Stories turn up all the time: altercations on airliners, brawls in bars, or domestic disputes that end in gunfire. The catchphrase is usually the same: "Alcohol was involved." Alcohol often fuels less physically dangerous but more emotionally stressful confrontations at parties, business conclaves, or family dinner tables, manifested as cruel, hurtful words that can have devastating long-term effects on the recipients. The catchphrase? "That was the booze talking." In Mean Drunk: Anger, Hostility, and Alcohol, William Tappan moves beyond the clichés and excuses to reveal the science behind the behavior. Drawing upon the latest scientific research in the field, illustrated by a broad array of dramatic case studies drawn from news stories, personal accounts, and his own decades of experience, Tappan defines and explains the hostility reaction to alcohol - HRA - as a specific neurobiological result of alcohol use. The evidence he presents points to cytokines: multifunctional proteins that trigger a defensive brain reaction to a perceived threat during alcohol consumption. Although firmly based in science, Mean Drunk also presents a series of shocking, moving, and sometimes bizarre stories of HRA as it leaves a trail of emotional damage, physical injury, and even death in its wake. From celebrities' widely publicized encounters with the law (Reese Witherspoon, Mel Gibson) and headline-grabbing public fistfights precipitated by everyone from laborers to professionals to the most potentially damaging encounters - those within families - Mean Drunk lays out the horrific results catalyzed by the neurobiological cause. A groundbreaking explanation of HRA, Mean Drunk moves beyond accounts of human distress to point a way to greater understanding of an all-too-common and neglected problem for both perpetrators and victims, offering the possibility of their choosing a path to a happier and more productive life. Mean Drunk is a must-read for alcohol research professionals, counselors, those personally affected by HRA, and anyone interested in the causes of this devastating social and emotional puzzle.

For nearly thirty years, author Dr. Jeff Herten was a high-functioning alcoholic-one who drinks every day, yet continues to lead a productive, successful life. Now he shares his first-hand knowledge of how alcohol can destroy lives-as it nearly destroyed his. Alcohol is the single greatest social ill in the United States. It affects us not only emotionally but physically. Alcohol may lead to deadly cancers of the breast, colon, esophagus, and liver. It rots our bones, corrodes our stomach lining, erodes our memories, and suppresses our immune systems. "An Uncommon Drunk" explores the numerous facets of alcohol consumption in the United States, including the risks, the behaviors associated with alcohol, and the innocent victims of alcohol abuse. But it also offers hope for those wishing to become sober and recommends resources to help them turn their lives around. Frank and honest, "An Uncommon Drunk" is a must-read for every spouse, parent, child, employer, physician, and counselor whose life is touched by alcohol. It may be just the wake-up call you need.

In a society where it is often easier to discuss sex than money, many of us have hidden issues about personal finances. But when fending off bill collectors, begging for salary advances, or borrowing from relatives becomes a way of life, unresolved money problems can lead to enormous stress and destroy relationships, careers, and lives. Do you recognize yourself or someone you love in any of these descriptions? THE COMPULSIVE SPENDER Do you buy things and hide them? THE BIG DEAL CHASER Do you refuse to watch your money because one big deal is going to make everything all right? THE MAINTENANCE MONEY DRUNK Is the pay the only thing you like about your job? THE POVERTY ADDICT Do you feel morally superior to people with money? THE CASH CODEPENDENT Are you afraid to say no to your partner about money? Through their highly effective seminars, Mark Bryan and Julia Cameron have helped many people get out of debt and free themselves from the painful cycle of acting out with money. The Money Drunk offers new perspectives on the real roots of money problems, showing how to dismantle negative family and societal programming about money and how to undo the destructive patterns that sabotage your financial success. The program teaches new, more constructive habits to anyone who has ever had a problem with money.

Alcohol use by young people is extremely dangerous - both to themselves and society at large. Underage alcohol use is associated with traffic fatalities, violence, unsafe sex, suicide, educational failure, and other problem behaviors that diminish the prospects of future success, as well as health risks â€" and the earlier teens start drinking, the greater the danger. Despite these serious concerns, the media continues to make drinking look attractive to youth, and it remains possible and even easy for teenagers to get access to alcohol. Why is this dangerous behavior so pervasive? What can be done to prevent it? What will work and who is responsible for making sure it happens? Reducing Underage Drinking addresses these questions and proposes a new way to combat underage alcohol use. It explores the ways in which may different individuals and groups contribute to the problem and how they can be enlisted to prevent it. Reducing Underage Drinking will serve as both a game plan and a call to arms for anyone with an investment in youth health and safety.

A New York Times bestseller! A revelatory look at how our environment unconsciously yet dramatically shapes the judgments and decisions we make every day Most of us go through life believing that we are in control of the choices we make—that we think and behave almost independently from the world around us. But as Drunk Tank Pink illustrates, the truth is our environment shapes our thoughts and actions in myriad ways without our permission or even our knowledge. Armed with surprising data and endlessly fascinating examples, Adam Alter addresses the subtle but substantial ways in which outside forces influence us—such as color’s influence on mood, our bias in favor of names with which we identify, and how sunny days can induce optimism as well as aggression. Drunk Tank Pink proves that the truth behind our feelings and actions goes much deeper than the choices we take for granted every day.

Determine if your drinking is a problem, develop strategies for curbing your intake, and measure your progress with this practical, engaging guide to taking care of yourself. Every day, millions of people drink a beer or two while watching a game, shake a cocktail at a party with friends, or enjoy a glass of wine with a good meal. For more than 30 percent of these drinkers, alcohol has begun to have a negative impact on their everyday lives. Yet, only a small number are true alcoholics--people who have completely lost control over their drinking and who need alcohol to function. The great majority are what Dr. Doyle and Dr. Nowinski call "Almost Alcoholics," a growing number of people whose excessive drinking contributes to a variety of problems in their lives. In Almost Alcoholic, Dr. Doyle and Dr. Nowinski give the facts and guidance needed to address this often unrecognized and devastating condition. They provide the tools to: identify and assess your patterns of alcohol use; evaluate its impact on your relationships, work, and personal well-being; develop strategies and goals for changing the amount and frequency of alcohol use; measure the results of applying these strategies; and make informed decisions about your next steps.