A powerful and addictive new painkiller is coming down the pike. Can this be anything but an unmitigated disaster?
overdose
Perspective: Why Did Conrad Murray Get Just Four Years In Jackson’s Death?
Dr. Conrad Murray, convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the death of Michael Jackson, was sentenced on Tuesday to four years in prison, the maximum sentence for the crime.
Michael Jackson Verdict: Is a Doctor’s Conviction an Indictment of Modern Medicine?
Dr. Conrad Murray was found guilty on Monday of involuntary manslaughter in the death of Michael Jackson. With overdose deaths tripling in the past decade, should Murray’s conviction be a lesson to other doctors?
Are Doctors Really to Blame for the Overdose Epidemic?
Forty people die each day from what Dr. Thomas Frieden, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), calls an “epidemic” of prescription drug overdose. Frieden largely attributes the rise in overdose …
The Tolerance Effect: How Drinking May Have Really Killed Amy Winehouse
Amy Winehouse died of alcohol poisoning, according to a British coroner’s inquest released Wednesday. The singer had a blood level of alcohol five times the legal limit for driving at the time of her “death by misadventure,” the …
Family MattersSocial Media
Status: Drunk. Can Facebook Posts Help ID Problem Drinkers?
The next time some blustery college kid boasts on Facebook about how wasted he was last night, don’t just roll your eyes. He may be telegraphing he’s got a drinking problem, according to research published Monday in the Archives …
Viewpoint: Why Dr. Feelgood Isn’t Always Wrong
Dr. Conrad Murray, personal physician to Michael Jackson, is currently on trial in Los Angeles for involuntary manslaughter, two years after the death of the singer — of “acute propofol intoxication” — was officially ruled a …
Fueled by Growing Painkiller Use, Overdose Deaths and Child Poisonings Are on the Rise
Drug overdose has now overtaken automobile crashes as the leading cause of accidental death in the U.S., according to an analysis of government data. This is the first time that drugs have killed more people than car wrecks since …
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 …
New York State Passes ‘Good Samaritan’ Law to Fight Overdose
New York state last week became the largest state in the nation to adopt a “Good Samaritan” law to fight overdose. The law bars arrests and prosecution for personal possession of drugs, paraphernalia or underage drinking …
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. …
Heat Spikes Death Risk from Drugs
With relentless heat enveloping much of the nation, no one, it seems is spared. That includes a group at especially high risk of harm from high temperatures: drug users, both therapeutic and recreational, particularly those who …
Happy Hour? ‘Wet Houses’ Allow Alcoholics to Drink, With Surprising Results
It sounds like an alcoholic’s vision of heaven: a free place to live, paid expenses (mostly), and an ample supply of booze. But the reality of “wet houses” for homeless alcoholics looks more like hell, even as these programs — …