http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have reported successful preclinical tests of a new vaccine against heroin. The vaccine targets heroin and its psychoactive breakdown products in the bloodstream, preventing them from reaching the brain. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-heroin-vaccine-blocks-relapse-preclinical.html Medical research Mon, 06 May 2013 15:00:22 EST news287057497 Once heavy drinking impairs function, a variety of punishment-related threats may motivate people to stop drinking: spouses may threaten divorce, employers may threaten job loss, and courts threaten drunk drivers with losing their driver's license or incarceration. In the face of these threats, many alcohol abusers refrain from drinking, but relapse is very common when the threats of punishment fade, particularly when exposed to alcohol-associated environments (contexts). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-rats-humans.html Psychology & Psychiatry Wed, 30 Jan 2013 10:50:16 EST news278765410 (Medical Xpress)—What is the best intervention window for someone struggling with cocaine addiction? When he or she is in the middle of a drug binge, or after a period of abstinence when there is temptation to fall back into old habits? http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-treatment-cocaine-addiction-relapse.html Psychology & Psychiatry Tue, 15 Jan 2013 07:18:42 EST news277456708 Medication development efforts for cocaine dependence have yet to result in an FDA approved treatment. The powerful rewarding effects of cocaine, the profound disruptive impact of cocaine dependence on one's lifestyle, and the tendency of cocaine to attract people who make poor life choices and then exacerbate impulsive behavior all make cocaine a vexing clinical condition. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-cocaine-pharmacotherapy.html Psychology & Psychiatry Wed, 28 Nov 2012 10:23:19 EST news273320322 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 The financial effects of alcoholism on the family members of addicts can be massive, but little is known about whether treatment for alcoholism reduces that financial burden. A study of 48 German families published online today in the journal Addiction reveals that after twelve months of treatment, family costs directly related to a family member's alcoholism decreased from an average of €676.44 (£529.91, US$832.26) per month to an average of €145.40 (£113.90, $178.89) per month. Put another way, average costs attributable to alcoholism decreased from 20.2% to 4.3% of the total pre-tax family income. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-treatment-alcoholism-financial-burden-addiction.html Addiction Mon, 24 Sep 2012 19:00:02 EST news267705058 Disclosure of HIV positive serostatus to sexual partners is considered an important public health goal to prevent new infections. Disclosure can motivate sex partners to make informed choices and change behavior through negotiation of safer sex practices. It might also prompt partner testing and counseling. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-alcohol-role-disclosing-hiv-status.html HIV & AIDS Mon, 11 Jun 2012 12:38:51 EST news258637125 Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have found clinical evidence that the drug gabapentin, currently on the market to treat neuropathic pain and epilepsy, helps people to quit smoking marijuana (cannabis). Unlike traditional addiction treatments, gabapentin targets stress systems in the brain that are activated by drug withdrawal. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-scientists-anticonvulsant-drug-marijuana-smokers.html Addiction Tue, 24 Apr 2012 10:37:38 EST news254482631 Heavy smokers may experience sadness after quitting because early withdrawal leads to an increase in the mood-related brain protein monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A), a new study by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) has shown. This finding, which was published in the Archives of General Psychiatry, may also explain why heavy smokers are at high risk for clinical depression. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-brain-chemical-heavy-smokers-sad.html Health Tue, 02 Aug 2011 09:50:01 EST news231496138