Cigarette smoking is common among individuals with alcohol use disorder (AUD), and research suggests that smoking may interfere with alcohol recovery. Mon et. al. found that smoking slows the healing of brain damage during alcohol recovery (2009). Several studies have shown that AUD can damage the brain. AUD brain damage, commonly visible in the frontal...

Aripiprazole (Abilify) has been approved by the FDA for the treatment of schizophrenia and acute manic and mixed episodes of bipolar disorder and as an adjunct for the treatment of major depressive disorder. Although other FDA-approved atypical antipsychotics (clozapine, risperidone, olanzapine, quetiapine, and ziprasidone) antagonize the D2 dopamine receptor, aripiprazole acts as a dopamine receptor...

Among men who seek alcohol recovery, there are high rates of co-occurring alcohol dependence and intimate partner violence (IPV). IPV may include physical abuse, sexual abuse, threats, and emotional abuse directed toward current and former spouses and dating partners. A sensible approach for alcohol treatment for these men would need to include interventions that address...

Because alcohol use disorders are common among driving-while-intoxicated (DWI) offenders, a DWI arrest may serve as an opportunity for psychological screening and subsequent alcohol treatment. Holt et. al. examined the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) as a tool for predicting intervention outcomes in first-time DWI offenders. The BDI is a multiple-choice self survey consisting of 21...

Do you feel anxious when you’re in the spotlight or under scrutiny? According to a recent study from researchers at Yale University and Florida State University, social anxiety – and fear of scrutiny, specifically – appears to serve as a risk factor for alcohol use disorders (Buckner & Schmidt, 2009). Future research into how observation...

Binge Drinking, Daily Drinking and Liver Disease   If you are aiming to establish an alcohol recovery by moderating alcohol as opposed to abstaining from alcohol, you may be tempted to believe that as long as you do not binge drink you will not experience any major negative health consequences.  Although binge drinking is clearly...

What are the effects of cannabis on alcohol recovery? Many alcohol dependent individuals relapse after a period of abstinence in alcohol recovery. Researchers have used the reinstatement paradigm as an animal model of relapse. Animals are exposed to certain stimuli to test whether they reinstate previously extinguished responses, such as alcohol-seeking behavior. Lab rats, for...

What is the relationship between alcohol and sense of smell? Olfactory impairment is one of the many potential side effects of alcohol dependency. In a non 12 step approach to recovery, individuals have the opportunity to completely abstain from alcohol and possibly decrease any potential olfactory impairments. Olfaction — the sense of smell — not...