alcoholism news stories on Newser

Thomas Kinkade Died of Booze, Valium OD: Coroner

Mary Papenfuss — Tue, 08 May 2012 05:16:00 CDT

Painter Thomas Kinkade died of an accidental overdose of alcohol and Valium , according to a California coroner's report. "Mr. Kinkade died of respiratory depression as a result of a high concentration of ethanol combined with benzodiazepine use," the Santa Clara County Coroner's Office determined in a report released by NBC...

Why I'm Done With Anheuser-Busch

Neal Colgrass — Sun, 06 May 2012 17:22:27 CDT

This Bud's for you, native Americans—and that's why Nicholas Kristof is done with Anheuser-Busch. The sight of American Indians walking from the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation to nearby Whiteclay, Nebraska, for a beer or ten, was all Kristof needed: "It’s as if Mexico legally sold methamphetamine and crack cocaine...

LSD Helps Alcoholics Quit Booze

Rob Quinn — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 01:52:25 CST

LSD's value as a treatment for alcoholism has been overlooked for decades, according to researchers revisiting old studies. A team that analyzed six separate studies from the '60s found that a single dose of the psychedelic drug had a "significant beneficial effect" on alcoholics that lasted for months, the BBC...

Pill Helping Alcoholics Say No

Kate Schwartz — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 09:33:59 CST

A new pill designed to help alcoholics drink less apparently does the trick: Nalmefene, which is currently in the clinical-trial stage, is designed to be taken before a person heads into a situation in which they feel they'll have a hard time saying no to alcohol. In a six-month, 600-person...

Daniel Radcliffe: I Was Drunk in Harry Potter Scenes

Mary Papenfuss — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:00:00 CST

Everyone's favorite boy wizard has made a startling confession: He sometimes acted in Harry Potter scenes drunk. "I went into work still drunk," Daniel Radcliffe tells Heat magazine. "I can point to many scenes where I'm just gone. Dead behind the eyes." He never drank at work, but was still...

Booze and Writing: the Ideal Combo?

Neal Colgrass — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 17:32:00 CST

Christopher Hitchens defended his prolific smoking and drinking habits even though they probably killed him. "Whatever enhances and prolongs and deepens and sometimes intensifies argument and conversation," he once wrote, "is worth it to me." But does boozing really aid the creative process? Slate takes a look, perusing anecdotal evidence...

Alcoholic Mayor Divides Wisconsin City

Mark Russell — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 09:51:52 CDT

Sheboygan mayor Bob Ryan is an alcoholic who has fallen off the wagon four times in the two years he has been in office, resulting in bar fights, lawsuits, and YouTube embarrasment. Now this Wisconsin city of 50,000 in the biggest-drinking state in America is holding a raging debate...

Medvedev: To Combat Alcoholism, Let's Drink Wine

Kate Schwartz — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 13:35:06 CDT

In order to combat alcoholism, Dmitry Medvedev would like Russia to push people to drink more wine. That is not a joke ... and neither is Russia's battle with alcoholism . Medvedev believes that encouraging people to put down the vodka bottle and pick up a nice chardonnay is one way to...

Trucking Company Told It Can't Fire Alcoholic Drivers

John Johnson — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 16:45:54 CDT

A facet of the American With Disabilities Act that probably never came up in the planning sessions: A trucking company is being sued by the federal government because it refuses to let an admitted alcoholic drive an 18-wheeler, reports the Heritage Foundation . Because alcoholism is classified as a disability under...