On October 28, 2023, actor Matthew Perry, best known as Chandler from the sitcom ‘Friends’, passed away at the age of 54. While a drug overdose was not the cause of his untimely passing, Perry’s longtime battle with alcoholism and addiction has been a relevant topic of conversation in the wake of his death.  What...Read More

One reason why women are so susceptible to chronic illness and death due to alcohol abuse is due to how their bodies metabolize it. Research provided by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) suggests it’s because women have less water in their bodies compared to men of similar weight, so alcohol concentrates...Read More

It’s easy to think we’ll simply bounce back after a lot of water and a good night’s sleep. But what’s the dividing line between having a little too much alcohol and actually binge drinking? The definition of binge drinking is consuming excessive quantities of alcohol in a short period of time—roughly two hours—at least one...Read More

Why Is There a Controversy of Kombucha Tea? Over-the-counter health products are not always safe. Kombucha tea has been around for nearly 2,000 years. It was first brewed in China and then spread to Japan, Russia, Europe, and the U.S. This is a fermented and sweetened tea that is made with black or green tea....Read More

The Effects of Alcohol on the Brain Once a drink is consumed, it works its way through your bloodstream and hits the brain.  Alcohol is a depressant but it can also be an indirect stimulant.  Alcohol affects the brain by altering levels of neurotransmitters.  A neurotransmitter is a chemical messenger that sends signals throughout the...Read More

Are there complications with drinking on prescription medications? The side effects of prescription medication in addition to the effects of alcohol are never a safe combination. Even lesser amounts of alcohol can intensify the effects of the prescription medication, or can combat the medicine, making it ineffective. When a person consumes alcohol while taking prescription...Read More

“Depression can be treated,” says the World Health Organization (WHO). “The first step is talking.” A message that the organization hopes will reach some 300 million people around the world battling this serious mental health disorder. On World Health Day (April 7, 2017) the goal this year is to encourage people to talk about depression,...Read More

The angst that accompanies living in uncertain times should not be underestimated, and certainly not disregarded. It is correlation that goes far beyond the lines of politics (that is not to say that politics don’t have a role). Over the last two decades the economic landscape of America has changed dramatically, and with it economic...Read More

If it were possible to conduct a flash survey which asked one question of people working a program of addiction recovery, “who in this room has a criminal record?” More times than not, a significant number of those asked would answer “yes.” You may be thinking that it would be a rhetorical question, along the...Read More

Dangers of Alcohol Use Alcohol is a substance that is responsible every year for far more deaths than any other substance. And, yet it remains legal for adult consumption. However, it doesn’t do much good to argue for prohibition, history shows that outright bans on any substance does more harm than good. Mitigating the harmful...Read More