http://medicalxpress.com/addiction-news/ en-us Medical Xpress provides the latest research news on addiction In order to avoid harms associated with alcohol consumption, in 2009 the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism issued guidelines that define low-risk drinking. These guidelines differ for men and women: no more than four drinks per day, and 14 drinks per week for men, and no more than three drinks per day, and seven drinks per week for women. A study of how well college students adhere to these limits has found that female college student drinkers exceed national drinking guidelines for weekly drinking more frequently than their male counterparts. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-college-women-niaaa-guidelines-frequently.html Addiction Fri, 17 May 2013 16:58:21 EST news288028684 Treatment for alcohol use disorders works best if the patient actively understands and incorporates the interventions provided in the clinic. Multiple factors can influence both the type and degree of neurocognitive abnormalities found during early abstinence, including chronic cigarette smoking and increasing age. A new study is the first to look at the interactive effects of smoking status and age on neurocognition in treatment-seeking alcohol dependent (AD) individuals. Findings show that AD individuals who currently smoke show more problems with memory, ability to think quickly and efficiently, and problem-solving skills than those who don't smoke, effects which seem to become exacerbated with age. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-individuals-heavily-early-aging-brain.html Addiction Fri, 17 May 2013 16:51:13 EST news288028099 (Medical Xpress)—A Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center team studying alcohol addiction has new research that might shed light on why some drinkers are more susceptible to addiction than others. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-clues-alcohol-addiction-vulnerability.html Addiction Tue, 26 Mar 2013 08:27:47 EST news283505255 In what is believed to be a first of its kind study, a research member at The Cancer Institute of New Jersey and colleagues have found that an accelerating trend of smokers relighting cigarettes is related to economic factors, and the practice has implications for tobacco dependence treatment and policy. Results were given at a poster presentation during the 19th Annual Meeting of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco held this past week in Boston. The Cancer Institute of New Jersey is a Center of Excellence of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-cigarette-relighting-tied-tough-economy.html Addiction Sat, 23 Mar 2013 02:49:28 EST news283225751 (Medical Xpress)—Research done at the UPV/EHU-University of the Basque Country has determined the frequency of genetic variants linked to alcoholism for the Spanish population, and its incidence not only in individuals with a high level of alcohol intake, but also in individuals with alcohol dependence. Furthermore, the broad presence of women in the sample has made it possible, for the first time, to associate some of these genetic variants with a high level of alcohol intake in women. The results have been published in various top, international journals worldwide, like the journal Addiction, a leader in the field of misused substances. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-genetic-alcoholism-women.html Addiction Tue, 19 Feb 2013 11:20:03 EST news280492090 New Zealand announced plans Tuesday to force tobacco companies to sell cigarettes in plain packaging, becoming only the second country in the world after Australia to introduce the measure. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-zealand-plain-packets-tobacco.html Addiction Tue, 19 Feb 2013 04:10:01 EST news280468811 Research published today in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health has found that many secondary school students regret having sex after drinking too much alcohol. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-teens-sex.html Addiction Wed, 13 Feb 2013 10:30:02 EST news279968069 For problem drinkers, bouts of depressive symptoms are often the direct result of their heavy alcohol intake, according to a study in the March issue of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-alcohol-abusers-depression.html Addiction Tue, 12 Feb 2013 01:45:49 EST news279855932 Chronic use of alcohol and marijuana during youth is associated with poorer neural structure, function, and metabolism, as well as worsened neurocognitive abilities into later adolescence and adulthood. This may be due to biological and psychosocial transitions occurring during adolescence that impart increased vulnerability to neurotoxic influences. A study of longitudinal changes in fiber tract integrity associated with adolescent alcohol and marijuana use during 1.5 years supports previous findings of reduced white-matter integrity in these youth. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-chronic-alcohol-marijuana-youth-compromise.html Addiction Fri, 14 Dec 2012 16:00:08 EST news274696015 Previous research had identified an individual's subjective response to alcohol as a marker of alcoholism risk. The A118G single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of the mu opioid receptor (OPRM1) gene had also been previously associated with subjective response to alcohol in heavy drinkers. A new study extends this research, showing that the OPRM1 genotype seems to moderate the pleasant and stimulating effects to alcohol among alcohol-dependent (AD) individuals but not its unpleasant and sedative effects. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-mu-opioid-receptor-genotype-marker.html Addiction Fri, 14 Dec 2012 16:00:05 EST news274695807 Results of a new study by researchers at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health indicate that a developmental pattern of impulsiveness in young males is linked with gambling problems in late adolescence. Respondents considered to be in the high impulsivity track as early as first grade doubled the odds of meeting criteria for at-risk/problem gambling, and tripled the odds of meeting criteria for problem gambling. The study is the first to link a developmental pattern of impulsivity—defined as a tendency to make rush decisions without carefully considering potential negative consequences—and late-adolescent gambling. Findings appear online in the journal Addiction. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-impulsivity-grade-problem-gambling-late.html Addiction Tue, 20 Nov 2012 13:06:50 EST news272639197 Countless studies demonstrate the virtues of complete smoking cessation, including a lowered risk of disease, increased life expectancy, and an improved quality of life. But health professionals acknowledge that quitting altogether can be a long and difficult road, and only a small percentage succeed. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-forty-year-benefit-reduction.html Addiction Mon, 19 Nov 2012 13:20:03 EST news272553593 (HealthDay)—The American Cancer Society launches its annual Great American Smokeout event Thursday as anti-smoking advocates push to reverse a slowdown in the decline of tobacco use in the United States. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-great-american-smokeout-isthursday.html Addiction Thu, 15 Nov 2012 15:55:30 EST news272217317 (Medical Xpress)—Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory, Stony Brook University, and collaborators may have found a way to predict drug-addicted individuals' responses to drug-related stimuli.  http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-eeg-insight-drug-related-choice-addiction.html Addiction Wed, 14 Nov 2012 07:27:32 EST news272100439 Compared to a survey conducted nearly 20 years ago, about twice the proportion of addiction counselors now find it acceptable for at least some of their patients to have a drink occasionally – either as an intermediate goal or as their final treatment goal, according to a new study published by the American Psychological Association. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-alcohol-drug-abuse-counselors-dont.html Addiction Fri, 02 Nov 2012 13:16:14 EST news271080959 (Medical Xpress)—Smokers are costing the UK economy £1.4 billion by taking an average of two or three days more sick leave per year than their non-smoking colleagues, a new study has revealed. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-smokers-extra-sick-days-year.html Addiction Thu, 01 Nov 2012 10:24:46 EST news270984267 A new study out of the University of Cincinnati finds that both school bullies and their victims are likely to abuse alcohol after a bullying episode. Keith King, a University of Cincinnati professor of health promotion, along with Rebecca Vidourek, a UC assistant professor of health promotion, will present early findings of a new study on Oct. 29, at the 140th Annual Meeting of the American Public Health Association in San Francisco. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-common-bond-school-bullies-alcohol.html Addiction Tue, 30 Oct 2012 06:47:47 EST news270798456 (HealthDay)—Bans on smoking in public areas and workplaces have significantly reduced hospitalizations for heart attacks, strokes and asthma around the world, a new study finds. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-hospitalizations.html Addiction Mon, 29 Oct 2012 17:00:01 EST news270745807 Women can add nine years to their lives by quitting smoking before the age of 40 but still face a 20-percent higher death rate than those who never smoked, a study said Saturday. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-women-smokers-gain-years-lifespan.html Addiction Sat, 27 Oct 2012 13:55:59 EST news270564947 Smoking reduces life expectancy by ten years in Japan, but much of the risk can be avoided by giving up smoking, a paper published on bmj.com today shows. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-years-life-japan-previously-thought.html Addiction Fri, 26 Oct 2012 02:52:07 EST news270438699 An excellent review article from two scientists at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism in the USA to be published in Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2012, describes the epidemiologic and basic scientific evidence linking alcohol consumption to the risk of breast cancer. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-complex-association-moderate-alcohol-consumption.html Addiction Tue, 23 Oct 2012 12:10:01 EST news270211859 (Medical Xpress)—When it comes to alcohol and drug use, peers can be just as influential online as they are in person, researchers at the University of Michigan School of Public Health say. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-peer-facebook-twitter-alcohol-drugs.html Addiction Tue, 16 Oct 2012 06:46:55 EST news269588806 A study of binge-drinking rodents suggests that knocking back a few drinks every few days may swiftly reduce one's capacity to control alcohol intake. Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) found signs of cognitive impairment in rats similar to that seen in established alcoholism after the animals had only a few months of intermittent access to alcohol. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-intermittent-binge-significant-brain-impairment.html Addiction Mon, 15 Oct 2012 15:00:02 EST news269512273 A new study led by researchers from the UCLA School of Nursing has found that nursing intervention can significantly decrease substance abuse among homeless youth. Published in the current issue of the American Journal on Addictions, the research also revealed that "art messaging" can have a positive effect on drug and alcohol abuse and other risky behaviors among this population. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-nurse-led-intervention-deters-substance-abuse.html Addiction Wed, 03 Oct 2012 13:20:03 EST news268489152 A call for change is afoot in the difficult and often heartbreaking world of addiction treatment. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-prescription-addicts.html Addiction Wed, 26 Sep 2012 05:50:01 EST news267851579 (Medical Xpress)—Non-smokers who live with or spend time with smokers are damaging their memory, according to new research from Northumbria University.  http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-memory-degraded-second-hand.html Addiction Wed, 12 Sep 2012 09:00:01 EST news266657832 A new study published in a special issue of Substance Abuse finds that recovering alcoholics who help others in 12-step programs furthers their time sober, consideration for others, step-work, and long-term meeting attendance. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-alcoholics-anonymous-long-term-recovery.html Addiction Thu, 06 Sep 2012 16:38:05 EST news266168261 Odds are that you imagine gamblers as people simply trying to get lucky and win a big payoff. But when Natasha Schull, an associate professor in MIT's Program in Science, Technology, and Society (STS), began researching the lives of gamblers in Las Vegas, she found a very different motivation at work. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-gambling-addictionworking.html Addiction Tue, 04 Sep 2012 07:30:03 EST news265959979 While Australia has recently passed legislation to ban logos from cigarette packages and to make plain packaging mandatory, other countries are still considering whether or not to take similar measures. New research published in Biomed Central's open access journal BMC Public Health provides a report on the appeal of plain cigarette packs, compared to branded packs, among women in Brazil, and finds that plain packs reduce the appeal of their contents. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-plain-packaging-appeal.html Addiction Mon, 03 Sep 2012 20:00:05 EST news265893328 Smoking is the most preventable risk factor for cardiac and lung disease and is expected to cause 1 billion deaths during the 21st century. Electronic cigarettes have been marketed in recent years as a safer habit for smokers, with several millions of people already using them worldwide. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-electronic-cigarettes-heart.html Addiction Sun, 26 Aug 2012 14:24:12 EST news265209831