Eat Your Way Out of Addiction: Experts

New study discovers why some people may take financial risks

(NEWSER) - Why are some stock traders and gamblers so willing to take financial risks? A new study shares a possible answer: Scientists found that people with higher levels of the neurotransmitter norepinephrine in a critical part of the brain related to sensory and reward systems are less sensitive to the pain of financial loss. The discovery could help researchers to develop drugs to treat gambling addicts, Reuters notes. More»

Doctors say addiction more than just behavioral problem

(NEWSER) - After four years of work involving 80 experts, the American Society of Addiction Medicine is redefining addiction—to alcohol, drugs, sex, gambling, and more—as a brain disorder, updating its former classification as a behavioral problem, reports Live Science . Addiction is also now considered a primary and chronic disorder, meaning it is not the result of stress, abuse, or other causes, and it needs to be treated over a patient's lifetime, just as one would deal with a chronic disease like diabetes. More»

Daniel Radcliffe's admission is far from the first to surprise

(NEWSER) - Raise your hand if you were shocked to read that Harry Potter—er, Daniel Radcliffe— had a drinking problem . Well, you weren't the only one. The Frisky rounds up seven more celebs whose addictions surprised the world:

• Demi Moore: She was addicted to cocaine in the '80s, but cleaned up after the St. Elmo's Fire director threatened to fire her.

Dr. Drew Pinsky 'is not helping anyone'

(NEWSER) - With the death of Mike Starr, a former Celebrity Rehab participant, the time has come to talk about why the show needs to be shut down. No, not because of Starr’s death—“If every recovery center had to close down after a former patient relapsed and died, we'd have no facilities left,” notes Drew Grant on Salon —but because it’s become completely obvious that Dr. Drew Pinsky “is not helping anyone,” Grant writes. By mixing true addicts with people like Rachel Uchitel, who was supposedly addicted to love, the show is no longer about treatment. More»

Jailbird starlet will enter rehab for addiction

(NEWSER) - Lindsay Lohan will undergo treatment for addiction to methamphetamine and bipolar disorder when she enters rehab after she's released from jail, TMZ reports . Meth and opiates are Lohan's "drugs of choice," a source says. The troubled actress, who's proving to be a high-maintenance inmate as she serves 90 days for a probation violation, may be sprung as soon as today. More»