Spending time in green spaces can reduce cravings that contribute to behaviors like smoking, drinking, and unhealthy eating. This, from researchers at the University of Plymouth’s School of Psychology. This study administered a survey that asked participants about green space exposure including the proportion of green space in an individual’s…
I have been sober for over four years. I am in amazement as I type that, but I also reflect on the terribly long and hard road it took me to get to where I am today. I used to be known as a “chronic relapser.” In other words, I…
Drinking even a small amount of alcohol, like one pint of beer, can significantly impair our driving abilities. Researchers from the University of Sussex question the current legal limit. Study participants drank a cocktail containing enough alcohol to keep them within the legal limit for driving. These doses were equivalent…
Substance abuse is a serious disease that plagues the lives of both men and women. It is characterized by problems controlling use of a substance (alcohol or drugs), failure to quit even when it affects important areas of life, and the development of cravings, tolerance, and withdrawal when use of…
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…
Steroid use could increase the risk of cocaine use and addiction among teens. This, from researchers at the University of Puerto Rico who studied female rats. The team first exposed half of the rats to nandrolone, a performance-enhancing steroid commonly used by teens. After ten days, they split all of…
Binge drinking in our teens can lead to anxiety later in life. Researchers from University of Illinois at Chicago discovered that binge drinking in adolescence increases our risk of developing a mental illness, like anxiety, later in life. This is true even if we stop the bad habit while still…
Some people aren’t capable of identifying when they’ve had enough to drink. Consequently, they drink way too much. A UC Santa Barbara study found a brain mechanism that senses the negative effects of alcohol, like headaches and dizziness. It alerts us to these effects and helps to control the urge…
Do you know someone who becomes increasingly aggressive when they drink? I do. A friend from college was always a loose cannon at the bars. The night would start out tame enough—we’d camp out at a table, typically in the corner, and chat over a couple drinks. But after John…
Quick Summary A new study “Adolescent alcohol exposure epigenetically suppresses amygdala arc enhancer RNA expression to confer adult anxiety susceptibility” from the University of Illinois at Chicago says that binge drinking in adolescence can lead to anxiety in adulthood. This still holds true for individuals who stop binge drinking while…
People remember more while still intoxicated than they do a week later. A University of Gothenburg study recruited 136 participants and divided them into twogroups. One group drank vodka, while the other drank juice. Participants then watched ashort film that depicted a verbal and physical altercation. Half of the participants…
While many know that drugs and alcohol play a significant role in mental health, it isn’t as clear what that role is: can drug and alcohol use cause mental illness? Or does persistent drug/alcohol use merely signify a mental illness. As it turns out, the answer isn’t so black and…
