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Tag: alcohol abuse

  • Scott Disick Reportedy Has A Serious Drinking Problem, Seeks Help After Getting Kicked Out Of Home

    Scott Disick loves to drink. And Kourtney Kardashian isn’t too pleased about it. However, Disick, who is now a father of three, seems like he’s willing to do anything to change his hard-partying ways. A source close to the 31-year-old reality star told Radar Online that Disick is looking for an addiction expert to help salvage his relationship with Kourtney.

    “Scott is working really hard right now with his therapist and is seeking an addiction specialist to overcome his alcoholism,” the insider tells Radar. “Kourtney couldn’t be any happier with her man right now.”

    Perhaps this is because of a recent incident where Kourtney kicked Scott out because he was partied and hung out with models alongside rapper French Montana a couple of days after Kourtney gave birth to their third child. Another insider tells Life & Style, “This should be one of the happiest times in their lives. But Kourtney feels like a third baby has made Scott even more distant. She’s told Scott to stay away until he’s back on the wagon.”

    There have been rumors that Scott and Kourtney are planning to quit Kourtney and Khloe Take the Hamptons because they are tired of the reality star lifestyle and the strain that it’s putting on their relationship. According to the rumors, the couple will make their decision as soon as their contract with E! comes to an end.

    Disick publicly battled his addiction in Kourtney and Khloe Take the Hamptons. The show even chronicled his alcohol and pill overdose as well as his subsequent trip to rehab. However, according to Radar Online’s source, he doesn’t want to rely on the traditional programs to kick his habit.

    The insider says, “He does not want to do the 12-step method or AA because of the fact that it is really not a program of anonymity any more. He thinks people will sell him out any chance that they get. Scott trusts no one aside from Kourtney, Khloe and a few close friends.”

  • Google Glass Withdrawal Symptoms Worse Than Alcohol?

    Like drugs, technology is an addicting and highly sought after augmented reality that generates dependency. Google Glass is a wearable technology with an optical head-mounted display, allowing for digital applications to pop right up in front of you.

    For 18 hours a day, a 31-year-old unnamed US Navy serviceman used Google Glass, only taking the device off when sleeping and showering. When doctors in San Diego, California took the device away, he complained of feeling extremely irritable and argumentative.

    The man checked himself into the Navy’s Substance Abuse and Recovery Program (SARP) in September of 2013 for alcohol abuse. While there, he was suffering from involuntary movements, cravings, memory problems, and even experienced dreams as if viewed through Google Glass, according to The Guardian.

    Doctors wrote in the journal Addictive Behaviors that the patient compulsively tapped his right temple with his index finger – a gesture that is used with Google Glass’ function to switch to its heads-up display.

    Dr. Andrew Doan, head of the addictions research at Naval Medical Center, told The Guardian that the man, while in the SARP, was “going through withdrawal from his Google Glass.” The patient also told Dr. Doan that “Google Glass withdrawal was greater than the alcohol withdrawal he was experiencing.”

    One could read this and assume all weight of admission was on Google Glass, but the man also had other problems:

    “The patient has a history of a mood disorder most consistent with a substance induced hypomania overlaying a depressive disorder, anxiety disorder with characteristics of social phobia and obsessive compulsive disorder, and severe alcohol and tobacco use disorders.”

    After 35 days in treatment, the man felt “less irritable, [and] was making fewer compulsive movements to his temple, and his short-term memory had improved.”

    Internet addiction disorder (IAD) is distinguished by the problematic use of computers, video games, and mobile devices. IAD was excluded as a clinical diagnosis in the 2013 update of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder, and not classified as a mental illness by the American Psychiatric Association. Despite this, many experts in the field believe that IAD surfaces other real predispositions, according to TIME magazine.

    “There’s nothing inherently bad about Google Glass,” Doan told The Guardian.

    “It’s just that there is very little time between these rushes.”

    “So for an individual who’s looking to escape, for an individual who has underlying mental dysregulation, for people with a predisposition for addiction, technology provides a very convenient way to access these rushes.”

  • Harry Potter Star Talks Alcohol Abuse, Childhood

    Harry Potter actor Daniel Radcliffe, now 24 and a very accomplished thespian, has been open about the fact that he abused alcohol during his run on the incredibly famous Harry Potter movies.

    These days, he is careful to highlight the results of four years of sobriety.

    Daniel Radcliffe was just an 11-year-old boy when his role as the boy wizard shot him into a world of fame, pressure, and confusion.

    To help him cope as he began to try and figure out who he was as a person beyond the spotlight, he turned to alcohol.

    “It is not a real pressure, but it is a pressure of living with the thought, ‘Oh, what is all these people are saying I am not going to have a career?’” he said. “What if they are all going to be right and will be laughing and I will be consigned to a bunch of ‘Where are they now?’ lists?’”

