Addiction Videos

Corey Haim was in full teen-idol mode in 1988, swamped with letters from adoring young female fans and his face on the covers of teen magazines. His growing list of credits included "Lucas" and the teenage vampire movie "The Lost Boys." Haim, who struggled with drug addiction during a career that fell far short of legendary status despite early reviews that praised his acting ability, died Wednesday morning, according to a Los Angeles County coroner's spokeswoman. An autopsy will determine the cause of death.

It happens to the wealthiest of families -- Casey Johnson, an heir to the Johnson and Johnson fortune, battled drug addiction. It happens to the most political of families -- former presidential candidate George McGovern cut off his alcoholic daughter, Terry, who later died at the age of 44 after falling into a snow bank and freezing to death. And it happens in Hollywood -- Martin Sheen's son Charlie Sheen arrested for cocaine use.

Almost 2.5 million women are alcoholics. Many of these women are busy juggling families and careers -- all while hiding a dangerous habit. Health Specialist Denise Dador takes a look at how these"cocktail moms" go from happy hour to addiction. A deadly wrong-way crash in New York last summer shoved the issue of alcoholism into the national spotlight. Police say, Long Island mother Diane Schuler, was drunk when her minivan plowed into another car, killing Schuler and seven others.

Our thoughts, emotions and our behavior ALL effect our body chemistry. Just climbing out of bed in the morning and getting into a hot shower or bath, for example, elevates our levels of serotonin -- "nature's natural anti- depressant" -- and makes it easier for us to get into a positive frame of mind. When we don't make use of the medicine chest nature put inside of us and learn how to calm and soothe ourselves through daily, health enhancing activities, we may want to turn to synthetic or artificial solutions to achieve a state of well being. We might grab a substance like alcohol, drugs, or food to unwind, calm down or de-stress.

Zero Tolerance, Tough Love, Tough on Drugs, Blinding stupidity - call it what you will. Kudos to SBS for being the only Aussie broadcaster to run this vital item. Australia's ANCD has supporters of forced detention, random school drug testing, Swedish Zero Tolerance and a cute semantic trick called "Harm Prevention" to hide the nasty reality of behaviour modification.

Change, especially changing bad habits, is hard -- and rightly so, as any neuroscientist will tell you. Advances in neuroimaging have enabled researchers to peer inside the brains of addicts and patients with addictive behaviors. They can see, in real-time, what gets patients hooked: how the brain's reward system -- based largely on the neurotransmitter dopamine -- thirsts for more, while inhibitory control centers experience a system failure.

Video: Psychotherapist Carol Hendler says the more we learn about athletes who have multiple affairs the more they may fit the profile of a sex addict.

A report on the Daily Beast Web site Monday said superstar golfer Tiger Woods might have a problem with prescription medications, but more talk came Tuesday that Woods may really be addicted to sex. Woods is just the latest celebrity embroiled in allegations of infidelity. When does cheating constitute a sex addiction? Video: Robert Weiss, an expert on sex addiction, outlines recent public behavior by Tiger Woods that indicates a double life, perhaps addiction.

A new study challenges the core belief of Alcoholics Anonymous that total abstinence is the only way to control a drinking problem. Dr. Nancy Snyderman reports on the findings that many drinkers can control their habit.

Experts say mothers are masters at keeping their addiction secret: hiding bottles in toilet tanks, diaper bags and sometimes filling baby bottles with vodka, or whiskey that passes for apple juice. Some even wrap booze in butcher paper and hide it in the freezer. At Father Martin's Ashley in-patient treatment center in Havre de Grace, Maryland, nursing director Charlotte Meck told ABC 7 that mothers are the least likely to seek help, because they are afraid to leave -- or lose -- their children.