The Al-Anon program has been doing good work for “the families and friends of alcoholics” since 1961. It provides a 12-step program for people who are affected by the addiction of someone close to them. They even have Al-Ateen, a program expressly geared towards adolescents. Nar-Anon and Narateen offer similar programs for the friends and […]

When we get sick, our immune system kicks in to fight the virus or bacteria. Our immune system represents the soldiers of our bodies that fight battles of foreign invasions and is composed of B cells which make antibodies, T cells which make killer cells and our lymph nodes where these soldiers live. Our nervous […]

It’s one of those strange coincidences: Last year, PepsiCo introduced a new version of Mountain Dew called “Dewshine.” It’s marketed with sly winks and nods to moonshine and bootlegging, with old-fashioned labeling and jugs. Apart from the questionable marketing, Dewshine is a fairly innocuous product. In February, a bizarre story surfaced in the news involving […]

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, or SAMHSA, the earlier you start using drugs or alcohol, the more likely you are to develop an addiction. Thankfully, research shows that if you wait until you’re 25 before initiating substance use, you’re home free — mostly. The TEDS report The Treatment Episode Data […]

Electronic cigarettes (i.e., e-cigarettes) are disposable or rechargeable battery-operated devices that resemble cigarettes, cigars or pipes and produce flavored vapor (i.e., aerosol) containing nicotine that the user inhales, much like a regular cigarette. E-cigarettes were designed to look, feel and act like smoking a regular cigarette without the revolting “ashtray” smell of cigarette and cigar […]

Parents, once watched in their youth, have become the watchers. It may feel awkward to spy online, logging on to Instagram to see if your teen is connecting with potential drug dealers – if not bragging with selfies of substance use. According to the DrugAbuse.com, monitoring online activity may be worth it, as it reveals, […]

Most mental health clinicians are proponents of early intervention and for most mental disorders. The notion of preventing escalation and substance abuse by treating symptoms early has been widely shown to improve outcomes for many mental illnesses, including psychotic disorders. Psychotic disorders cost billions of dollars in health care expenses each year, mainly due to […]

Believe it or not, in some countries — for instance, in England and Australia — school functions sometimes provide an open bar for the parents. It’s not unusual to see mothers and fathers drinking wine during a primary school concert, or beer during a school-sponsored fair. According to recent research, this unique mixture of parental […]

Substance abuse trends in college students have long been acknowledged as a public health concern. In the U.S., around 20.5 percent of college students meet the criteria for past-year alcohol or illicit drug abuse or dependence, similar to peers who did not attend college. According to SAMSHA 2010 estimates, 23 percent of full-time college students […]

More than 4 million children and adolescents have a mental illness, and this number is on the rise, according to a recent study. Hospitalization rates for mental illness among this population have risen. A dedicated medicine specialty, child and adolescent psychiatry is a specialized field that focuses on the mental health among the pediatric population. […]