Brain Differences Seen in Children from Alcohol-Dependent Families
A new study shows that children from families with several generations of alcohol dependence exhibit differences in their brain when compared to children without a family history of alcoholism, Reuters reported June 8.
For the study, 17 teenagers considered high risk for alcohol dependence because of a strong [...]

Binge Drinking Damages Brain and Stops Growth
Researchers found that binge drinking not only damages the brain, but interferes with the repair of brain cells, as well, Reuters reported Nov. 15.
Researchers at the Center for Alcohol Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill studied inebriated rats. They found that new cell growth in [...]

Heroin addicts reduce craving with Injectable Naltrexone
Heroin addicts stayed in treatment longer, used less heroin and were more prone to be heroin free after 2 months.
Sixty addicts were trialed on a new long acting form of drug that only needs to be used once a month. The drug, Naltrexone, reduces the pleasurable effects of heroin [...]

Wernicke-Korsakoff
Syndrome Background: In
1881, Carl Wernicke first
described an illness that
consisted of paralysis of
eye movements, inability to
coordinate voluntary
muscle movements, and
mental confusion in 3
patients. The patients, 2
males with alcoholism with
progression to coma and
death. Wernicke detected
holes and bleeding
affecting the gray matter
in some parts of the brain.
S.S. Korsakoff, a Russian
psychiatrist, described the
disturbance of memory in
the course of long-term
alcoholism in a series of
articles from 1887-1891. In
1897, Murawieff first
postulated that a single
cause of a disease was
responsible for both
syndromes - Wernicke
syndrome and Korsakoff
syndrome. Or, in common

Vanderbilt study suggests coffee may help alcoholics quit drinking
Not all recovering alcoholics smoke cigarettes, but almost all of them drink coffee, according to a new Vanderbilt study suggesting that healthy intake behaviors could help addicts kick their habit.
The study, “Coffee and Cigarette Consumption and Perceived Effects in Recovering Alcoholics Participating in Alcoholics [...]

What is the ego? It has
been defined in many
ways. In the following
definitions, we are
examining the ego as our
identity in the human
realm. The ego is our
identity. It is who we
believe ourselves to be. It
is our reference point, and
our “home” in the world.
The ego is individuality. As
our identity, it sets us
apart from other people’;s
identities. To provide our
sense of being separate
from other people and from
the world in general, the
ego creates “ego
boundaries”; in that
separateness, our ego
distinguishes itself as being
unique. The ego is a center
of consciousness.

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is one of the few known preventable causes of mental retardation

Alcohol Related Brain
Injury (ARBI) Cognitive
Changes Cognitive
changes with ARBI can
include Poor initiation and
lack of motivation Rigid and
inflexible thinking and
behaviour Difficulty in
abstract reasoning Inability
to deal with novelty, solve
new problems or adapt to
change Lack of self-
awareness, realistic self-
appraisal and evaluation
Disorders Of Awareness
Disorders of awareness are
perhaps the most
frustrating and complicated
aspects of ARBI. They are
closely related to brain
impairment, particularly
frontal lobe dysfunction,
but may also reflect
emotional difficulties in
adjusting to disability.
Common disorders of
awareness include: Denial
of Disability - Reflects a
defence mechanism
associated with
psychological adjustment
to disability Poor Insight -
Ranges from being
unaware of one’;s
impairment to

Side Effects Imperil Addiction Drugs
Reports of increased risk of depression and suicide are dimming the future prospects of drugs designed to treat addictions to alcohol, tobacco and other drugs, the Associated Press reported.
Development of anti-addiction drugs has gained increased attention from pharmaceutical companies in recent years, but problems associated with drugs [...]

Does cannabis use lead to mental-health problems?
In 1987, a large-scale Swedish study confirmed an association between cannabis use and the development of schizophrenia. Ever since, it has become widely accepted by clinicians that there are links between cannabis use and mental illness. Experts have expressed particular concern about the mental-health effects of cannabis use on [...]