Women who have been diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver due to alcohol consumption are less likely that their male counterparts to seek treatment for their alcohol abuse disorder according to a study of more than 60,000 patients.
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Many in Recovery Have Chronic Health Problems
Alcohol and other substance-use problems take enormous psychological and societal tolls on millions of Americans. Now a study from the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Recovery Research Institute shows that more than a third of individuals who consider themselves in recovery from an alcohol or other substance use disorder continue to suffer from chronic physical disease. The study, published online in the Journal of Addiction Medicine, is the first to look at the national prevalence of medical conditions that are commonly caused or exacerbated by excessive and chronic alcohol and other drug use among people in addiction recovery.
Peers Key to College Drinking Intervention
Peer approval is the best indicator of the tendency for new college students to drink or smoke, even if the students don't want to admit it, according to new research from Michigan State University.
This new finding is key to help universities address the problems of underage or binge drinking, said Nancy Rhodes, professor and lead author of the study published in the journal Health Education and Behavior.
Many Women Ignore Alcohol-Breast Cancer Risk
Middle aged women in Australia aren't getting the message about the proven link between alcohol consumption and breast cancer, at a time when more are drinking while cancer rates in their age bracket are increasing, according to a new study.
More women aged between 45 and 64 years aren't aware of the potential risks, and indicate negative impacts on their weight, relationships or lifestyle would more likely result in a reduction in drinking, rather then warnings about an increased risk of cancer.
Fears Over Naltrexone Unfounded, Study Finds
Fears over a drug that can be used to treat alcohol addiction are unfounded, according to its first ever systematic review, led by academics at The University of Manchester. Though the study found no evidence of any serious side effects linked to Naltrexone, many doctors hold back from prescribing the drug, often citing liver toxicity as a reason
Alcohol Frequently Considered Migraine Trigger
In a European Journal of Neurology study of 2,197 patients who experience migraines, alcoholic beverages were reported as a trigger by 35.6 percent of participants. Additionally, more than 25 percent of migraine patients who had stopped consuming or never consumed alcoholic beverages did so because of presumed trigger effects.
ACOAs More Likely to Marry Alcoholics
Children of parents who have alcohol use disorder are more likely to get married under the age of 25, less likely to get married later in life, and more likely to marry a person who has alcohol use disorder themselves, according to a new study by researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University and Lund University in Sweden.
Seniors Are Drinking More, Not Less
Just as the population of older adults is increasing worldwide, so too is the number of older adults who consume alcohol. Older adults are more sensitive to the adverse effects of alcohol due to age-related health impairment and physiological changes in metabolism and body composition.
Medication Reduces Opioid Withdrawal Symptoms
Lofexidine, the first medication for use in reducing symptoms associated with opioid withdrawal in adults, has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Lofexidine, an oral tablet, is designed to manage the symptoms patients often experience during opioid discontinuation.
Even Light Drinking Increases Risk of Death
Drinking a daily glass of wine for health reasons may not be so healthy after all, suggests a new study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
Analyzing data from more than 400,000 people ages 18 to 85, the researchers found that consuming one to two drinks four or more times per week -- an amount deemed healthy by current guidelines -- increases the risk of premature death by 20 percent, compared with drinking three times a week or less. The increased risk of death was consistent across age groups.
Study: No Safe Level of Alcohol Consumption
Alcohol is a leading risk factor for death and disease worldwide, and is associated with nearly one in 10 deaths in people aged 15-49 years old, according to a Global Burden of Disease study published in The Lancet that estimates levels of alcohol use and health effects in 195 countries between 1990 to 2016.
Teen Drinking Linked to Increased Prostate Cancer Risk
Compared with non-drinkers, men who consumed at least seven drinks per week during adolescence (ages 15-19) had three times the odds of being diagnosed with clinically significant prostate cancer.
Exercise Can Help Beat Cocaine Addiction
Exercise can help prevent relapses into cocaine addiction, according to new research led by the University at Buffalo's Panayotis (Peter) Thanos, Ph.D.
