Substance Abuse News and Research

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Lawsuit details how the Sackler family allegedly built an Oxycontin fortune

The first nine months of 2013 started off as a banner year for the Sackler family, owners of the pharmaceutical company that produces OxyContin, the addictive opioid pain medication. Purdue Pharma paid the family $400 million from its profits during that time, claims a lawsuit filed by the Massachusetts attorney general.

4 Feb 2019

Women find same-sex social interactions to be more rewarding than men

Females find same-sex social interactions to be more rewarding than males, and females are more sensitive to the rewarding actions of oxytocin (OT) than males, according to a research study led by Georgia State University on the brain mechanisms that determine the rewarding properties of social interactions.

30 Jan 2019

Forensic anthropologist to study impact of opioid addiction on bones

Bones are a living record that constantly change over a person's life. Forensic anthropologists are tasked with deciphering clues from bones, and their study of skeletal remains aids in the identification of unknown individuals.

30 Jan 2019

New program helps kids to build mental strength to face life's hardest challenges

Mental health and suicide are not just adult issues. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suicide rates have tripled over the last 15 years among girls 10 to 14 years of age in the United States.

28 Jan 2019

Columbia researchers develop 'Cascade of Care' model to reduce opioid overdose and death

Drug overdose is now the leading cause of death for individuals under the age of 50, as the opioid epidemic continues unabated. One reason is that the majority of the estimated 2.4 million Americans with opioid use disorder aren't getting evidence-based treatment, including medications to treat opioid addiction.

24 Jan 2019

Alcohol-linked disease overtakes hep C as top reason for liver transplant

An estimated 17,000 Americans are on the waiting list for a liver transplant, and there's a strong chance that many of them have alcohol-associated liver disease. ALD now edges out hepatitis C as the No. 1 reason for liver transplants in the United States, according to research published Tuesday in JAMA Internal Medicine.

23 Jan 2019

Parents’ mental health problems associated with reactive attachment disorder in children

Children's risk of being diagnosed with reactive attachment disorder (RAD) increases if parents are diagnosed with any type of mental health disorder, discovered researchers from the Research Centre for Child Psychiatry of the University of Turku, Finland.

22 Jan 2019

Short, text-based exercises can increase happiness for adults recovering from substance use disorders

Brief, text-based, self-administered exercises can significantly increase in-the-moment happiness for adults recovering from substance use disorders, report researchers at the Massachusetts General Hospital Recovery Research Institute.

21 Jan 2019

County by county, researchers link opioid deaths to drugmakers’ marketing

Researchers sketched a vivid line Friday linking the dollars spent by drugmakers to woo doctors around the country to a vast opioid epidemic that has led to tens of thousands of deaths.

18 Jan 2019

Most substance use disorder treatment facilities do not offer medication treatment

Despite the mounting death toll of America's opioid crisis, only a minority of facilities that treat substance use disorders offer patients buprenorphine, naltrexone or methadone--the three FDA-approved medications for the long-term management of opioid use disorder, according to a new study from researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

16 Jan 2019

Lesbian, gay and bisexual individuals more likely to suffer severe substance use disorders

Researchers know that lesbian, gay and bisexual individuals are more likely than heterosexuals to use alcohol, tobacco or other drugs, but until now they didn't know to what degree.

14 Jan 2019

Scientists identify endogenous activator of sigma-1 receptors in human cells

Cells communicate through complex mechanisms that typically involve receptors and ligands that bind to them. Endogenous ligands, produced by the body, have been identified for the vast majority of cellular receptors, helping explain receptor existence and function. But in the case of sigma-1 receptors, which interact with a diverse array of psychoactive drugs, an endogenous ligand has remained elusive.

14 Jan 2019

Meth’s resurgence spotlights lack of meds to combat the addiction

In 2016, news reports warned the public of an opioid epidemic gripping the nation. But Madeline Vaughn, then a lead clinical intake coordinator at the Houston-based addiction treatment organization Council on Recovery, sensed something different was going on with the patients she checked in from the street.

14 Jan 2019

Study examines neural mechanisms underlying smoking and drinking

Academics at the University of Warwick have found that low functional connectivity of the lateral orbitofrontal cortex that is associated with the tendency to smoke is associated with increased impulsiveness - which may contribute to the tendency to smoke.

8 Jan 2019

High-risk drinking is common in South Africa, study finds

Adults in South Africa consume more alcohol than adults in most other countries; previous research has shown this comes with high rates of fetal alcohol syndrome and is a driver of the country's leading causes of death: sexually transmitted infections and interpersonal violence.

8 Jan 2019

5 ways nixing the Affordable Care Act could upend the entire health system

If Friday night's district court ruling that the Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional were to be upheld, far more than the law's most high-profile provisions would be at stake.

20 Dec 2018

Hep C and drug abuse often go hand in hand, but screening for infection lags

When people seek help at a drug treatment center for an opioid addiction, concerns about having contracted hepatitis C are generally low on their list.

19 Dec 2018

New study provides insights on increased risk of suicide in young patients visiting ED

A new study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine provides detailed insights on the increased risk of self-directed violence that patients aged 15-29 years visiting the emergency department for medical complaints subsequently experience.

17 Dec 2018

America's teens report dramatic increase in their use of vaping devices in just one year

America's teens report a dramatic increase in their use of vaping devices in just a single year, with 37.3 percent of 12th graders reporting "any vaping" in the past 12 months, compared to just 27.8 percent in 2017.

17 Dec 2018

Children with high levels of callous traits show widespread differences in brain structure

Children with elevated levels of callous traits—such as a lack of remorse and disregard for other people's feelings—show widespread differences in brain structure compared with children with lower levels of the traits, according to a new study published in Biological Psychiatry.

13 Dec 2018

Substance Abuse News and Research

Lawsuit details how the Sackler family allegedly built an Oxycontin fortune

Women find same-sex social interactions to be more rewarding than men

Forensic anthropologist to study impact of opioid addiction on bones

New program helps kids to build mental strength to face life's hardest challenges

Columbia researchers develop 'Cascade of Care' model to reduce opioid overdose and death

Alcohol-linked disease overtakes hep C as top reason for liver transplant

Parents’ mental health problems associated with reactive attachment disorder in children

Short, text-based exercises can increase happiness for adults recovering from substance use disorders

County by county, researchers link opioid deaths to drugmakers’ marketing

Most substance use disorder treatment facilities do not offer medication treatment

Lesbian, gay and bisexual individuals more likely to suffer severe substance use disorders

Scientists identify endogenous activator of sigma-1 receptors in human cells

Meth’s resurgence spotlights lack of meds to combat the addiction

Study examines neural mechanisms underlying smoking and drinking

High-risk drinking is common in South Africa, study finds

5 ways nixing the Affordable Care Act could upend the entire health system

Hep C and drug abuse often go hand in hand, but screening for infection lags

New study provides insights on increased risk of suicide in young patients visiting ED

America's teens report dramatic increase in their use of vaping devices in just one year

Children with high levels of callous traits show widespread differences in brain structure

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