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Experts warn of increased alcohol harms over the Easter long weekend
Heavy alcohol consumption is usually associated with the summer months, not with Easter.
3 minutes ago
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Addiction
New protocols for treating patients with xylazine wounds
A multi-disciplinary team of UPMC clinicians has developed comprehensive clinical protocols for managing hospitalized patients exposed to xylazine—a veterinary sedative increasingly found in the unregulated opioid supply. ...
22 hours ago
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Smoking/vaping combo poses health risks, research suggests
People might think they can reduce their risk of cancer by occasionally swapping their cigarettes for a vape pen—but they would be wrong, a new study says.
Apr 17, 2025
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Misinformation about fentanyl exposure threatens to undermine overdose response
Fentanyl, the deadly synthetic opioid driving the nation's high drug overdose rates, is also caught up in another increasingly serious problem: misinformation.
Apr 17, 2025
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3 in 4 meth users relapse—outcomes could improve if treatments considered the drug's effect on impulsive behavior
Methamphetamine is New Zealand's most harmful illicit drug and wastewater testing shows its use and availability are on the rise.
Apr 16, 2025
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Rapid rise in vaping in Britain has stalled, study indicates
A study published in the journal Addiction looked at survey data on vaping habits in England, Wales, and Scotland before and after the UK Government announced plans to restrict vaping, including by banning disposable vapes, ...
Apr 16, 2025
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15% of US cancer patients are active smokers at time of diagnosis, study finds
Nearly half of patients diagnosed with cancer in 2023 had a history of smoking, and 15% were smokers at the time of their diagnosis, according to new Yale Cancer Center-led research published in JAMA Oncology.
Apr 15, 2025
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New analysis underscores health risks of e-cigarettes
A Johns Hopkins Medicine-led analysis of medical information gathered on a diverse group of almost 250,000 people over four years has significantly clarified the link between the "exclusive" use of e-cigarettes and chronic ...
Apr 15, 2025
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Do harm reduction interventions for substance use lower or raise trust in government?
"Harm reduction" interventions for substance use—measures like needle exchange programs and methadone distribution that aim to reduce the adverse effects of substance use, rather than punish or prevent it—have been repeatedly ...
Apr 15, 2025
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Hospital visits for cannabis use linked to higher dementia risk
Individuals with an emergency department (ED) visit or hospitalization due to cannabis were at 23% and 72% greater risk of a new dementia diagnosis within five years compared to individuals with an ED visit or hospitalization ...
Apr 14, 2025
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A surprising way to curb college-aged drinking harms may not involve cutting alcohol
Young adults—particularly college students—are more likely than any other group in the U.S. to engage in heavy drinking and experience alcohol-related consequences.
Apr 14, 2025
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Stress, depression factor into link between insomnia, heavy drinking
Insomnia and hazardous drinking are so closely intertwined that estimates suggest at least one-third, and as many as 91%, of people who have a hard time with sleep also misuse alcohol.
Apr 14, 2025
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For opioid victims, payouts fall short while governments reap millions
Opioid settlements with companies like Purdue Pharma, Walmart, and Johnson & Johnson have led to headline-grabbing multibillion-dollar payouts, but most of the windfall is flowing to state and local governments, not directly ...
Apr 14, 2025
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Epicenter of US opioid epidemic shifts from Northwest to East with drug preferences
The heart of the opioid epidemic that killed 665,341 people in the United States between 2005 and 2020 shifted geographically from the Northwest to the East, according to a new geographical analysis.
Apr 10, 2025
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Increase in alcohol deaths in England an 'acute crisis,' say researchers
The persistent higher rate of alcohol deaths in England since the pandemic in 2020 is an "acute crisis" requiring urgent action from the government, according to a new study led by researchers at UCL and the University of ...
Apr 10, 2025
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Alcohol causes cancer, and less than one drink can increase your risk—a cancer biologist explains how
Alcohol, whether consumed regularly or only on special occasions, takes a toll on your body. From your brain and heart, to your lungs and muscles, to your gastrointestinal and immune systems, alcohol has broad harmful effects ...
Apr 10, 2025
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Novel brain study increases understanding of what triggers drug use relapse
New research on the biological basis of addiction has found that the critical epigenetic enzyme histone deacetylase 5 (HDAC5) limits the expression of the gene Scn4b, regulating neuronal activity and thereby the formation ...
Apr 10, 2025
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Simultaneous alcohol, cannabis use may fuel more drinking
Many young adults drink alcohol and use cannabis together, at the same time, as a coping mechanism or to relieve stress. A recent study from the University of Missouri School of Medicine found that people may perceive fewer ...
Apr 10, 2025
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One in 10 with substance use disorder report past-year hospitalizations
About one in 10 U.S. adults with substance use disorder (SUD) report past-year hospitalizations, according to a research letter published online April 1 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Apr 10, 2025
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Three-quarters of survey respondents supported an overdose prevention center in their neighborhood
Overdose prevention centers (OPCs) offer life-saving interventions in the event of an overdose along with on-site harm reduction services. While studies of OPCs in other countries have shown that they can reduce overdose ...
Apr 10, 2025
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In utero opioid use associated with smaller brain regions in newborns
Children's National Hospital and partnering academic centers have found that newborns exposed to opioids in utero exhibited smaller brain volumes in multiple regions compared to unexposed infants.
New study reveals potential biological link between cannabis and psychosis
A new study published in JAMA Psychiatry sheds light on how cannabis use disorder is linked to changes in the brain that are associated with psychosis.
Apr 9, 2025
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Eight or more drinks per week linked to signs of injury in the brain
Heavy drinkers who have eight or more alcoholic drinks per week have an increased risk of brain lesions called hyaline arteriolosclerosis, signs of brain injury that are associated with memory and thinking problems, according ...
Apr 9, 2025
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The cost of tobacco is hitting disadvantaged households in Australia the hardest
Disadvantaged households have higher rates of smoking, putting pressure on their household budgets, University of Queensland research has found. The study is published in the journal Tobacco Control.
Apr 9, 2025
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Public housing smoking ban can reduce heart attacks and strokes
A paper, "Evaluation of Federally Mandated Smoke-Free Housing Policy and Health Outcomes Among Adults Over the Age of 50 in Low-Income, Public Housing in New York City, 2015-2022," published in Nicotine & Tobacco Research ...
Apr 8, 2025
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