    Two years ago, he told his story of alcohol abuse and revealed that the problem was much more serious than people thought.

    “Seriously, in the last three years of drinking I blacked out nearly every time. Blacking out was my thing. The drinking was unhealthy and damaging to my body and my social life. That’s beyond question. I was living in constant fear of who I’d meet, what I might have said to them, what I might have done with them, so I’d stay in my apartment for days and drink alone.”

    He went on to say, “I was a recluse at 20. It was pathetic – it wasn’t me. I’m a fun, polite person and it turned me into a rude bore. For a long time people were saying to me, ‘We think you have a problem,’ but in the end I had to come to the realization myself.”

    Yes, so goes the story for many a child actor, but Radcliff soon realized that the alcohol was not doing for him what he had hoped.

    “I would have benefited from not drinking as it was not making me as happy as I wanted to.”

    Now the actor is so much more than Harry Potter. He is quite a star on TV, movies and on the stage, but he is not bitter about those early years of child stardom.

    “People don’t shout ‘Harry Potter’ at me now. They tend to know my name, which is lovely,” he said. “But I will always credit the opportunities I get to Harry Potter. I would not be a happy person if I was bitter about those ten years of my life.”

    What a great way to look at that period of his life and not have that popular victim mentality! Congrats to Daniel Radcliffe on his four years being sober.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Lindsay Lohan Source of Dina Lohan’s Angst

    Lindsay Lohan was the source of mom Dina Lohan’s angst during her days of drug and alcohol abuse. The elder Lohan recently told Oprah Winfrey she was afraid her daughter would die as a result of abusing her body.

    “Did you think there were days when she wouldn’t make it?” Winfrey asked Dina Lohan during her OWN docu-series called Lindsay.

    Dina Lohan appeared visibly shaken by the question, so Oprah asked a variation of it again.

    “What was the darkest for you?” she prompted Dina.

    “That. Losing her,” she replied.

    “The more the press would keep staying she’s going to be [one of those tragic Hollywood stories]—they were like putting that out in the universe,” Dina Lohan added as she worked to not lose her composure during the interview. “That was scaring me the most, ’cause I knew that could happen to her.”

    Oprah Winfrey made sure to mention that Lindsay Lohan is back home in New York during this, her post-rehab phase. This makes Dina Lohan happy, however she admits she is still feeling a small amount of that familiar angst.

    “Uneasy, but calmer,” she said of her present demeanor.

    Dina Lohan is often portrayed in a very unflattering light, but during her interview with Oprah Winfrey it became clear that she was still a mom who loved her daughter.

    Lindsay Lohan admits that reliving all of her rough times for Oprah Winfrey’s docu-series wasn’t an easy thing to do.

    Fortunately the young actress is still around to appear on the OWN network, and maybe her experiences will help save others from traveling down the same dismal road.

    Are you surprised to see such a caring side to Dina Lohan?

    Image via Facebook

  • Ralph Lauren’s Niece Fined For Wreaking Havoc On Delta Flight

    Jenny Lauren, niece of Polo fashion tycoon Ralph Lauren, was fined $ 2000 euros (approx. $2715) for “air rage” that forced the New York-bound flight she was on to divert to Ireland.

    The 41-year-old jewelry designer pleaded guilty on Wednesday to being drunk and wreaking havoc on a Delta Air Lines flight from Barcelona to New York. The crew had to divert the plane to Shannon, Ireland to boot her from the plane.

    The drama started when a flight attendant spotted Lauren crying in her couch and went to console her. In a surprise reaction, Lauren told the flight attendant to “get the f**k out” of her face.  She then chased the attendant Constance Topping throughout the main aisle of the plane. According to Inspector Tom Kennedy, the flight attendant was attacked both verbally and physically.

    The altercation caused concern among passengers who began standing out of their seats. She told Topping that she was going to go ballistic and pushed her hard against the wall of the plane, Kennedy said. She then called Topping a “f***ing ugly, blonde b***h.”

    Supervising flight attendant Jennifer Simpson and the plane’s pilot were not spared her wrath either when they tried to intervene. The tirade lasted close to an hour before the aircraft landed in Ireland to eject her from the flight.

    Her attorney Sharon Curley told the court that Lauren could not remember what had transpired in the incident and that she was “extremely embarrassed and extremely upset by her actions.”

    Curley also said Lauren, who fears flying, had taken three alcoholic drinks after taking prescription medication.

    Officials said the diversion cost the airline $43,158 and inconvenienced more than 100 people who were in the aircraft.

    Image via Jennylaurenjewelry.com

  • ABC News Anchor Elizabeth Vargas Seeks Treatment

    ABC News anchor Elizabeth Vargas is currently in rehabilitation for alcohol dependency. At fifty-one years old, the host of ABC News specials and co-anchor of ABC’s 20/20 has checked herself into rehab, which has been confirmed by the network. She has worked for the network since 1996, and is married to fifty-four year old Marc Cohn, a singer, songwriter, and musician, who is best known for his song, “Walking in Memphis.” She also has two sons, named Zachary, who is ten years old, and Samuel, seven.

