The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved naltrexone. Its primary use is for the treatment of alcohol and opioid use disorder. Naltrexone prevents alcohol and drug abuse by lowering drug cravings. This is how it aids those in recovery in maintaining...
Around 14.5 million people grapple with alcohol use disorder (AUD) in the United States. Individuals with AUD are unable to stop or reduce their drinking on their own. Their alcohol dependency impairs their ability to fulfill their responsibilities, damaging their...
We all get started from uniquely different backgrounds, experiences, and traumas. Coping mechanisms and defenses develop from an early age to protect us and allow for our survival. Oftentimes, these can mutate into something that haunts us as we grow up, and...
"Having worked in the emergency department for over 30 years I certainly agree with Dr. Green’s comments [regarding alcohol related problems seen in the ER]. I would also go as far to say that more than 50% of the problems we see in the emergency department are...
Most of us know that drinking alcohol in excess has negative consequences to our health. Namely, we know that our liver processes alcohol, and when we drink too much, our liver has difficulty processing the toxins and flushing them from our system. In fact, the liver...
"Wellness is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity." – The World Health Organization. The key phrase in the World Health Organization's definition of wellness is "well-being, and not just the...
One of the most important things you can and should do when tackling a drinking issue is to realize that nobody is judging you. Better stated, you shouldn't care if anyone is judging you, even if they might do so. Most people go about their daily lives concerned they...
Think of a "cause" as a factor. It can be anything from a genetic predisposition, to a neurochemical reaction, to environmental factors. Many factors may combine with another to cause a condition such as alcohol use disorder. It's impossible to attribute alcohol use...
Specific neurons, and their relationship to one another, play a pivotal role in alcohol use disorder. Neurons are separate cells that reside close to each other in the brain but do not touch. Instead, there's a small space in between each neuron called the synapse....
Targeted dosing of medication is also called "as-needed" dosing and contrasts with "constant dosing." An example of constant dosing is to take a pill once a day, or sometimes several times a day, but consistently on a daily cycle. The idea with constant dosing is to...