Education
Is It Possible to Just Turn Off Addiction?
With all the medical marvels that research scientists have been able to create, and with intense focus on prevention, treatment and recovery for the increasing numbers of people addicted to illicit substances, prescription drugs used nonmedically, and process addictions, it’s logical to conclude that there must be a way to somehow just turn off addiction. [...] ...
Reward Systems Contribute to Chance of Relapse
The relapse rates for those with an alcohol abuse problem are not promising. In fact, according to this Science Daily release, a minim of 60 percent of individuals treated for an alcohol use disorder will relapse. This relapse will typically occur within the first six months of treatment. The reward system within the brain is [...] ...
Prenatal Exposure to Nicotine May Lead to Smoking Addiction in Offspring
New research has found that prenatal exposure to nicotine increases the likelihood that the offspring will start smoking earlier than their peers and are more likely to become addicted to nicotine, especially as a result of stress or peer pressure. The researchers, from the Academy of Finland’s Research Programme on Substance Abuse and Addictions, used [...] ...
Resurgence of X for Gen X
When we picture a drug addict, mental images of the more mature don’t necessarily come to mind. Research shows, however, that a growing number of adults in their 30s and 40s are partying with Ecstasy. Having children and maintaining a professional career don’t seem to hinder their ability to have a good time either. According [...] ...
Salvia Research, Video Reports Prompt Federal Consideration of Plant as Controlled Substance
The ancient plant Salvia is leaving the garden and making a modern-day entrance as a hallucinogenic, and prompting new research into the effects of its use on the human brain. It’s the subject of numerous YouTube videos showing people smoking the substance, as well as reports of celebrity use. Recent studies from Johns Hopkins [...] ...
Trendy Boutiques Selling “Legal High” Drugs Emerging as a Deadly Fad
What may look like an upscale cosmetic or convenience shop can be quite deadly. Appearing in trendy, seemingly high-class global boutiques, a rapidly emerging type of drugs called “legal highs” are taking lives tragically and opening the door for young adults to abuse other types of drugs. Shops springing up with alarming speed across Europe ...
How Charlie Sheen Can Help Treatment Centers Admissions
While the title of this post is: How Charlie Sheen Can Help Treatment Centers Admissions it could be written as “How Can “Any Celebrity” Help Treatment Centers Admissions.” As of March 1st 2011 Charlie Sheen is in the news and is like a “rock star from Mars” (his words). While self proclaiming Charlie Sheen can [...] ...
Victimization and Substance Abuse Link Identified
Substance abuse can be a by-product of a number of different things, including victimization, according to this recent Medical News Today report. Researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago recently identified this link, suggesting that the link is especially prevalent among those who are gay, lesbian and bisexual. Tonda Hughes, a professor and ...
Cannabis may Cause Sexual Dysfunction
Marijuana is widely used as a recreational drug. Some have argued its medicinal benefits, using the position to push for the legalization of the drug. However, marijuana also carries with it certain risks. One side effect associated with marijuana is related to cognitive function, with those using cannabis unable to maintain a certain level of ...
The Connection between Marijuana and Psychosis
The debate over the possible medical uses of cannabis versus the possible damage incurred by increased availability has spurred many conversations over the last decade. Researchers have examined marijuana as a potential “gateway drug” that initiates users into experimentation with more potent drugs like heroin and cocaine. Studies have also addressed whether cognitive functions are ...
Stroke Patients Test Positive for Street Drugs
Street drugs are associated with many negative consequences. Some are highly publicized, such as difficulty maintaining employment and the disintegration of family and social ties. Drugs are also associated with comorbidity of mental disorders, with psychosis and other types of substance abuse often occurring after drug use has begun. One lesser-emphasized risk of heavy street ...
Short-term Influences on Smoking Behaviors
Smokers who want to give up tobacco are often faced with a difficult challenge. Their social lives are peppered with reminders of the habit they are trying to eliminate, such as friends lingering outside a gathering to smoke or having coffee with a buddy that is usually paired with a cigarette. Understanding the types of [...] ...
Hepatitis C Rates Remain High Among Drug Users
There are many negative consequences associated with using injection drugs. One immediate risk of using such drugs is the transmission of a virus by sharing a needle with another user. Both HIV and Hepatitis C are viral infections highly associated with needle-sharing. Needle exchange programs and substance abuse treatment are measures needed to reduce the ...
The Genetics of Substance Abuse and Addiction
I inherited this from my family. I was born to be a junkie like my old man and his father before him. There’s no use going into rehab because it’s genetic. I read that 60% of the people with genes like mine are drug addicts. Science says that drug addiction is a hereditary brain disease [...] ...
What Lies Within Us
“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson
What lies within us are all the experiences, interactions, emotional styles, physicality, nervous system responses, generational memories, styles of behavior, values and beliefs of our primary caregivers – our families.
As more and more studies come [...] ...
A Journey of Discovery
I graduated with my Masters Degree from New Mexico Highlands University in 2004, after three years of constant school obligations, social work-related extracurricular activities, and various jobs that kept a roof over my head and food on the table. So, shortly after receiving my diploma, as a graduation gift to myself, I returned to the [...] ...
Book Review: Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher
Irreverent, impossibly funny, starkly revealing – these are perfect descriptors of the hard-to-put-down book by Carrie Fisher, Wishful Drinking. Yes, that Carrie Fisher, daughter of actress Debbie Reynolds and former crooner (and irrepressible womanizer, according to his daughter) Eddie Fisher. You might remember Carrie as Princess Leia from Star Wars, that little blockbuster film that [...] ...
Is behavioral health spending shrinking?
Spending on psychiatric drugs grew by 5.6 percent from 2004 to 2005, down from the 27.3 percent growth from 1999 to 2000 according to a study published in the February issue of Health Affairs. The study conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration analyzed healthcare costs from 1986 to 2005 to determine patterns in expenditures for behavioral health services. ...
Study Finds Psychological Deterioration in Drug Abusers
A new study from researchers at Spain’s University of Granada has found that drug abusers have difficulty identifying negative emotions (such as anger, disgust, fear, and sadness) by their facial expressions. In addition, the study found that regular abuse of alcohol, marijuana, and cocaine usually affects the users’ fluency and decision-making. Cocaine abuse is associated ...
Enablers Delay Recovery of Drug Addicts
The power of addiction is deep-seated. It is so strong, that it may cause an otherwise, sweet and innocent individual to become a completely different person. It can push someone to prostitute themselves for drugs. Some struggling to overcome addiction will steal money from family or friends in order to get their next fix. Many ...
The Addictive Personality May Be a Combination of Brain, Environmental Factors
Do some people’s brains have specific receptors that make them more likely to develop an addiction to a substance than other people – or are a person’s decisions to engage in an addictive behavior completely part of their personal responsibility? Perhaps some of both. Theories and debates about the nature of addiction, and whether or [...] ...
