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Expert says celebrity addiction stories can serve as warning about drug abuse effects

Stories about celebrities with alleged drug problems make entertaining fodder for the media. But to addiction expert Dr. Gregory Jantz, founder of The Center for Counseling and Health Resources and author of several books on addiction, these well-publicized stories of celebrity drug abuse and addiction can serve as a serious warning.

17 Mar 2011

Hazelden, Columbia University to open collegiate addiction recovery residence in N.Y. City

Hazelden, one of the world's largest and most respected private, nonprofit alcohol and drug addiction treatment centers, announced today that it will open a first-of-its-kind collegiate recovery residence called Tribeca Twelve in New York City's Tribeca neighborhood.

17 Mar 2011

Naltrexone may be effective in women with specific genetic variation

Results from a new study suggest that one of the most prescribed medications for alcohol dependence may be more effective in some people. Preliminary results show that naltrexone, one of the only medications approved for treating people with alcohol abuse problems, may only be effective in women and those with a specific genetic variation.

17 Mar 2011

APAPO honors House Democratic Leader with Outstanding Leadership Award

Representative Nancy Pelosi was honored last night by the American Psychological Association Practice Organization for her advocacy work and legislative accomplishments on mental health issues.

16 Mar 2011

Classifying gambling subtypes does not predict treatment outcomes

Approximately two million adults in the United States meet criteria for pathological gambling, and another four to six million are considered problem gamblers, according to the National Council on Problem Gambling. A study by researchers at Wayne State University reveals that gambling addiction treatment is not one-size-fits-all, but it is difficult to predict which style of treatment is best for the various forms of gambling addiction.

16 Mar 2011

Omeros fourth quarter net loss increases to $7.2 million

Omeros Corporation, a biopharmaceutical company committed to discovering, developing and commercializing products focused on inflammation, bleeding and disorders of the central nervous system, today announced financial results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2010.

15 Mar 2011

Research links frequent prescribing to opioid-related deaths

Some physicians are prescribing opioids such as OxyContin 55 times as often as others, according to a new study led by St. Michael's Hospital and the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES). The study found most opioid-related deaths occur among patients treated by physicians who frequently prescribe opioids, suggesting doctors who prescribe a lot of opioids may not be doing so safely.

15 Mar 2011

Queen's University launches well being, inclusion study of former prisoners in Northern Ireland

The first major study of the wellbeing and inclusion of former politically motivated prisoners in Northern Ireland will be launched by Queen's University today.

15 Mar 2011

New insights into factors affecting adolescent marijuana use

What factors are associated with a higher or lower risk of marijuana use among adolescents? There are some important differences for boys versus girls, according to a study in the March Journal of Addiction Medicine, the official journal of the American Society of Addiction Medicine.

14 Mar 2011

Gastric bypass patients tend to overuse alcohol

Patients who have had a gastric bypass operation take longer to process alcohol, potentially leading some of them to overindulge when drinking, according to the results of a new study in the February issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.

11 Mar 2011

Females willing to work more harder for cocaine than males

It seems that women become addicted to cocaine more easily than men and find it harder to give up. New research published in BioMed Central's open access journal Biology of Sex Differences reinforces this position by showing that the motivation of female rats to work for cocaine is much higher than males.

11 Mar 2011

Survey reports education and health care are the top two American spending priorities

In its 27th survey of American spending priorities since 1973 conducted as part of its General Social Survey, NORC at the University of Chicago Wednesday released a report on its most recent findings.

10 Mar 2011

Pilot entrepreneur creates ultra-luxe alcohol and addiction rehabilitation facility

When a lawyer or judge crashes their Porsche into a ditch, a physician is found with an IV in her arm or a pilot is caught in the cockpit with alcohol on his breath, bar cards, medical and pilot licenses are revoked and careers are ruined.

10 Mar 2011

New concerns over prescription narcotics use

Over fifty Australian general practitioners have come under the scanner as part of a national crackdown on inappropriate prescribing of narcotics. The three-month campaign is being carried out by the Medicare following high levels of prescriptions for drugs such as OxyContin and OxyNorm. One GP has been found to be writing over 90 per cent of their prescriptions for narcotics. There are further concerns that the painkillers are being resold on the black market.

7 Mar 2011

New research: Lung cancer rates have doubled for women over 60 since mid 1970s

Lung cancer rates have doubled for women over 60 since the mid 1970s according to new Cancer Research UK figures released today ahead of No Smoking Day this Wednesday.

7 Mar 2011

Pennsylvanians to observe Problem Gambling Awareness Week

The state departments of Health, Revenue and Agriculture – along with the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board – are working together to highlight "Problem Gambling Awareness Week," March 6-12, to ensure that Pennsylvanians with gambling addiction problems know that help is available.

5 Mar 2011

Few primary care physicians pay adequate attention to patients taking prescription opioid drugs

Few primary care physicians pay adequate attention to patients taking prescription opioid drugs — despite the potential for abuse, addiction and overdose, according to a new study by researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University.

4 Mar 2011

Exercise can reduce cannabis use in persons who don't want to stop

Vanderbilt researchers are studying heavy users of marijuana to help understand what exercise does for the brain, contributing to a field of research that uses exercise as a modality for prevention and treatment.

4 Mar 2011

Tobacco smoking leads to less activity in the 'executive center' of brain

Tobacco smoking is the leading preventable cause of death and disease in the U.S., with more than 400,000 deaths each year attributable to smoking or its consequences. And yet teens still smoke. Indeed, smoking usually begins in the teen years, and approximately 80 percent of adult smokers became hooked by the time they were 18. Meanwhile, teens who don't take up smoking usually never do.

3 Mar 2011

Psychologists develop cognitive-bias modification to help alcoholics stay sober

Alcoholism is a tough addiction to kick. Eventually, most people return to drinking. But some Dutch and German psychological scientists have tested a short-term regime that promises to help alcoholics stay sober. Their study is published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association of Psychological Science.

2 Mar 2011