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Global Smoking Rates on Decline Thanks to Demand-Reduction Measures
New research published in The Lancet Public Health suggests that global smoking rates have decreased by 2.5% following the introduction of the global tobacco control treaty. The treaty obligates the 180 countries committed to it to...
Do Surgical Procedures Increase the Risk of Opioid Dependence?
A new study has found that having surgery may expose patients to a higher risk of developing long-term opioid dependence. According to the investigation, around 6% of people who had not taken opioids prior to their operation but were...
New Resources from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) has released a number of new resources.
These are aimed at those working within the criminal justice system and other environments where people in recovery from drug addiction are ready to...
Can We ‘Switch Off’ Our Need to Drink Alcohol?
New research by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) may lead to the development of personalised treatments for alcohol dependence. The study evaluated how people’s responses in the brain differ to various therapeutic...
Marijuana Linked to Cardiovascular Problems
Marijuana use may increase the risk of stroke and heart failure.
This was concluded to be the case even after accounting for demographic and lifestyle risk factors, as well as other health conditions.
The new findings on the potential...
Cocaine Elicits Autophagic Cytotoxicity via a Nitric Oxide-GAPDH Signaling Cascade
Abstract
Cocaine exerts its behavioral stimulant effects by facilitating synaptic actions of neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin. It is also neurotoxic and broadly cytotoxic, leading to overdose deaths. We demonstrate that...
New Evidence in Mice That Cocaine Makes Brain Cells Cannibalize Themselves
Working with mice, researchers at Johns Hopkins have contributed significant new evidence to support the idea that high doses of cocaine kill brain cells by triggering overactive autophagy, a process in which cells literally digest their...
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...
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...
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...
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.
- Weekl...
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...
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...
Clinical Application of Cultural Elements for Hispanic and Latino Populations
This manual is designed to teach cultural competence concepts, values, and strategies for engagement and treatment with Hispanics and Latinos with substance use disorders (SUD). The manual introduces a basic understanding of cultural...
Quality of Behavioural Drug Treatment Implementation Dictates its Success
Contingency management (CM) is a widely used behavioural therapy for substance use disorders. It offers material rewards for attending sessions and adhering to prescribed medication courses, amongst other positive behaviours.
A study...
Mental Health and Synthetic Cannabinoid Use
Recently published in the journal Pediatrics, the first prospective study of synthetic cannabinoids (SCs) – chemicals that mimic the effects of marijuana – links depressive symptoms and marijuana and alcohol consumption with an increased...
Highs and Lows: Substance Use and Academic Performance
According to a new study published in the open-access journal PLOS ONE, US college students who consume medium-to-high levels of alcohol and marijuana have a consistently lower grade point average (GPA).
The investigation compared...
A Scientific Development for the Treatment of Cocaine Addiction?
A new study published in the journal Biological Psychiatry claims that one’s desire for cocaine may be reduced by blocking signalling from a specific system in the brain primarily responsible for promoting wakefulness and appetite.
The...
Emotional Abuse during Childhood Linked to Future Opioid Use
Recently published in the journal Addictive Behaviors, a new study claims the existence of a link between childhood abuse and opioid use later in life.
According to the investigation, emotional abuse, specifically, more so than sexual or...