Female Drug Abuse More Due to Genetic Factors
Two new studies found differences in the way females and males use drugs. The first study from the National Institute of Health’s Office of Research on Women’s Health found that young women have a 60% to 70% higher rate of abusing stimulants as well as painkillers containing opium compared to young men their age. Dr. [...] ...
The Joy of Sexual Recovery – Free CEU Lecture
Do you work with clients struggling with sex addiction, who seem unmotivated in their recovery work?
Learn how to help your clients experience vitality, aliveness, intimacy, and greater connection through the joy of sexual recovery…
Free C.E.U. Lecture
The Joy of Sexual Recovery
In early sexual recovery clients let go of danger and risk while moving toward stability [...] ...
Study Finds Stimulant Khat to Lower Inhibitions
Khat is a plant that contains cathinone, a natural stimulant similar to amphetamine; chewing on khat leaves is known to lead to a sense of euphoria, excitement,, and decreased appetite. While the substance is controlled or banned in many countries, it is still legal in several others. Researchers from Leiden University, the University of Amsterdam, [...] ...
Review: In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts – Close Encounters with Addiction, by Gabor Mate, MD
When we think of hungry ghosts, it certainly conjures up an image of some pretty frightening specters. In the field of addiction treatment and recovery, such descriptors seem totally appropriate. Think of it. Hungry, as in devouring, destroying, seeking to annihilate. Ghosts, as in haunting spirits and thoughts never leaving our presence. Now, with the [...] ...
Tips for Improving Sleep for More Effective Chronic Pain Management
So what do you do when you live with chronic pain and need to sleep? Do you give in and use potentially dangerous sleep medications or just suffer? Most authorities recommend practicing good sleep hygiene, along with becoming very familiar with their sleep deprivation problem (i.e. understanding the cause).Sleep hygiene refers to the habits, environmental [...] ...
Marijuana Weakens Immune System, May Encourage Cancer Growth, Says Study
New information about the health risks of marijuana (cannabis) may point to a connection between a weakened immune system and higher risks of diseases like cancer for marijuana users. The research may also suggest that medicinal uses of marijuana, such as for treating chronic pain, could actually trigger a reaction that may prevent the body [...] ...
More Baby Boomers Seeking Alcohol or Drug Treatment
The number of senior citizens entering drug and alcohol treatment programs more than doubled in the past 20 years, according to a study from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. People over age 50 years old most frequently abuse alcohol, with 25% saying they are binge drinkers. However, their use of heroin has [...] ...
Campaign targets gambling addicts
When Chris saw the ad in which a man goes into a casino and loses track of time -- forgetting all about his child's birthday party -- he endorsed it for the agency crafting Pennsylvania's first media campaign to combat problem gambling.
The 36-year-old Harrisburg resident, who has been getting compulsive gambling counseling for more than a year, recognized himself. He remembered the ...
Alternative Sleep Aid Treatments Can Produce Positive Results, With Few Side Effects
Alternative medicine is an age-old discipline that can be applied to an age-old problem: sleep disorders. From meditation to exercise or natural supplements, practitioners are looking at non-medical ways to help patients get a good night’s rest. The benefits of alternative sleep aid treatments toward insomnia include quality sleep, low or no side effects and [...] ...
Implicit Associations and Marijuana Use
The Implicit Association Test (developed by Greenwald & Banaji, 1998) has been shown to measure the strength of associations between certain concepts and substance misuse. The test does not involve any kind of introspective access and limits the amount of mental control when responding to stimuli. A study conducted in 2007 (Ames, Grenard, Thush, Sussman, [...] ...
Food Addiction Can Mimic Drug Addiction
As a society, we are quick to judge those who developed an addiction to drugs or alcohol, but we fail to see our own challenges when it comes to cravings. In reality, many of us have our own “addictions” that we often laugh off as a quirk when in fact they could be affecting our [...] ...
The Role of Withdrawal in Addiction
With the rise in use of opioid painkillers, we have also seen a rise in people addicted to the medication. The challenge within the industry is that there is still confusion among doctors, patients and even journalists over what abuse or addiction actually means. A recent Healthland report noted that most people recognize the association [...] ...
Genetic Variant Increases Risk of Severe Cocaine Abuse in Whites
A new study has found that nearly one is five white individuals carries a genetic variant that significantly increases his or her odds of severely abusing cocaine. This variant, which is characterized by tiny gene mutations, changes the brain’s response to the rewarding effects of substances such as cocaine. Ohio State University researchers found that ...
SAMHSA announces Recovery Month annual award program
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has announced a new annual award program to honor organizations that do the most outstanding jobs of hosting National Recovery Month (Recovery Month) events. Each September Recovery Month provides a platform for communities and organizations throughout the country to highlight the social benefits of providing treatment and ...
RIA researcher receives $1.8 million grant to study prenatal alcohol exposure
Buffalo, N.Y. — Roh-Yu Shen, senior research scientist at the University at Buffalo's Research Institute on Addictions (RIA), has received a $1.8 million grant from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism to continue her study of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. The award will support a five-year investigation of the effects of prenatal ethanol—or ...
Similarities Found Between Video Game Addiction and Asperger’s Syndrome
Video game addicts often withdraw from social activity as they become more and more involved in the challenges of their gaming system. As their addiction becomes more severe, the addict may make choices that sever ties with family and social networks, as well as impacting academic or employment opportunities. A recent study has found that [...] ...
Enhancing the body’s ability to heal, and function optimally
THE MIND/BODY CONNECTION:
Enhancing the body’s ability to heal, and function optimally
AN ESALEN INSTITUTE EXPERIENCE
Big Sur, California
January 14-16, 2011
Presented by
Stephen Sideroff, Ph.D.
Esalen is a unique experience overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Their facilities include natural hot springs baths, pool, healthy meals, yoga, massage, all with breathtaking [...] ...
Fake Pot – Known as Spice or K2 – Likely to Be Banned for One Year
Synthetic marijuana consists of smokeable leaves of plants that have been covered in chemicals that mimic THC, the active ingredient in actual marijuana. Considered to be one of the newest designer drugs, fake pot makers market the substances as “herbal”. However, little credible evidence exists to back up the assertion. Popular among young people, fake [...] ...
Even Low Levels of Exposure to Smoking May Be Risky
Research has shown that those who smoke are causing great damage to their physical bodies, especially increasing their risk of developing lung cancer. Carcinogens applied directly to lung tissue through smoking are proven to be very dangerous. One area that has not been thoroughly explored, however, is whether a low-level tobacco exposure creates cause for [...] ...
Overeating, Like Drug Use, Rewards And Alters Brain
If you've ever wondered why it's hard to stay on a diet, consider this observation from Ralph DiLeone, a brain scientist at Yale University: "The motivation to take cocaine in the case of a drug addict is probably engaging similar circuits that the motivation to eat is in a hungry person."
That's what brain scientists have concluded after comparing studies of overeating with ...
Signs to look for if you suspect addiction
Did you know that meth is a synthetic derivative of adrenaline? Adrenaline increases energy and alertness during times of stress or anxiety. One major difference is that adrenaline clears the body quickly, whereas meth may take as long as six to eight hours and depending on the strength and the individual's makeup, one puff for the first “high” could last as long as 24 hours.
