This Week in Addiction News

Sorry for the late post this week, but there’s certainly lots to discuss!

First off, it seems that even among those who claim to be 12-step advocates, there’s much more leniency when it comes to drinking than everyone seems to think. Click through the links on that post, they’re definitely worth a read.

And, while it’s not news that long-term drinking can damage the brain in ways that decrease control over emotions, access to feelings, and empathy, here’s a new and specific twist: male alcoholics have a significantly decreased ability to understand irony.

Here’s a brief but interesting discussion of our free will and our “free won’t” — our ability as human to “veto” actions and turn away from attractive stimuli. While this is an excellent tool, the article fails to make the case that it only works up to a point. There are many, many cases, such as addiction, in which we are less in control of our own behavior.

And finally, a topic close to our hearts here at BACA: what will President Obama’s reelection mean for healthcare?