We may never know the true death toll of 9/11, nor the full extent of the psychological trauma the terrorist attacks caused. But by looking at rates of alcohol and other drug use among those who were directly and indirectly …
Addiction
Viewpoint: Why Tough-Love Rehab Won’t Die
Despite decades of research showing the harmfulness of coercive rehab for addiction, these abusive, tough-love programs refuse to go away.
On Overdose Awareness Day, a Mother’s Plea for Compassion
Marilee Murphy Odendahl wants you to know a few things about her son, Ian. “He was marvelously funny, loyal, extremely intelligent and a really good observer of human behavior, so much that you wouldn’t necessarily like to be the …
Does Drug Testing the Poor Do Anything to Reduce Addiction?
In one of the most emailed articles this week on TIME.com, legal columnist Adam Cohen questions the constitutionality and financial benefit of a new Florida law that requires welfare applicants to take a drug test for …
Why the New Definition of Addiction, as ‘Brain Disease,’ Falls Short
In 1956, the American Medical Association declared alcoholism a “disease.” More than half a century later, the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) has proclaimed addiction, including alcoholism and “process” addictions …
Can Tanning Be “Addictive”? Not So Fast
We’ve all seen the headlines about sex, food and rock-and-roll “lighting up” the same brain regions as drugs. The latest? “Tanning Bed Users’ Brains Like Addicts’,” claims the UPI, citing a new study.
The Detox Amy Winehouse Should Have Done
It appears that we won’t know what caused Amy Winehouse’s death for several months, but if the singer did die from alcohol withdrawal, as has been speculated, the tragedy of her loss will be compounded by the fact that such …
Most Teens Taking Prescription Drugs Do It Right
Most students taking prescription medications for pain, sleep, anxiety or attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) do not misuse the drugs, a new study finds. And proper use of these medications was not associated with a …
In the Wake of Amy Winehouse’s Death, a Spotlight on the Deadliness of Alcohol
While rumors continue to fly about what killed Amy Winehouse — the latest suggest that crack and heroin may have been involved — the singer’s parents continue to maintain that she was sober when she died, and that in fact, …
Q&A: The Author of Unwasted Talks About Socializing Sober
Writer Sacha Z. Scoblic spent years reveling in her life as the party girl, always quick with a laugh and up for another drink—or five. But when she gave up alcohol in 2005, Scoblic found she wasn’t interested in chronicling …
Marijuana Derivative May Offer Hope in Cocaine Addiction
A new study in mice has found that activating a receptor affected by marijuana can dramatically reduce cocaine consumption. The research suggests that new anti-addiction drugs might be developed using synthetic versions of …
Amy Winehouse and the Pain of Addiction
Another addiction death comes at age 27, with Amy Winehouse joining Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain and most aptly, Janis Joplin among the rock icons who died from their disorder at the same point in their young lives. …
Study: Marijuana Not Linked With Long Term Cognitive Impairment
The idea that “marijuana makes you dumb” has long been embodied in the stereotype of the slow, stupid stoner, seen in numerous Hollywood movies and TV comedies and going unquestioned by much of American culture. But a new …