Suicide is on the rise. In 2011, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated there were 90 suicides a day. By 2017, the National Institute of Mental Health had raised that to 128 per day. Overall, suicide was the tenth–leading cause of death, but it’s much higher for younger people. […]
Many holidays pose a greater risk of drunk driving-related deaths than other days, and Labor Day is among the worst. It never seems to reach the top spot, but it is consistently in the top five. Now, another Labor Day is upon us. In a perfect world, none of us […]
Despite the health benefits frequently ascribed to moderate consumption of red wine, drinking has at best mixed benefits. For one thing, the keyword there is moderate, and not everybody agrees on what moderate consumption is. According to a World Health Organization report, each citizen of the United States, ages 15 […]
There’s a new obstacle to ending the opioid addiction epidemic. Many pharmacies won’t carry the most effective medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for people with an opioid use disorder (OUD). The drug is buprenorphine, better-known by the Suboxone brand name, a formulation that includes naloxone to make abuse less likely. It is […]
Virginia Woolf wrote, “One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.” While she wasn’t referring specifically about recovery from alcohol or drug addiction, it still applies. If you’re in recovery from alcohol, drugs, or other substances, congratulations. That’s the important first step. Whether you […]
Alcoholics Anonymous is probably the best known anti-addiction program in the world. Some version of its 12 Steps are incorporated in almost every rehab center, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have its detractors. Some even call it a cult. It’s not. It’s a peer fellowship of people with alcohol […]
Addiction to and abuse of drugs has many causes but apparently, proximity is one of them. Addiction starts in the home. I don’t mean just that we first use drugs in our own house (though many do) or that addiction sometimes seems to run in families (it is partly a […]
Exposure to the sun can increase the risk of skin cancer. Alcohol consumption also can increase the risk of cancer. What happens when you combine the two? A greater risk of skin cancer than doing one or the other. Maybe. Scientists are often accused of being buzzkills or of talking […]
Liberal San Francisco has voted to ban the sale of e-cigarettes next year until and unless the US Food and Drug Administration considers them safe. If you are surprised that they were not already evaluated by the FDA, you’re not alone. According to some sources, the SF move is to […]
One of the problems with curbing the opioid epidemic is the problem of pain. Opioids are addictive, and some people take them for illicit reasons of pleasure rather than medically necessary reasons, but opioids can help manage pain. If there were no legitimate uses for Vicodin, Percocet, and OxyContin, if […]