Alcohol has been central to social, religious and personal use throughout the history. Alcohol drinking goes back almost as far as the human race does. A hundred years, therefore, may be seen as only a flash. The past century, however, has witnessed a fundamental change in dealing with alcohol problems. Hence, to give an overview of a hundred years of alcohol polices is a rather ambitious task and the contributions to this book shed only some light on the way in which alcohol policy issues have changed in this period. This authoritative volume is relevant to both scientists and policy makers providing a state of the art in alcohol policy from different perspectives, covering both science/research/treatment and prevention practice and linking these areas.

Scientific research has clearly established that drinking in moderation has many health benefits, including maintaining a healthy heart. Yet, many people do not know that drinking red wine protects the heart more than white wine, while beer, margaritas, and hard liquor are less effective in providing such protection. And while alcoholism is a serious problem requiring medical and psychological treatment, for those who are not addicted, drinking alcohol is not necessarily a bad habit. The problem is to distinguish between drinking sensibly and drinking insensibly. Dasgupta clearly outlines what constitutes healthy drinking and its attendant health benefits, offers advice on how to drink responsibly, and provides insight into just how alcohol works on the brain and the body. After reading this book, readers will enjoy their next drink with a fuller and safer understanding of why they're enjoying it.

A fascinating and accessible guide to chemistry and physics using the everyday objects around us.

An updated and expanded edition on the roles that brain function and genetics play in addiction. Over the past 10 years, neurobiologic and genetic research has provided an increased understanding of what causes drug addiction in the brain’s reward pathway. Knowing this leads to a better understanding of how it may be treated and even reversed in those who successfully overcome the disease. This is especially true with addiction’s possible precursors of mild to moderate substance use disorders. These latter disorders can usually be treated more easily by less intensive models of “treatment” that do not require actual brain chemistry re-regulation over time. In this new edition, there are updated scientific references to support addiction as a medical brain disease, using the prevailing neurobiology, genetics, and psychological scientific literature. We now have more psychosocial and medicinal methods for reversing abnormal brain chemistry during drug addiction. There are also more effective intervention, counseling, and motivating methods (SBIRT, motivational interviewing) for overcoming resistance to treatment and resistance to change than were able to be discussed when the first edition was published over a decade ago. Here, readers will find a fully-updated glossary of terms, additional abbreviations, and updated appendices. These will aid in clarifying the somewhat lengthy and science-based upgrades in our knowledge of neuroscience and genetics research that are so critical in understanding why addiction is such a serious and tough-to-treat disease. Utilizing the same easy-to-read language that was a hallmark of the earlier edition, Erickson keeps the science understandable yet comprehensive—appropriate for health professionals as well as lay readers who need and want this critical information.

The definitive guide to the effect of alcohol on people, families, communities, and society, written by two of America's leading experts on alcoholism and its impact. Throughout history, and across cultures, alcohol has affected the fabric of society through abuse and addiction, contributed to violence and accidents, and caused injuries and health issues. In Alcohol: Its History, Pharmacology, and Treatment, part of Hazelden's Library of Addictive Drugs Series, Cheryl Cherpitel, DrPH, and Mark Rose, MA, examine the nature and extent of alcohol use in the United States, current treatment models and demographics, and the biology of alcohol, addiction, and treatment.In separating fact from fiction, Cherpitel and Rose give context for understanding the alcohol problem by tracing its history and different uses over time, then offer an in-depth look atthe latest scientific findings on alcohol's effects on individualsthe myths and realities of alcohol's impact on the mindthe societal impacts of alcohol abuse as a factor in violence and accidentsthe pharmacology of pharmaceutical treatments for alcoholismthe history of treatment and current therapeutic treatment modelsThoroughly researched and highly readable, Alcohol offers a comprehensive understanding of medical, social, and political issues concerning this legal, yet potentially dangerous, drug.