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A low level of response (LR) to alcohol is one of several genetically influenced characteristics that may increase an individual’s risk for heavy drinking and alcohol problems. A new study has confirmed key elements of a LR-based model of risk through examination of a large sample of…

If you want to know how people become addicted and why they keep using drugs, ask the people who are addicted.
 Thirty-one of 75 patients hospitalized for opioid detoxification told University at Buffalo physicians they first got hooked on drugs legitimately prescribed for pain.
Another 24…

New discoveries by researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) offer potential for development of a first-ever pharmacological treatment for cocaine addiction.
A common beta blocker, propranolol, currently used to treat people with hypertension and anxiety, has shown to be…

Scientists at Anglia Ruskin University have revealed for the first time the serious long-term health risks associated with Benzylpiperazine (BZP), dubbed the “new ecstasy”.
BZP was a popular legal high before it was reclassified as a controlled substance in December…

Cortisol, the so-called stress hormone, seems to behave in contradictory ways in children. Some youngsters with behavioral problems have abnormally high levels of cortisol, while others with identical problems have abnormally low levels. What’s going on?
 Researchers at Concordia…

A free, nationwide service has just been launched to help primary care providers seeking to identify and advise substance-abusing patients. The service, Physician Clinical Support System for Primary Care (PCSS-P), offers peer-to-peer mentorship and resources on incorporating screening and…

 
A bill co-sponsored by Senator Chuck Schumer (NY) and Jay Rockefeller (WV) would require doctors to receive training for prescribing opiate-based narcotics, the Times Union reports. The training would cover clinical standards on safe management of pain, help doctors better identify…

Meditation may ease anxiety among people who suffer from anxiety disorders, including obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). But a new study suggests meditation isn’t necessarily better than other types of relaxation techniques at treating anxiety disorders.
Researchers reviewed two…

Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome is a brain disorder due to thiamine deficiency.
Causes
Wernicke’s encephalopathy and Korsakoff syndrome are different conditions that are both due to brain damage caused by a lack of vitamin B1 (thiamine).
A lack of vitamin B1 is common in people…

More than half of buprenorphine-related emergency department visits in the U.S. are for nonmedical use of the drug, according to data from the Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN). Of the estimated
23,450 emergency department visits in 2009 in which buprenorphine was involved as either a direct…