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.

The New York Times articles address harsh realities of what happens when addiction hits home

In Tuesday's health section of The New York Times, "When a Drug Addict Isn't Ready to Accept Help" and "In Business, Nondrinking Can Be a Costly Expense," both articles address the harsh realities of what happens when addiction hits home.

5 Oct 2012

Peer education efforts implemented in Uganda to improve condom use for HIV prevention

Despite Uganda's national HIV prevention campaign that endorses the "ABC-plus" model – "which includes abstinence, being faithful and condom use, as well as measures to prevent the mother-to-child-transmission of HIV and, more recently, methods such as medical male circumcision" -- many young Ugandans do not use condoms consistently during sex, "spurring new measures to promote the prophylactic," PlusNews reports.

25 Sep 2012

Alcohol refrain for bone density gain

Abstinence from alcohol for 2 months could correct the imbalance between bone formation and resorption in alcoholic men, a study shows.

21 Sep 2012

Young smokers face psychological difficulties of quitting as adults

Abstinence from smoking seems to affect teens differently than adults in a couple ways, but a new study provides evidence that most of the psychological difficulties of quitting are as strong for relatively new, young smokers as they are for adults who have been smoking much longer.

13 Sep 2012

Religious groups play positive and critical roles in fighting AIDS epidemic

While the Western press often targets religious groups for their roles in handling the African AIDS crisis, these groups tend to play positive -- and critical -- roles in fighting the epidemic, according to sociologists.

12 Sep 2012

Democrats, Republicans find 'common ground' in acknowledging Bush's AIDS work

In Foreign Policy's "Passport" blog, Associate Editor Uri Friedman reflects on former President George W. Bush's efforts against AIDS, highlighting PEPFAR, which he "established in 2003 and which now supports antiretroviral treatment for 4.5 million people around the world."

7 Sep 2012

E-cigarettes light up battle against adverse effects of smoking

The use of electronic cigarettes has no adverse impact on cardiac function, a study suggests.

4 Sep 2012

Incentives can help promote drug abstinence among pregnant women with heroin or cocaine addiction

A "contingency management" approach—offering incentives for negative drug tests—can help promote drug abstinence among pregnant women with heroin or cocaine addiction, reports a study in the September Addictive Disorders & Their Treatment. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

1 Sep 2012

HIV home test popular among men with high risk sexual practices

Thirty years into the HIV epidemic, many people who are at high risk of HIV infection cannot or will not adopt safer sexual practices, such as abstinence and condom use. This means there is room in the market for alternative methods to reduce either exposure to or transmission of HIV among these individuals.

21 Aug 2012

Effects on white matter brain volume from long-term alcoholism are different for men and women

(Boston) - Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and Veterans Affairs (VA) Boston Healthcare System have demonstrated that the effects on white matter brain volume from long-term alcohol abuse are different for men and women. The study, which is published online in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, also suggests that with abstinence, women recover their white matter brain volume more quickly than men.

12 Aug 2012

Alcohol decreases turnover of bone in post-menopausal women

Women after menopause tend to develop weaker bones from what is known as osteoporosis, which may lead to fractures (especially hip fractures) from falling. The weakness of the bones results from an imbalance between the normal resorption (a type of dissolving of old bone) and the laying down of new bone, an ongoing process for both men and women referred to as "bone turnover."

3 Aug 2012

Rehab benefit for meth abuse not crystal clear

Community-based residential rehabilitation significantly reduces methamphetamine use compared with detoxification, but the effect only lasts for up to a year, researchers report.

27 Jul 2012

Dapivirine Phase III trial now underway in Africa to treat HIV in women

A large clinical trial testing the long-term safety and effectiveness of a new approach for preventing HIV in women - a vaginal ring used once a month - is now underway in Africa, researchers announced today at the XIX International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2012).

25 Jul 2012

Egg allergies in children can be treated with oral immunotherapy

Giving children with egg allergies increasingly higher doses of the very food they are allergic to can eliminate or ease reactions in most of them, according to results from a federally funded study conducted at Johns Hopkins Children's Center and four other U.S. institutions.

19 Jul 2012

Patient autonomy crucial to achieving health goals

Supporting patient autonomy in healthcare leads to positive health outcomes, suggesting that self-determination theories should become the foundation for developing interventions in healthcare promotion, say UK researchers.

17 Jul 2012

Telephone monitoring improves drug use, psychiatric symptoms

Patients being treated for a substance use disorder achieve significant short-term improvements in their drug use and psychiatric symptoms when receiving telephone continuing care, show study findings.

10 Jul 2012

Financial reward stubs out smoking habit

Rewarding drug-dependent pregnant women with money each time they cut down on or stop smoking is an effective way to reduce smoking levels in this population, say researchers.

29 Jun 2012

Continuing care approach reduces overall health costs for patients with SUD

For patients with substance use disorders (SUD), a continuing care approach like that used for other chronic diseases reduces long-term health care costs, reports a study in the June issue of Medical Care.

26 Jun 2012

Contingency management programs an effective way to reduce smoking in pregnant women

Cigarette smoking among drug dependent pregnant women is alarmingly high, estimated at 77 to 99%. Programs that treat pregnant patients for substance use disorders often fail to address cigarette smoking despite the clear risks to both mother and child, including ectopic pregnancy, spontaneous abortion, preterm delivery, low birth weight, and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. However, programs to help people quit smoking do not seem to interfere with drug abuse treatment, and may actually improve drug abstinence rates.

22 Jun 2012

AIDS Institute proposes increases for AIDS medications and level funding for prevention

"The AIDS Institute thanks Chairman Tom Harkin for his leadership in maintaining the United States Senate's strong commitment to domestic HIV programs by increasing funding for the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) and maintaining funding for HIV prevention and other parts of the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program," commented Carl Schmid, Deputy Executive Director of The AIDS Institute.

16 Jun 2012