Men Who Habitually Consume Alcohol Are More Likely To Have Sleep-related Brea…
18 Apr 2007 at 3:00pm
Increased usual alcohol consumption among men is associated with an increased risk of a mild or worse sleep-related breathing disorder (SRBD), according to a study published in the April 15th issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine (JCSM). The study, authored by Paul E. Peppard, PhD, and colleagues at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, focused on 775 men and 645 women, who were evaluated for alcohol consumption and a sleep-related breathing disorder. [click link for full article]
Adolescent Risk Taking Likely Biologically Driven And Possibly Inevitable
17 Apr 2007 at 6:00pm
While the government spends billions of dollars on educational and prevention programs to persuade teens not to do things like smoke, drink or do drugs, a Temple University psychologist suggests that competing systems within the brain make adolescents more susceptible to engaging in risky or dangerous behavior, and that educational interventions alone are unlikely to be effective.Laurence Steinberg, Distinguished University Professor and the Laura H. [click link for full article]
L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center Data Show MSM Five Times More Likely To Test HIV-Po…
16 Apr 2007 at 4:00am
Men who have sex with men and used crystal methamphetamine in the last year were five times more likely to test HIV-positive than MSM who did not use the drug, according to preliminary data collected by the Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Center, the [click link for full article]
Spanish Doctors More Likely To Drink And Drive
13 Apr 2007 at 11:00pm
A disturbingly high prevalence of self-reported drinking and driving has been found among Spanish health professionals. Published in BMC Public Health, the study reveals that Spanish doctors and nurses are self-reporting drink driving at even higher rates than other university graduates.”The role of these health professionals in educating the population regarding the health consequences of drinking and of drinking and driving has been long advocated. [click link for full article]
One In Four Hospital Patients Is Admitted With A Mental Health Or Substance A…
12 Apr 2007 at 3:00am
Almost one-fourth of all stays in U.S. community hospitals for patients age 18 and older — 7.6 million of nearly 32 million stays — involved depressive, bipolar, schizophrenia and other mental health disorders or substance use related disorders in 2004, according to a new report by HHS’ Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. This study presents the first documentation of the full impact of mental health and substance abuse disorders on U.S. [click link for full article]

Methadone-associated Deaths Not Caused Primarily By Methadone Diverted From M…
11 Apr 2007 at 9:00am
Methadone-associated deaths are not being caused primarily by methadone diverted from methadone treatment programs, according to a panel of experts convened by SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration).”While deaths involving methadone increased, experiences in several states show that addiction treatment programs are not the culprits,” said [click link for full article]
Amphetamine, Cocaine Use Increase Risk Of Stroke In Young Adults
10 Apr 2007 at 3:00am
Increasing rates of amphetamine and cocaine use by young adults significantly boost their risk of stroke, with amphetamine abuse associated with the greatest risk, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center report. In the study, available online in the Archives of General Psychiatry, UT Southwestern physicians examined more than 8,300 stroke patients ranging in age from 18 to 44 at over 400 Texas hospitals in the years 2000 through 2003. [click link for full article]
Plays Promote Prevention Of Drug Abuse
9 Apr 2007 at 3:00am
A new study finds that theatrical drama is an educational tool in the fight against drug addiction and abuse. Research published today in Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention and Policy, shows that after watching the play Tunnels a series of six vignettes depicting the effects of alcohol and drug abuse over half of the audience left the theatre wanting to get involved directly in drug and alcohol prevention in their homes and communities. [click link for full article]
Strokes May Be Associated With Cocaine And Amphetamine Abuse
7 Apr 2007 at 1:00pm
The use of stimulant drugs, including cocaine and amphetamines, may be linked to a higher risk for stroke, according to a report in the April issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.”Evidence has been accumulating for two decades supporting a link between abuse of stimulant drugs and strokes in young people,” the authors write as background information in the article. [click link for full article]
Amphetamine And Cocaine Usage Increase Risk Of Stroke Among Young Adults
7 Apr 2007 at 9:00am
Increasing rates of amphetamine and cocaine usage by young adults significantly boost their risk of stroke, with amphetamine abuse associated with the greatest risk, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center report.In the study, available online in the Archives of General Psychiatry, UT Southwestern physicians examined more than 8,300 stroke patients – ranging in age from 18 to 44 – at more than 500 Texas hospitals in the years 2000 through 2003. [click link for full article]

