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Heroin is a very addictive chemical called diacetylmorphine. Heroin is a modified form of morphine, a highly abundant opium derived from the seedpods of the poppy plant.

Deep brain stimulation can reduce heroin relapse in rat models of addiction, TSRI study shows

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have found that deep brain stimulation (DBS) can greatly reduce the compulsion to use heroin in standard rat models of addiction.

2 Feb 2017

New $2 million NIH grant aims to improve health of ‘grandparent caregivers’

As the number of grandparents caring for grandchildren full-time continues to swell, so do the stress-induced health risks associated with such a demanding responsibility.

2 Feb 2017

New research finds increase in mortality rates caused by drugs, alcohol and suicide

Nationwide, the mortality rate from deaths caused by drugs, alcohol and suicide rose 52 percent from 2000 to 2014, according to new research from the Carsey School of Public Policy at the University of New Hampshire.

1 Feb 2017

Combined use of alcohol and cocaine linked to suicide deaths

Alcohol use can be found in suicide deaths and unintentional deaths due to injuries such as those from motor vehicle collisions (MVCs).

27 Jan 2017

Study identifies factors linked to disengagement from treatment for opioid use disorder

Individuals with opioid use disorder who are treated with buprenorphine, a commonly prescribed drug to treat addiction, are more likely to disengage from treatment programs if they are black or Hispanic, unemployed, or have hepatitis C according to a study published online in the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment.

5 Jan 2017

Gulf Breeze Recovery underscores importance of high-quality programs for treating opioid addiction

As opioid addiction hits record highs, Gulf Breeze Recovery, a Florida-based addiction recovery center, stresses the importance of high-quality, successful programs for treating addiction.

26 Dec 2016

MedUni Vienna scientists show that addictive cravings can be detected after death

A protein known as FosB in the reward centre of the brain alters in chronically ill people suffering from an addictive disorder (e.g. heroin addiction): it is genetically modified, split off and shortened.

21 Dec 2016

Study reveals self-harm is leading cause of pregnancy-related deaths in Colorado

Self-harm was the leading cause of pregnancy-associated deaths in Colorado from 2004 to 2014, ahead of car crashes, medical conditions and homicide, according to researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.

9 Dec 2016

Resilience lowers risk for developing alcohol use disorders, study shows

Resilience considerably reduces risk for developing alcohol use disorders, according to a new study conducted by researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University and Lund University in Sweden.

8 Dec 2016

PinnacleHealth’s initiative helps reduce opioid prescriptions in primary care setting

PinnacleHealth Medical Group, a network of more than 200 primary care providers and specialists, singled out opioid abuse epidemic and initiated a formal opioid reduction program in 2014.

8 Dec 2016

Kratom may be safer and less addictive than current treatments for pain, research suggests

A delayed U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration ban on kratom would stifle scientific understanding of the herb's active chemical components and documented pharmacologic properties if implemented, according to a special report published today in The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association.

29 Nov 2016

UAB physician calls for better education, legislation to help patients with opioid abuse

The U.S. opioid epidemic has evolved so much in the last four years that current federal policy responses risk diminishing returns in saving human lives, according to a new peer-reviewed perspective by University of Alabama at Birmingham Associate Professor of Preventive medicine Stefan Kertesz, M.D. His perspective was published online in the addiction journal Substance Abuse.

24 Nov 2016

AMCC to raise awareness about dangers of prescription drug abuse across the U.S.

On November 12, 2016 the 7th Annual American Medicine Chest Challenge --- a national public health initiative to raise awareness about the dangers of prescription drug abuse and encourage safe disposal of prescription drugs will be held in communities throughout the nation.

11 Nov 2016

Mothers in therapy for substance use recover faster if children take part in treatment, study shows

Mothers in therapy for drug and alcohol use recover faster if their children take part in their treatment sessions, according to a first-of-its-kind study.

2 Nov 2016

Study finds increasing incidence of hospitalizations for prescription opioid poisonings in children and teens

The overall incidence of hospitalizations for prescription opioid poisonings in children and adolescents has more than doubled from 1997 to 2012, with increasing incidence of poisonings attributed to suicide or self-inflicted injury and accidental intent, according to a new study published online by JAMA Pediatrics.

1 Nov 2016

New initiative aims to prevent opioid addition among surgical patients in Michigan

America's opioid drug epidemic has struck hard in Michigan. But now, a team from the University of Michigan is striking back at a key factor: opioid prescriptions for patients before and after surgery.

25 Oct 2016

BMC opens new opioid urgent care center to treat patients with substance use disorders

Boston Medical Center, in collaboration with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and the Boston Public Health Commission, has launched a new opioid urgent care center to give patients with substance use disorders rapid access to a full continuum of treatment services.

18 Oct 2016

Wayne State receives NIH grant to study use of opioid addiction drug to fight relapse in recovering addicts

A team led by Wayne State University School of Medicine researcher Mark Greenwald, Ph.D., will use a four-year, $2,279,723 competitively renewed grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health to explore whether the opioid addiction treatment medication buprenorphine can decrease the magnitude and/or duration of responses to stressors faced by recovering addicts.

15 Oct 2016

Study finds increase in odds of prescription opioid use disorder among young adults

Researchers at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health found there was an increase in the probability of having a prescription opioid use disorder in the past year among 18- to 34-year-old nonmedical prescription opioid users in 2014 compared to 2002.

30 Sep 2016

CRNAs use holistic approach to effectively manage pain with less opioid dependency

The holistic approach to patient care and pain management used by Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists can help prevent opioid dependency, substance use disorder, drug overdoses and death, according to the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists.

23 Sep 2016