EMCDDA Treatment Standards and Best Practice
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Effectiveness Bank Matrix Bite: Psychosocial Therapies in the Treatment System
This is one of 25 cells in the Alcohol Treatment Matrix. The cell discusses key research relating to the roles of psychosocial therapies in local treatment systems. In particular, their role in creating a cost-effective mix of services...
Should Opioid Dependent Patients Receive Immediate Access to Medical Treatment?
New research supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) has found through a comparison of treatment approaches for opioid dependence that, in an emergency setting, combining the medication buprenorphine with on-going care is...
Characteristics of Fentanyl Overdose — Massachusetts, 2014–2016
Summary
What is already known about this topic?
Fentanyl has a growing presence in the illicit drug market and is involved in an increasing proportion of opioid overdose deaths.
What is added by this report?
Approximately two thirds of...
Estimation of National, Regional and Global Prevalence of Alcohol Use during Pregnancy and Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
Background
Alcohol use during pregnancy is the direct cause of fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). We aimed to estimate the prevalence of alcohol use during pregnancy and FAS in the general population and, by linking these two indicators...
‘Ex-spliff-cit’ Content: If Legalised, Should Marijuana Carry Age Restrictions?
Canadians will soon know whether marijuana will be made legal. If legalised, should the drug carry an age restriction?
This question is central to new research published in the journal Health which suggests that young users report...
Can Abstaining from Alcohol Help to Fight the Spread of HIV?
Studies have shown that alcohol may play a role in more that 13% of deaths resulting from infectious diseases, including HIV.
Evidence suggests that alcohol consumption negatively affects the fight against HIV primarily by:
- Increasing...
Could LSD Have a Role in New Therapeutic Treatments?
New research published in the journal Translational Psychiatry has found that LSD reduces activity in the region of the brain responsible for negative emotions such as fear.
The researchers call this the drug’s ‘de-frightening effect’ and...
Young People are More Likely to Report Seeing Alcohol Advertising Online, Pilot Study Finds
An American pilot study published in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research has found that underage youngsters between 13 and 20 years old are more likely than adults to report seeing alcohol marketing online. The...
Smoke-free Implementation in Colombia: Monitoring, Outside Funding and Business Support
Objective: To analyze successful national smoke-free policy implementation in Colombia, a middle income country.
Materials and methods: Key informants at the national and local levels were interviewed and news sources and government...
Background on Alcohol Marketing Regulation and Monitoring for the Protection of Public Health
This document provides evidence for arguments supporting alcohol marketing regulation, and suggests key elements that can be considered by countries in planning, developing, implementing, and evaluating effective regulation. It also...
Does Smoking Cigarettes Increase the Chance of Relapse into Illegal Substance Use?
Among people recovering from substance use disorders, those who smoke are more likely to relapse three years later compared to those who do not, according to new findings published in The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.
Treatment for...
Organisational Influences on Psychosocial Therapies
Latest instalment of online course on alcohol treatment research. See if you agree with influential US researchers that “organizational climate underlies the entire process of innovation adoption”, appreciate the effect of high staff...
Drugs on the Brain: Substance Use and Neurotransmission
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) has published an extended overview detailing the impact of certain drugs on brain functioning, as well as the most common experimental methods used in related research.
Neuroscientists primarily...
Minimum Alcohol Price to Be Rolled out across the UK?
A minimum price of 50p per unit of alcohol was approved by Members of Scottish Parliament (MSPs) in 2012. The decision faced numerous legal challenges from the drinks industry before Scottish courts ruled in its favour in October 2016. This...
Are Youngsters in Foster Care More Likely to Use Substances?
New research from Cardiff University has found:
- Weekly smoking rates among 11 - 16-year-olds in foster care are almost 8 times higher when compared to those reported by youngsters of the same age who live with both their parents.
- Weekly...
Tweet2Quit: The Social Media Intervention Helping People to Quit Smoking
The social media quit-smoking intervention – Tweet2Quit – sends automated daily communications to private self-help groups, encouraging high-quality peer-to-peer discussions online. It is very low cost and has a potential global reach.
A...
Wide Eyes and Slurred Words: The Dangers of Mixing Alcohol with Energy Drinks
Mixing energy drinks with alcohol is becoming increasingly popular. And yet, recent research suggests that combining the two could be risky, more so than drinking alcohol on its own or with more traditional mixers such as coca-cola or...
The Comparative Effectiveness of Outpatient Treatment for Adolescent Substance Abuse: A Meta-Analysis
Multi-prong therapies centred on the family emerge as probably the most effective in this comprehensive and careful synthesis of the results of trials of non-residential programmes for substance using teenagers - but do the outcomes warrant...
Overdose Antidote Takes Harm-Reduction Centre Stage
One of our selection of hot topics, analyses of important issues which sometimes generate heated debate. Programmes distributing the opiate overdose antidote naloxone have become the great new hope for curbing the rise in drug-related...