New Study Looks At Peer Pressure And Implications For Preventing Adolescent S…
4 Apr 2007 at 11:00am
Why do young people smoke cigarettes or use alcohol or drugs? What skills do they need to avoid starting these habits? A new study by researchers from Weill Cornell Medical College shows that competence skills can reduce adolescent substance use over the long term, even when friends smoke or use alcohol. Previous research has shown that friends’ substance use is one of the most powerful influences that lead adolescents to use themselves. [click link for full article]
Children With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder At Risk For Alcohol Pr…
3 Apr 2007 at 11:00pm
Parental alcoholism and family stress can also facilitate the development of alcohol problems * Prior research has shown that children with ADHD can develop alcohol problems later in life. * Two studies confirm this association, indicating that drinking problems begin around age 15. * Parental alcoholism and family stress appear to add to the risk of children with ADHD developing alcohol problems themselves. [click link for full article]
Most First-time Offenders For Driving While Intoxicated Need Help For More Th…
3 Apr 2007 at 10:00pm
Most first-time offenders for driving while intoxicated need help for more than just alcohol * Driving while intoxicated (DWI) is a significant public-health problem in the US. * New findings indicate that many first-time DWI offenders also have high rates of other substance-use disorders as well as other psychiatric disorders. * Intervention programs may need to provide enhanced services to help this more severe subtype of DWI offenders. [click link for full article]
Tequila Raw Ingredient Being Developed Into Drug-carrier That Targets Colon D…
31 Mar 2007 at 6:00am
Compounds derived from the blue agave, a fruit used to make tequila, shows promise in early laboratory studies as a natural, more effective way to deliver drugs to the colon than conventional drug-carriers, according to chemists at the University of Guadalajara in Mexico. The development could lead to improved treatments for ulcerative colitis, irritable bowel syndrome, cancer, Crohn’s disease and other colon diseases, they say. [click link for full article]
Aggression, Rather Than Celebration, Drives Alcohol Consumption In Rugby Spec…
31 Mar 2007 at 3:00am
Research news published today in Criminal Behaviour and Mental Health drew two main findings from a survey of rugby supporters entering and leaving the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff: spectators in the winning & drawing groups rated themselves as more aggressive than those whose team just lost; and more aggressive spectators intended to drink more alcohol after the match. [click link for full article]

Using Harm To Classify Drugs, UK
27 Mar 2007 at 12:00pm
A new study published in the Lancet proposes that drugs should be classified by the amount of harm that they do, rather than the current A, B, and C divisions used in the UK Misuse of Drugs Act. The new scientifically-based ranking places alcohol and tobacco amongst the most damaging of substances. These socially accepted drugs were judged to be more harmful than cannabis, and more dangerous than the Class A drugs LSD and ecstasy. [click link for full article]
Substance Use A Major Burden Of Disease For Adolescents – The Lancet Adolesce…
27 Mar 2007 at 4:00am
Death, injury and illness caused by substance use are among the top ten contributors to global disease burden measured in disability-adjusted life-years – what was once seen by many in developing countries as the disease of industrialised nations is now a worldwide trend. Alcohol alone contributed to 27% of all deaths involving 15-29-year-olds in economically developed countries in 2002, and illicit drugs a further 4%. [click link for full article]
Substance Abuse And Teenage Pregnancies Could Be Reduced By Improving School …
27 Mar 2007 at 4:00am
Improving the institutional culture (ethos) of schools in the UK may help reduce substance abuse and teenage pregnancies, says an article in this week’s BMJ.Researchers from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine’s Centre for Research on Drugs and Health Behaviour say that substance misuse and teenage pregnancy are major public health challenges and argue that existing responses to these issues seem to have brought about only limited benefits. [click link for full article]
Girls With Early Puberty, Older Boyfriends At Greater Risk For Drugs, Sex, Al…
25 Mar 2007 at 3:00am
Teenaged girls who mature physically sooner than their peers and who also have a romantic partner at least two years older have a higher risk for substance abuse, sex and a combination of sex and drug use, according to a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill study. “Adolescent girls and boys all are at risk for experimenting with sex, alcohol and drugs,” said Carolyn Tucker Halpern, associate professor of maternal and child health in the UNC School of Public Health. [click link for full article]
Scientists Say UK Drug Classification System Is Flawed
23 Mar 2007 at 1:00pm
A new UK study suggests that the current UK drug classification system of A, B, and C of the Misuse of Drugs Act is flawed and should be replaced by an evidence-based system of potential harm that would place alcohol and tobacco higher than cannabis and ecstasy.The study is published in The Lancet. [click link for full article]

