Relapse

Smokers who count on nicotine patches or gum to help them quit may want to reconsider: A new study finds that these and other nicotine replacement products aren't effective at preventing former smokers from relapsing in real-world conditions. Among 787 adults who had quit smoking within the previous two years, nearly a third reported having returned to using cigarettes, according to a study published online Monday by the journal Tobacco Control. Those who had used nicotine patches, gum, inhalers or nasal sprays were just as likely to relapse as those who had quit without them, researchers from Harvard University and the University of Massachusetts found.

Having a conversation with Rob Roberge is like participating in a discourse about, well, everything: Tim O'Brien's “The Things They Carried,” the art of celestial writing and the invention of the Big Dipper, why the Modern Lovers' “Roadrunner” is the best two-chord song in the world. It's one of the reasons I've always liked him; we've known each other for 15 years or so, have taught and published together, and I enjoy listening to him talk. He's sharp and funny, often lacerating and deeply self-reflective, qualities that also describe his third novel, “The Cost of Living” (Other Voices: 294 pp. $16 paper)

It's nearly Halloween, and pop's favorite demons are coming out to say "Boo!" Guns N' Roses (i.e., Axl N' others) seem committed to a November release for "Chinese Democracy," the album that's been in the making since the dudes in Hinder were in grade school. And now there's fresh music from a project that's not as long delayed but nearly as anticipated -- Eminem's upcoming return, the Dr. Dre-produced "Relapse," of which a track is available for streaming via the Fader website. The track, "I'm Having a Relapse," is the first taste of the Detroit rapper's return to mayhem.

Every person has their price, and for a 14-year-old Boston girl, her price to quit Facebook is $200. Paul Baier and his daughter entered into a contract he posted on his blog this week that will earn the daughter $200 if she can stay off of the 1-billion member social network for five months. The story of Baier and his daughter's unusual "Facebook Deactivation Agreement" has gone viral, but such a pact isn't new and for most people not necessary.  In fact, most adult users have tried without financial incentives.

Why don't you leave Pat Valenzuela alone? He is innocent until proven guilty. Or isn't he allowed to be sick now and then like the rest of us? I don't blame him for not talking to you people. You sound more like you are rooting for him to have a relapse than to stay clean, and I suppose some people would see a relapse as a "better" story. MAXINE POPE Paso Robles

I'm certain you will receive a barrage of letters condemning Charles White and his recent drug relapse, particularly with the announcement that he is returning to camp. Let me be among those who applaud the Rams' decision. Lest we forget, drug dependency, along with alcoholism, is a disease, not a moral weakness. Those in recovery must take life one day at a time due to the terrible possibility of relapse at any moment. So, let us not be too quick to judge. Rather, let us support White with our cheers and our prayers.

Former Cincinnati Bengals running back Stanley Wilson, who was suspended for substance abuse before Super Bowl XXIII, has suffered another relapse and has entered a drug rehabilitation clinic in Phoenix, according to his attorney, Reggie Turner. Turner also said from Los Angeles on Monday that he is completing a deal with a magazine to publish Wilson's story of his drug relapse the night before the Super Bowl. Turner said he took Wilson to the unidentified clinic Thursday.

'Ruined' at the Geffen Lynn Nottage's "Ruined," which won the Pulitzer Prize for drama this year, will have its L.A. premiere at the Geffen Playhouse. A spokeswoman for the company said the drama was scheduled to open the Geffen's 2010-11 season. "Ruined" will be a co-production with Seattle's Intiman Theatre, where it is set to run July 2 to Aug. 8. The Geffen's season usually begins in August or September, but the company said no opening date had been set for the drama.

Cincinnati Bengals running back Ickey Woods, speaking about drugs at a juvenile home in his hometown of Fresno, denied reports that he was involved in teammate Stanley Wilson's cocaine relapse. "I was not with him. I was with three other guys watching the Super Bowl special," Woods said. "He's trying to insinuate that we were selling. It's put a lot of endorsements on hold. People don't know if I was with him." Woods sidestepped a question regarding whether he ever sold drugs as a youth.

Chris Washburn of the Atlanta Hawks became the sixth player to be banned for life by the National Basketball Assn. under the league's anti-drug agreement, after a relapse, the league said Thursday. Washburn was suspended without pay by the NBA on Sept. 26, 1988, after his third substance-abuse relapse and was returned to the league's rehabilitation center in Van Nuys. He did not play last season. Washburn, a 6-foot 11-inch center/forward, may appeal his suspension after two years.