Higher Alcohol Taxes Can Reduce Harm
Increasing taxes on alcohol is one of the most cost-effective methods of reducing the harms caused by alcohol consumption, according to research in the new issue of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.
Adolescent Binge Drinking Impairs Working Memory
A study from researchers at Columbia University Irving Medical Center found that binge drinking impairs working memory in the adolescent brain. The study explains why teenagers who binge drink are 15 times more likely to become alcoholics during adulthood.
Lucemyra Reduces Opioid Withdrawal Symptoms
Lofexidine, the first medication for use in reducing symptoms associated with opioid withdrawal in adults, has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Lofexidine, an oral tablet, is designed to manage the symptoms patients often experience during opioid discontinuation.
Barriers to Getting Substance Abuse Treatment
For patients with substance use disorders seen in the emergency department or doctor's office, locating and accessing appropriate treatment all too often poses difficult challenges, according to a study in the Journal of Addiction Medicine, the official journal of the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM).
Alcohol-Related Cirrhosis More Serious
Alcohol-related cirrhosis patients are sicker, costlier and often female. More than one-third of cirrhosis cases are related to alcohol, a seven-year national study of more than 100 million privately insured people has found.
Poverty, Stress a Factor in Overdose Deaths
Drug-related deaths have grown to be a major US public health problem over the past two decades. Between 2006 and 2015 there were more than 515,000 deaths from drug overdoses and other drug-related causes. The economic, social, and emotional tolls of these deaths are substantial, but some parts of the US are bearing heavier burdens than others. Evidence from the first national study of county-level differences suggests that addressing economic and social conditions will be key to reversing the rising tide of drug deaths, reports the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
Drinking Alcohol Biggest Risk for Dementia
Alcohol use disorders are the most important preventable risk factors for the onset of all types of dementia, especially early-onset dementia. This according to a nationwide observational study, published in The Lancet Public Health journal, of over one million adults diagnosed with dementia in France.
Alcoholism 'Wonder Drug' Is a Dud
A drug used to treat spasticity was touted as a 'wonder drug' for alcohol use disorders, but researchers found it is no more effective than a placebo for reducing alcohol consumption and alcohol cravings.
Long-Term Recovery Increases Quality of Life
Receiving successful treatment for an alcohol and drug problem can result in steep increases in physical, psychological, and social well-being, according to the Research Society on Alcoholism.
Follow-Up Increases Naltrexone Compliance
Symptoms of alcoholism make it more difficult for some people to regularly take the prescription drug naltrexone, which could help treat their disease, a researcher at Oregon State University has found.
Late Teen Drinking Can Lead to Liver Problems
Alcohol is the leading cause of liver cirrhosis and liver-related deaths. Results of a large long-term study in Sweden have confirmed that drinking during late adolescence could be the first step towards liver problems in adulthood and that guidelines for safe alcohol intake in men might have to be revised downwards, reports the Journal of Hepatology.
Recreational Drug Users Think Risks Are Manageable
A researcher from James Cook University in Queensland has been investigating why Australians are among the top users of illegal drugs in the world - and has uncovered some revealing new facts about the motivations of recreational drug users.
Parental Attention Can Reduce Drug Abuse Risks
Parents who require children to follow rules and keep a constant eye on their activities, endeavoring to know where they are, who they are with and what they are doing, run less risk of facing problems when their children enter adolescence, such as abuse of alcohol and other drugs.
Program Closes Gap in Addiction Treatment
A program at Boston Medical Center's Grayken Center for Addiction is showing that connecting patients to addiction treatment when they are hospitalized for other conditions can be a powerful tool in closing a gap in addiction treatment. In fact, early results show that many of these patients continue treatment after they are discharged, underscoring the importance of reaching patients who might otherwise not get treatment for their addiction.
Teen Alcohol and Marijuana Use Lessens Life Success
Young adults dependent on marijuana and alcohol are less likely to achieve adult life goals, according to new research by UConn Health scientists presented at the American Public Health Association 2017 Annual Meeting & Expo.
