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Stages of Liver Damage from Alcohol
The liver is a vital organ responsible for metabolizing alcohol and detoxifying the body. Chronic alcohol consumption can lead to liver damage, progressing through several stages. Understanding these stages is crucial for recognizing the impact of alcohol on liver health and taking preventive measures. Stage 1: Fatty Liver (Steatosis) Fatty Liver OverviewFatty liver, or steatosis,…
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Understanding the Impact of Alcohol on Liver Enzymes
Alcohol consumption can significantly impact liver function, primarily by affecting liver enzymes. These enzymes play a crucial role in metabolizing alcohol and maintaining overall liver health. Understanding how alcohol affects these enzymes is essential for recognizing the early signs of liver damage and taking proactive steps toward recovery. The Role of Liver Enzymes The liver…
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From Recovery Awareness Day 2024: The Dangers of Today’s Cannabis Products
So-called “medical” and recreational marijuana use has become increasingly widespread in the United States after 38 states and Washington, DC legalized “medical” cannabis—23 states and DC have legalized its recreational use. Many well-meaning people around the country have internalized the propaganda of the well-organized cannabis industry suggesting that cannabis products can cause no harm and…
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Strike Out The Stigma!
Charlotte folks, come out and take a swing at stigmatization and prejudice this Saturday. The Charlotte Knights will take on the Norfolk Tides at Truist Field on the 3rd annual Strike Out Stigma night to support mental health awareness. Game time on Aug 3 is 6:05 pm EDT. A portion of every ticket purchased through…
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Brain Disease: The Cognitive Impact of Substance Use
“Advances in medical imaging have revealed that addiction is a complex disease of the brain,” said the director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Nora Volkow four years ago. “By understanding how addiction affects different neuronal processes, we can gather insights that give us a better understanding of why the behaviors of people…
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When It Comes to Addiction Treatment, Our Healthcare System Is Broken
More than 70 percent of US adults feel the healthcare system is failing to meet their needs in at least one way, according to Harris Poll data reported by TIME magazine in 2023. “More than half of the roughly 2,500 US adults who took the survey graded the US healthcare system a ‘C’ or below.…
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There Is No Safe Experimentation With Drugs Anymore
American teenagers and young adults—especially college students—used to be able to party and experiment with drugs and alcohol without necessarily risking their lives. Not anymore! The drugs that kids encounter nowadays are much more powerful and in some cases deadly. The THC (delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol) levels in cannabis products have dramatically increased in the last few decades…
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Social Media, the Ultimate Disconnector
This article discusses suicide. If you are having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or go to SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for a list of additional resources. Back in 2017, psychologist and author Jean Twenge warned of a mental health crisis on the horizon. In her influential book iGen she…
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How Chronic Stress in a Toxic Culture Drives Addiction
“In the most health-obsessed society ever, all is not well,” wrote addiction expert Gabor Maté in The Myth of Normal in 2022. “Multibillion-dollar industries bank on people’s ongoing investment—mental and emotional, not to mention financial—in endless quests to eat better, look younger, live longer, or feel livelier, or simply to suffer fewer symptoms.” We do…
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American Despair and Addiction
In 2022, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated that life expectancy at birth in the United States was 77.5 years, which is 1.1 years higher than in 2021 but still 1.3 years lower than in 2019. This is a reversal from 2021, when life expectancy dropped to 76.4 years, the lowest it…