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Archive for the ‘Alcohol / Addiction / Illegal Drugs’ Category

Alcohol Cravings In Response To Negative Emotions Felt More Acutely By Men

Friday, May 16th, 2008

Women and men tend to have different types of stress-related psychological disorders. Women have greater rates of depression and some types of anxiety disorders than men, while men have greater rates of alcohol-use disorders than women. A new study of emotional and alcohol-craving responses to stress has found that when ...

Benefits In Chronic Pain Outweigh Risks For Painkiller Abuse

Thursday, May 15th, 2008

As controversy swirls about proper clinical use of opioids and other potent pain medications, research reported at the American Pain Society annual meeting shows that, contrary to widespread beliefs, less than 3 percent of patients with no history of drug abuse who are prescribed opioids for chronic pain will show ...

Cannabis Reclassified As A Class B Drug Welcomed By Unite/MHNA

Thursday, May 15th, 2008

The government's decision to upgrade the legal status of cannabis to a Class B drug was welcomed as a victory for common sense by Unite/Mental Health Nurses Association. Unite/MHNA Chair, Andy Lauder said: "It has been proved time and time again by well-respected medical studies that there are strong links ...

Government Of Canada Reaches Out To First Nations And Inuit Communities As Part Of Anti-Drug Strategy

Thursday, May 15th, 2008

The Honourable Tony Clement, Minister of Health, the Honourable Chuck Strahl Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, and the Honourable Rob Nicholson, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, announced federal funding of $30.5 million over five years, under the National Anti-Drug Strategy, to bolster services across ...

More Drug Users Are Being Provided With Effective Treatment Services But These Are Still Key Areas For Improvement, UK

Thursday, May 15th, 2008

Healthcare watchdogs are calling for a continued drive to improve drug addiction treatment, to ensure services are delivered consistently across the country. A report released today by the Healthcare Commission and the National Treatment Agency (NTA), shows results from the second of three annual reviews to assess the performance of ...

Adolescent Preference For Alcohol Linked To Adult Heavy Drinking

Thursday, May 15th, 2008

Scientists in the US studying alcohol behaviour in rats have discovered a link between early drinking patterns during adolescence and a tendency toward heavy drinking in adulthood. They found this was a separate predictor to novelty seeking, anxiety and stress, which are also thought to contribute to vulnerability ...

Study Finds Alcohol-To-Outlet Density And Violence Are Clearly Linked Over Time

Thursday, May 15th, 2008

* A new Australian study examines the relationship between alcohol-outlet density and violence over time.* All three types of outlets examined - hotel pubs, bars and packaged-liquor outlets - had positive relationships with assault rates.* Hotel pubs and bars were the biggest drivers of violence in ...

Alcohol And Cocaine Dependence Linked To The Tachykinin Receptor 3 Gene

Thursday, May 15th, 2008

* The search for genes associated with alcohol dependence (AD) has recently been extended to the tachykinin receptor 3 gene (TACR3), located within a broad region on chromosome 4q. * Researchers have found that seven of the nine single nucleotide polymorphisms - DNA ...

Imbibing Alcohol In Adolescence May Lead To Heavy Drinking

Thursday, May 15th, 2008

Scientists at Duke University Medical Center have shown a connection between early drinking patterns and a tendency to be a heavy drinker in adulthood, in a study of adolescent rats."Drinking patterns in adolescents may be set after only a few exposures to alcohol," said Nicole L. Schramm-Sapyta, research associate in ...

Arizona Doctor Offers New Addiction Drug Treatment For Meth Addicts Showing More Than 60% Success Rate

Saturday, April 12th, 2008

With Arizona facing a critical crisis of methamphetamine use, Dr. Gregory Ellison, Director of Advanced Medical Center, has identified a very promising new addiction treatment option that shows high success rates and is performed on an out-patient (versus in-patient) basis in 10 hours over five sessions. As ...

Long-Term Adaptations In Brains Of Mice Caused By Repeated Methamphetamine Use

Thursday, April 10th, 2008

Repeatedly stimulating the mouse brain with methamphetamine depresses important areas of the brain, and those changes can only be undone by re-introducing the drug, according to research at the University of Washington and other institutions. The study, which appears in the April 10 issue of the journal Neuron, provides one ...

BMA Cymru Wales Puts Pressure On The Prime Minister To Cut The Drink Drive Limit

Tuesday, April 8th, 2008

Doctors' leaders in Wales have set up a petition on the Downing Street website, to increase support for a reduction in the permitted blood alcohol level for driving. The BMA wants to see the maximum level reduced from 80mg per 100ml, to 50mg.This would bring the UK more in line ...

Research Suggests Long Term Effects Of Fetal Cocaine Exposure

Tuesday, April 8th, 2008

Are the estimated 1 million young adults who were exposed to cocaine before birth more vulnerable to drug abuse today? New research indicating long-lasting brain changes suggests the possibility especially in males according to a report from Wake Forest University School of Medicine.At the annual meeting of the American Society ...

Cocaine More Likely To Be Chosen Over Food By Subordinate Monkeys

Monday, April 7th, 2008

Having a lower social standing increases the likelihood that a monkey faced with a stressful situation will choose cocaine over food, according to a study at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. More dominant monkeys undergoing the same stressful situation had fewer changes in brain activity in areas of the ...

Replacement Drug For Treating Cocaine Addiction Has Positive Finding In Animal Model

Monday, April 7th, 2008

New research in monkeys suggests the feasibility of treating cocaine addiction with a "replacement" drug that mimics the effects of cocaine but has less potential for abuse - similar to the way nicotine and heroin addictions are treated.Reporting at the annual meeting of the American Society of Pharmacology and Experimental ...