Meth was ...
How to Tell If Your Loved One Is on Drugs
He shuts down his laptop the minute you enter the room. He takes all his phone calls outside. He loses interest in school or his job. He gives up his favorite hobbies to sleep all day. When you ask him what’s up, you get an evasive answer or he tells you to mind your own ...
Innovative Research Funded for Medications in Addiction Treatment
The first Avant-Garde Awards for Medications Development Research were recently announced by NIDA. Founded in 1974, NIDA, or the National Institute on Drug Abuse, is a U.S. federal agency that conducts and supports research in a variety of fields that impact prevention, treatment and public policy efforts regarding drug abuse and addiction. It is part [...] ...
Conference Focuses on Impact of Drug Abuse
Drug addiction is not just a social problem or a health problem; it is also a financial problem. A report in The Guardian focused on information shared at a conference at the Delta Prince Edward. This conference took place as part of the Canadian Society of Addiction Medicine’s (CSAM) annual meeting and focused on the ...
Substance Abuse and Domestic Violence Seem Closely Connected
The consequences of substance abuse can thread through a household on a multitude of physical and emotional levels, including making the children or spouse living with an alcoholic more susceptible to domestic violence. It is believed that about 80 percent of domestic violence cases are connected in some way to substance abuse, and the ramifications [...] ...
Will Smoking Be the First Addiction Science Can Cure?
The statistics are so staggering, they’re enough to make a smoker want to crush out that butt and quit for good. If it were only that easy – but it’s not. Nicotine is responsible for the addictive effects of cigarette smoking. And this is a growing global healthcare crisis. Not only does it cost billions [...] ...
Everyday Situations Can be Strong, but Avoidable, Smoking Triggers
Coffee, then a cigarette. Cocktails at a social event, and a cigarette. Drive the car, light up a cigarette.Known as situational cravings, many normal activities can make quitting smoking intensely difficult for nicotine users. Everyday actions, whether performed independently or in social situations, can trigger very strong cravings for a cigarette and are a major [...] ...
Connections Between Stress and Substance Cravings Continue to Emerge
Recovery from drug or alcohol addiction is a step by step process, often marked by success and then a relapse. Experts are studying the role of stress on cravings, and how cravings can trigger a relapse, in hopes of finding ways patients can manage the underlying factors that set them up for a fall as ...
Addiction Looks at Many Variables, Not Just One
For years, scientists and doctors alike have studied addiction and why it can play such an active role in one life and leave another alone. One element that continues to surface in research time and again is the reality that the brain and biology play a part in the control addiction can have over an [...] ...
A groundbreaking research collaboration
The fields of medicine and addiction treatment are both moving toward evidence-based practice. This approach is focused on determining what interventions work best for whom under what conditions, in order to improve treatment effectiveness and efficiency. In accordance with this approach, in 2007 the Hanley Center in West Palm Beach, Fla., embarked on a five-year collaborative clinical research ...
Heavy smoking doubles Alzheimer's disease, dementia risk
Oakland, CA — Heavy smoking in midlife is associated with a 157 percent increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease and a 172 percent increased risk of developing vascular dementia, according to a Kaiser Permanente study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine. This is the first study to look at the long-term consequences of heavy smoking on dementia. Researchers followed an ...
Hospitalizations for drug-related conditions rising among older Americans
Rockville, MD — The number of hospital admissions among Americans ages 45 and older for medication and drug-related conditions doubled between 1997 and 2008, according to a new report released today by HHS' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Medication and drug-related conditions include effects of both prescription and over-the-counter medications as well as illicit drugs. ...
Cues for Smoking
There are many facets influencing the choice to light up a cigarette. Some are biological, such as the craving for nicotine or anxiety creeping up. Others are environmental, such as social cues to smoke with friends during a work break or while out together on the weekend. A recent study examined the various types of [...] ...
Understanding addiction: Road to recovery
Twelve steps.
If you ask the millions of Americans wrestling with recovery from drug and alcohol addiction, 12 steps is not as simple as it sounds. For some, the illustrious 12th is always a step away. That is the discouragement that comes with the disease.
The answer is hope.
"A lot of people die from this disease," said Shelly Herndon, counselor and intake coordinator at Community and ...
Reducing Addictive Nature of Cigarettes Can Lead to Fewer Smokers
One of the biggest arguments against the tobacco companies is not that they created a product that appeals to the masses and creates health problems, but that they knowingly made the product addictive. A number of initiatives have been launched in recent years to try and reduce the number of smokers and therefore the economic [...] ...
New Study Helps Explain Why Cocaine Is So Addictive
Researchers from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine have become the first to find a link between specific neurons and alterations in the “reward” people feel after taking cocaine. Mary Kay Lobo, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Neuroscience at Mount Sinai School of Medicine and first author of the study, said that ...
Drug or Alcohol Abuse Visits to the ER Where Police Were Involved
When police make an arrest, there are often situations in which the arrestee requires medical attention because of injury or other physical problems. Often an arrest related to drug or alcohol use may necessitate a stop at the hospital to ensure that the individual is physically able to spend time in jail. While medical personnel [...] ...
Alberta Women Drinking, Smoking While Pregnant
Pregnancy is a time of heightened awareness of nutrition and environmental influences on the development of the baby. Pregnant women are cautioned to eat well, avoid paint and other noxious fumes, and to avoid contact with chemicals. They are also warned about the dangers of smoking, drinking alcohol and using drugs, which can all cause [...] ...
Mephedrone Makes Itself Known
Many encounters with drugs begin with an uneducated start. An initiated user, awash in ignorance themselves, offers a substance to a friend. The friend, asking few questions and anxious to try something new, accepts the offer and joins the party. Often, when dangerous side effects or an accidental overdose take place, the user has no ...
Addiction and Obesity Linked
Drug addiction and food addiction have many shared qualities. In both situations, the substance is simultaneously sought after and despised and often other areas of life suffer as the cravings gradually intensify. Both drug addicts and obese people have extreme difficulty giving up their addiction, and often when help is received, relapse is inevitable. A [...] ...
Science and Cancer Experts Collaborate for Reduced Nicotine in Tobacco Products
The message cancer experts are giving to the tobacco industry and the government is straightforward: cut the levels of nicotine in cigarettes and tobacco products, and help save thousands of lives. Though efforts to reduce nicotine levels in tobacco products have been gaining momentum since 1994, representatives from the National Cancer Institute’s Tobacco Harm [...] ...
Effectiveness of Nicotine Replacement Therapy Debated
Quitting smoking is often called one of the hardest addictions to break. Nicotine replacements, such as patches or gum, have given many smokers hope; however, some critics say smokers may be better off quitting on their own, without the replacement substances. According to results from a study presented at the 2008 annual meeting of the [...] ...
Children of Violent Homes May Show Long Term Relational Problems
Recent research further supports the long-held idea that children who are exposed to violence at home may be more likely to have relationship problems later in life. Not only are these children at a higher risk to participate in violent situations in their own homes, but they may also be more likely to have problems [...] ...