Cause Of Smokers’ Cravings Revealed By Brain Scans
21 Mar 2007 at 6:00pm
Within the mind of every smoker trying to quit rages a battle between the higher-order functions of the brain wanting to break the habit and the lower-order functions screaming for another cigarette, say researchers at Duke University Medical Center. More often than not, that cigarette gets lit.Brain scans of smokers studied by the researchers revealed three specific regions deep within the brain that appear to control dependence on nicotine and craving for cigarettes. [click link for full article]
Binge Drinking And Drug Abuse On The Increase Among US Students Report Says
16 Mar 2007 at 3:00am
A new study suggests that binge drinking and drug abuse is on the increase among American students and that colleges should do more to address the problem.49 per cent (3. [click link for full article]
Needle-Exchange Programs Experiencing Local Budget Cuts, Federal Funding Ban …
15 Mar 2007 at 4:00pm
Although a “growing body of research” shows that needle-exchange programs help reduce the spread of HIV without increasing drug use, local budget cuts and a federal funding ban for such programs in the U.S. and overseas are hampering the programs at a time when injection drug use is playing a major role in the HIV/AIDS pandemic, advocates say, the AP/USA Today reports. [click link for full article]
Pakistani Narcotics Ministry, U.N. Working To Reduce Drug Use, Spread Of HIV …
15 Mar 2007 at 7:00am
Pakistan’s Ministry of Narcotics Control and Anti-Narcotics Force in collaboration with the United Nations’ Office on Drugs and Crime are launching a three-year, $497,000 project to help combat HIV/AIDS and drug use in four prisons in the country, sources said on Friday, Pakistan’s [click link for full article]
Woman Denied Right To Use Marijuana As Life-saving Medication
15 Mar 2007 at 4:00am
An American woman whose doctor has told her that marijuana is the only drug keeping her alive, has been denied the right to use it by a federal court. She could face prosecution on drug charges.Angel Raich, a 41-year old mother of two from Oakland, California, sought an injuction to stop the government prosecuting her. [click link for full article]

Pakistani Narcotics Ministry, U.N. Working To Reduce Drug Use, Spread Of HIV …
15 Mar 2007 at 7:00am
Pakistan’s Ministry of Narcotics Control and Anti-Narcotics Force in collaboration with the United Nations’ Office on Drugs and Crime are launching a three-year, $497,000 project to help combat HIV/AIDS and drug use in four prisons in the country, sources said on Friday, Pakistan’s [click link for full article]
Woman Denied Right To Use Marijuana As Life-saving Medication
15 Mar 2007 at 4:00am
An American woman whose doctor has told her that marijuana is the only drug keeping her alive, has been denied the right to use it by a federal court. She could face prosecution on drug charges.Angel Raich, a 41-year old mother of two from Oakland, California, sought an injuction to stop the government prosecuting her. [click link for full article]
New Study Indicates Tanning May Be Addictive
13 Mar 2007 at 3:00am
Despite repeated health warnings about the dangers of tanning from sunlight and artificial light sources, there are still those whose mantra “bronzed is beautiful” remains unshaken. Dermatologists have long suspected that some people may be addicted to tanning — similar to addictions to drugs or alcohol — and refuse to alter their behaviors, even knowing they have an increased risk of developing skin cancer. [click link for full article]
Potential Human Use For New Compound To Prevent Alcoholic Behavior, Relapse I…
13 Mar 2007 at 2:00am
A study of alcohol-dependent animals shows that a newly discovered compound that blocks chemical signals active during the brain’s response to stress effectively stops excessive drinking and prevents relapse.The new, synthetic compound, known as MTIP, also muted the anxiety that typically develops in rats experiencing the equivalent of a hangover. [click link for full article]
In Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Cholesterol Could Hold The Key To Treatment
10 Mar 2007 at 8:00pm
Small amounts of alcohol can interfere with the growth of a fetus, but added cholesterol may help prevent a wide array of neurological and physical defects from alcohol exposure, according to a new study in laboratory fish.Cholesterol is so important to fetal development that pregnant women who do not have high enough cholesterol levels are at increased risk of having babies with developmental problems, even without consuming alcohol. [click link for full article]