ALICE RAP is a new dynamic trans-disciplinary EU project which aims is to help policy makers “re-think and re-shape” current and future approaches to the huge human and economic costs of addictions and lifestyles in Europe. This project is supported by the Catalan Ministry of...

While motor vehicle traffic accidents continue to be the leading cause of unintentional deaths in the United States (comprising 42,031 or 34% of all such deaths in 2007), drug overdose deaths have been rapidly increasing. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were...

Why do people self medicate By Wendell J Montney at Kairos Healthcare Please visit Mr. Montney’s Site for more information at www.kairoshealthcare.com   Self medication is a theory about why people use drugs. It is not the only theory and it may not be the best explanation of why...

A new national study shows that from 2005 to 2009 (the most recent year with available figures) there was a 49-percent increase in emergency department visits for drug related suicide attempts by women aged 50 and older — from 11,235 visits in 2005 to 16,757 in 2009. This increase...

Mood disorders like depression and substance abuse go together so frequently that doctors have coined a term for it: dual diagnosis. People who have suffered recent episodes of major depression have higher rates of alcoholism and drug addiction compared with the rest of the population,...

On July 1, the first group of medical residents will start training in 10 newly accredited addiction medicine residencies around the country. The programs, accredited by the American Board of Addiction Medicine (ABAM) Foundation, will signal a new era in addiction medicine, says ABAM...

Science is littered with shining new discoveries which became somewhat tarnished as accumulating data forced a reappraisal. In substance misuse, ‘normative education’ retains some of its shine, but what seemed the great hope for school- and college-based prevention now seems a...

    Researchers have long known that individuals with a positive family history of alcoholism (FHP) are at an increased risk themselves for alcoholism. This increased risk may be due to their different reaction to alcohol than individuals with a negative family history of...

Recovering addicts who avoid coping with stress succumb easily to substance use cravings, making them more likely to relapse during recovery, according to behavioral researchers.   “Cravings are a strong predictor of relapse,” said H. Harrington Cleveland, associate professor...

Researchers from Boston Medical Center (BMC) and Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have identified unhealthy substance use as a risk factor for not receiving all appropriate preventive health services. The findings, which currently appear in BMJ Open, identify unhealthy substance use...

Past Year Perceived Need for and Effort Made to Receive Specialty Treatment among Persons Aged 12 or Older Needing But Not Receiving Treatment for Illicit Drug or Alcohol Use: 2009 The number and the percentage of youths aged 12 to 17 who needed treatment for an illicit drug or alcohol...

Heavy alcohol use suggests a change in normal cognitive development in adolescents ScienceDaily (2010-10-20) — Adolescence and puberty is a period of significant development in the brain. New findings indicate that excessive alcohol use selectively damages the frontal lobe, which is...

Substance abuse can lead to anxiety disorders, and vice versa. Either way, both problems need to be managed and treated together. While substance abuse is serious enough on its own, users run the additional risk of developing an anxiety disorder as a side effect of abusing drugs or alcohol....

…findings of the 22nd annual Partnership Attitude Tracking Study (PATS), released by The Partnership at Drugfree.org and MetLife Foundation earlier this month, echo the reality that substance abuse treatment professionals see every day. The study shows that underage drinking has become...

DrugScope has responded to a joint report on new drugs published by Europol, the European law enforcement agency, and the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction. The two agencies state that a total of 41 new psychoactive substances were officially reported across Europe in...

People with depression may turn to drugs or alcohol to medicate their pain. By Dennis Thompson Jr. Medically reviewed by Christine Wilmsen Craig, MD Mood disorders like depression and substance abuse go together so frequently that doctors have coined a term for it: dual diagnosis....

Drug Addiction: Stigma Paints it as a Choice, Not a Mental Illness I like to think that we are making great progress in the fight against the stigma of mental illness — a fight that is necessary to ensure that people of any age with psychiatric or learning disorders feel comfortable...

The researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital and the University of Southern California have revealed that there is a link between increased cases of drug abuse and internet. They have also linked the growing problem of prescription drug abuse to high-speed internet. Goldman, the...

You’ve completed an addiction treatment program for alcohol or drug abuse. That alone is not an easy feat. As you probably heard from your addiction counselors, however, your work isn’t over. Ongoing support is crucial if you want to stay clean. More than likely, you’ve been told...

Scientists are reporting development of three promising formulations that could be used in a vaccine to treat methamphetamine addiction — one of the most serious drug abuse problems in the U.S. The report appears in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. In the paper, Kim Janda...