Pills that aimed to help people quit smoking, lose weight and kick other tough addictions, have been found to block the body’s pleasure centres, possibly raising the risk of depression and suicide. Margaret Bastian was among patients who reported problems with Chantix, a highly touted quit-smoking pill from Pfizer Inc, which has been linked to….
Continue reading ›
A program that gives homeless alcoholics a place to live and drink is saving taxpayers more than $4 million a year, according to a study released Tuesday. The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, endorses a “housing first” approach that calls for putting homeless people in permanent homes with supportive services….
Continue reading ›
English holidaymakers are turning to drink on their breaks with the average adult consuming eight alcoholic drinks a day, a survey suggests. That equates to 80 drinks over the course of the average holiday, or well over 200 units of alcohol. More than a quarter said they ended up drinking three times more than normal…..
Continue reading ›
Alcohol disinhibits the parts of the brain that control thoughts, feelings and behaviour; that’s why adults drink. Of course, most of us view this less technically in terms of “relaxing” and “enjoying ourselves”. And in most cases, that’s what it lets us do. Yet alcohol’s extraordinary ability to disinhibit other adult impulses is well documented…..
Continue reading ›
Until 2002, Kumar Dhakal, 51, of Surkhet was a respected journalist, a teacher and a responsible family man. In the five years that followed, that image was shattered as Dhakal made a descent into the abyss of alcohol abuse. He lost his job and was incapable of shouldering family responsibilities. “In those dark years, there….
Continue reading ›