    The New York Daily News was the first to report the story, stating how Vargas has been in a “well-respected rehab center” for approximately three weeks. Vargas has confirmed the story in a statement, which gives reason for her absence on 20/20 in recent weeks.

    “Like so many people, I am dealing with addiction. I realized I was becoming increasingly dependent on alcohol. And feel fortunate to have recognized it for the problem it was becoming,” she said. Those who are close to Vargas, including ABC’s team, continue to support Vargas through her difficult time.

    “We look forward to having her back home at ABC News, where she has done so much distinguished work over the years. Elizabeth is a member of our family, and we will support her in every way we can,” said ABC News representative Jeffrey Schneider.

    Elizabeth Vargas also hopes to motivate others to seek assistance, as she states: “I am in treatment and am so thankful for the love and support of my family, friends and colleagues at ABC News. Like so many others, I will deal with this challenge one day at a time. If coming forward today gives one other person the courage to seek help, I’m grateful.”

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Binge Drinking Linked to Increased Stroke Risks in New Study

    Though the health repercussions and costs of binge drinking have been known for years, researchers are just now coming to grips with how the practice can affect the human body. A new study has now revealed that binge drinking, even relatively rarely, can have serious health consequences.

    The study, published in the Journal of Neurology, showed that middle-aged men who binge drink were observed to have increased atherosclerotic progression. Atherosclerosis is a vascular disease in which artery wall thicken with fatty material such as cholesterol. The condition has been linked to both heart attacks and strokes. BInge drinking in the study was defined as having six or more drinks on one occasion.

    In addition, the study found that men who had had at least one hangover per year were at a greater risk of stroke. The increased risk seen was not dependent on the total amount of alcohol the men had drank. On top of this, men with hypertension or who were overweight increased their risk of stroke even more by drinking.

    The study was a follow-up to the FinDrink study, which looked at 2,600 men from eastern Finland. The men participated in the Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study for between 11 and 20 years. The men’s alcohol consumption was reviewed using the Nordic alcohol consumption inventory, while Finnish and World Health Organization records were used to establish stroke and death data.

  • Alcohol-Preferring Gene Found in Rats

    Alcohol-Preferring Gene Found in Rats

    The National Institutes of Health this week announced that it has discovered a gene link in rats selectively bred to prefer alcohol. Researchers believe the new findings could eventually help reveal the genetic component of alcoholism in humans.

    The study‘s findings have been published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The study looked at special breeds of rats, some bred to prefer alcohol and others bred to avoid it. Using genome sequencing, the researchers found a “dysfunctional” gene in the alcohol-preferring rats related to brain signaling. To test whether this was related to alcohol preference researchers then gave rats medication to block that same gene. The found that blocking the gene increased alcohol consumption in rats.

    “We’ve long known that genes play an important role in alcoholism,” said Dr. David Goldman, chief of the National Institutes on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism’ (NIAAA) neurogenetics lab. “However, the genes and genetic variants that cause alcoholism have remained largely unknown. This first discovery of a gene accounting for alcohol preference in a mammalian model illustrates that genomic analysis of a model organism is a powerful approach for a complex disease such as alcoholism.”

    Goldman and his colleagues hope that the research could lead to alcoholism-treating drugs for humans. The technique of comparing rat strains with different alcohol preferences in particular could lead to identifying more genetic links to alcoholism in the near future.

    “I commend Dr. Goldman and his NIAAA colleagues on this important study,” said Dr. Ting-Kai Li, former NIAAA director and a psychiatry professor at the Duke University School of Medicine. “It is gratifying to see that the alcohol-preferring/non-preferring model continues to provide a foundation for advancing the search for solutions to alcohol problems.”

  • Alcoholism, Eating Disorders Genetically Linked, Shows Study

    Alcoholism and eating disorders have both been found to have a genetic component for those at risk. Now, a new study has shown that these diseases may actually be linked to each other genetically.

    The study, published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, shows that alcoholics are “more genetically susceptible” to some eating disorders, and that the opposite is true as well. Researchers at Washington University looked at around 6,000 twins, using statistics to chart out the odds for gene traits. The traits for identical and fraternal twins were then compared. The study found that alcoholism and behavior such as binging and purging were genetically related.

    “By comparing the findings in identical and fraternal twins, we can develop estimates of how much of the difference in particular traits is due to genes or environment,” said Melissa Munn-Chernoff, lead author of the study and a researcher at Washington University. “We found that some of the genes that influence alcohol dependence also influence binge eating in men and women.”