Patent Medicines with Addictive Substances Necessitated Food and Drug Act
When many people think of patent medicines, they conjure up images of wagons going town to town with sales agents promoting “cure alls,” or of the days of the old west when these drugs gained large-scale popularity. Many people may not realize, however, that patent medicines of the late 1800s and early 1900s contained dangerous ...
Steroids Listed Among Controlled Substances; Debate Continues
Steroids have been a part of some athletes’ muscle-building strategies for decades, first emerging on the health scene originally in 1930s. During this time, researchers created man-made forms of testosterone, a hormone responsible for many male gender traits. Sixty years later, steroids joined the list of other substances that are controlled by law with the [...] ...
Understanding Female Sex Addiction
With all the skepticism about whether sex addiction really exists, it seems people are even more reluctant to accept that women could be capable of being addicted to sex. After all, aren’t women biologically wired to be choosy about their partners? Don’t women suffer, instead, from too little interest in sex? If anything, aren’t women [...] ...
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and Substance Abuse Treatment
Dialectical Behavior Therapy — or as it is most commonly known, DBT — has become an acclaimed, evidence-based therapy for individuals struggling with a co-occurring disorders. The evidence to support the use of DBT in substance dependence treatment is growing and recognized by prominent authorities in the field, such as SAMHSA (2008 Science and Service [...] ...
It Happens to Boys: Walking the Heroic Path
What Makes Boys Afraid to Talk about Sexual Abuse?
Boys are under the assumption that they should be able to protect themselves. If someone takes advantage of them, they feel it is their own fault, that they should have been stronger.
Boys feel they won’t be believed, especially if a woman perpetrated the abuse.
Boys worry that if [...] ...
Looking at Effective Chronic Pain Management
Given the biopsychosocial nature of chronic pain conditions it is imperative to utilize a multidisciplinary treatment plan for effective pain management. Living with chronic pain is very difficult. If a also have a coexisting addiction or other psychological disorders it becomes even harder. People with chronic pain and coexisting disorders can become severely depressed and [...] ...
Assessment and Case Management of the Substance Abuse Patient
The assessment and treatment of addictions is a challenging area for both clinicians and case managers. Many addictions are chronic illnesses with patients and their families pursuing multiple courses of treatment. A good understanding of appropriate assessment of the substance abuse patient is an integral part of the case management of this patient population.
The National Institute on Drug ...
Internet Addiction and Violence May Be Connected
Internet addiction presents symptoms that look at lot like other types of addiction. Addicts get anxious when they’re not on the computer, they spend time engaging in Internet activities to the detriment of other areas of their lives, and they lose interest in other hobbies. When pathological Internet behavior gets out of control, academic or [...] ...
Restaurants Feed Binge Eating
An eating disorder is often a closely-guarded secret, with disordered behaviors occurring behind closed doors and excuses. Individuals with eating disorders learn how to navigate social situations and binge or purge in private. The shame that accompanies both anorexia and bulimia often keeps an eating disorder private for an extended period of time. New research, [...] ...
A look at the drug problem
Leaders in law enforcement and drug treatment agree that solving the drug problem starts with education and prevention. This process begins at home and is ultimately the responsibility of parents.
The Desire
Preventing and treating drug addiction, especially for heroin and prescription drugs, the two rising stars, lies with first understanding the desire and its effects.
“Individuals ...
Steroids Linked to Myriad of Health Problems
When most people think of illegal steroids, images of oversized body-builders come to mind – less often than the images of skeletal problems and other noticeably negative changes the drugs can cause. Although they can be prescribed for medical reasons, the unauthorized use of steroids is illegal due to the permanent harm they can bring ...
Google Sues Prescription Drug Advertisers
Never underestimate the power of Google. The Internet giant recently filed suit against some of its most profitable AdWords customers. The suit, filed in US District Court in Northern California, names one defendant and promises to name up to fifty more once the suit progresses. Google alleges that the defendants run illegal online pharmacies and ...
Addiction Can Be Overcome but Not Without Difficulty
Addictions can run rampant within a family, a community and within a country. Right now, the United States is the biggest consumer of illegal drugs, helping to fuel the violence and war taking place in Mexico. Much of this consumption is a result of addiction. The good news is that addiction can be overcome. The [...] ...
Pain Journeling is an Effictive Chronic Pain Management Tool
Effectively Using a Pain Journal
Below you will have an opportunity to gain more insights about your personal pain relationship. The main purpose is for you to gather daily written feedback regarding your internal perception (insights) of your pain condition and how you manage your pain. You will be looking for triggers (both physical and psychological/emotional [...] ...
Tee Shirt Workshop
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
SEPTEMBER 15, 2010
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
KIMBERLY NICHOLS
760-464-6000
CAROL TEITELBAUM, MFT INVITES MALES WHO WERE ABUSED TO SPECIAL TEE SHIRT WORKSHOP TUESDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2010 AT THE ART COLONY/BLUEPRINTER
On Tuesday, October 12, 2010, Carol Teitelbaum, MFT will be facilitating a special male abuse survivor art workshop to create special series of tee shirts for ...
Experts explain challenges, issues leading opiate addicts to recovery
Maybe it is easier to say drug addiction is a "moral disease," and that if people just wouldn't take the drugs, there wouldn't be a problem.
But, recovery officials are trying to get the message across that people just can't think that way anymore.
Drug recovery experts know society's concept of addiction has to change in order for this county to lift itself out of a ...
National Survey Reveals Increases in Substance Use from 2008 to 2009
The use of illicit drugs among Americans increased between 2008 and 2009 according to a national survey conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) shows the overall rate of current illicit drug use in the United States rose from 8.0 percent of the population aged 12 and older in 2008 to 8.7 percent in ...
Recovering from Substance Abuse in a Faith-Based Treatment Facility
Individuals suffering from a substance abuse problem compose a diverse population, with a wide variety of preferences among them for treatment. Many people who seek treatment for a substance abuse problem do so at a facility affiliated with a religious organization in order to receive the benefits of incorporating faith and spirituality in their recovery. [...] ...
Addiction Theories Vary, but Recognition is Key
The picture of addiction varies from person to person. It can include emotional problems, like depression or anxiety; or obvious physical signs, like fatigue or weight loss. Because addiction can quickly become life-threatening, if you suspect a friend or loved one is addicted to a behavior or substance, act immediately by learning more and guiding ...
Study Examines Link Between Addiction and Compulsive Eating
It is interesting to study the concepts of addiction and how it works within certain individuals. Scientists for years have been trying to determine why a specific substance is addictive for one individual and not for another. In a recent Science Daily release, the ezlopitant compound was explored in a study conducted by researchers at [...] ...
Your Brain on Drugs: Dopamine and Addiction
"You can turn your back on a person, but never turn your back on a drug, especially when it's waving a razor sharp hunting knife in your eye," wrote gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson, no stranger himself to the compelling nature of addiction.
