A diet high in fat and low in carbohydrates and protein, known as a ketogenic diet, may help reduce the severity of alcohol withdrawal symptoms in people being treated for alcohol use disorder (AUD), according to a new study led by researchers at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) and the National … Read more
The need for physical distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic ushered in an expansion in the use of technologies to minimize person-to-person contact. The healthcare industry in particular saw a rapid growth of measures, collectively known as telehealth or telemedicine, to provide care and facilitate interactions between providers and patients. Telehealth encompasses a wide range of … Read more
Word choice may seem out of place among the myriad factors that can influence outcomes for a complex condition like alcohol use disorder (AUD). In fact, the stigma created by the language that is used to describe alcohol problems can decrease many people’s willingness to seek help for alcohol problems. It also can affect how … Read more
February, which is American Heart Month and includes Valentine’s Day, serves as a good time to review the ways that alcohol misuse can damage a most vital organ—the heart. Research has demonstrated that long-term heavy drinking weakens the heart muscle, causing a disease called alcohol-associated cardiomyopathy, in which the left ventricle of the weakened heart dilates, stretches out, … Read more
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism recently launched a new NIAAA video series called “Short Takes with NIAAA.” This series consists of brief 60-second videos that explain, in an easy-to-understand way, the meanings of commonly used – but often misunderstood – alcohol terms. The number of topics covered in the series will continue … Read more
The steady near-equalization in patterns of alcohol use and misuse between women and men over the last decade has revealed women’s greater risks for alcohol-related consequences. A 2015 National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)-led analysis of annual data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health found that differences in measures such as current … Read more