly a matter of meeting at the right bar. The bar couldn’t be your local. You wanted to keep your local to yourself in case the date went sour. But the bar couldn’t be far away either because you didn’t want to…
For many undergraduate college students (as well as those who’ve since graduated), drinking alcohol seems synonymous with the university experience. It can be a way to celebrate getting through final exams or winning a home football game. Most notoriously, a drink in hand can also loosen our social inhibitions, to…
Alcohol use disorder or AUD diminishes men’s ability to process their emotions. This effect isn’t as significant in women. Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine used MRIs to analyze brain activity in individuals with AUD. They found that the experiences and mechanisms of AUD are different for the two…
Many people who don’t experience addiction themselves struggle to understand why and how others become addicted to substances like drugs and alcohol. Some doubt or downplay the suffering that comes with this disease, and others, those who empathize with struggling addicts, just can’t fully grasp the painful, strenuous battle that…