Young Binge Drinkers Show Altered Brain Activity
Researchers have studied the brain activity of young binge-drinking college students in Spain and found distinctive changes in brain activity, which may indicate delayed brain development and be an early sign of brain damage.
Daily Marijuana Use Raises Concerns
Health officials are concerned that the rates of daily marijuana use by college-age Americans have returned or exceeded previously high levels seen in the early 1980s, especially among a population whose brains are still not completely developed.
Opioid Abuse Can Be Treated in Primary Care
A new model of collaborative care - combining substance abuse treatment with regular medical care - has been found to be more accessible, more effective and at a lower cost than traditional specialty care methods, according to a RAND Corporation study.
Peer Influence Doubles Teen Smoking Risk
Peer influence has long been known as a major risk factor for adolescent smoking, but findings have varied about how big the risk is or how this dynamic unfolds. A new, rigorous meta-analysis of 75 longitudinal teen smoking studies finds that having friends who smoke doubles the risk that children ages 10 to 19 will start smoking and continue smoking. It also found that peer influence is more powerful in collectivist cultures than in those where individualism is the norm.
Smoking Can Increase Frailty in Older Adults
Smokers can greatly lower their risks of becoming frail as they grow older by quitting, even in old age. Old adults who smoke tobacco run a 60 percent greater risk of becoming frail in their later years.
Some Prevention Efforts Can Actually Backfire
Some prevention campaigns aimed at stopping young drinkers from risky drinking habits can actually backfire if not worded properly. Campaigns designed to stop young people "bolting" drinks can be ineffective and can even make them more likely to do it, new research suggests.
Early Brain Injury Linked to Alcoholism
Researchers at Ohio State University have surveyed previous studies to investigate the relationship between traumatic brain injuries and alcohol abuse. They found evidence that traumatic brain injuries in children and adolescents could be a risk-factor for alcohol abuse in later life.
Intoxication Increases Risk of Domestic Violence
Intoxicated, heavy drinkers have a tendency to act rashly in response to negative emotions, which can intensify the risk for intimate partner aggression, according to a study by Georgia State University and Purdue University.
Quitting Smoking More Difficult for Some
Psychologists are finding some success with treatments aimed at helping smokers from underserved groups, including racial and ethnic minorities and those with psychiatric disorders.
12 Steps Improve Youth Treatment Outcomes
A treatment program for adolescents with a substance-use disorder that incorporates the practices and philosophy of 12-step programs like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) produced even better results than the current state-of-the-art treatment approach in a nine-month, randomized trial.
Teen Binge Drinking Affects Cognitive Skills
Drinking alcohol, is a well-engrained and long-standing social habit in many countries around the world, even though the fact that alcohol has an impact on one's health is largely established, especially when it comes to heavy drinking.
Alcohol Increases Risk of Digestive Cancers
Citizens across the EU are consuming an average of two alcoholic drinks per day, placing drinkers at a 21% increased risk of developing colorectal cancer, in addition to other digestive cancers, a report finds.
Legal Marijuana Laws Affect Teen Use
A study by researchers at Dartmouth has found that adolescents living in medical marijuana states with a plethora of dispensaries are more likely to have tried new methods of cannabis use, such as edibles and vaping, at a younger age than those living in states with fewer dispensaries. The study will appear in the August issue of Drug and Alcohol Dependence.
Binge Drinking Linked to High Glucose Levels
Regular high alcohol consumption and binge drinking from age 16 is associated with higher glucose concentrations in women's blood - an important risk factor for type 2 diabetes - later in life, according to a study published in the open access journal BMC Public Health.
Alcohol's Health Benefits Overstated?
The benefits of light alcohol consumption, as well as the risks associated with not drinking at all, might not be as great as previously thought, according to Penn State researchers who examined the drinking habits of middle-aged adults.
Aggression Linked to Risk of Substance Abuse
People who have trouble controlling their anger are more likely to abuse alcohol and other substances. Those who display frequent aggressive behavior are at five times greater risk for abusing alcohol, tobacco and marijuana.
