Fact Sheet: Alcohol and the Brain
Alcohol Change UK have released a fact sheet highlighting the various ways alcohol can affect the health of your brain as well as changes you can make in order to take care of this vital organ.
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The Relationships Between Stimulant Use and Gambling Among Adolescents
Adolescence is a period of time where young people are more likely to seek independence and novel experiences, experiment with their expression and identity and have less regard for risk. Given the natural surge in sensation-seeking...
Relapse: The Role of Self-Regulation and Feelings of Disconnection
Highlights
- The study examines the views of patients with alcohol use disorder on relapse.
- Relapse was associated with the use of alcohol as a means of self-regulation combined with the sense of being disconnected from other people.
Th...
The Links Between Substance Use and Gambling in Schizophrenia
Highlights
- High rates of both problem and pathological gambling and substance use disorders have been reported in schizophrenia
- The research shows that problem and pathological gambling and substance use is linked with increased...
Self‐Medication with Alcohol or Drugs for Mood and Anxiety Disorders
Substance use is one way that people deal with the difficult symptoms present in mood and anxiety disorders. As people become more reliant on the effects of the substances to relieve distress the use can develop into dependence. Self‐medica...
Benzodiazepine Use Is High while Use Disorder Rates Are Low
Benzodiazepines, such as sedatives and sleeping aids, are a widely prescribed group of medicines designed for short-term treatment. Although most people manage benzodiazepines as prescribed, some individuals misuse the drugs and can develop...
Stopping Cannabis Use Is Associated with Improved Memory
The controversial subject of cannabis legalisation has led to the increased urgency in understanding the full health and social implications of the drug use. Cannabis use is particularly prevalent amongst adolescence - a period of time...
Opioid Use May Increase Risk of Dangerous Heart Rhythm Disorder
Abuse of opioids can lead to many adverse consequences including addiction and heightened risk of overdose, however it is being increasingly suggested that even controlled use of prescription opioids may be linked with serious and enduring...
Examining the Links between Adolescent Brain Development, Mental Illness and Substance Use Disorder
Adolescence is a time where young people go through dramatic changes in body and behaviour. It is an age where young people are most likely to take risks, partake in reward-seeking activities and experience the first symptoms of mental ill...
How Alcohol Can Change How Memories Are Formed
Consuming alcohol often comes with negative side effects, such as nausea or headaches, however we have a tendency to remember the positive experience of drinking rather than the negative consequences. Understanding how alcohol influences...
Sex Differences in Cannabis Use
Cannabis remains the most commonly used illicit drug worldwide and, with the rise of decriminalisation and legalization of marijuana for medical and recreational use, it is expected this will increase even further. There are, however...
The Mechanism Behind Alcohol Addiction
Alcohol is known to affect a region in our brain called the Ventral Tegmental Area (VTA), otherwise known as the “pleasure centre”. By activating specific neurones that then go on to release the neurochemical dopamine within this...
Gene Therapy for Cocaine Addiction
Cocaine addiction is linked with uncontrollable drug seeking. Cues within the environment act as a constant reminder of the experience and can lead to relapse. Current medication options are limited when it comes to meeting the needs for...
Substance Use and Adolescent Cognitive Development
Both alcohol and cannabis misuse is linked with impaired mental functioning. Understanding the impact of substance use is particularly important when studying the developing brain.
A recent piece of research, published in the American...
Native American Teens at Higher Risk for Substance Abuse
A recent study has found that Native American adolescents are at greater risk of alcohol and drug abuse than other American teens.
Survey results were collected from 1,700 Native American students at 31 schools across the United States and...
How Cocaine Cues Get Planted in the Brain
Individuals suffering from substance use disorders develop strong associations between the drug’s stimulating effect and environmental cues that act as reminders of the experience, which can lead to relapse.
A recent study has proposed a...
Low Self-Esteem Connected to Greater Risk for Opioid Use
It has been suggested that individuals with low self-esteem are more likely to choose maladaptive coping behaviors, such as abuse of opioids, when faced with life stressors.
In a recent study conducted in New York, over 1000 adults, of...
Children Whose Mothers Use Marijuana Are More Likely to Try It Themselves at Younger Age
According to a new study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, mothers’ cannabis use is associated with earlier cannabis initiation by their children.
The research, which analysed longitudinal data for 4,440 children...