As has been demonstrated many, many, many times over, drug addiction is a powerful force that can take control of the lives of users. In the past, ...
Experts working to raise awareness of addiction as illness, provide treatment
Kim Fraser says it's important for people to realize that alcohol and drug addiction are illnesses just like heart disease or diabetes.
Unfortunately many people are quick to judge addiction as a character weakness, said Fraser, Lake County Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health board's executive director.
"People who use and abuse alcohol and drugs aren't doing it because ...
How to Tell if My Loved One Really Needs Residential Addiction Treatment?
If you’re at the point where you know beyond a doubt that your loved one requires treatment for addiction, you may be at a loss to figure out which type of treatment is best. There are several different options, including inpatient hospital treatment, outpatient hospital-based treatment, specialized outpatient treatment centers, and residential treatment facilities. ...
Basic Assumptions of the Therapeutic Community – An Overview
by Naya Arbiter and Fernando Mendez
This is the first in a series of three curricula which focus on the foundational or basic assumptions of a Therapeutic Community. In essence, the TC is an intentional community formed with for the purpose of helping individuals dramatically transform the negative anti-social behaviors they exhibit towards society and themselves. [...] ...
Many Substance Abusers Suffer Mental Illness, and Vice Versa
In recent years, co-occurring disorder has gained recognition as a diagnosis in the mental health and substance abuse fields. Co-occurring disorder refers to someone who has more than one addiction or disorder occurring at the same time. It is believed that more than one-third of people with alcohol addiction and more than 50 percent with ...
Caffeine Addiction May be a Serious, Diagnosable Disorder
Caffeine is the most widely used stimulant in the world, appearing in coffee beverages, sodas, chocolate and newer products, like gum and energy drinks. For millions of people, caffeine can quickly become an addiction and cause serious withdrawal symptoms if the person tries to curb the habit. Recent research, including a study from Johns Hopkins [...] ...
Sierra Tucson provides addiction treatment to individuals with limited resources
Tucson, AZ — The economic crisis has left many Americans facing high levels of stress, worry, and financial hardship. Although millions of men and women are struggling with addictions, chronic pain, mood disorders, and other mental and behavioral health issues, many are waiting longer to access the treatment they need. “When people enter treatment, their disorders are often more acute ...
Is Your Medication Robbing You of Nutrients?
“For every dollar we spend on prescription drugs, we spend a dollar to fix a complication. Understanding how nutritional supplements affect these drugs could make them safer and more effective.”
– Mehmet Oz, M.D., Professor of Surgery at Columbia University
and author of bestsellers “YOU: The Owner’s Manual” and “YOU: On A Diet”
A little known ...
Video Games More Addicting for Men
Most women just don’t get it: she keeps walking through the family room as she finishes up the work for the night and she studies him as she goes by. He’s sitting on the edge of his seat, elbows on his knees, controller in his hand with his thumbs flying from analog stick to buttons. [...] ...
Drug for Parkinson Disease may be Linked to Disordered Gambling
Parkinson disease is often treated with dopamine agonists such as apomorphine. Dopamine agonists may be the cause of other disorders reported to be prevalent among those with Parkinson disease. Individuals with Parkinson Disease have been reported to have a high rate of disordered gambling and other impulse control disorders. A new study looks at the [...] ...
Video Game Addiction May Have Life-Changing Consequences
Video games started out as a popular entertainment option for the slightly computer savvy, as early as the 1970s. Today, they are even more popular than ever, even to the point of what some call harmful addictions for thousands of “gamers” – though varying definitions of game addiction exist. The issue is drawing more attention, [...] ...
NIDA and federal partners to launch National Drug Facts Week
Washington, DC — Expanding on its online Drug Facts Chat Day, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) announced it is launching National Drug Facts Week, a new national awareness week to bring together teens and scientific experts to discuss the facts about drug abuse. NIDA is a component of the National Institutes of Health in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. "What we ...
Drug-Related Assaults in the ER Increasing
Individuals who enter the emergency room under the influence of drugs or alcohol may not behave according to normal health care protocol. Nurses attending to these individuals know this firsthand as they often get the brunt of abuse from such individuals if an encounter turns violent. A recent Associated Press report highlighted that some nurses ...
Highly Addictive Meth Remains Easy to Acquire
One of the largest drug abuse problems in the U.S. is crystal meth, with nearly 12 million people – some as young as age 12 – reporting experimenting with the drug. Despite federal measures to try to limit the use of the drug, numbers continue to rise. Meth is relatively easy to acquire and less ...
Meth use among young gay men remains a pervasive problem
Jordan Duran sat down to coffee downstairs from his office at Gay City Health Project on Capitol Hill. His calm presence and sweet smile reveal little of the horror this 26-year-old has put his mind, body and spirit through.
Just a few years ago, Duran wandered the streets outside Gay City a skeletal form of his current self. Homeless, sick and estranged from his family, he would look away ...
How Does Addiction Affect the Family?
It’s often said that addiction is a family disease. That means that everyone in the family is affected by one member’s addiction. How can that be? Addiction can’t hide in the closet, hidden from view of other family members. Whether the loved one with addiction is an alcoholic, does illicit drugs, takes prescription drugs for ...
Images May be Key for Addiction Assessment
Individuals who struggle with substance use may have several different factors working together to influence their choices regarding drug use. A combination of environmental and biological risks work together, but for each person who uses drugs, that combination looks different. A recent study may provide insight into how addictions are formed, and as a result, [...] ...
Breast Cancer Linked to Nicotine, Alcohol
The results of two, highly relevant bodies of research regarding breast cancer have been revealed during the last few days.
Both studies, which emphasize the definitive role that lifestyle factors can have in developing the disease, are being published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Nicotine and Cell Receptors
Researchers have known for a long time that smoking ...
Chronic Pain Management is Impacted by Eating Addiction
Over the past twenty-seven years I have seen many people struggling with pain management who use food as a comfort or coping tool. Some of these people had a coexisting addictive disorder that they put into remission by getting in recovery and were doing a good job with their pain management until they crossed over [...] ...
Amphetamine Abuse Can Cause Aortic Dissection and Death
There are a number of reasons not to use amphetamines and while a doctor may prescribe them in situations where they are needed, dependence and abuse can quickly take hold. According to a recent Science Daily report, there is another reason to stay away from such drugs. A recent study by a UT Southwestern professor ...
Finding Love after Sexual Abuse and Addiction
Sexual abuse and addiction are a double whammy. Which came first can seem irrelevant in the scheme of things when it’s your life under consideration. All you know is that you have a world of hurt, and it’s easier to escape in booze or pills or shooting dope than to face the horrid reality that ...
Exercise Increases Ability to Resist Cocaine
Exercise may help adolescents and young adults avoid the temptations of cocaine, says a new study. The study, conducted at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory, showed that daily physical exercise during adolescence decreases a desire for cocaine in young adult rats. The study, published in the journal Behavioral Brain Research, was directed [...] ...
