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.

Study lays foundation for treating drug, alcohol addicts with noninvasive brain stimulation

In a study investigating the use of transcranial magnetic stimulation for drug addiction, researchers at Medical University of South Carolina are the first to demonstrate that the noninvasive brain stimulation technique can dampen brain activity in response to drug cues in chronic alcohol users and chronic cocaine users.

15 May 2018

Early discharge of infants with neonatal abstinence syndrome may prolong their treatment, shows study

Infants who are diagnosed with drug withdrawal after birth who are treated with medication as outpatients at home are treated three times longer than infants treated solely as inpatients, according to a new Vanderbilt study

10 May 2018

Researchers analyze toxicity, other health risks of electronic tobacco heating system

The project was implemented in accordance with the request of the Government of Russian Federation on the evaluation of non-medicinal nicotine products. The inter-agency research group was based at the Semashko National Scientific Research Institute of Public Health.

7 May 2018

Best reads of the week from Brianna Labuskes

Newsletter editor Brianna Labuskes, who reads everything on health care to compile our daily Morning Briefing, offers the best and most provocative stories for the weekend.

28 Apr 2018

University of Pennsylvania expert investigates novel treatment for cocaine addiction

Cocaine and other drugs of abuse hijack the natural reward circuits in the brain. In part, that's why it's so hard to quit using these substances.

28 Apr 2018

Frequent cannabis use by young people linked to small reductions in cognitive function

Frequent cannabis use by adolescents and young adults was associated with small reductions in cognitive function that appeared to diminish with abstinence over time.

18 Apr 2018

Text messaging may hold promise in helping ALD liver-transplant patients maintain sobriety

Each year in the U.S., more than 40,000 patients need a liver transplant because of complications associated with cirrhosis and liver failure. Alcohol-related liver disease (ALD) alone accounts for nearly 30 percent of all liver transplants, yet up to 50 percent of patients with alcoholism return to drinking within five years of undergoing a liver transplant.

5 Mar 2018

QUT researchers identify drug that could reverse brain deficits caused by alcohol

Queensland University of Technology researchers have identified a drug that could potentially help our brains reboot and reverse the damaging impacts of heavy alcohol consumption on regeneration of brain cells.

8 Feb 2018

Infants born in withdrawal due to opioid exposure in utero show abnormalities

A new study of infants born in withdrawal due to opioid exposure in utero shows a dramatic increase in torticollis - an abnormal twisting of the neck. Many of the infants also had plagiocephaly - a flattening of the head often seen in conjunction with torticollis.

22 Jan 2018

Rise in infants with physical abnormalities is linked to opioid exposure during pregnancy, finds study

New research finds a dramatic increase in physical abnormalities in newborns caused by opioid exposure during pregnancy.

22 Jan 2018

Research finds rise in number of New Hampshire infants diagnosed with NAS

From 2005 to 2015 the number of infants diagnosed with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) in the Granite State increased fivefold, from 52 to 269, according to new research by the Carsey School of Public Policy at the University of New Hampshire.

19 Dec 2017

UB researcher explores link between signals in the brain's reward system and overeating, drug addiction

Why are some people able to stop after eating just a few potato chips, while others aren't satisfied until the bag is nothing but crumbs? The answer may lie in the signals acting in the brain's reward system.

9 Nov 2017

Kidney failure linked to lower quality of life, psychosocial challenges in young adults

Kidney failure is associated with lower quality of life in young people and limited employment, independence, and relationships compared with healthy peers, according to an analysis appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology

20 Oct 2017

Brazilian researchers find more significant cognitive deficits among early-onset cocaine users

People who begin using cocaine during adolescence display more significant cognitive deficits than people who begin using the drug in adulthood.

18 Oct 2017

Bedfont’s piCO Smokerlyzer involved in smoking cessation study at Maastricht University

Manufactured by second-generation family company, Bedfont Scientific Ltd.

From Bedfont® Scientific Ltd 11 Oct 2017

FDA permits first digital therapeutic device for treatment of substance use disorders

The United States Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) yesterday – 14th of September 2017, permitted the marketing of an application developed for mobiles that would help in the treatment of substance use disorders (SUD).

14 Sep 2017

Evidence for possible impacts of light alcohol consumption during pregnancy is “surprisingly limited,” study reveals

A recent analysis, based on the data published in the online journal BMJ Open, conducted by a group of researchers shows that the indication for the possible harmful effects of light or occasional alcohol consumption during pregnancy is “surprisingly limited.”

12 Sep 2017

Collaborative care model can expand access to treatment for opioid or alcohol addiction

Combining substance abuse treatment with regular medical care can successfully treat people with opioid or alcohol addiction, providing an option that might expand treatment and lower the cost of caring for people caught up in the nation's opioid epidemic, according to a new RAND Corporation study.

6 Sep 2017

Consistent e-cigarette use does help smokers quit, researchers say

Frequent e-cigarette use does help smokers quit - a finding that Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers say supports the use of e-cigarettes as a cessation aid for those trying to quit cigarette smoking. But, they note, an examination of a recent national survey uncovers important clues about who's successful at quitting and why.

31 Aug 2017

Maternal age at transition to motherhood predicts risky drinking behavior

People tend to adjust behaviors across their lifespans as they adopt new roles – such as marriage or parenting – that are incompatible with prior behaviors.

24 Aug 2017