Drug Use Perpetuates Compulsive Behavior
Sunday August 31, 2003
New research shows that exposure to stimulant drugs such as amphetamine or cocaine can impair the ability of specific brain cells to change as a consequence of experience.
More: Treatment FAQ ... Read More
Diuretic May Help Cocaine Addicts
Saturday August 30, 2003
A diuretic commonly used to treat hypertension and congestive heart failure may improve brain blood flow in cocaine addicts, according to a study in the August 2003 issue of Drug ... Read More
ERs See Rise in Drug-Abuse Cases
Friday August 29, 2003
Narcotic pain medications implicated in drug-abuse related emergency room visits rose 20 percent from 2001 to 2002, according to new estimates from the Drug Abuse Warning Network.
More: Prescription Medications | ... Read More
Sensation-Seeking Behavior in Alcoholic Men
Thursday August 28, 2003
New research has found a genetic link between the a specific dopamine receptor gene and sensation seeking among male alcoholic patients.
More: Chromosomal Regions Linked to Alcoholism
Education Level Linked to Treatment Outcomes
Thursday August 28, 2003
A study has found that educational attainment may be able to predict relapse following alcohol treatment. Those who are less educated are more likely to return to drinking.
More: Does Treatment ... Read More
Internet Boosts Sale of Illegal Drugs, Study Shows
Wednesday August 27, 2003
Web sites based outside the United States that sell illegal drugs on the Internet pose a significant public health risk and a real problem for law enforcement officials, a Pennsylvania ... Read More
Severe ADHD May Predict Alcohol Problems
Tuesday August 26, 2003
Individuals with severe problems of inattention as children were more likely than their peers to report alcohol-related problems, a greater frequency of getting drunk, and heavier and earlier use of ... Read More
Painkillers Increase Risk of Miscarriage
Tuesday August 26, 2003
Women who take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or aspirin during pregnancy increase their risk of miscarriage by 80 percent, according to a California study.
More: Pregnancy and Drinking | Alcohol and ... Read More
New Nashville Music CD Celebrates Recovery
Monday August 25, 2003
A new music CD from Nashville country music artists promotes recovery from drug and alcohol addiction while also benefiting treatment and recovery programs. It includes some of the finest country ... Read More
Navy's Anti-Drug Effort Proves Effective
Monday August 25, 2003
When the U.S. Navy began its random drug testing for all personnel in 1982 the rate of positive samples was 7.21 percent. After 21 years of the urinalysis screenings, less ... Read More
Maine Teen Drug Use Bucks National Trend
Monday August 25, 2003
It's not the teens with extra spending money who are more likely to drink and drug, Maine officials say, it's the kids from less affluent section of the state who ... Read More
Emergency Visits Increase for Underage Drinkers
Sunday August 24, 2003
In the past five years, the number of children seeking treatment for over drinking in emergency departments have increased from 33 to 50 percent, a survey of 50 British hospitals ... Read More
Alcoholism Treatments Under-Used in Australia
Sunday August 24, 2003
Although acamprostate and naltrezone are readily available and inexpensive under government subsidies to help Australians reduce alcohol cravings, only one in 30 alcoholics are prescribed the medication a published study ... Read More
Drug Czar Blasts Canadian Policy
Sunday August 24, 2003
U.S. Drug Czar John P. Walters said in Detroit this week that Canadian decriminalization of marijuana would increase drug problems in the United States, causing one Canadian justice official to ... Read More
Ohio Addicts Face Long Waiting Lists for Treatment
Sunday August 24, 2003
With waiting periods up to two years for heroin addicts to get treatment in the state's methadone clinics, Ohio is looking at expanding the program, but the funding will come ... Read More
Not Getting the Message
Saturday August 23, 2003
The same week that the University of Colorado was named the "Top Party School" by the Princeton Review and a day after attending an alcohol awareness talk, 21 members of ... Read More
Kids Get Booze from Family, Friends
Saturday August 23, 2003
Most underage drinkers get their alcohol from family and friends according to a recent survey commissioned by The Century Council, which is funded by alcohol distillers. The survey indicated only ... Read More
Female Inmates to Get Post-Prison Help
Friday August 22, 2003
A first of it's kind program in Durham, NC will partner the city with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and other agencies to establish a program to ... Read More
Alcohol Deaths Triple in U.K.