CARACAS, Venezuela - President Hugo Chavez's announcement Saturday night that his cancer has returned and that he may not be able to serve a fourth term is likely to test his political legacy, Venezuela's Constitution and the opposition's unity. Chavez is due to be sworn in Jan. 10, but in a half-hour address to the nation Saturday night, he said that he would leave Sunday for Cuba to undergo his fourth surgery and treatment for pelvic cancer and that he might not be well enough to take the oath of office.

President Obama mocked Mitt Romney on Sunday night for shifting his positions in the first nationally televised debate, saying his foe is not offering “change,” but a “relapse” to failed GOP policies. But Obama also acknowledged the poor reviews of his own showing. As he took the stage at the Nokia Theater in downtown Los Angeles after a star-studded “30 Days to Victory” concert, the president praised the performers who entertained a crowd of 6,000, with a  nod to the “old-school” Earth Wind and Fire, and the “new-school” Katy Perry.

Smokers who count on nicotine patches or gum to help them quit may want to reconsider: A new study finds that these and other nicotine replacement products aren't effective at preventing former smokers from relapsing in real-world conditions. Among 787 adults who had quit smoking within the previous two years, nearly a third reported having returned to using cigarettes, according to a study published online Monday by the journal Tobacco Control. Those who had used nicotine patches, gum, inhalers or nasal sprays were just as likely to relapse as those who had quit without them, researchers from Harvard University and the University of Massachusetts found.

Even if the U.S. economy avoids sliding back into recession, the continuing weakness is beginning to inflict long-term damage on many families and businesses that will make a full-blown recovery much harder to achieve. The devastating recession that started four years ago hit a nation flying high on a housing boom and helium-inflated clouds of consumer spending. But the current slowdown is striking a nation already on its economic knees. "That's the danger right now: You've got an economy that didn't recover," said Ethan Harris, Bank of America's chief economist for North America.

Breast-feeding is often encouraged for women with multiple sclerosis. It's not only good nutrition for the baby, studies have suggested it may protect the mother against a relapse of the disease. A study published Wednesday casts doubt on that assertion, however. Researchers followed 298 women with multiple sclerosis for one year after delivery. About one-third of the women breast-fed their babies for at least two months and the remaining did not breast-feed or only did so for a very short time.

Two experimental drugs promise to transform hepatitis C from a debilitating liver disease into a manageable condition for a majority of patients, researchers said Wednesday. The new drugs work by blocking a key enzyme that the hepatitis C virus needs to make copies of itself and spread. They promise to revolutionize treatment for patients in much the same way as protease inhibitors did for HIV patients in 1995, experts said. The two drugs, called boceprevir and telaprevir, nearly doubled the number of patients who achieve what is known as a sustained viral suppression — in effect, a cure — among those with new hepatitis C infections.

Every person has their price, and for a 14-year-old Boston girl, her price to quit Facebook is $200. Paul Baier and his daughter entered into a contract he posted on his blog this week that will earn the daughter $200 if she can stay off of the 1-billion member social network for five months. The story of Baier and his daughter's unusual "Facebook Deactivation Agreement" has gone viral, but such a pact isn't new and for most people not necessary.  In fact, most adult users have tried without financial incentives.

Cincinnati Bengals General Manager Paul Brown said he does not believe allegations that several Bengals were involved with running back Stanley Wilson's cocaine relapse the night before the Super Bowl. A New York Times story Sunday quoted Wilson's lawyer and agent, Reggie Turner, as saying five other players were involved in the incident that resulted in Wilson's suspension for the Super Bowl in January. Turner told the newspaper that Wilson has not met with NFL security officials yet to discuss the incident because of offers to sell his story to magazine and book publishers.

The medical consensus on whether to give antibiotics to young children with ear infections has been swinging from one extreme to the other as conflicting clinical trials have pushed pediatricians first toward widespread use of the drugs, then toward a "watch and wait" approach in which most infections seem to clear up on their own. Two new trials reported Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine are nudging the pendulum back toward treatment...

'Ruined' at the Geffen Lynn Nottage's "Ruined," which won the Pulitzer Prize for drama this year, will have its L.A. premiere at the Geffen Playhouse. A spokeswoman for the company said the drama was scheduled to open the Geffen's 2010-11 season. "Ruined" will be a co-production with Seattle's Intiman Theatre, where it is set to run July 2 to Aug. 8. The Geffen's season usually begins in August or September, but the company said no opening date had been set for the drama.