Strong Policies Lower Drunk Driving Deaths
Stronger alcohol policies protect young people from dying in crashes caused by drunk driving according to researchers at Boston Medical Center. The study, which is published online in the journal Pediatrics, supports the importance of comprehensive alcohol control policies to reduce the number of young people who die in alcohol-related crashes.
Trusting Counselor Vital to Treatment Success
A positive, trusting relationship between counselor and patient, known as a "therapeutic alliance," can be key to successful treatment of alcohol use disorder, a study finds. Gerard Connors, PhD, senior research scientist at the University at Buffalo Research Institute on Addictions, studied more than five dozen people engaging in a 12-week program of cognitive behavior therapy for alcohol use disorder.
Binge Drinking Quickly Leads to Liver Disease
Alcohol consumed during just seven weeks of intermittent binge drinking harms the liver in ways that more moderate daily drinking does not, according to researchers at UC San Francisco. The scientists discovered that just 21 binge drinking sessions were enough to cause symptoms of early-stage liver disease.
119,000 Children With FAS Born Each Year
Worldwide, an estimated 119,000 children are born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) each year, a new study from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) shows. The study, published in The Lancet Global Health, provides the first-ever estimates of the proportion of women who drink during pregnancy, as well as estimates of FAS by country, World Health Organization (WHO) region and worldwide.
Ignition Interlock Devices Reduce Fatal Crashes
State laws requiring ignition interlocks for all drunk driving offenders appear to reduce the number of fatal drunk driving crashes, a new study by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Colorado School of Public Health researchers suggests.
Alcohol Increases Risks of Heart Conditions
Alcohol abuse increases the risk of atrial fibrillation, heart attack and congestive heart failure as much as other well-established risk factors such as high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking and obesity, according to a study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
Primary Care Should Include Drug Screening
The misuse of both prescription and illicit drugs is so prevalent in Tijuana and East Los Angeles that community clinics in those areas should routinely, though discreetly, screen for it, according to new UCLA research. The study, published in the peer-reviewed journal Substance Use and Misuse, found that 19.4 percent of people answering a computerized self-administered survey in East Los Angeles community clinics admitted to moderate-to-high drug use.
Alcohol Risks Increasing for Older Adults
Alcohol is the most commonly used psychoactive substance among older adults, and this group can have unique risks associated with alcohol consumption -- in even lower amounts -- compared to younger persons.
Moms' Sensitivity a Key to Prevention
Research from the University at Buffalo Research Institute on Addictions suggests the approach to preventing alcohol and drug use by some adolescents should begin in early childhood.
Video Games Influence Teens to Drink, Smoke
Images and references to alcohol and tobacco in popular video games may be influencing teens who play the games and the age restriction system is not working, according to a study.
Drug-Use Can Hamper Moral Judgment
Regular cocaine and methamphetamine users can have difficulty choosing between right and wrong, perhaps because the specific parts of their brains used for moral processing and evaluating emotions are damaged by their prolonged drug habits. This is according to a study among prison inmates by Samantha Fede and Dr. Kent Kiehl's laboratory at the University of New Mexico and the nonprofit Mind Research Network. The findings of the study, which was funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, are published in Springer's journal Psychopharmacology.
How Is Weed Linked to Drinking Alcohol?
Adults who use marijuana are five times more likely to develop an alcohol use disorder (AUD) -- alcohol abuse or dependence -- compared with adults who do not use the drug. And adults who already have an alcohol use disorder and use marijuana are more likely to see the problem persist.
Early Binge Drinking Linked to Hypertension
Having an occasional drink is fine, but "binge" drinking is a known health hazard and now high blood pressure may need to be added to the list of possible consequences. Young adults in their twenties who regularly binge drink have higher blood pressure which may increase the risk of developing hypertension, concludes a study conducted by researchers at the University of Montreal Hospital Research Centre (CRCHUM)
Alcohol Helps Bacteria Harm the Liver
End-stage liver disease or liver cirrhosis is the tenth leading cause of death in the United States, and approximately half of these cases are related to alcohol consumption. There's no refuting that alcohol itself harms the liver, but new research in mice and humans published February 10 in Cell Host & Microbe reveals that chronic drinking also promotes the growth of gut bacteria that can travel to the liver and exacerbate liver disease.
