Alcoholics

Troubling Alcohol Use Found Among Young Veterans; New Study Finds Disturbing Risk of Binge Drinking Among Servicemembers

August 13, 2008 -- NEW YORK - Yesterday, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) released a study on alcohol abuse among Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. According to the study, combat exposure significantly increases servicemembers' risk of heavy drinking, binge drinking and other alcohol-related problems. Young servicemembers are at the highest risk of developing these problems following their deployments. JAMA also found, "Those born after 1980 were at 6.72 increased odds of new-onset binge drinking."    » read more »

WASHINGTON, Aug. 13, 2008 – Defense Department officials are assessing ways to better prepare servicemembers, particularly members of the reserve and National Guard, for the stresses of combat so they’re better able to avoid alcohol-related problems when they return home, defense officials said today.

The goal, officials said, is to beef up existing strategies to address alcohol issues before and during deployments to mitigate post-deployment drinking problems.    » read more »

August 28, 2007, AUSTIN, Texas — An examination of gene expression in the frontal cortex has found that brain function is even more impaired in alcoholics with cirrhosis of the liver, one of the most common and serious medical complications linked to alcoholism.

Sustained exposure to alcohol can cause scarring and dysfunction of the liver, referred to as cirrhosis. Heavy alcohol use can also cause brain damage.

A recent study by Dr. R. Dayne Mayfield and colleagues found that cirrhotic alcoholics appear to have more impaired brain function than non-cirrhotic alcoholics.    » read more »