Modafinil: The Risks and Benefits
For those who find it increasingly difficult to stay awake – despite an appropriate amount of sleep – medication may be introduced for treatment and relief. While such an approach can help to improve the outlook for the individual, no medication is without risk and the individual should be fully informed before starting any type [...] ...
Pathological Internet use among teens may lead to depression
Chicago, IL — Teens who use the Internet pathologically appear more likely to develop depression than those who do not, according to a report posted online today that will appear in the October print issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. Since the mid-1990s, pathological (uncontrolled or unreasonable) Internet use has been identified as a ...
September is National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month
September marks Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month. With national alcohol consumption rates at their highest point in 25 years, and prescription drug abuse becoming firmly entrenched in communities large and small, the Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services (ODADAS) is using the spotlight to remind the public that addiction is a treatable disease and to encourage Ohioans to ...
Daily Exercise: The Perfect Prevention for Drug and Alcohol Abuse?
There has been an increased focus as of late on the importance of exercise for a healthy lifestyle, especially as first lady Michelle Obama has made obesity in children her mission. Doctors have known for years that a healthy level of activity in life is good for the brain, the heart and the body in [...] ...
Researchers Say Drug Cravings Can Be Overcome by Training Your Brain
Anyone who smokes knows just how difficult it is to quit—and stay abstinent. Of the 46 million Americans who smoke, about 70% want to quit, 40% actually try to quit, and only 5% are able to quit on their own. Thanks to the greater availability of cessation therapies, 25% of smokers who try to quit ...
Is There Such a Thing as Marijuana Addiction?
Maybe you think smoking a little weed now and then is harmless. Perhaps your children told you this or perhaps you smoked marijuana when you were growing up. What’s wrong with getting a little buzz to take the edge off? Marijuana isn’t addictive, is it? Well, contrary to proponents of legalization of marijuana, the truth [...] ...
How to Help an Older Adult with Substance Abuse Problems
As America's Baby Boomers begin entering their senior years and the country's elderly population continues to grow, the number of older adults who abuse alcohol and other drugs is rising.
“Older adults experience an increasing number of hardships as they age, including loss of friends and loved ones, cognitive impairment, health and financial problems, loneliness, boredom, physical ...
Vicoprofen Addiction
Vicoprofen is a brand name for the medication Hydrocodone, which also includes Vicodin, Lortab, Lorcet and Hycodan. An analgesic and antitussive (cough suppressive) agent, Vicoprofen is similar in structure to codeine. The effects of the drugs are more closely related to those of the drug morphine. Vicoprofen is often prescribed as a pain medication. It ...
Caring for self while caring for others
You can only go halfway into the darkest forest; then you're coming out the other side . - Chinese proverb Caring for others is hard work. Being exposed to others' trauma opens us to our pain. It is important for caregivers to be good stewards of themselves. The Webster's II New Riverside University Dictionary defines stewardship as “the careful and responsible management of something ...
Nutrition in Addiction Recovery: How Eating Right Helps You Heal
Healing in recovery requires paying attention to many different things, and nutrition is right up there at the top of the list. In fact, eating right can help speed recovery by giving your body the essential ingredients it needs to maintain or restore energy, elevate mood, and keep vital organs functioning at optimal levels. But ...
What did we miss?
Chronic relapsers often have a hidden problem that is difficult to detect and that leads to continuous relapse. These hidden problems require careful re-evaluation if the client is to move toward a path of recovery. This article outlines seven areas of evaluation for chronic relapsers as well as implications for recovery management. 1. Failure to assess for other addictions We can begin with the ...
How To Get Your Life Back In Recovery from Addiction
One of the most worrisome aspects of completing addiction treatment and going into recovery is the thought that you may not be able to get your life back. With all the coping mechanisms and knowledge about your addiction fresh in your head, you wonder if your life will be anything other than a dreary and ...
Motivational Interviewing Helps Substance Abusers Resolve Confusion
Many people with drug or alcohol abuse problems have conflicting feelings – the addiction brings pleasure or relief, but is also severely life-disrupting. Motivational interviewing is a style of counseling therapy that helps patients solve feelings of uncertainty or confusion. The style of motivational interviewing differs from other types of counseling because it is directed ...
Ritalin and Drug Addiction
Parents often worry that treating chronic childhood illnesses with medication could turn those children into drug addicts later in life. However, is not treating the illness the answer? Studies show that children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) who are not treated with ADHD medications are more likely to become drug addicts than those who [...] ...
Mom's hugs create less stressed offspring: study
Can you spoil a baby with too many hugs? No way, new research says.
A mother's cuddles and kisses offer long-lasting positive effects on her baby's mental health well into adulthood, the research finds.
Duke University behavioral scientists found that babies given lots of affection during infancy grow up to have lower levels of anxiety, hostility, and distress, and overall ...
Sleep Drugs to Treat Addiction
Individuals with narcolepsy have an unusual ability to resist addiction to amphetamines, the type of drug used to treat their condition. Because they have mutations at the genetic level for peptides called orexins, or their receptors, the potent amphetamines are not addictive, but are successful at keeping them awake. This discovery has led several pharmaceutical [...] ...
Anti-Anxiety Medications Have Addictive Nature
Anxiety is a familiar feeling for thousands of people on a daily basis, ranging in severity from mildly uncomfortable to life-debilitating. Though not a commonly known term to the lay public, anti-anxiety medications and drugs to help treat panic disorder are also called anxiolytic drugs. These medications bring about a sense of calm, but should ...
Self-Help Groups Remain a Recognized Type of Treatment
Self-help groups, in existence for decades, are used to help people work through issues including mental health, addictions, obsessive behaviors and even medical conditions like cancer. Group members share the same disorder or circumstance and meet voluntarily. Self-help groups can be professionally-guided or peer-led; can allow members to remain anonymous; and typically meet on a [...] ...
How healthy — or dangerous — is marijuana use?
Proponents of legalizing marijuana say it's a fun-filled wonder weed that relieves all manner of pain and may even cure cancer. Federal researchers and other pot foes say it's the devil's drug, ruining people's lungs and turning stoned drivers into wheeled killers.
So, which side is blowing smoke? Is pot healthy for you, or as damaging as, say, tobacco?
With only ...
How much alcohol is in a standard drink?
If you are considering controlling or moderating your drinking, or if you have read or heard of the purported health benefits of alcohol, and are thinking of incorporating alcohol into your regular diet, it is helpful to understand how much alcohol you should be (or are) consuming.
The only way to know your alcohol intake is to figure out how much alcohol is contained in beverages you are ...
Partnership for a Drug-Free America Partners With WeeWorld to Connect With Teens Through Measurable Social Media
The Partnership for a Drug-Free America and WeeWorld, recently teamed up to educate teens about substance abuse prevention and the real-life consequences of drug and alcohol use. The custom campaign underscores the power of embracing measurable social media to connect directly with teen audiences. This effort delivered more than 47 million viral impressions, dramatically increased traffic and ...
Most Kids With ADHD Take Medication
More than 80% of children who are diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder take prescription medications at some point to treat their symptoms, according to a new nationwide survey of parents by Consumer Reports Health.