Friday August 22, 2003
According to the latest government statistics, alcohol-releated deaths among British citizens aged 15-44 have tripled in the past 20 years -- including deaths from health problems, accidents and murders.
In the ... Read More
Teen Pitfalls - Stress, Boredom, Extra Money
Thursday August 21, 2003
The risk that teens will smoke, drink, get drunk and use illegal drugs increases sharply if they are highly stressed, frequently bored or have substantial amounts of spending money, ... Read More
Gene Shown to Influence College Drinking Habits
Thursday August 21, 2003
Researchers have identified a genetic factor that may predispose young people to consume more alcohol per occasion, drink expressly to become drunk, and engage in binge drinking more than students ... Read More
Five Ways Parents Can Reduce Teen Risk
Wednesday August 20, 2003
The risk that teens will smoke, drink, get drunk and use illegal drugs increases sharply if they are highly stressed, frequently bored or have substantial amounts of spending money, ... Read More
Drug Link Suspected in Sniper Shootings
Wednesday August 20, 2003
Investigators are looking into a possible drug link in at least two of the cases of three sniper shootings that killed three people outside Charleston, WV area stores and terrorized ... Read More
Program Helps Repeat DUI Offenders
Wednesday August 20, 2003
Instead of sending them to jail, officials in Las Vegas are dealing with repeat drunken driving offenders by placing them into a program that puts them under house arrest for ... Read More
Top Party School: University of Colorado
Tuesday August 19, 2003
A six-year effort to reduce drinking by University of Colorado students apparently has failed miserably. The school was named the "Top Party School" in the annual Princeton Review's survey of ... Read More
Federal Sentencing Guidelines Under Fire
Tuesday August 19, 2003
A law that Congress passed in 1988, during the height of the Drug War in an effort to bring consistency to sentences handed out by federal judges, is now coming ... Read More
Catch-22 for Edmonton Sober Club
Tuesday August 19, 2003
A 'sober bar' in Edmonton, Canada that has been a refuge for recovering alcoholics and addicts for years has been told by city officials that it must now get a ... Read More
Sleep Problems in Recovering Alcoholics
Monday August 18, 2003
Alcoholics can continue to have sleep problems for many months after they quit drinking, problems with sleep onset may be more pronounced than with sleep maintenance, and many alcoholics had ... Read More
Meth Treatment Takes More Time
Monday August 18, 2003
People who use or abuse methamphetamine do not necessarily need specialized treatment but do need more time in intensive outpatient or residential drug treatment than currently occurs.
More: Are You Addicted? ... Read More
Virginia Judge Soft on Drunken Drivers
Sunday August 17, 2003
A circuit court judge in Virigina has been reducing sentences and overturning DUI convictions in 64 percent of the cases appealed to his court in what observers have termed everything ... Read More
Out of Prison With a Fresh Start
Sunday August 17, 2003
A once promising track star, who struggled with alcoholism and brushes with the law, walked out of prison last week ready to embark on his dream to become a member ... Read More
Some Concerned About Possible NIAAA-NIDA Merger
Friday August 15, 2003
Although many observers agree that a merger of the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism would be more efficient, others think the ... Read More
Drug Offenders Getting a Break, Or Are They?
Friday August 15, 2003
On one hand, more and more states are sentencing drug offenders to treatment instead of jail due to the strain on their budgets, but on the other hand U.S. Attorney ... Read More
U.S. Teens Face Addiction, PTSD, Depression
Thursday August 14, 2003
A new study of America's adolescents finds that roughly 16 percent of boys and 19 percent of girls met the criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder, major depressive episode and substance ... Read More
Faith-Based Groups Help Ex-Offenders
Thursday August 14, 2003
Faith-based groups play an informal but significant role in helping released offenders rebuild their lives, but could be more effective if communications were improved with existing social service agencies.