Over 400 Conditions Co-Occur With FASD
Researchers at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) have identified 428 distinct disease conditions that co-occur in people with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD), in the most comprehensive review of its kind.
Marijuana Poses Danger in Early Pregnancy
Marijuana is up to 20 times more potent than it was 40 years ago and most pregnant women who use the drug are unaware that it could harm their unborn child before they even know they are pregnant. Writing in the journal Drug Testing and Analysis, American researcher's state the argument that marijuana is a harmless drug is no longer valid due to the emergence of 'high potency' marijuana and synthetic marijuana which pose a potential real threat for pregnant women.
Teen Pot Use Leaves Lasting Mental Deficits
The persistent, dependent use of marijuana before age 18 has been shown to cause lasting harm to a person's intelligence, attention and memory, according to an international research team. Among a long-range study cohort of more than 1,000 New Zealanders, individuals who started using cannabis in adolescence and used it for years afterward showed an average decline in IQ of 8 points when their age 13 and age 38 IQ tests were compared.
Early Alcohol Use Spells Later Trouble
An early age at first drink (AFD) has been linked to later alcohol-related problems, which is one of the reasons behind the legal drinking age of 21 in the U.S. It is unclear, however, if increased risk is primarily due to initiation of any drinking, or initiation of heavier drinking. A comparison of the influence of these potential risk factors among college undergraduates found that both an early AFD as well as a quick progression from the first drink to drinking to intoxication independently predicted later problems.
Brain Activity Predicts Teen Heavy Drinking
Heavy drinking is known to affect teenagers' developing brains, but certain patterns of brain activity may also help predict which kids are at risk of becoming problem drinkers, according to a study in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.
Childhood Defiance Linked to Addiction
Children who exhibit oppositional behavior run the risk of becoming addicted to nicotine, cannabis and cocaine while inattention symptoms represent a specific additional risk of nicotine addiction. Nevertheless, hyperactivity in itself does not seem to be associated with any specific risk of substance abuse or dependence.
Bariatric Surgery Can Lead to Alcohol Abuse
Among patients who underwent bariatric surgery, there was a higher prevalence of alcohol use disorders in the second year after surgery, and specifically after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, compared with the years immediately before and following surgery, according to a study in JAMA.
Substance Use Reduces Educational Achievement
Although various kinds of substance use are associated with reduced educational attainment, these associations have been mixed and may also be partially due to risk factors such as socioeconomic disadvantages. A study of substance use and education among male twins from a veteran population has found a strong relationship among early alcohol use, alcohol dependence, daily nicotine use, and fewer years of educational attainment.
Ads Play Role in Underage Drinking
Minors who were familiar with television alcohol advertisements were more likely to have tried alcoholic beverages and binge drink than those who could not recall seeing such ads, according to a study presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in Boston.
Opioids Linked With Highest Risk of Death
People with an opioid addiction had the highest risk of death when compared with rates for alcohol and other drugs, according to a new study by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). For those dependent on opioids, the risk of death was 5.71 times higher than healthy individuals in the population of the same age, gender and race.
Chronic Cocaine Use Hastens Aging of Brain
Research by scientists at the University of Cambridge suggests that chronic cocaine abuse accelerates the process of brain ageing. The study, published in Molecular Psychiatry, found that age-related loss of grey matter in the brain is greater in people who are dependent on cocaine than in the healthy population.
Teens Can Benefit From 12-Step Involvement
Adolescents who misuse alcohol and other drugs to the point where they need treatment must contend with costly and limited options for youth-specific care, as well as high relapse rates following treatment. Mutual-help groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA) are widely available but little research has addressed their benefits for adolescents. An assessment of 12-step meetings and recommended activities has found that attendance, participation, and finding a sponsor promote greater abstinence among adolescents.