Among the survey's major findings:
67% of parents identify drug therapy as being beneficial, while 45% feel that switching their kids to schools better ...
Fighting Addiction With Chiropractic Care
The faith-based subcommittee for BRING (Bringing Regional Initiatives in Greater Acadiana), the regional workforce development project sponsored by the Lafayette [Louisiana] Workforce Investment Board, is launching a pilot project in partnership with the American College of Addictionology and Compulsive Disorders (ACACD) and the state of Louisiana to provide specialized chiropractic care as a ...
Markell to sign bill to prevent prescription drug abuse
Prescription drug-related arrests in Delaware have increased more than 600 percent since 2003, Gov. Jack Markell said during a news conference this morning at the National Press Club.
“Robberies and burglaries of Delaware pharmacies are at an all-time high,” he said. “The numbers are frightening, the problem is alarming and the source is rather common, so we've decided to come ...
Obama Drug Czar Says Drug Addiction is a Health Problem
President Obama 's chief adviser on national drug policy said that the administration has made a shift change on dealing with the problem of drug addiction, arguing that it is a health issue not one for the criminal justice system.
"Drugs are a public health problem as much as a public safety issue," said Richard Gil Kerlikowske, the director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, ...
Behavioural economic analysis may help understand craving for booze
Behavioural economic analysis may lead to an improved understanding of craving for alcohol and other drugs, suggests new research.
This method of studying how craving alters the way a person values a drug is fairly new, but according to the study, it may well help assess cravings more accurately and contribute to identifying more effective ways to defeat addictions.
The study appears in ...
Genetic treatment for smoking is on horizon
Jeff LaBahn, a 39-year-old technical support engineer from Raleigh, N.C., has tried to quit smoking five times, using nicotine patches and the prescription medication Chantix.
Each of his failures has added to a 20-year history of addiction.
"Nothing worked for more than three months," he said.
Now, for people like LaBahn, a new treatment for tobacco addiction may be on the horizon - ...
Drug use debilitates sexual response: Study
Sharing a bottle of red wine may seem like the best recipe for a romantic interlude. However, the evening may not turn out as planned according to a Concordia University study, which evaluated the effect of a wide range of drugs, including alcohol, on sexual behaviour. The findings, published in the journal Hormones and Behavior, definitively show that despite our preconceived notions, use of ...
Early pot smoking, depression may be linked
Children and teenagers who smoke marijuana may have a somewhat heightened risk of developing depression, a new study suggests -- though whether the drug itself is to blame is not clear.
Several studies have found an association between marijuana use and increased risks of depression and anxiety disorders, but some others have failed to confirm such a link. Moreover, it has been unclear whether ...
The impact of drugs: National Geographics presents "Drugs Inc"
National Geographics will be airing a documentary called, "Drug, Inc." on July 11 at 7 p.m., explaining were cocaine originates; and how it is processed.
The documentary is an in depth view of the many issues surrounding all drugs, from its infancy leading up to its impact on society as a whole. It talks about cocaine, heroin, marijuana and crystal meth. Highlighted throughout the documentary ...
Gender a Key Consideration in Substance Abuse Treatment
Although men still outnumber women with regard to the prevalence of alcohol and substance use disorders, women-specific concerns are gaining more attention in research.
Women with substance use disorders (SUDs) do not have the same risk factors, comorbidities, disease course, and treatment response as male patients, and addiction psychiatrists should be mindful of the gender differences. This ...
Helping drug, alcohol addicts focus of upcoming conference
To all who care,
I wish I did, Ely. I'm sorry but I'm tired of letting everyone down including myself. . . . With all my mind I want to stop, but I can't. I'm tired of feeling, and it's my escape but I hate it, so I guess there's no escape from feeling, hurting, loving, hurting. So I'm going to try the only other method I can think of. I loved you all. ...
The Case for Treating Drug Addicts in Prison
For the last 16 years, Dr. Josiah Rich has gone weekly to prisons in or near Providence, R.I., to treat people being held there for drug-related offenses. Each time, he has wrestled with an ethical conundrum: not the issue of whether the offenders have done something wrong, but whether the American prison system is doing something worse. “What I see is not bad people,” he says. ...
Thirty to Forty Million Synthetic Drug Users, Says United Nations
Drugs such as amphetamine-type stimulants and prescription medications are more and more what people are choosing according to the United Nations Drug Report for 2010. The number using such drugs will eventually exceed those using opiates and cocaine. Drug use in developed countries has remained relatively stable says the document. But in developing countries it is increasing.
A UN official ...
The Vienna Declaration: A global call to action for science-based drug policy
28 June 2010 [Vienna, Austria] – Three leading scientific and health policy organizations today launched a global drive for signatories to the Vienna Declaration (www.viennadeclaration.com), a statement seeking to improve community health and safety by calling for the incorporation of scientific evidence into illicit drug policies. Among those supporting the declaration and urging others to ...
Alcohol and drugs reduce creativity, psychiatrist warns
The idea that alcohol and drugs can stimulate artists, writers and musicians to create great works of art is a dangerous myth and they can actually stifle creativity, a Scots psychiatrist has said.
Dr Iain Smith, a consultant in addiction psychiatry at Gartnavel Royal Hospital in Glasgow, said yesterday that after looking at the evidence, including experiments on people under the influence of ...
Addiction: a loss of plasticity of the brain?
Why is it that only some drug users become addicts? This is the question that has been addressed by the teams of Pier Vincenzo Piazza and Olivier Manzoni, at the Neurocentre Magendie in Bordeaux (Inserm unit 862). These researchers have just discovered that the transition to addiction could result from a persistent impairment of synaptic plasticity in a key structure of the brain. This is the ...
20 Secret Signs of Addiction
Knowing whether someone you love has a problem with alcohol or drugs isn't as straightforward as it sounds. Despite the stereotypes of the staggering drunk or the emaciated addict, most people who overuse alcohol and drugs become adept at disguising their behavior. Shame, embarrassment, and fear of consequences are powerful motivators. And in many cases, the person who's drinking too ...
A Look At Drug Addiction
Drug addiction is a complicated disorder which may involve practically every aspect of an individual's life in the family, at work, and amongst friends. It is actually a brain disease as the abuse of drugs leads to changes in the structure and the functioning of the individual's brain. Drug addiction costs taxpayers millions of dollars each year and is a major public health concern for ...
Stress Can Derail Recovery
A new study demonstrates the importance of mastering stress reduction strategies when recovering from substance abuse.
Researchers discovered recovering addicts who avoid coping with stress succumb easily to substance use cravings, making them more likely to relapse during recovery.
“Cravings are a strong predictor of relapse,” said H. Harrington Cleveland, associate professor of human ...
New National Report Shows Differences in the Types and Levels of Substance Use and Mental Illness Problems Experienced by the States
A new report providing state-by-state analyses of substance abuse and mental illness patterns reveals that despite wide variations among the states in the types and levels of behavioral health problems they experience -- every state suffers from these problems. For example, among those aged 12 and older, Iowa had less than one third the current illicit drug use rate of Rhode Island (4.1 percent ...
