Search
Drugs, Brains and Behavior: The Science of Addiction
Since the 1930s, the response to drug addiction has moved from one that focuses on the need to punish users to another that recognises the importance of prevention and treatment approaches.
In other words, thanks to scientific advances...
Why Are Many American Adults Misusing Prescription Painkillers?
Prescription painkillers are second only to marijuana as the United States drug of choice. Around 91.8 million Americans aged 18 and above used prescription painkillers in 2014, according to the 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health...
Preventing Marijuana Use among Youth and Young Adults
Preventing Marijuana Use among Youth and Young Adults is a new release from the US Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
It provides the latest facts about marijuana use in the United States and includes...
Changing Patterns of Substance Misuse in Adult Prisons and Service Responses
Inspection findings were supplemented by fieldwork in eight prisons in 2014 to generate an overall picture of drug use and responses to it in prisons in England and Wales. In the face of rapidly changing and varied drug use patterns, policy...
EMCDDA Insights: Prevention of Substance Abuse
Prevention of Substance Abuse by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) is a report that draws on evidence-based research to assess substance use prevention interventions, in terms of their ability to...
Principles of Substance Abuse Prevention for Early Childhood
The National Institute on Drug Abuse’s (NIDA) Principles of Substance Abuse Prevention for Early Childhood (2017) is a special volume that supplements the organisation’s Preventing Drug Abuse Among Children and Adolescents, released in 2003...
Online Drinking Interventions Shown to be Effective for Armed Service Personnel
Almost two thirds of men in the UK Armed Forces are considered to drink harmful amounts of alcohol.
This is compared with around one third of the average population.
According to a new study published in the Journal of the Royal Army...
WHO's 2017 Global Tobacco Epidemic Report
The latest report on the global tobacco epidemic from the World Health Organization (WHO) is now available to download.
Among its key findings is that around 4.7 billion people (63% of the world’s population) are now covered by at least...
Preventing Drug-Related Deaths
Drug-related deaths are rising and are a major concern to councils and our health partners. Deaths have increased sharply over the past five years and are now at their highest levels since records began.
Any death related to the misuse...
Use and Knowledge of Contraceptive Methods by Patients in Two Substance Use Disorders Treatment Centers in Paris
Abstract
Background
Studies on contraceptive use by patients with substance use disorders (SUD) show a concerning low use of contraception. Mainly conducted in USA, they could be irrelevant to patients attending European SUD treatment...
The Effectiveness of Illegal Drug Interventions
This Health Research Board document reviews evidence on the effectiveness of interventions in the areas of prevention, harm reduction and long-term recovery from addiction to illegal drugs.
It asks which interventions are effective for:
...
What Is Known about New Psychoactive Substances?
New psychoactive substances (NPS), sometimes referred to as ‘legal highs’, are new drugs that have received much media attention of late.
A new study published in Public Health Research reviewed existing research into NPS with the view...
The Brain’s Role in Drug Addiction
Latest research suggests that the impairment of the lateral habenula (LB) – the region of the brain known to register negative experiences – can contribute to the development of drug addiction.
The study, conducted on laboratory rats by...
How to Tackle America’s Opioid Crisis?
Much the result of a poor understanding of how to treat chronic pain, the United States has in recent years been rocked by an unprecedented drug crisis: The opioid epidemic.
Opioids include drugs derived from opium, such as heroin, as...
Mortality among a Cohort of Heavy Drinkers in Edinburgh & Glasgow
A new report on alcohol-related deaths amongst heavy drinkers in Edinburgh and Glasgow has been released by SHAAP based on research funded by Alcohol Research UK and the Chief Scientist Office (Scotland). The project explored the effects of...
Towards a New Consensus for Addiction Medicine Training
A new study asks for the opinions of addiction experts, with a view to reaching a consensus on the necessary core skills that medical education ought to cover.
Drug Misuse and Dependence: UK Guidelines on Clinical Management
There is no more important document for doctors treating problem drug use in the UK than the so-called ‘Orange guidelines’. This major update will substantially inform judgements of what constitutes acceptable medical practice - should...
Tackling Youth Substance Use with 12-Step Programmes
A new study recently published in the academic journal Addiction suggests that substance use treatment programmes that incorporate 12-step practices, such as that used by Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), are more effective for combatting...
Drug Use in England and Wales
Illegal drug use trends among 16- to 59-year-olds in England and Wales are examined in a new UK Home Office release based on the findings from the 2016 – 2017 Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW).
The survey used a representative...
Child Mental Health Problems Increase Risk of Addiction, Study Finds
A new study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (JAACAP) suggests there to be a correlation between childhood psychiatric disorders and an increased risk of developing addiction in adulthood.
...