Nurse-Delivered Alcohol Interventions More Accepted
The U.S. Joint Commission approved new hospital accreditation measures related to alcohol screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) for all hospitalized patients. Yet little is known about the effectiveness of brief interventions (BIs) or inpatient acceptability of SBIRT when performed by healthcare professionals other than physicians. A new study has found high hospital-patient acceptability of and comfort with nurse-delivered SBIRT.
Alcohol Greatly Increases Serious Injury Risk
Researchers know that alcohol impairs coordination and the ability to perceive and respond to hazards, and that hangovers impair neurocognitive performance and psychomotor vigilance. This study closely examined alcohol-related injuries admitted to hospital, finding that alcohol greatly increases risk for serious injury.
Smoking Reduction Quickly Lowers Death Rates
A study by the University of Liverpool has found that a decrease in smoking rapidly reduces mortality rates in individuals and entire populations within six months. Research by Professor Simon Capewell and Dr Martin O'Flaherty at the Institute of Psychology, Health and Well-being, examined evidence from clinical trials and natural experiments.
Heavy Drinkers Have Poor Dietary Habits
Excessive drinking and an unbalanced diet are two preventable contributors to health problems in the developed world. Different studies have found varying linkages between amounts of alcohol consumed and quality of diet. A study of adults in Spain has found that heavy drinking, binge drinking, a preference for spirits, and drinking alcohol at mealtimes were associated with a poor adherence to major food consumption guidelines.
How Alcohol Interferes With Sleep
Large amounts of alcohol are known to shorten sleep latency, increase slow-wave sleep, and suppress rapid eye movement (REM) during the first half of sleep. During the second half of sleep, REM increases and sleep becomes shallower. A study of the acute effects of alcohol on the relationship between sleep and heart rate variability (HRV) during sleep has found that alcohol interferes with the restorative functions of sleep.
Brain Damage Seen in Young Binge-Drinkers
It's considered a rite of passage among young people – acting out their independence through heavy, episodic drinking. But a new University of Cincinnati study, the first of its kind nationally, is showing how binge drinking among adolescents and young adults could be causing serious damage to a brain that's still under development at this age.
Alcohol's Damaging Effects on the Brain
While alcohol has a wide range of pharmacological effects on the body, the brain is a primary target. However, the molecular mechanisms by which alcohol alters neuronal activity in the brain are poorly understood. Participants in a symposium at the annual meeting of the Research Society on Alcoholism in San Antonio, Texas addressed recent findings concerning the interactions of alcohol with prototype brain proteins thought to underlie alcohol actions in the brain.
Binge Drinking Affects Ability to Learn
Binge drinking is prevalent among university students, especially in the United States. One brain structure particularly sensitive to alcohol's neurotoxicity during development is the hippocampus, which plays a key role in learning and memory. A study of the association between binge drinking and declarative memory – a form of long-term memory – in university students has found a link between binge drinking and poorer verbal declarative memory.
Parents Have Role in Smoking Prevention
Parents shouldn't let up when it comes to discouraging their kids from smoking. That's the message of a study presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in Denver.
Parental Alcoholism Linked to Offspring's Alcoholism
Researchers know that there is a strong link between parental alcohol use disorders and the risk for developing an alcohol use disorders among their offspring. This study looked at the risk of alcohol use disorders in the offspring of a large population-based sample of Danish parents. Findings confirmed that parental alcohol use disorders were associated with an increased risk of alcohol use disorders among the offspring.
Many Kids Get Their Alcohol at Home
A study by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) indicates that 5.9 percent of adolescents aged 12 to 14 drank alcohol in the past month and that the vast majority of them (93.4 percent) received their alcohol for free the last time they drank.
Helping Others Helps Alcoholics Stay in Recovery
Participating in community service activities and helping others is not just good for the soul; it has a healing effect that helps alcoholics and other addicts become and stay sober, a researcher from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine reports.
