While some 18 million Americans suffer from alcohol abuse or dependence, only one in eight receives treatment. Poor diagnosis may play a role in people being undertreated, but there are a growing number of tools to help people assess and understand whether they have alcohol problems. One of the latest tools is a new government….
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All children from the age of 10 are to be routinely asked by GPs how much alcohol they drink. New guidelines expected from the government’s health watchdog will recommend that family doctors screen youngsters for alcohol abuse on their first appointment or during routine visits. The guidelines aim to curb the health damage caused by….
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A friend sent me the following reflection from one of his parishioners, who asked not to have his name attached. Well worth reading: I am an alcoholic. I can say that now and know what it means- that was not always the case. When I first started coming to the rooms of AA I couldn’t….
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Treatment that combines sertraline and naltrexone appears to be superior to treatment with either drug alone, as well as to placebo, for individuals with depression and alcohol dependence. Patients receiving the combination treatment were more likely to achieve abstinence and had delayed relapse to heavy drinking, according to a report posted in the March 15….
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Mike (not his real name) started drinking as a teen and found himself drawn into alcoholism. “I started drinking when I was about 15 or 16, but it wasn’t a regular occurrence,” he said. “At university it became more regular, but I didn’t think I had an alcohol problem, and at that point I was….
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