With alcoholism, most have cause and effect backwards
Three seemingly disparate statements in recent news reports have one thing in common: reporters have it backwards.
"Aggressive or withdrawn youths"and those who struggle in school"are more likely to abuse drugs."-- Marnell Jameson, "Anti-drug overdose?"The Los Angeles Times, May 15, 2006.
"Key to understanding the relationship between early drinking and alcoholism risk is whether…early drinking reflects an underlying predisposition for risky behavior in [certain] young people."–National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism news release, "Early Drinking Linked to Higher Lifetime Alcoholism Risk,"July 17, 2006.
"On the heels of a five-year boom in weight-loss surgeries, researchers are observing an unusual phenomenon: Some patients stop overeating"but wind up acquiring new compulsive disorders such as alcoholism, gambling addiction or compulsive shopping."-- Jane Spencer, "The New Science ...
