People who identify themselves as alcoholics may have a new treatment option in the future. It's a drug which reduces the stress response of the brain, and it could lead to an encapsulated form of aid.

Drug-related treatments are not new for alcoholism. Traditionally, these target the pleasure response people get from drinking. However, this new option would target the stress which leads up to alcoholics drinking in the first place. It's worth noting that this finding, like many studies in the world of research, involved lab rats -- not humans.

However, the drug still targets the same protein, so this could be a viable treatment option in the future. By cutting the urge to drink (at least partially), alcoholics could be empowered to fight this addiction more effectively. Skeptics argue that this would not be a one-pill-panacea for alcoholism. Different things work for different people, so it will be good to see how this fares in larger, human-based applications.

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A new study just released concluded that exposure to alcohol while in the womb makes acclimating to it after birth more likely. The study, which was performed on rats (of course), said that those unborn rats learn to "like alcohol" when exposed to it and are then more drawn to it after birth as young rats.

Is this applicable to humans? Questionable, as many studies on rats are. Although many of us know about fetal alcohol syndrome, this study is quite different in studying the propensity to possible alcoholism that could be a result of exposure while still in the womb.

What do you think? Recent studies have shown than teens exposed to alcohol while a fetus are more likely to abuse it when reaching teenage years. Is this recent study further proof?

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Did anyone watch the Oprah special today on Gastric Bypass surgery? She interviewed a number of women who've undergone the procedure, only to have their eating addiction overshadowed by a more serious addiction, like alcoholism. One of her guests was Carnie Wilson, who famously went under the knife years ago. Wilson admitted that she became a serious alcoholic in the years following her surgery, downing a bottle of wine and 10 martinis a day.

Gastric bypass surgery is not the miracle fix everyone seems to think it is. In fact, many people have developed dangerous addictions after undergoing the surgery. What Oprah emphasized on her show, and what I think everyone who is struggling with weight should know is that if you don't address the demons that make you overeat, you'll never truly be healthy. Also? Skinny does not equal happy, no matter how much you think it will.

What do you think?

Hey women, although your sweet-tooth might be in your genes, as I told you a few days ago, other factors play a major role in how you taste sweet things -- namely smoking and your family's history of alcoholism. Smoking, not surprisingly, dulls your tastebuds to sweet foods, so theoretically, it will take more sugar to satisfy your sweet cravings than it would if you were a non-smoker.

And if your family has a history of alcoholism, you're more likely to crave sweets. Strange -- I don't see a link here. But researchers believe a genetic predisposition to addiction is at the heart of both of these findings.

What do you think about these findings?

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Researchers reported this week that a migraine headache pill may be able to assist alcoholics in curbing their drinking habits without going into full detox mode using other methods that can be hit-or-miss.

For those suffering from alcoholism and have had no luck with quitting cold turkey (or otherwise detoxing yourself), this may hold new hope if in fact it works.

Topamax, a drug used to treat migraine headaches, was tied to alcoholics who quit drinking for seven weeks or more -- to the tune of 15 percent of all alcoholic subjects that participated in the study. The downside is that the drug costs an estimated $350 per month plus the costs of doctor's visits.

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Naltrexone, a drug used to treat alcoholics, may be most effective in those alcoholics where the disease runs in the family, according to research from the National Institute of Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse.

Although prior studies showed that naltrexone -- one of four FDA-approved drugs used to treat alcoholism -- had a modest effect (but not overwhelming), this new research concluded that it was very effective. That is, only if the alcoholism being treated was passed down through genes.

The results from the study that concluded with this suggestion are quite fascinating, as naltrexone failed to produce significant benefits in overall trials, but succeeded nicely in subgroups that were studied, which led researchers to probe further into possible root causes of alcoholism.

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The numbers vary on the number of alcoholics who are also smokers, but it's estimated that at least 50 percent -- if not 90 percent -- of those who seek treatment for alcoholism are also addicted to cigarettes. While the two addictions may seem to be unrelated, a recent study finds that smoking may actually impede the neurocognitive recovery of those trying to kick their drinking habit.

Obviously any alcoholic that gives up drinking will see significant improvements in their memory and processing speed, but the study found that "abstinent alcoholics without a history of cigarette smoking achieved better recovery of critical mental functions during the first six to nine month of sustained sobriety."

