Abstinence News and Research

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Abstinence is a voluntary restraint from indulging a desire or appetite for certain bodily activities that are widely experienced as giving pleasure. Most frequently, the term refers to abstention from sexual intercourse, alcohol or food. The practice can arise from religious prohibitions or practical considerations.

Help for teenagers who want to quit smoking

A new study published in the journal JAMA Pediatricsreports on the use of varenicline, a drug that helps smokers quit. The study is unique in that it targeted teenagers who wanted to quit. While confirming the low overall efficacy of the drug, it shows that it may perhaps help teenage smokers to quit faster and to stay smoke-free longer.

11 Dec 2019

Study focuses on smoking cessation treatment for adolescents

Preventable deaths are those that can be stymied by public health intervention, and deaths related to tobacco use are at the top of that list in the United States as well as globally.

10 Dec 2019

A patient's tolerance for risky decisions can predict chances of opioid relapse

People in treatment for opioid addiction are more likely to relapse when they become more tolerant of risks, according to a study by Rutgers and other institutions. The findings can help clinicians better predict which patients are most vulnerable.

8 Dec 2019

Findings could lead to new approach to treating alcohol use disorder

A single infusion of ketamine, combined with outpatient behavioral therapy, helped alcohol-dependent individuals abstain from drinking for a few weeks after the treatment, researchers at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and New York State Psychiatric Institute have found.

4 Dec 2019

Communication key in preventing AIDS, say health organizations

Repeating the message of so many years, World AIDS Day has come and gone. This year, the focus was on improving communication between the “victims” and the healthcare providers so that the former can get the care they need without having to come to terms with their lifestyle choices.

2 Dec 2019

Opioid use during pregnancy alters the baby's brain

During pregnancy, everything taken in by the mother crosses the placenta. Opioid use during pregnancy is tied to changes in the baby’s brain, a new study found.

25 Nov 2019

Study identifies pretreatment change trajectories in people seeking treatment for AUD

Treatment for alcohol use disorder often involves a course of counseling aimed at changing the patient's drinking behavior.

5 Nov 2019

Acetate derived from alcohol metabolism directly influences epigenetic regulation in the brain

Triggers in everyday life such as running into a former drinking buddy, walking by a once-familiar bar, and attending social gatherings can all cause recovering alcoholics to "fall off the wagon."

24 Oct 2019

Federally funded Obria prescribes abstinence to stop the spread of STDs

Inside Obria Medical Clinics, conviction — not condoms — is summoned to stop the spread of chlamydia.

7 Oct 2019

Men should stay alcohol-free for at least six months before conception

A new study has revealed that men hoping to conceive should stop drinking for at least six months before to prevent congenital heart diseases.

4 Oct 2019

Study: Nearly half of cancer patients who enter a tobacco treatment program quit smoking

In the largest smoking cessation study of cancer patients to date, researchers from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center found that comprehensive tobacco treatment can help cancer patients successfully quit and abstain from smoking.

27 Sep 2019

Tobacco treatment program in an oncologic setting could foster smoking cessation

A tobacco treatment program delivered at a cancer center had average seven-day smoking abstinence rates of about 45% at three- and six-month follow-ups and nearly 44% at the nine-month follow-up, and those rates didn't differ between patients with and without cancer.

27 Sep 2019

Smoking abstinence does not greatly affect motivation for food, research suggests

It's sometimes thought that smokers who can't light up are likely to reach for food in lieu of cigarettes. But new research from the University at Buffalo suggests that smoking abstinence doesn't greatly affect the motivation for food.

20 Sep 2019

Smoking always wins over food, says new abstinence study

Many people think that smokers who are not smoking for a while – perhaps because they are in a smoke-free setting or can’t smoke for some reason – tend to eat more instead. But this study from the University at Buffalo says not.

20 Sep 2019

Midwives need more support to deliver advice on alcohol consumption in pregnancy

A new study funded by the Institute of Alcohol Studies – ‘Alcohol guidelines for pregnant women: Barriers and enablers for midwives to deliver advice’ – highlights the inconsistency in official guidance that led to midwives giving different advice on alcohol consumption in pregnancy.

17 Sep 2019