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Bars and restaurants have become less tolerant of drinking on the job, but people in recovery from alcoholism still struggle with employment in the hospitality industry. Bartenders and other bar and restaurant workers still drink plenty: food-service workers have the third-highest rate of heavy alcohol use and the highest rate of illicit-drug use.

Screening and brief intervention programs can spot addiction and mental health problems among elderly patients that traditional healthcare interactions may miss, findings from a new Florida study indicate. The study authors found that 10 percent of those screened had problems with alcohol misuse, 26 percent had problems with prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) medication, 64 percent suffered from depression, and 2 percent were at risk for suicide.

Excessive drinking is deeply ingrained in military culture, and service members are more likely than the general public to drive drunk, drink while underage, and be intoxicated while on duty, according to a study from the University of Minnesota and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Addiction is not a disease but rather a behavior that can be controlled, according to a Harvard psychologist who points to the fact that some addicts can voluntarily quit using to support his hypothesis.

An annual government study of marijuana potency found that the average THC content in street samples of the drug topped 10 percent for the first time last year, CNN reported May 14.

A leading tobacco researcher says that preliminary data indicates that cigarette smokers face up to twice the risk of developing cancer than they did in the 1960s, the New York Times reported May 6. David M. Burns, M.D., said that even today's so-called "low-tar" and "low-nicotine" cigarettes may be more hazardous than those used by earlier generations of smokers, according to data from an as-yet unpublished study.

Online drug-treatment programs could be as effective in the short-term as traditional in-person counseling, according to new research from Johns Hopkins and the Institute for Behavior Resources in Baltimore.

Some drug-prevention groups are shifting their message to students based on current events, equating smoking marijuana to supporting Mexico's violent drug cartels, the Wall Street Journal reported April 10.

Having more than a couple of drinks a day can double the risk of developing involuntary (essential) tremor, a neurological disorder that affects about 5 million people over the age of 60 in the United States.

Women buy eight out of every 10 bottles of wine that are consumed at home, according to a new British survey. Another survey showed that six out of 10 women polled said they drank at least once a week, and that most women reported drinking because they liked the taste or that it went well with food.