Sobering Thoughts on Drug / Alcohol Abuse

The earlier a family intervenes with a substance abuser, the better the chances of recovery, says drug counselor Frank Picard.

An editor at CAR AND DRIVER magazine, himself a professional racer, tells of his disastrous drinking and driving experiment, under police supervision

Children who grow up in an alcoholic home often blame themselves, according to author Judith Seixas

A checklist of questions, if you're wondering if you're a substance abuser

Stan Hart, author of REHAB, describes his tour of hundreds of drug/alcohol treatment centers

Why do kids start drinking at younger and younger ages?

An emergency room physician says marijuana is a factor in a third of major accidents

A jolly priest has practical advice for people living with an active alcoholic

The "war on drugs" often overlooks alcohol - which kills far more than all illicit drugs combined

The owner of a bookstore specializing in addiction recovery literature talks

WALL STREET JOURNAL columnist Ron Shafer explains why he wrote a front page account of his teenage son's drug related death

19-year-old Freddie Torres tells of anti-drug activities with children that recently won him a Presidential medal

Massachusetts District Judge Albert Kramer looks at the intense social pressures to drink

Even moderate drinking during pregnancy can damage a baby's brain, according to a recent study

A gifted drug counselor, Lockwood Rush, describes how he gets through to angry young addicts

A Maine man recounts the night he drunkenly drove into a police roadblock and killed a trooper

Physicians Ernest Nobel and Max Schneider describe how alcohol impairs the abilities of motorists

A calculation of the financial price-tag paid by drunk driving offenders

Researcher Bud Perrine describes some of the new police technology used in nabbing intoxicated drivers

What about drugged driving?

If you're partying, try some of these recipes from the NON-ALCOHOLIC POCKET BARTENDERS GUIDE

Using drugs and alcohol to numb emotional pain didn't work for a young man who faces a lifelong disability, but faith does

During prolonged exposure to cold weather, drinking alcohol can cause you to freeze to death, says Colorado pharmacologist Dick Dietrich

The "12 steps" are a simple formula for recovery from addiction, now in use by virtually all substance abuse treatment centers.

When in combination, cocaine and alcohol form a dangerous interaction, says author Kathleen O'Connell

The new drug of choice for kids is "wine coolers", according to Robert Denniston of the federal Office of Substance Abuse Prevention

Physician Robert Millman on the phenomenon of "cocaine paranoia"

Substance abusing employees cost business over $50 billion a year, but many corporations lack a coherent strategy for the problem

The astonishing consequences of a common ailment

Chronic inhalation of marijuana smoke can cause cancer - just like tobacco smoke, a doctor warns

Academy Award-winning actor Rod Steiger, whose mother was alcoholic, tells young children of alcoholics today: "It's not your fault."

Illinois drug educator, John Zaremba, urges parents to remain "askable" about drugs

Should parents teach their children how to drink?

A University of California researcher weighs the evidence that alcoholism runs in families

Nursing mothers who drink may slow their baby's development, a study indicates

Sarah Seybold in San Francisco organizes groups of Americans who travel to the Soviet Union to start chapters of AA

An increasing number of beleaguered pot smokers are turning up at drug treatment centers

Concerning alcohol: how often is too often? Author Vernon Johnson offers a litmus test

A West Los Angeles travel agency provides "sober vacations"

Use of PCP, a dangerous horse tranquilizer, is on the rise among some young people

A fifth of young women are in trouble with booze, according to researcher Sharon Wilsnack

Nurse Barbara Ducket describes the uncomfortable process of withdrawal from alcohol addiction

Dr. Martha Morrison says the idea that pot is non-addictive is a myth

Hunt Anderson of the US Coast Guard warns that drinking while boating can be going overboard

The Red Cross urges: Don't drink and dive