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.

Some soft drinks exceed governmental caffeine recommendations

Some carbonated sodas and energy drinks are loaded with caffeine and can give an unhealthy pick-me-up to unsuspecting consumers, University of Florida researchers warn.

20 Mar 2006

Smoking interferes with the brain's ability to recover from the effects of chronic alcohol abuse

"This study suggests that for better brain recovery, it may be beneficial for alcoholics in early abstinence to stop smoking as well," concludes Dieter Meyerhoff, Dr.rer.nat., a radiology researcher at SFVAMC and the senior author of the study. Meyerhoff is also a professor of radiology at the University of California, San Francisco.

19 Mar 2006

Warning on caffeine loaded sodas and sports drinks

According to researchers at the University of Florida (UF) some carbonated sodas and energy drinks are so loaded with caffeine they can give an unhealthy pick-me-up to unsuspecting consumers.

16 Mar 2006

HIV/AIDS risks reduced when mothers educate daughters

Low-income African American teen girls in Chicago continue to be at high risk for contracting HIV, but the risk decreases when their mothers teach them about the dangers of the disease, according to a new study at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

24 Feb 2006

Six-year study on teenage sexual behaviour

Teen girls reported they were twice as likely to engage in sexual intercourse in the evenings as after school, according to research by Indiana University School of Medicine researchers.

23 Feb 2006

Teens think oral sex is not sex

According to a new national survey almost a quarter of sexually active Canadian teens between the ages of 14 and 17 have unprotected sex and 68 per cent have oral sex, although many are unaware that STIs can be transmitted through this particular sexual activity.

22 Feb 2006

Orexin's role in developing addiction

A molecule in the brain essential for wakefulness and appetite has been found to play a central role in strengthening the neuron connections that lead to addiction.

17 Feb 2006

Use of antidepressants during pregnancy linked to neonatal abstinence syndrome in infants

Almost one-third of 60 newborn infants whose mothers took antidepressants during pregnancy experienced neonatal abstinence syndrome, a type of withdrawal with symptoms that include high-pitched crying, tremors and disturbed sleep, according to a study in the February issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

9 Feb 2006

Study supports a flexible approach to methadone dosing

Methadone has been used for more than 30 years as a treatment for heroin addicts. Doctors have all along struggled to find the best doses to help patients overcome their heroin cravings without getting them used to higher levels of methadone (itself an dependence-forming substance) than necessary.

7 Feb 2006

Call for public health intervention to treat young injection drug users infected with the hepatitis C virus

In a recent study published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases, scientists from New York City, Baltimore, Seattle, and San Diego called for an immediate public health intervention to treat young injection drug users infected with the hepatitis C virus (HCV).

7 Feb 2006

Alcohol-deterrent drugs help long-term abstinence

Studies investigating the long-term outcomes of alcoholism treatment are rare and inconsistent.

8 Jan 2006

Abstinence and Abstinence-Only Education: A Review of U.S. Policies and Programs

While few Americans remain abstinent until marriage and most initiate sexual intercourse as adolescents, abstinence from sexual intercourse is an important behavioral strategy for preventing human immunodeficiency virus, other sexually transmitted infections, and unintended pregnancy among adolescents

5 Jan 2006

Caffeine and alcohol addiction similar

According to a new study caffeine loving women with a family history of alcohol abuse will have a hard time kicking the coffee habit when they are pregnant.

5 Dec 2005

Genetics play a part in the inability to stop caffeine use

A study led by Johns Hopkins investigators has shown that women with a serious caffeine habit and a family history of alcohol abuse are more likely to ignore advice to stop using caffeine during pregnancy.

5 Dec 2005

EU advice for Africans - ignore Bush when it comes to AIDS

In what is seen as a major split with the United States over the AIDS pandemic, Europe, led by the UK, is tacitly urging African governments not to listen to the abstinence-focused agenda of the Bush administration.

2 Dec 2005

Vaccine that targets nicotine rather than the brain's reaction to it

Since smoking became popular in America in the 1930s, lung cancer rates have continued to climb. Today, it is still the leading cause of cancer-related deaths, with totals more than the other five leading cancers combined.

3 Nov 2005

Drug giants join forces to develop gel for women in fight against AIDS

Giant American drug companies Merck and Bristol-Myers Squibb, have signed agreements to develop a treatment called a microbicide, a gel or a cream that women can use to protect themselves from AIDS.

2 Nov 2005

Environment is a major factor influencing the success of the addiction recovery

New research in monkeys suggests that, although living in an "enriched" environment can make someone less vulnerable to abusing cocaine, once started, extended drug abuse can eliminate the social advantage the abuser originally had.

30 Oct 2005

Combining alcoholics anonymous and treatment works best

Most clinical studies examine individuals either during or immediately following treatment. A study in the October issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research tracks individuals for 16 years who have first acknowledged their alcohol-use problems and then chosen Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), treatment, or both.

13 Oct 2005

Evaluation of the efficacy of buprenorphine hydrochloride and clonidine hydrochloride, in detoxification of opioid-dependent teenagers

In a comparison of two drugs prescribed to treat teenagers dependent on heroin and other opioids, the drug buprenorphine was more effective, especially in treatment retention, according to a study in the October issue of Archives of General Psychiatry.

4 Oct 2005