Nicotine and Genetics and Dependence – Is There a Connection?
It’s no surprise to anyone who smokes cigarettes today that the additives in the tobacco are stronger than they were a decade or so ago. That some people can smoke a cigarette now and then without becoming a pack or more smokers a day is actually a rarity. The reality is that it’s far more [...] ...
Study: Cocaine, alcohol addictions are inherited
By Dr. James West
Question: I know that alcoholism runs in families. Four people in my family are alcoholic: my father, deceased from cirrhosis, two brothers and myself. Is addiction to cocaine inherited?
Answer: Yes, the risk of cocaine addiction is inherited. Researchers studied 1,934 twins ranging in age from 22 to 62.
The twin pairs were either identical or fraternal.
The study ...
Recovery Is Possible For Young People Who Are Addicted
With an estimated 10 million young people addicted to alcohol or substances, according to recent data from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), it may be logical to conclude that America’s future is in peril. It is true that addicts who do not get treatment are likely to not only remain addicted, ...
Want to keep your teenager from drinking?
By Alice Englin
Here are tips for parents to deter underage drinking this summer. Tips are adapted from the Washington Regional Alcohol Program website: www.wrap.org)
1. Know the facts. Underage drinking can lead to substantial harm including traffic crashes, violent crime, property crime, unintentional injury and at-risk sex. Learn about the risks of underage drinking and help your child ...
Can abstinence-based treatment and harm reduction meet in the middle?
Scott Kellogg, PhD, is trying to coin a new word for the addiction treatment community. He sees the future of effective services as borrowing from the best aspects of both traditional abstinence-based treatment and harm reduction, in a blended approach he refers to as “gradualism.” Kellogg, a clinical psychologist and clinical assistant professor at New York University, says his ...
A digital game could help reduce smoking, other substance use
Could quitting smoking be just a game? Could a hand-held device to reduce tobacco use eventually assist the alcohol- and drug-dependent as well? Researchers at Teachers College at Columbia University will spend the next two years analyzing an innovative game design that could help smokers find a healthier alternative to reaching for a cigarette. The college announced this month that it had ...
Women's wellness: It's about relationships
The eye-catching titles in the bookstore's “relationships” aisle have it right, believe the experts in women's addiction treatment: Women indeed are wired differently from men, and in some respects the differences can pose an advantage for their recovery. “Women's communication center in the brain is bigger,” says Brenda Iliff, formerly clinical director of Hazelden's ...
What resiliency research teaches us
In 2008, the Bangor Area Recovering Community Coalition (BARCC) in Maine held its first summit on addiction recovery, entitled “Broadening the Base for Recovery: Promoting Pathways to Recovery in the 21 st Century.” The conference provided a framework for viewing recovery from research in the field of resiliency developed over the past 20 years. While information abounds regarding the ...
Health reform: Addiction no longer left on the outside
The days when the addiction treatment community would have to wait years for their stake in landmark national legislation (remember the “limited parity” law in the 1990s?) might seem centuries away to those who have examined the newly adopted health reform legislation. Numerous references to addiction services and professionals in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act ...
A group approach to family therapy
In today’s environment of limited time resources for treatment of chemically dependent adults and the need for more economically advantageous treatment that is empirically proven effective, treatment providers should consider using multifamily therapy groups as opposed to individual family therapy sessions. Using multifamily therapy groups is one concept that has not been applied much to ...
Hallmark drama profiles Al-Anon founder
With over 24,000 groups across the world, Al-Anon has become an international support tool for families and friends of alcoholics since its beginning in 1951. But the story of its founder—Lois Wilson, the wife of Alcoholics Anonymous co-founder Bill Wilson—is little known. Thankfully, that will all change this weekend when Hallmark’s latest film in its Hall of Fame series, The ...
An overseas view of addiction
Thomas Friedman of The New York Times writes in Hot, Flat and Crowded that nothing from our past will adequately prepare us for the world we now face; this is especially true in the field of addictions. The United States has much to learn from how the rest of the world faces its addiction issues, and vice versa. This is especially the case in Asia and the Middle East, where addiction problems are ...
Research examines the benefits of exercise for preventing relapse
Could a regular regimen of aerobic exercise play a significant role in preventing relapse to drug abuse? Researchers at two Georgia universities will be looking into the mechanisms of a brain chemical that is associated with exercise activity, thanks to a $1.9 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The five-year project, involving researchers from the University of Georgia ...
Smoking, but not past alcohol abuse, may impair mental function, study suggests
Men and women with a history of alcohol abuse may not see long-term negative effects on their memory and thinking, but female smokers do, a new study suggests. ...
Study provides data about substance abuse and behavioral health problems experienced by states
Rockville, MD — A new report providing state-by-state analyses of substance abuse and mental illness patterns reveals that despite wide variations among the states in the types and levels of behavioral health problems they experience—every state suffers from these problems. For example, among those aged 12 and older, Iowa had less than one third the current illicit drug use rate ...
Dependence vs. abuse: more than semantics
Carlton K. Erickson, PhD, ac-knowledges that today's conference attendees in the addiction professional community respond more positively to neurobiological clues about addiction than they did a generation ago, when his lectures tended to provoke arguments. Still, he wonders whether clinicians who today will nod their heads when presented with scientific data are effectively applying that ...
Problem gamblers provoked by 'near misses' to gamble more
The brains of problem gamblers react more intensely to "near misses" than casual gamblers, possibly spurring them on to play more, according to new research. The researchers found the brain region that responds to rewards by delivering a dose of the chemical dopamine was especially active in these individuals. ...
Proteins may point to alcohol use test
Measuring a set of protein changes in the blood linked to alcohol use may potentially lead to a more accurate diagnostic test than those currently available, according to researchers. ...
Simplifying measures of genetic risk for alcohol dependence
While previous twin studies have consistently shown the importance of genetic influences on various measures of alcohol consumption, a full diagnostic assessment can be complicated and lengthy. This has led some researchers to ask: To what extent do measures of alcohol consumption accurately index the genetic risk for alcohol dependence (AD)? Findings indicate that four relatively simple measures ...
Compulsive eating shares addictive biochemical mechanism with cocaine, heroin abuse, study shows
In a newly published study, scientists have shown for the first time that the same molecular mechanisms that drive people into drug addiction are behind the compulsion to overeat, pushing people into obesity. ...
New scale for measuring addiction to work
Researchers have proven the usefulness of DUWAS, a new scale for measuring addiction to work, a disorder that affects around 12 percent of all working people in Spain. The experts say that 8 percent of the working population in Spain devotes more than 12 hours per day to their job. ...
The Psychology Of Food Cravings
Swimsuit season is almost upon us. For most of us, the countdown has begun to lazy days lounging by the pool and relaxing on the beach. However, for some of us, the focus is not so much on sunglasses and beach balls, but how to quickly shed those final five or ten pounds in order to look good poolside... ...
