Deni Carise

Last week's New York Times article, "Addiction Diagnoses May Rise Under Guideline Changes," offers a sadly pejorative take on the proposed changes to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, or DSM -- the go-to manual for mental health (including substance use disorder) diagnoses. The reporter writes...

In the wake of Whitney Houston's tragic death, many people have talked about the late singer's problems with cocaine -- and how drugs affect the brain. When it was later speculated that prescription drugs mixed with alcohol may have led to Whitney's demise, people also talked...

I was disappointed to see the recent Dr. Drew segment on CNN titled "Hollywood's Drug Addiction Problem." On the show, Drew Pinsky joined a couple of unlikely panelists (journalist Dylan Howard and former Loveline sidekick, comedian Adam Carolla) and surprised many -- myself included -- by making sweeping...

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg recently proposed cracking down on alcohol sales in an attempt to curb the city's alcohol abuse problem. His proposal, which plans to reduce "alcohol retail outlet (e.g. bar, corner store) density and illegal alcohol," has created quite an uproar. "This is absolutely...

Lately, I feel as though I've forgotten what it means to wind down. There's never enough time in the workday to finish my endless to-do list, so I often find myself coming home and slogging through emails and paperwork on my couch until I'm too exhausted to continue. But despite...

With HBO's hit series Boardwalk Empire, Ken Burns' new documentary Prohibition and Broadway's Chicago as the longest-running musical revival in history, the 1920s are enjoying a comeback. Last week, Burns' documentary prompted many critics and viewers to make comparisons between alcohol prohibition in the...

Some 210 million people worldwide use illicit drugs each year, and 200,000 of them die from substance abuse. These figures point to the ongoing threat illicit drugs pose for individuals, families, and communities around the globe. Not included here are the numbers, costs, and deaths from misuse of prescription drugs,...

Time and time again, we hear about celebrities checking in and out of rehab. Last month, Whitney Houston and Amy Winehouse sought additional help after several earlier treatments. And they weren't alone. For anyone who reads People magazine, it would seem that the cycle of substance abuse, treatment, relapse and...

When I read CNN's article about the "wet house" concept (providing a state-funded safe space for alcoholics to continue drinking), my first concern was with the medical appropriateness of this model, given the brain damage that will likely ensue. Heavy long-term drinkers -- the group the "wet-house" attracts...

The media are all over John Galliano's behavior, especially his alcohol-induced rants, wondering whether or not he'll ever be able to recover his career as a talented and gifted designer. The fashion world might be understandably critical of Galliano, but why is their focus almost exclusively on his...

Earlier this week, The New York Times published a tragic story about how prescription drug abuse has devastated the Appalachian city of Portsmouth, Ohio. Sadly, this is a story I've heard from communities across the country. The fast-growing abuse of painkillers, now called America's deadliest drug problem, has...

I'm not a really big football fan, but last week, I became a big fan of Jets backup quarterback Erik Ainge. In a candid ESPN interview, Ainge recounted his struggles with addiction since the age of 11. Showing tremendous courage, he opened up about the heavy drinking and drugging that...

Over the past few days, I've been saddened by Charlie Sheen's decision not to accept treatment -- and by his aggressive ranting about substance abuse and recovery. During a recent radio interview on the 'Alex Jones Show,' Sheen reportedly said he escaped the "troll hole" of AA, which...

Since the video of Ted Williams went viral, and the public embraced this homeless man with the "golden radio voice," I've hoped his story would have a happy ending. Still, I had major concerns that Ted's numerous TV appearances, job offers, consulting fees, family reunions and meteoric rise to fame...

Recently, the NY Daily News published a startling article, "Alcohol-related Emergency Room Visits Skyrocket in New York: 74,000 in 2009." The scariest part? People who end up in the emergency room because of binge drinking are not normally "alcoholics," declares Health Commissioner Thomas Farley. Alcohol use poses major...

The results are in: After serious consideration, Californians voted against Prop.19. This proposition has spurred some interesting conversation throughout the country, but in the end, I think it's passing would have been ill-advised. In the words of Roger Salazar, spokesman for the campaign opposing Prop. 19, "The cover...

Earlier this week, I was more than a little put off by Bankole Johnson's Washington Post editorial, "We're Addicted to Rehab. It Doesn't Even Work." It's interesting to note that this piece comes just six months before the release of his new book on medications that "conquer alcoholism,"...

When news circulated last week that Lindsay Lohan had hired attorney Robert Shapiro, I believed that things were finally looking up for the troubled star. Shapiro, whose son died from a drug overdose five years ago, clearly understands the disease of addiction -- and seemed to have a...

The recent massacres at drug rehabilitation centers in Mexico represent yet another tragic result of what Hillary Clinton has called America's "insatiable" appetite for illegal drugs.

The Mexican police have reported that two of the country's six major drug cartels have been operating treatment centers...

Imagine this: Your teenage daughter is, by all accounts, a good kid. She maintains a 3.6 grade point average. She's a member of the student council and plays on the softball team. You squabble over her messy room and her texting at the dinner table, but you know this is...