Alcoholism and Depression

"An increasing number of studies show that treatment is effective for adolescents with alcohol and drug-related problems, but there are unique challenges to assessing, diagnosing, and treating alcohol problems in young people."

"Alcohol abuse and alcoholism research demonstrates the fact that if you consume alcoholic beverages, it's important to know whether your drinking patterns are safe, risky or harmful. Answering these questions will take only a few minutes, and will generate personalized results based on your age, gender and drinking patterns."

"Alcohol use interacts with conditions such as depression and stress to contribute to suicide, the third leading cause of death among people between the ages of 14 and 25. In one study, 37 percent of eighth grade females who drank heavily reported attempting suicide, compared with 11 percent who did not drink."

"The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has established procedures for mandatory alcohol testing that require the employment of a standardized breathalyzer. The categories of testing that are allowed by the DOT are the following: random, reasonable suspicion, and post-accident."

"In some areas, part of the DUI school curriculum puts offenders face to face with victims, who tell their painful stories of how a drunk driver changed their lives forever. The idea is that personalizing the pain that drinking and driving can cause might make the offender stop and think before getting behind the wheel after drinking."

"In some areas, part of the DUI school curriculum puts offenders face to face with victims, who tell their painful stories of how a drunk driver changed their lives forever. The idea is that personalizing the pain that drinking and driving can cause might make the offender stop and think before getting behind the wheel after drinking."

"In one U.S. study, the overwhelming majority of surveyed youth (74% of 8-17 year-olds; 74% of 8-12 year-olds; 74% of 13-17 year-olds) cite their parents as the primary influence in their decisions about whether they drink alcohol or not."

"U.S. alcohol abuse researchers have discovered that children learn their attitudes about drinking from those around them, especially from their friends, their parents, and from other adults."

"Most teens are aware of the dangers of drinking and driving, yet many ignore these dangers. And many teens don't seem to recognize the dangers of driving after using illicit drugs, including marijuana. Educational efforts need to be targeted to include the dangers of both drinking and drug-related driving."

"Screening for problem drinking and alcoholism needs to become an integral part of the routine health screening questionnaire for adolescents and all adults, particularly women of child-bearing age, because of the risk of fetal alcohol syndrome."

"Alcoholism statistics demonstrate that you might think you can quit drinking at any time. Many people who have alcohol problems do quit for periods of days, weeks, or even months before they start drinking again. But unless you can consistently keep your drinking under control and not fall back into unhealthy patterns, you need professional help."

"Research demonstrates that family factors, such as parent-child relationships, parental involvement, discipline methods, communication, and monitoring and supervision exert a substantial positive influence on the use and abuse of alcohol by youth."

"Unfortunately, once an individual develops a pattern of irresponsible and abusive drinking behavior, it is often an essential factor in the person's everyday thoughts and actions and, as a consequence, becomes very hard to change to any substantial degree. The point: there are several behaviors and activities in life that a person should not be involved in until he or she is an adult. And drinking happens to be a great example of this."

"U.S. alcohol abuse research scientists have discovered that people who stop using other drugs (such as marijuana, Oxycontin, or heroin) at the same time they quit drinking alcohol, might experience excessive withdrawal problems. These individuals, consequently, should see a doctor before they quit their addictive habits."

"Interventions should be carefully planned and developed by professional substance abuse counselors who are experienced in such procedures. The primary purpose of an intervention is to get the alcoholic to go into a treatment program."

"Previous studies have shown that alcoholic women perform just as poorly as alcoholic men on thinking and memory tests, even though the women hadn't been drinking as long as the men had."

"Codependency is defined by a group of symptoms that typically occur in those who live with someone afflicted with alcoholism or with some other addiction."

"In the early stage of alcoholism, drinking is no longer social but becomes a means of psychological escape from inhibitions, problems, and stress. Stated differently, early in the disease a person starts to depend on the mood altering capabilities of alcohol."

"A person who abuses alcohol may start drinking alone, gulping drinks or sneaking drinks before social occasions, or may start drinking the first thing in the morning. The abusive drinker may also display alcohol-related legal, financial, relationship, and employment problems."

"The findings of the 2001 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse and Addiction demonstrated that, while millions of Americans habitually drink alcohol, swallow prescription drugs, smoke pot, and snort cocaine, a number of drug users who meet or exceed the standards that indicate that they need professional treatment do not realize or accept the fact that they have a drug abuse problem."

"According to one U.S. study, three out of ten adults surveyed reported that drinking has been a cause of trouble in their family."

"Your success in treatment for alcohol abuse and dependence is strongly linked to admitting that you have a problem and your desire to stop drinking. Supportive treatments, such as counseling, are rarely successful if you continue to drink."

"Alcoholism and medical research have discovered that drinking alcohol can be hazardous in smaller amounts if it is consumed along with the following drugs: street drugs such as heroin and opium; sedatives such as tranquilizers and barbiturates; anti-seizure medications such as phenobarbital; and narcotic pain medications such as Codeine, Codeine derivatives, and Darvocet. Not only this, but mixing alcohol and drugs not only compounds the drug and alcohol problems that the abuser experiences, but doing so increases the person's need for professional alcohol and drug treatment."

"In the U.S., a clear relationship exists between alcohol use and grade point average among college students. Students with grade point averages of D or F drink three times as much as those who earn As."

"The substance abuse research literature shows that most of America's youth perceive their parents as the main role models regarding their drinking behavior. This finding without question places a relatively great amount of responsibility on parents in the manner in which they conduct themselves concerning their drinking behavior."

"The findings of the 2001 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse and Addiction demonstrated that, while millions of Americans habitually drink alcohol, swallow prescription drugs, smoke pot, and snort cocaine, a number of drug users who meet or exceed the standards that indicate that they need professional treatment do not realize or accept the fact that they have a drug or an alcohol abuse problem."

"Alcoholism research demonstrates that besides the long-term health problems that can develop, a prolonged use of alcohol can lead to a chemical dependency on alcohol itself, which can bring about a whole set of problems of its own."

"In the United States, 20% of alcoholics who try to quit drinking on their own without medical management die of alcohol withdrawal delirium."

"U.S. alcoholism research shows that people who have been drinking are at greater risk of being the victim of violent crime and are also more likely to be involved in accidents, fires, and to engage in self-harm."

"Alcohol withdrawal symptoms rarely occur in people who only drink once in a while. Alcohol withdrawal symptoms usually occur in people who have been drinking heavily for weeks or months and then suddenly stop drinking."

"When an individual consumes a heavy amount of alcohol over a short period of time, or use is continuous over a number of days or weeks, this is called bingeing, intensive use, or binge drinking."

"According to research undertaken by the American Medical Association, there is some evidence that drinking an abusive amount of alcohol at some stage in late childhood and during adolescence can lead to permanent brain damage."

"Alcoholism is a profound problem, and the third leading cause of preventable death in the U.S., after smoking and obesity. Being aware of your risks may prevent you from becoming one of those statistics."

"Research demonstrates that some people with alcoholism may have an inherited a dysfunction in the transmission of serotonin."

"Low self-esteem and depression make one more vulnerable to excessive drinking and alcoholism."

"Long-term alcohol abuse may physically affect the brain. Studies have reported that excessive and heavy drinking results in less blood flow in the front lobes of the brain, which may reflect links to deeper levels."