Given this information, it seems like there's more reason than ever to quit all your bad habits at once.

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By now just about anyone with a TV or access to a computer has seen the infamous video of David Hasselhoff -- aka The Hoff -- lying on the floor shirtless, drunk and slurring. The former star of Knight Rider and Baywatch, and current Youtube favorite for his hilarious music videos, was filmed by his teenage daughter in a physical and mental state that was anything but hilarious.

Apparently Hasselhoff is a recovering alcoholic and in the video it definitely looks like he has fallen way off the wagon. Anyone who has ever struggled with drinking or knows someone who has, realizes that alcoholism is a disease that is often deadly and destroys the lives of the sufferer as well as of their family, friends and other loved ones. The sad thing is that much of the resulting coverage from the video treats the footage as a big joke.

Perhaps taken out of context it would be funny to watch someone who has had one too many drop fast food out of their mouths onto the floor (and whether or not even that is funny is subjective). However, I find it very sad to watch this man, who obviously has a problem with drinking and is obviously very upset over his personal troubles, attempt to pacify his pleading underage daughter who is stuck in the middle of the mess. Some say that celebrities deserve what they get but would it be so terrible to show the guy a little compassion?

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As fabulous as we at That's Fit think this blog is, the truth is there are hundreds of wonderful blogs on healthy living to be seen all over the blogosphere. So in this feature, Fit Links, we'll introduce you to some that have caught our eye.

Addictions may be the best-kept disease secrets of all time. These self-destructive behaviors, often hidden behind closed doors, can add up over time until your physical and mental health are damaged beyond repair. Here's some blogs to get keep you informed on the latest in the battle against addictions, not matter what the addiction may be.

Addiction and Recovery News covers the latest news, research and trends related to addictions, plus their treatment and recovery.

Become Natural isn't just about overcoming addictions, it's about getting back to nature in every area of your life. If you're interested in caffeine addiction and how to quit, they've got some great advice.

The Center for Internet Addiction Recovery's blog can help with one of the newest addictions becoming a problem in society: internet addiction. It may seem silly, but internet addiction can be crippling. Check out this blog to find out if your internet use is really internet addiction, and how to get control.

I've read studies before regarding how men and women metabolize alcohol differently, and that a woman will feel the effects of a drink sooner than a man of the same weight. But now there's new research that takes that principle one step farther: women don't just feel the immediate/short-term effects sooner, but the long-term ones also. In a study of female and male alcoholics the women suffered negative health effects, specifically brain damage, much faster than the men did.

Of course alcoholism is widely understood as damaging and unhealthy, but it is also widely underdiagnosed. Understanding the risks and not shoving the issue to the background is an important part of prevention.

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Even though women who suffer from depression will likely consume more alcohol -- regardless of whether or not they take antidepressants -- recent research has discovered that men, on the other hand, can curb depression-induced drinking with antidepressant medication.

According to the study's author, Dr. Kathryn Graham, "Our results agree with previous clinical research that suggests that the use of antidepressants is associated with lower alcohol consumption among men suffering from depression. But this does not appear to be true for women."

The reason for this difference isn't clear. It's possible that the drugs effect men and women differently. But it's also possible that depressed men and women are simply treated differently by doctors. "For example, physicians prescribing antidepressants may be more likely to caution men than women about their drinking," says Dr. Graham.

Further research is planned to discover the facts behind this discrepancy.

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Though this experiment is hardly surprising, it is interesting to read. Two UK women -- with generally healthy lifestyles -- drastically changed their habits for two weeks and reported their results.

The first, an occasional drinker, began drinking at least a bottle of wine every night. She quickly developed flaky skin, headaches, mood swings, and dull hair. The second, who normally ate a healthy diet, began binge eating and added about 2000 empty calories to her normal diet. She complained of stomach cramps, bloating, greasy hair, and dull skin.

This is basically the "Supersize Me" effect, watching a healthy person's health deteriorate when they take on bad habits to the extreme. A more interesting experiment, in my opinion, would be to take a heavy drinker and a binge eater and put them both on a healthy diet for two weeks and then compare results. It's no secret that too much of anything, whether food or drink, isn't good for us, but hearing how quickly our bodies respond to good health habits would be a powerful motivator. What do you think?

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