Drug Addiction

Topiramate Helps Alcoholics by Reducing Cravings

Topiramate Helps Alcoholics by Reducing Cravings Topiramate is the generic name of a medication that doctors in the U.S. increasingly use as an adapted treatment for people in recovery for alcoholism. The medication appears to make drinking less likely to occur during the recovery process, but no one knows precisely how or why. In a study published in October 2014 in the journal Addiction Biology, researchers from three U.S. institutions sought to determine the specific reasons why topiramate improves the prospects for successful alcoholism treatment. These researchers concluded that the medication produces its primary effects by reducing the body’s sensitivity to alcohol cravings. Full Story

Heroin-Assisted Treatment: A Closer Look at a Forbidden Possibility

 Heroin-Assisted Treatment: A Closer Look at a Forbidden PossibilityIn drug maintenance therapies for opioid addiction, less dangerous narcotics called methadone and buprenorphine are substituted for heroin and prescription painkillers. Doses are administered in a clinical setting and over time an attempt is made to phase out the maintenance drugs and eliminate opioid dependency entirely. Legally obtained methadone and buprenorphine have become increasingly popular with addiction specialists looking to guide their patients back to good health, as drug replacement therapy has been shown to produce excellent results in both controlled studies and real-world conditions.

But on a worldwide basis, methadone and buprenorphine are not the only options for treatment professionals interested in trying drug maintenance therapy. In a half-dozen European countries, heroin itself, in synthetic form, is also being used as a replacement drug to help addicts control their heroin dependency.  Full Story

Sex and Marijuana: Risking Parenthood and Performance

Sex and Marijuana Risking Parenthood and PerformanceIf being called “Dad” is on your bucket list, studies say there are a few things you can do to get those sperm in fighting shape: exercise more, eat fewer fats, watch less TV (really), and lay off the marijuana.

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Those Who Abuse Cannabis More Likely to Have Problems with Social Anxiety



Those Who Abuse Cannabis More Likely to Have Problems with Social Anxiety

A team of researchers from some of the nation’s leading universities looked at data from tens of thousands of Americans and found that high marijuana intake is often accompanied by serious psychological problems, chief among them a condition known as social anxiety disorder (SAD).

A Team of Experts

The research team members were Dr. Franklin Schneier of Columbia University, Dr. Julia Buckner of Louisiana State University, Dr. Carlos Blanco of New York State Psychiatric Institute and Dr. Richard Heimberg of Temple University. Together they reviewed data collected through the National Epidemiological Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions. Full Story

Cocaine Use Increase Can Lead to Stroke Within 24 Hours

Researchers looking into leading risk factors for stroke in young people took a look at cocaine, not expecting it to be a large factor. But they were wrong, finding the drug to be the leading cause of stroke in young people.

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Baby Dies After Receiving Heroin-Laced Bottle

According to the CDC, 105 Americans die every day from drug overdose. Ordinarily, however, these are adults struggling with addiction to drugs such as prescription painkillers; unable to control their behavior and eventually taking too much in one sitting. It’s not every day that the victim of an overdose is a five-month old baby, but that’s exactly what happened to the daughter of Ryan Barry and Ashley Cyr of Quincy, Massachusetts. Their daughter Mya was pronounced dead in 2011, and after appearing in court in October they have been charged with manslaughter. There was heroin in a bottle of formula that was fed to their daughter, and the baby died of an overdose.

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How Does a Sense of Self Control Influence Marijuana Use?

Cannabis (marijuana, hashish and hashish oil) is widely known as one of the world’s most popular recreational substances. Current evidence indicates that an individual’s expectations about the pros and cons of using the drug strongly influence that individual develops a regular pattern of intake. In a study published in January 2014 in the journal Addiction, researchers from several Australian institutions examined how a person’s belief that he or she controls participation in cannabis use alters his or her opinion on the drug’s benefits and harms.

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Understanding “Other” (or Unknown) Substance-Related Disorders

“Other” (or unknown) substance-related disorders are a group of conditions listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, which serves as the main U.S. reference text for diagnosing mental illnesses. The manual includes these conditions in order to provide mental health practitioners with a way to diagnose significant substance-related problems that don’t fit the definitions for any individually recognized substance-related disorder.

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Cocaine Use Shown to Speed Brain Aging

Brain aging is a general term used to describe structural, chemical and psychological changes that commonly occur in the brains of older individuals. While this process doesn’t affect everyone in the same way, aging in the brain is associated with a number of significant health problems, including Alzheimer’s disease and depression. Current evidence indicates that people who habitually abuse cocaine develop changes in their brains that point toward the onset of premature brain aging. In particular, habitual cocaine abuse can destroy grey matter, the material that forms the core of the brain’s communications network. Full Story

When you Suspect Substance Abuse in Your Kid’s Friends

When you Suspect Substance Abuse in Your Kid's FriendsIt can be a very sticky situation. If you think one of your teen’s friends is using drugs or drinking, tact and care in your response are essential. Your children and their well-being are of the utmost importance, and protecting them is your job and your responsibility. The last thing you want for them is to get involved in drugs or to be around people who are using. However, before you rush in with guns blazing, take some steps to be sure that your concerns are founded and that you approach the friend’s parents or guardians in a compassionate and respectful manner. Full Story