News Blog
Email Signup - Get the LifeRing Newsletter, news blog posts, and invitation to LifeRing events.
A Sober Look at Death From Drinking
A recent article in The Atlantic points to a study in Italy that makes the somewhat obvious point that drinking is bad for your health. The article starts out: “A number of studies in the past few years have suggested health benefits from drinking small or moderate amounts of alcohol. This can encourage people to…
A LifeRing Keeper: Support, Information and Experience
Here’s a post from one of the LifeRing email groups. It’s a response to a person who was expressing their despair over how difficult it was to quit drinking. In it, the writer tries to give both support and information while drawing on their own experiences, something common in all LifeRing venues. Ah, it all…
Alcohol has Different Effects for Women vs. Men, Young vs. Old, Article Says
An article at the Star.com website of the Toronto (Canada) Star newspaper discusses what researchers have discovered about differences in the effects of alcohol on females — especially adolescent females — from their male counterparts. In both genders, one researcher says, “Quantity and frequency can be a killer for novice drinkers. Adding alcohol to the…
New Guide Helps Identify at-risk Kids, 9-18.
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) has just released a guide for health care professionals to help identify children and teenagers age 9 to 18 who are at risk for alcohol-related problems, provide brief counseling, and refer them to treatment resources if that is indicated. While aimed at professionals, the guide contains…
Drug Shows Promise for Help in Preventing Relapse
A new study — on mice, not people — shows promising results with the use of a drug called Mifepristone to reduce relapse stemming from high stress levels. The drug was initially commercialized by the name RU-486, a drug that is widely used for inducing terminations of pregnancy. “It seems to impede the activity of…
“Addiction and Alcoholism: Beyond 12 Steps”
The MSN website carried an article by Maia Szalavitz recently that should be of great interest to those seeking an overview of addiction that looks deeper than “spiritual weakness.” It’s a bit long, but worth the effort. Here it is: Although addiction and alcoholism treatment research has advanced tremendously since Alcoholics Anonymous was founded in…
Nicotine really is a “Gateway Drug” Says New Study
The idea of “gateway drugs” has been a subject of controversy and ridicule for decades. It’s an argument aimed often at people who use marijuana and are told that pot leads to the use of “harder” drugs. It has also been a handy weapon to aim at teenagers who smoke tobacco. A new study suggests…
“Why I Can’t Drink”
One of the hardest things in recovery is simply to remember how bad life was when drinking. Time passes and the painful memories become blurred and they disconnect themselves from the act that brought them about. In a recent note, an e-mail pal sent me a list she had made of why she can’t drink.…
New Study: “Moderate” Drinking Causes Cancer
An article in the Wall Street Journal provides a good response to those who insist that “moderate” alcohol consumption is good for you. See the article here . While the article acknowledge some health benefits, a new study points out that there are also negative effects, including an increased chance of cancer of the breast,…