More: Commonly ... Read More
Brain Region That Triggers Relapse Pinpointed
Thursday August 14, 2003
Relapse among recovering drug addicts can now be linked to specific nerve cells in a particular region of the brain, according to researchers. The discovery may help pave the way ... Read More
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder
Wednesday August 13, 2003
A professor of clinical pediatrics says the term "Fetal Alcohol Syndrome" does not go far enough in describing all of the possible effects of drinking while pregnant and may cause ... Read More
Buprenorphine Proves Promising for Heroin Addiction
Wednesday August 13, 2003
Buprenorphine, a new drug being used to treat heroin addicts instead of methadone, is showing signs of working better than any past treatment and some professionals believe it will drastically ... Read More
Network Helps Alcoholics Overcome Stigma
Tuesday August 12, 2003
The Missouri Recovery Network is an organization of recovering people, their families and professional counselors which advocates for fair treatment in the workplace, in the health system and other areas ... Read More
Companies Cut Down on Booze Parties
Tuesday August 12, 2003
Due to the lowering of the blood alcohol level standard for drunken driving and more liability lawsuits holding them accountable, many companies are cutting back or eliminating altogether alcohol at ... Read More
The Burrito Breath Defense
Tuesday August 12, 2003
When a Nebraska man returned to jail from his work release job with alcohol on his breath, he claimed it was due to eating burritos made with alcohol marinated meat ... Read More
Rehab Program Drop-Outs
Monday August 11, 2003
Men and women who remain in alcohol and drug rehabilitation programs throughout a full year have entirely different motivations for doing so, according to research at the Kaiser Permanente Medical ... Read More
Learning Disabilities and Drinking
Monday August 11, 2003
Children with learning disabilities may be more likely to end up drinking, smoking and using drugs, but early recognition and treatment can prevent children from becoming substance abusers, Columbia University ... Read More
Sobriety High School
Sunday August 10, 2003
Dakota County, Minneapolis will become the latest of about 20 communities in the United States to open a charter school designed to keep students who are in recovery from alcohol ... Read More
Legal Drug Overdoses Kill More Than Illegal Drugs
Saturday August 9, 2003
Accidental overdoses that resulted in death in Maine have increased from 19 in 1997 to 126 in 2002, and 62 percent of those deaths were caused by legal, prescription drugs, ... Read More
Children's Program Kit
Saturday August 9, 2003
The Children's Program Kit is a valuable resource for treatment providers and prevention centers that aim to help children make sense of what they've been experiencing, cope with the stresses ... Read More
Prescribing Heroin Can Help Treatment-Resistant Addicts
Friday August 8, 2003
Supervised prescription of a combination of methadone plus heroin is feasible, safe, and effective in reducing the many physical, mental, and social problems of heroin addicts, according to Dutch researchers ... Read More
Stressed U.K. Doctors Turn to Drugs, Alcohol
Friday August 8, 2003
Overworked physicians in U.K. National Health Service hospitals report facing stress, depression, physical assault, alcoholism or drug addiction because of their jobs and only 23 percent of them plan to ... Read More
Court Endorses Warrantless Searches in Meth Cases
Friday August 8, 2003
A federal appeals court has ruled that police can conduct a warrantless search of a building if they merely smell what could be a methamphetamine laboratory. The 8th U.S. Circuit ... Read More
Addiction Relapse Similar to Other Chronic Diseases
Thursday August 7, 2003
Relapse following treatment for drug and alcohol addiction is common, predictable and preventable, according to a research report by the Caron Foundation, one of the nation's oldest and largest addiction ... Read More
Is Your Child at Risk to Use Drugs?
Thursday August 7, 2003
Teens who crave an especially great degree of stimulation and excitement have a much greater risk for drug and alcohol abuse. Fortunately, sensation seeking can be channeled into healthy outlets.
