More Likely To Relapse: E-Cigarettes Don’t Help Smokers Stay off Cigarettes
Cigarette smokers who quit smoking but substitute e-cigarettes, or other tobacco product, are more likely to relapse. The United States Centers for Disease Control and…
Addiction
Higher Risk for COVID Breakthrough Infections in People With Substance Use Disorders
Co-occurring health disorders appear to contribute to increased risk, NIH study suggests. An analysis of electronic health records of nearly 580,000 fully vaccinated people in…
Drug (Cocaine, Methamphetamine, or Nicotine) Withdrawal Morphs Brain Communication Networks in Mice
Withdrawal from three different drugs shuffles brain networks in similar fashion. Zeroing in on specific brain regions when studying drug and alcohol abuse simplifies research…
Methamphetamine-Involved Overdose Deaths Nearly Tripled in the United States Between 2015 to 2019
Overdose deaths involving methamphetamine nearly tripled from 2015 to 2019 among people ages 18-64 in the United States, according to a study by the National…
Spice (Synthetic Marijuana) Withdrawal Symptoms More Severe Than Cannabis
New research from the Addiction and Mental Health Group at the University of Bath highlights challenges for people trying to give up the drug ‘Spice.’…
Opioids Don’t Have To Be Addictive – New Versions Treat Pain Without Triggering Pleasure
The problem with opioids is that they kill pain – and people. In the past three years, more than 125,000 persons died from an opioid…
Reducing Opioids for Pain Patients Linked to Higher Rates of Overdose and Mental Health Crisis
UC Davis Health study warns of risks associated with opioid dose tapering. Opioid therapy is complex. In recent years, a rise in opioid-related deaths and…
Brain Mechanism Behind Compulsive Alcohol Use Discovered
A small group of nerve cells in the brain determines whether an individual continues to consume alcohol even when it has negative consequences. This is…
Benzodiazepines and “Z-Drugs” Increase Death Risk When Taken With Opioids
A new study by Vanderbilt University Medical Center researchers of more the 400,000 Medicare patients taking medications for insomnia found that the risk of death…
Weeding Out the Truth: Cannabis May Be Linked to Development of Opioid Use Disorders
The idea that cannabis is a ‘gateway drug’ to more harmful substances such as opioids is controversial, yet has substantially impacted drug policy, education, and…
Moderate Alcohol Use Linked With Higher Cancer Risk
A new study from the World Health Organization’s (WHO) International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), published in the journal Lancet Oncology, has found an association between alcohol…
Alarming Discovery: Freshwater Methamphetamine Pollution Turns Brown Trout Into Addicts
Human pollution is often evident from oil slicks and plastic drifting on shore, but many of the drugs that we consume also end up washing…
Autistic People More Likely to Use Recreational Drugs to Self-Medicate
While autistic individuals are less likely to use substances, those who do so are more likely to self-medicate for their mental health symptoms, according to…
New Research Suggests a Link Between Cannabis Use and Suicide in Young Adults
National Institutes of Health study suggests a link between cannabis use and higher levels of suicidal ideation, plan, and attempt. An analysis of survey data…
Vitamin D Deficiency Strongly Exaggerates the Craving for and Effects of Opioids – Supplements May Help Combat Addiction
Vitamin D deficiency strongly exaggerates the craving for and effects of opioids, potentially increasing the risk for dependence and addiction, according to a new study…
Higher Alcohol Content Craft Beer Popularity Growing As Overall Beer Consumption Down
Americans are consuming more craft beer with higher alcohol content but are drinking less beer by volume, according to a new analysis led by epidemiologists…
Alcohol Companies Earn Billions From Underage Drinking
Underage youth consumed $17.5 billion worth, or 8.6 percent, of the alcoholic drinks sold in 2016. Products from three alcohol companies — AB Inbev, MillerCoors…
“The Robot Made Me Do It” – Robots Can Encourage Risk-Taking Behavior in People
New research has shown robots can encourage humans to take greater risks in a simulated gambling scenario than they would if there was nothing to…