    The study surveyed the twins about their alcohol use and eating practices. It found that 25% of the men and 6% of the women had been or were alcohol dependent. 11% of the men and 13% of the women had practiced binge eating, while 14% of the women had also practiced purging. Though a statistically significant link between alcohol dependence and disordered eating behaviors was found for both genders, women were found to have a higher correlation.

    “Those numbers suggest that there are shared genetic risk factors for these behaviors, such as purging and fasting,” said Munn-Chernoff. “It appears that some genes that influence alcohol dependence also influence binge eating in men and women, and compensatory behaviors in women.”

  • Binge Drinking Costs Billions, Says CDC

    Americans love their beer, and the recent rise in specialty spirits and microbreweries means more choices than ever. However, alcohol consumption could be costing U.S. states billions in healthcare and other costs.

    The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today released estimates showing that “excessive” alcohol consumption cost U.S. states a median of $2.9 billion in 2006. Binge drinking, which the CDC’s report states accounts for 70% of these costs, is defined by the CDC as five or more drinks on a single occasion for men and four or more drinks on a single occasion for women. The overall costs for excessive drinking in the U.S. totaled $223.5 billion in 2006.

    California had the highest excessive alcohol-related costs, paying $32 billion in 2006. North Dakota was the lowest, paying $420 million. The CDC estimates that, nationwide, the average cost for a state is around $1.91 per drink. The associated costs come from a variety of sources, mainly lost productivity, court costs, healthcare costs, and property damage. The CDC also stated that these costs may be underestimates, since they do not take into account the affects of excessive drinking on the people who are caused “pain and suffering” by those who drink to excess.

    “Excessive alcohol use has devastating impacts on individuals, families, communities, and the economy,” said Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the CDC. “In addition to injury, illness, disease, and death, it costs our society billions of dollars through reduced work productivity, increased criminal justice expenses, and higher healthcare costs. Effective prevention programs can support people in making wise choices about drinking alcohol.”

    The CDC estimates that 80,000 people in the U.S. die each year due to excessive alcohol consumption. It also estimates that 2.3 million years of “potential life” are lost each year due to the practice.

  • Billy Joel: Depression, Drinking Caused by 9/11

    Just over one decade ago, singer Billy Joel entered rehab for a drinking problem. He followed that up with trip to the Betty Ford Center in 2005. Now, Joel is opening up about his depression, his drinking, and why he was using alcohol to self-medicate.

    In a new interview with the New York Times, the New York native told the newspaper that he used to drink during difficult times in his life, such as during his multiple divorces. He stated that he would use alcohol as a medication for his depression. Joel admitted he would drink scotch, or vodka when things got really bad, and that he still occasionally has a glass of wine.

    Of his trips to rehab, Joel said he doesn’t “subscribe to 12-step stuff” and that he believes he simply “overdid it” sometimes. He emphasized that his multiple car accidents in the early 00s were not drinking-related and that he has never had a DUI. Instead, he said that he was in “kind of a mental fog” and a “deep, deep depression” brought on by the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center. Joel, from the interview:

    “9/11 just knocked the wind out of me, and I don’t know even now if I’ve recovered from it. It really, really hurt that man could do that to man. And then there was a breakup with somebody, and it took me a while to get me back on my feet again.”

  • Matthew Fox to Enter Alcohol Treatment Program to Avoid Jail Time

    Matthew Fox, the star of FOX’s hit show “Lost” and director Rob Cohen’s upcoming suspense/thriller “Alex Cross”, has agreed to partake in an alcohol treatment program to avoid jail time for his DUI arrest back in May. According to reports, Fox was allegedly under the influence of alcohol when he decided to embark on a late-night adventure to acquire some food. Once he was pulled over, police determined that the actor was in no shape to be behind the wheel. Fox was arrested at the scene, though he was released the same day.

    Last week, Fox, 45, pleaded no contest to the charges, which also include driving without a license. People claims that, should the actor successfully complete a court diversion program, he will avoid jail time for the incident. The plea was entered by Fox’s attorney in Bend, Oregon, the area where the actor was apprehended.

    “He has to go to an evaluator for alcohol [abuse] and complete any recommended treatment program,” Deputy District Attorney Cliff Lu explained. He also added that the charges against Fox are “certain to be dismissed” as long as he cooperates with the court’s wishes.

    Fans of the actor are painfully aware of his dark side. In 2011, Fox was arrested for allegedly punching a female bus driver in the face and stomach, an incident which concluded with the actor getting clocked by the woman he felt the overwhelming urge to assault. Just recently, “Lost” co-star Dominic Monaghan posted to Twitter that Fox has been known to beat women. Not just once, he claims, but several times. When a fan told Monaghan that Fox could sue him for defamation, the actor replied, “It’s very difficult to sue someone for speaking the truth.”

    “Alex Cross”, which features Fox as an insanely ripped serial killer, opens in North American theaters on October 26, 2012.