With June being Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) awareness month, I wanted to take a closer look at PTSD and what is happening in the brain. What is PTSD? Who does it affect? And what is the correlation between PTSD and addiction? The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that 7.7 million Americans, 18 years and older, suffer from Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). According to Science Daily, the number of self-reported PTSD cases has tripled among combat-exposed military personal since 2001.
A dangerous drinking fad that’s gaining popularity across demographics: inhaling or smoking alcohol. Though the idea of a fast-acting hit of alcohol or the thought of inhaling alcoholic vapor might seem alluring, this trend could be quite dangerous.
We’re seeing this trend of smoking alcohol not just among risk-takers like college kids or teens. We’re also seeing it among trendy adults and those who trying to lose weight (they don’t want the empty calories that come with consuming alcohol in its liquid form). To smoke alcohol, it’s poured over dry ice and inhaled. DIY kits are also used.
The ability for scientists to block memories seems like the plot of a sci-fi movie. In fact, if you’ve ever seen the movie “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” then you’ll know how the characters attempted to erase memories associated with emotional experiences. Well, new research from Western University shows how scientists were able to block memory recall that is prevalent in PTSD and addiction sufferers, often hindering treatment and increasing relapse risk.
Let’s say you’ve put in a hard week at work, it’s Friday night, and you’re ready to kick back and relax. You and your friends or coworkers decide happy hour at a local pub is the best place to start. You’ve never thought twice about what you drink on the weekends, because you don’t go out drinking during the week. So what’s the harm with a little weekend binge drinking?
The truth is a night of binge drinking doesn’t just cause a hang-over and an unproductive next day. It can be seriously harmful to your health. What scientists are finding is that it’s not just chronic alcohol consumption that is linked to developing alcoholic liver disease. New research has found that weekend binge drinking can cause lasting damage to the liver and make it more prone to liver disease. (This is also true of chronic drinkers who binge drink; there will be more injury to the liver.)
What researchers are also finding is that binge drinking is on the rise. An estimated 43 percent of men and 29 percent of women reported binge drinking at least once in the past year. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) defines binge drinking as five or more drinks within a two hour span for men, and four or more drinks for women.
One of the top reasons why an individual won’t seek help is the addiction stigma. People are reluctant to enter treatment in fear of what their family, friends or coworkers might perceive about them. Stigma also impedes those already in recovery and distances those who advocate for addiction groups. So what are some ways in which we can fight the addiction stigma?
First let’s address what the addiction stigma is. There is a misperception that an addict or someone suffering from substance abuse is automatically a character-flawed, weak-willed person, who is immoral, bad, or a failure. Often times it’s this perceived negative stigma that affects an individual and deters them from seeking help. Because in reality, addiction is a brain disease that needs physical and psychological treatment. Addiction also shows no discrimination. It is seen across all spectrums of race, ethnicity, gender, and socio-economics. In fact, some groups that researches are seeing an increase in substance abuse may surprise you.
What is synthetic marijuana, also known as Yucatan Fire, Skunk, Moon Rocks, fake weed, Spice or K2? It’s not just one thing. It’s a wide variety of herbal mixtures that produce a similar feeling as marijuana (cannabis). They are marketed as a “safe” and “legal” alternative to marijuana. They are often labeled as “not for human consumption” to get around drug laws (in some States these products are illegal).