More: ... Read More
Video Doctor Is Always In
Thursday August 7, 2003
The video doctor, a computer-based multimedia program to help real doctors reduce smoking and alcohol use among their patients, is unobtrusive, patient friendly and apparently effective.
More: Finally, A Pill for ... Read More
Alberta Intoxilyzers Target Drunk Drivers
Thursday August 7, 2003
Police in Alberta, Canada have a new tool in their effort to take drunken drivers off the road. They have received 50 new Intoxilyzer 400Ds -- handheld digital devices that ... Read More
Teen Girls, Boys Use Drugs for Different Reasons
Tuesday August 5, 2003
Family dysfunction and peer pressure usually prompt teen boys to begin experimenting with drugs, but for girls genetic factors play a much greater role, according to a published study.
"In girls, ... Read More
State Cannot Prosecute Drunken Pilots
Tuesday August 5, 2003
Two America West pilots who were fired after trying to fly their Airbus carrying 124 passengers from Miami to Phoenix while under the influence, can not be prosecuted by the ... Read More
Alcohol and Drugs Swamp Canada's Northwest
Tuesday August 5, 2003
With few detox and treatment facilities available, Canada's Northwest Territories have seven times the hospital admissions for alcohol and drug-related problems than the rest of the country.
Yellowknife's Stanton Hospital sees ... Read More
Alcohol Consumption Affecting Workplaces
Monday August 4, 2003
A British consulting firm has reported that 79 percent of U.K. businesses report suffering from poor performance and increased absenteeism by employees due to their alcohol consumption.
"Alcohol abuse is a ... Read More
Underage Drinking - A Major Public Health Challenge
Monday August 4, 2003
By the time they reach the eighth grade, nearly 50 percent of adolescents have had at least one drink, and over 20 percent report having been drunk. Approximately 20 percent ... Read More
Co-Payments Higher for Treatment Patients
Sunday August 3, 2003
A survey of 434 managed care plans in 60 market areas found that patients receiving substance abuse and mental health services often had to make a higher copayment or pay ... Read More
Integrating Medical-Drug Treatment Cost Effective
Sunday August 3, 2003
Integrating substance abuse treatment with primary care may be cost-beneficial and provide a better quality of care for substance abuse patients with medically related problems, researchers have found.
Researchers examining the ... Read More
Drugs of Abuse May Cause Similar Brain Changes
Sunday August 3, 2003
Certain drugs of addiction and stress appear to produce similar changes on dopamine signaling, which may play a role in addiction. This also may contribute to the effects of stress ... Read More
Growing Threat of Synthetic Drugs
Saturday August 2, 2003
The head of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime says that inexpensive and easily produced synthetic amphetamine-type stimulants are the largest narcotics problem most nations will face in the ... Read More
Company Says Courts Dismissing OxyContin Lawsuits
Saturday August 2, 2003
Purdue Pharma, the company that makes the painkiller OxyContin, is facing a large number of product liability lawsuits, but reported that many of those suits are being dismissed because the ... Read More
Genetics, Environment Have Little Impact on Choice of Drugs
Saturday August 2, 2003
Drug abuse has a strong hereditary component; however, new research suggests genetics and shared environment have little impact when it comes to selecting a particular illegal drug.
Scientists interviewed 1,196 male ... Read More
Meth Abuse May Cause Functional Abnormalities in the Brain
Saturday August 2, 2003
New research findings indicate that methamphetamine abuse may result in functional changes in the brain that are similar to those seen in people with degenerative brain diseases.
Researchers from the University ... Read More
The Effects of Abusing Legitimate Drugs
Friday August 1, 2003
Overuse and abuse of prescription opioid drugs can have harmful ramifications for their legitimate and appropriate use. A balanced approach is needed so programs developed to reduce and prevent such ... Read More
Back to the Drawing Board for Interlock Devices
Friday August 1, 2003
In 2001 Pennsylvania passed a law requiring convicted drunk drivers to install ignition interlock devices on their vehicles, but when the Commonwealth Court balked at enforcing the law, the effort ... Read More