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.

Research shows specific routes of administration can predict risk of drug addiction

Abstinence is the best way to avoid drug addiction. But in many societies, drug use is the norm, not the exception, especially by youth.

3 Aug 2015

Stopping cocaine use may lower levels of ET-1 protein that plays key role in coronary artery disease

For people who use cocaine, stopping or reducing cocaine use is associated with decreased levels of endothelin-1 (ET-1)--a protein that plays a key role in the development of coronary artery disease, reports a study in the Journal of Addiction Medicine, the official journal of the American Society of Addiction Medicine.

14 Jul 2015

Researchers complete participants’ enrollment in Phase III trial of vaginal ring for HIV prevention

In a first for HIV prevention, an international team of researchers have completed follow-up of participants enrolled in a pivotal Phase III trial that tested the safety and effectiveness of a vaginal ring for preventing HIV in women.

30 Jun 2015

UB study sheds light on the molecular basis of cocaine addiction

Researchers at the University at Buffalo have discovered a previously unknown neural pathway that can regulate changes made in the brain due to cocaine use, providing new insight into the molecular basis of cocaine addiction.

19 Jun 2015

Braeburn reports positive topline results from Probuphine Phase 3 study for treatment of opioid addiction

Braeburn Pharmaceuticals, an Apple Tree Partners company, today reported positive topline results from the Phase 3 double-blind, double-dummy clinical study of Probuphine, the investigational subdermal implant containing buprenorphine HCl for the long-term maintenance treatment of opioid addiction.

8 Jun 2015

New mobile app may help adolescents make more informed decisions about sexual behavior

Teenagers, parents, educators and clinicians will have a new tool to help adolescents make more informed decisions about their sexual behavior. "Seventeen Days," a mobile app based on the interactive movie of the same name, will be available at no cost on iPhone, iPad and Android devices beginning June 4.

3 Jun 2015

DNA changes during drug withdrawal may offer promising ways to develop effective addiction treatments

One of the major challenges of cocaine addiction is the high rate of relapse after periods of withdrawal and abstinence. But new research reveals that changes in our DNA during drug withdrawal may offer promising ways of developing more effective treatments for addiction.

27 May 2015

Total costs of treatment for babies with neonatal abstinence syndrome on the rise

As more infants are born to mothers with dependence on prescription pain medications, the costs of treatment for babies with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) have increased dramatically, suggests a report in the March/April issue of the Journal of Addiction Medicine, the official journal of the American Society of Addiction Medicine.

20 May 2015

No data exists to support long-term efficacy, safety of e-cigarettes as smoking cessation tool

There is little reliable evidence that electronic cigarettes are effective for long-term smoking cessation, according to a new analysis of the currently available research which was presented at the 2015 American Thoracic Society International Conference.

18 May 2015

Quitting smoking can help improve outcomes after major urologic surgery

Quitting smoking can lead to a significant improvement in outcomes after major urologic surgery. These new data and their impact on urologic surgery will be highlighted by study authors during a special press conference at the 110th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Urological Association.

17 May 2015

Neonatal abstinence syndrome on the rise in U.S.

The number of infants born in the United States with drug withdrawal symptoms, also known as neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), nearly doubled in a four-year period. By 2012, one infant was born every 25 minutes in the U.S. with the syndrome, accounting for $1.5 billion in annual health care charges, according to a new Vanderbilt study published in the Journal of Perinatology.

30 Apr 2015

Cocaine changes brain function, increases impulsive behaviors

The brain function of people addicted to cocaine is different from that of people who are not addicted and often linked to highly impulsive behavior, according to a new scientific study.

30 Apr 2015

Online-based sexual health education program promotes positive attitudes about abstinence

It's Your Game (IYG)-Tech, an online-based sexual health education course, promotes more positive attitudes about abstinence, according to researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) School of Public Health.

29 Apr 2015

Preventive intervention improves knowledge, attitudes about sexual risk among adolescent boys than girls

Boys aged between 12-14 years old showed improved knowledge and attitudes about sexual risk after a preventive intervention, compared to girls of the same age, according to a study presented yesterday at the Pediatric Academic Societies Annual Meeting.

28 Apr 2015

Study reveals increasing incidence of neonatal abstinence syndrome in U.S.

An increasing number of babies across the country are born addicted to opioids and require intensive care, according to a study analyzing MEDNAX Clinical Data Warehouse statistics from 299 neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) around the United States.

28 Apr 2015

AUDs have negative prognostic outcome with higher mortality risks in patients with HCV infection

Results presented today at The International Liver Congress 2015, show that alcohol use disorders (AUD) have a serious, negative prognostic outcome with higher mortality risks in the general population and patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in particular.

25 Apr 2015

Baclofen has positive impact on alcohol consumption in patients with ALD

Results revealed today at The International Liver Congress 2015, show that in patients with alcohol-induced liver disease (ALD), Baclofen has a positive impact on alcohol consumption and overall measures of liver function and harm.

23 Apr 2015

Heroin-assisted treatments benefit some drug users

Drug users who do not benefit from conventional treatments for heroin addiction should be able to access the drug through the health system, urges a Canadian expert in The BMJ today.

16 Apr 2015

Study finds that Twitter helpful for smoking cessation program

When subjects in a smoking cessation program tweet each other regularly, they're more successful at kicking the habit, according to a study by UC Irvine and Stanford University researchers. Specifically, daily "automessages" that encourage and direct the social media exchanges may be more effective than traditional social media interventions for quitting smoking.

5 Mar 2015

Nicotine addiction medication produces greater reductions in smoking prior to quitting

Among cigarette smokers not willing or able to quit smoking in the next month but willing to reduce with the goal of quitting in the next 3 months, use of the nicotine addiction medication varenicline for 24 weeks compared with placebo produced greater reductions in smoking prior to quitting and increased smoking cessation rates at the end of treatment and at 1 year, according to a study in the February 17 issue of JAMA.

18 Feb 2015