• Adolescence is a time when many begin experimenting with alcohol
• Some adolescents binge drink, that is, drink heavily during a short period of time
• Adolescent brains may be particularly vulnerable to the neurotoxic effects of alcohol
• Binge drinking during…

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<LI>People are more likely to sustain injuries if they use alcohol and/or other drugs</LI>
<LI>People clinically identified as substance abusers have an elevated risk of injury</LI>
<LI>People who abuse both alcohol and other drugs have…

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<LI>Chronic alcoholism has long been associated with neuropsychological deficits</LI>
<LI>These deficits include an inability to maintain attention</LI>
<LI>A recent study examined the cerebral basis of involuntary attention shifting in…

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<LI>Many alcohol and drug treatment programs have been merged since the early 1990s</LI>
<LI>Yet a study has found that alcohol-only and alcohol-and-other-drug dependent clients appear to have different treatment needs and risk factors for developing drug…

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<LI>Alcohol targets the central nervous system to produce its effects</LI>
<LI>Researchers have for the first time used a new technique called gene array technology to analyze brain gene expression in human alcoholism</LI>
<LI>Chronic…

• The brain is a critical organ system through which alcohol’s effects can lead to intoxication, tolerance and dependence
• Scientists have found a new means to measure directly alcohol concentrations throughout the brain
• The technology is called proton (¹H)…

• Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the single largest killer of U.S. males and females
• CHD is caused by partial or complete clogging of the coronary arteries that nourish the heart
• Atherosclerosis refers to the accumulation of fatty streak lesions in the coronary arteries…

• In 1994, the Food and Drug Administration approved naltrexone for the treatment of alcoholism
• It has since proven to be highly effective for many in recovery, but it does not work for everyone
• A recent study has found that individual metabolism may be a factor in…

• The first step in the metabolism of alcohol is its conversion to acetaldehyde (AcHO)
• AcHO is a highly reactive and toxic chemical that can damage the cells of all living things
• In adults, AcHO is blocked from entering the brain
• The prenatal brain may metabolize…

• Most health campaigns recommend abstinence from alcohol during pregnancy
• Some women nonetheless continue to drink at relatively high levels while pregnant
• This study examines two groups considered most at-risk: American Indians and African Americans
• …