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Targeting gut signaling protein may protect against alcohol-related liver damage

Alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) is a major cause of liver transplantation and death worldwide, and its impact is only growing. In 2022, the annual cost of ALD in the United States was $31 billion.

27 Aug 2025

Polysubstance-involved opioid overdoses found to be prevalent among youth

Most research suggests that opioid overdoses involving multiple substances in the United States typically occur among people ages 25-54.

26 Aug 2025

New guideline offers effective options to help Canadians quit smoking

Tobacco smoking is the number one cause of preventable disease and death in Canada; it is highly addictive and hard to stop.

25 Aug 2025

KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Happy 60th, Medicare and Medicaid!

On July 30, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed landmark legislation creating Medicare and Medicaid. Sixty years later, the programs represent a fifth of the federal budget and provide coverage to nearly 1 in 4 Americans.

21 Aug 2025

Evidence review questions ketamine’s role in chronic pain treatment

A Cochrane review assessed ketamine and other NMDA receptor antagonists for chronic non-cancer pain. The evidence was low to very low certainty, showing no clear pain relief and potential adverse effects with intravenous ketamine.

21 Aug 2025

Optum Rx invokes open meetings law to fight Kentucky counties on opioid suits

UnitedHealth Group's multibillion-dollar pharmacy benefit manager, Optum Rx, is suing five Kentucky counties in an attempt to force them out of national opioid litigation against the company.

20 Aug 2025

ADHD medication lowers risk of substance misuse and accidents

ADHD medications are linked to reduced risks of dangerous outcomes, including substance misuse and criminality, supporting their use in treatment strategies.

18 Aug 2025

Pregabalin raises heart failure risk in older adults compared to gabapentin, study finds

A large Medicare cohort study found that older adults prescribed pregabalin had a significantly higher risk of developing heart failure compared to those prescribed gabapentin. The elevated risk was most pronounced in individuals with pre-existing cardiovascular disease, especially women and White patients.

13 Aug 2025

Quitting smoking linked to better recovery from drug and alcohol addiction

Adults who smoke cigarettes and are addicted to alcohol or other drugs were more likely to achieve sustained remission of their substance use disorder symptoms if they also quit smoking, according to scientists at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). `

13 Aug 2025

New engineered molecule shows promise as rapid antidote for carbon monoxide poisoning

University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) researchers, along with their colleagues, engineered a new molecule that appears promising as an effective antidote for carbon monoxide poisoning with fewer side effects than other molecules currently being tested, according to a new study published in the journal PNAS.

12 Aug 2025

Uncovering the science behind musical anhedonia

Ten years ago, researchers discovered a small group of people who derive no pleasure from music despite having normal hearing and the ability to enjoy other experiences or stimuli.

7 Aug 2025

Cherokee Nation Behavioral Health and Emory team up to prevent youth substance use

While overdose deaths in the U.S. sharply declined in 2024, they remain high. Almost 90,000 Americans died from drug overdoses between October 2023 and September 2024.

6 Aug 2025

As California’s behavioral health workforce buckles, help is years away

This spring, the Good News Rescue Mission, which runs the only emergency homeless shelter in Shasta County, received a game-changing $17.8 million state grant to build a 75-bed residential treatment facility in a region where thousands struggle with drug and alcohol addiction.

6 Aug 2025

HOXB13 emerges as a context-dependent regulator in cancer biology

HOXB13, a B-class homeobox transcription factor, sits at the hub of developmental gene networks yet has emerged as a double-edged sword in human cancer.

5 Aug 2025

Researchers question the historical basis of ancient psychedelic rituals

A new article in the peer-reviewed journal Psychedelic Medicine takes aim at one of the most influential, and controversial, narratives in comparative psychedelic culture: the idea that ancient Greek mystery rites at Eleusis were fueled by psychedelic drugs.

5 Aug 2025

Nighttime caffeine linked to increased impulsivity

Do you find yourself reaching for a cup of coffee at night to stay alert? A new study from The University of Texas at El Paso suggests you might want to reconsider.

5 Aug 2025

High potency cannabis tied to greater use and risk in US youth

A new study published today in the scientific journal Addiction has found that young adults in the US do not 'titrate' when using strong cannabis.

1 Aug 2025

Deep staff cuts at a little-known federal agency pose trouble for droves of local health programs

A little-known federal agency that sends more than $12 billion annually to support community health centers, addiction treatment services, and workforce initiatives for America's neediest people has been hobbled by the Trump administration's staffing purges.

1 Aug 2025

Women who drink heavily face higher chance of unintended pregnancy

A new study has found that, among women with a high desire to avoid becoming pregnant, those who drank heavily had a 50% higher risk of becoming pregnant than those who drank moderately or not at all.

31 Jul 2025

Alcohol withdrawal syndrome increases risks and costs after major surgery

Patients who develop alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS) after major surgery face significantly higher risks of complications, longer hospital stays, and increased health care costs, according to a study published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons (JACS).

28 Jul 2025