Tag Archives | Alcoholism

LSD Gets Another Look As Alcoholism Treatment

By Easy Rider on March 11, 2012 in News 10

Scott Hensley reports on NPR:

You might be tempted to chuckle about some Norwegian researchers peering back at experiments done during the ’60s and ’70s with LSD as a treatment for alcoholism.

But don’t.

Their rigorous analysis, combining data from six different studies, concludes that one dose of the hallucinogenic drug might just help.

The past studies randomly assigned patients to get a strong dose of LSD or something else (another drug, such as amphetamine, a low dose of LSD or nothing special). And the results provide evidence for a beneficial effect on abstinence from alcohol.

For what it’s worth, the analysis, just published online by the Journal of Psychopharmacology, was funded by the Research Council of Norway, not exactly a fringe outfit …

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‘Demon Squirrel’ Stars In New Russian Anti-Alcoholism Campaign (Video)

By ralph on December 3, 2010 in News 5

Man, this rodent needs to lay off the sauce. Via BBC News:

A Russian cartoon on alcoholism featuring a red-eyed “demon squirrel” with “the shakes” has had more than a million views on YouTube.

The squirrel rants about “chasing spiders up the walls” with a friend, who then murders his wife. The public information ad has created a buzz word, “kudyapliki” — imaginary creatures the squirrel and his friend want to hunt during their binge. “Are you on the booze yourself?” he asks at the end. “I’ll be seeing you.”

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Outlaw Professor Confirms Alcohol ‘More Harmful Than Heroin’

By Aaron Dames on November 2, 2010 in News 18

[disinfo ed.'s note: although we ran a story about this report previously, we decided that Aaron's post had sufficient additional information to run it too.]

Not sure about the “harm score” reliability, but the chart is worth a gander nevertheless; the BBC reports:

Alcohol is more harmful than heroin or crack, according to a study published in medical journal the Lancet. The report is co-authored by Professor David Nutt, the former UK chief drugs adviser who was sacked by the government in October 2009. It ranks 20 drugs on 16 measures of harm to users and to wider society.

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Booze More Deadly Than Smack Or Crack

By majestic on November 1, 2010 in News 16

"King Alcohol and his Prime Minister" circa 1820

Fuel for critics of the war on some drugs, from AP via Yahoo News:

Alcohol is more dangerous than illegal drugs like heroin and crack cocaine, according to a new study.

British experts evaluated substances including alcohol, cocaine, heroin, ecstasy and marijuana, ranking them based on how destructive they are to the individual who takes them and to society as a whole.

Researchers analyzed how addictive a drug is and how it harms the human body, in addition to other criteria like environmental damage caused by the drug, its role in breaking up families and its economic costs, such as health care, social services, and prison.

Heroin, crack cocaine and methamphetamine, or crystal meth, were the most lethal to individuals. When considering their wider social effects, alcohol, heroin and crack cocaine were the deadliest. But overall, alcohol outranked all other substances, followed by heroin and crack cocaine.

… Read the rest

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Connection Between Genetics and Alcohol Tolerance Found

By Pelliciari on October 21, 2010 in News 8

While science still hasn’t decided whether or not alcoholism is genetic, they have found a gene that may answer why some people have a higher tolerance. From BBC News:

Experts say they have found a “tipsy” gene that explains why some people feel alcohol’s effects quicker than others.

The US researchers believe 10% to 20% of people have a version of the gene that may offer some protection against alcoholism.

That is because people who react strongly to alcohol are less likely to become addicted, studies show.

The University of North Carolina said the study aims to help fight addiction, not pave the way for a cheap night out.

Ultimately, people could be given CYP2E1-like drugs to make them more sensitive to alcohol – not to get them drunk more quickly, but to put them off drinking to inebriation, the Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research journal reported.

Continues at BBC News …… Read the rest

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