Addiction News and Research

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Brain function a key to addiction treatments

Neuroscience research should be informing drug addiction treatment and policy in Australia, according to Neuroscience of Psychoactive Substance Use and Dependence, a new report from the World Health Organization (WHO).

14 Sep 2004

Topiramate help patients with alcohol dependence

The drug topiramate helps reduce drinking and improves overall quality of life among patients with alcohol dependence, according to an article in the September issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry.

7 Sep 2004

Public call for legal age of smoking to be raised helps underline dire health-care consequences of long-term smoking

A new British report commissioned as part of BBC News' Healthy Britons poll has found that 80% of people want the legal age of smoking raised from 16 to 18. This follows a recent report in the journal Education and Health on the health-care consequences of long-term smoking.

6 Sep 2004

Nicotine patches and gum less effective for women than men

Research at Texas A&M University reveals that one of the most widely used forms of treatment - nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), or nicotine chewing gum and 'the patch' - may be less effective for women than men.

5 Sep 2004

Rats as well as humans can become addicted to drugs

The voluntary consumption of drugs is a behavior found in a number of species of animal. But until now it was thought that drug-addiction was a specific behavior of humans.

13 Aug 2004

New legislation requires cigarettes be kept out-of-reach behind sales counters and to prohibit minors under the age of 16 from selling tobacco

In an effort to strengthen state laws that limit youth access to tobacco products, Illinois Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich has signed legislation to require cigarette packs be kept out-of-reach behind sales counters and to prohibit minors under the age of 16 from selling any tobacco products.

9 Aug 2004

Personalised medicine designed to enhance people's chances of quitting smoking

The latest spin-out from the University of Oxford, G-Nostics, focuses on personalised medicine designed to enhance people's chances of quitting smoking.

6 Aug 2004

Report shows promising findings on adolescent use of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs

A new report by the Indiana Prevention Resource Center at Indiana University Bloomington presents promising findings on adolescent use of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs.

5 Aug 2004

Heavy drinking by college students poses many serious dangers

As American college students gear up to head back to campus later this month, they'll look forward to all the usual college traditions: football games, late-night discussions, and pizza with new friends after classes.

3 Aug 2004

Tablets which help recovering alcoholics stay off the drink

The United States Food and Drug Administration has approved Campral (acamprosate calcium) tablets which help recovering alcoholics to stay of the drink. Campral is manufactured by Forest Laboratories and Merck of Darmstadt, Germany.

29 Jul 2004

Brewing expert examines health potential of beer

Beer is often dismissed as a mere pleasant libation, at best, or an evil abomination, at worst. Few people stop to consider that the age-old beverage "is very much a food" with genuine benefits when consumed intelligently, writes a UC Davis brewing scientist.

29 Jul 2004

Prohibition of the sale of water-laced with nicotine to minors under the age of 18

Governor George E. Pataki has signed legislation into law that prohibits the sale of water-laced with nicotine to minors under the age of 18.

26 Jul 2004

Governor Pataki has announced $19.7 million in funding to prevent and reduce tobacco use across the state

Governor George E. Pataki has announced $19.7 million in funding for the support of 19 tobacco cessation centers and 74 community-based organizations to prevent and reduce tobacco use across the state.

23 Jul 2004

New JCAHO helps consumers to choose a hospital that best suits their needs

Consumers can now check the performance of local hospitals, allowing them to determine the hospital that best suits their needs.

19 Jul 2004

Results from clinical trial of TA-NIC, therapeutic vaccine for the treatment of nicotine addiction

Xenova Group has announced initial results from the second clinical trial of TA-NIC, the Company's therapeutic vaccine being developed for the treatment of nicotine addiction.

17 Jul 2004

SSRI addiction is a myth

Up to two out of three people who come off modern anti-depressants suffer short-term withdrawal symptoms including dizziness, nausea and low mood.

10 Jul 2004

Hospitals are being urged to address the alcohol problems that afflict up to 30 per cent of men and 15 per cent of women

Hospitals are being urged to address the alcohol problems that afflict up to 30 per cent of men and 15 per cent of women who attend as in-patients or in accident and emergency.

10 Jul 2004

Computer learning better than traditional counseling when educating injection drug users about HIV/AIDS

Injection drug users who studied HIV/AIDS causes and prevention via computer learned more about the disease than users who attended traditional counseling sessions, according to new research.

1 Jul 2004

From potent painkillers to humble cough syrups, the same medicines that help patients misused by teens

From potent painkillers to humble cough syrups, the same medicines that can help patients can also be misused to produce a high feeling. And they can hurt teens or hook them into addiction just as easily as other illicit drugs.