College Campus-Community Interventions Successful
The Safer California Universities study found that the program reduced incidence and likelihood of intoxication at off-campus parties and bars/restaurants. Heavy drinking among college students results in over 1800 deaths each year, as well as 590,000 unintentional injuries, almost 700,000 assaults and more than 97,000 victims of sexual assaults. In a study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, researchers report on the results of the Safer California Universities study, a successful community-wide prevention strategy targeted at off-campus settings.
Heavy Smoking Doubles Alzheimer's Risk
Heavy smoking in midlife is associated with a 157 percent increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease and a 172 percent increased risk of developing vascular dementia, according to a Kaiser Permanente study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine. This is the first study to look at the long-term consequences of heavy smoking on dementia.
Child Abuse: Malicious Use of Pharmaceuticals
Child abuse is a serious problem that affects nearly one million children a year in the United States alone. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the US Department of Health and Human Services classify child abuse into four categories including neglect, physical abuse, sexual abuse, and emotional abuse. None of these categories, however, clearly includes the abusive use of drugs on children. A study published in the Journal of Pediatrics investigates the malicious use of pharmaceuticals and attempts to shed light on this under-recognized problem.
Addiction: a Loss of Plasticity of the Brain?
Why is it that only some drug users become addicts? This is the question that has been addressed by the teams of Pier Vincenzo Piazza and Olivier Manzoni, at the Neurocentre Magendie in Bordeaux (Inserm unit 862). These researchers have discovered that the transition to addiction could result from a persistent impairment of synaptic plasticity in a key structure of the brain. This is the first demonstration that a correlation exists between synaptic plasticity and the transition to addiction.
Ignoring Stress Leads to Drug Cravings
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 of human development, Penn State. "The goal of this study is to predict the variation in substance craving in a person on a within-day basis. Because recovery must be maintained 'one day at a time,' researchers have to understand it on the same daily level."
Peer Drug Use Increases Genetic Tendency to Use
The nature-nurture debate is usually about how much of something is due to our genes and how much is caused by our environment. New research just published in the academic journal Addiction shows that the case is more interesting for young women who smoke, drink, or use drugs, for two related reasons.
Smoking Bans Reduce Heart Attack Admissions
A nationwide smoking ban in public places would save more than $90 million and significantly reduce hospitalizations for heart attack, according to a Henry Ford Hospital study. After analyzing data from the 13 states that don't have a law banning smoking in public places, researchers concluded that more than 18,596 fewer hospitalizations for heart attack could be realized from a smoking ban in all 50 states after the first year of implementation, resulting in more than $92 million in savings in hospitals costs for caring for those patients.
Alcohol Use Linked to Faster HIV Progression
HIV disease tends to progress at a faster rate in infected individuals who consume two or more alcoholic drinks a day, according to an important paper in AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.
Teen Smokers Don't Recognize Signs of Dependence
Kids who have just started smoking, but not on a daily basis, don't seem to recognize the early symptoms of dependence, according to a study. Published in the journal Pediatrics by Chyke Doubeni, MD, MPH of the University of Massachusetts, the study found that among kids who have started smoking, "an urge to smoke or being irritable because they are not able to smoke is a sign of early dependence. But they don't seem to recognize that symptoms such as irritability are harbingers of addiction."
Test Could Identify Smokers at Risk of Emphysema
Using CT scans to measure blood flow in the lungs of people who smoke may offer a way to identify which smokers are most at risk of emphysema before the disease damages and eventually destroys areas of the lungs, according to a University of Iowa study.
Cocaine Use a Significant Teen HIV Risk Factor
Teens with a history of crack or cocaine use are significantly more likely to engage in unprotected sex than youth who have never used these drugs, putting themselves at increased risk for HIV, according to a study in the <i>Journal of Child and Adolescent Substance Abuse</i>.
How Fast Does Nicotine Peak in the Brain?
Nicotine takes much longer than previously thought to reach peak levels in the brains of cigarette smokers, according to new research conducted at Duke University Medical Center.