News Feature Channel: Addiction

Neuroscience Grads Studied How to Make Opioids Safer

Furman University — Wed, 26 Feb 2025 19:05:42 EST

Neuroscience grads studied how to make opioids safer

A New Path to Recovery: Scientists Uncover Key Brain Circuit in the Fight Against Cocaine Use Disorder

University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing — Wed, 26 Feb 2025 19:00:45 EST

Imagine a future where the grip of cocaine use disorder can be loosened, where cravings fade, and the risk of relapse diminishes. A new study published in Science Advances, led by Penn Nursing's Heath Schmidt, PhD, brings this vision closer to reality. The research has identified a critical brain circuit that plays a pivotal role in regulating cocaine-seeking behavior.

Co-Prescribed Stimulants, Opioids Linked to Higher Opioid Doses

Ohio State University — Fri, 21 Feb 2025 08:35:58 EST

The combination of prescribed central nervous system stimulants, such as drugs that relieve ADHD symptoms, with prescribed opioid medications is associated with a pattern of escalating opioid intake, a new study has found.

Daily Cannabis Use Linked to Public Health Burden

George Washington University — Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:00:23 EST

New study suggests daily users who start in their teens at higher risk of a syndrome that causes vomiting, pain and repeated trips to the hospital.

MEDIA ADVISORY: American Counseling Association to Hold 2025 ACA Conference & Expo March 27-29 in Orlando

American Counseling Association — Wed, 19 Feb 2025 19:40:13 EST

The American Counseling Association, the world's largest association representing more than 60,000 professional counselors, will hold its 2025 ACA Conference & Expo March 27-29 in Orlando.

Emergency Clinicians Increase Prescriptions of Buprenorphine, Effectively Helping Patients Get Started on the Path to Recovery

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Health Sciences — Wed, 19 Feb 2025 11:00:00 EST

In the face of the alarming number of opioid-related deaths in the U.S., there have been national efforts to increase emergency clinician prescribing of buprenorphine, a medication used to treat opioid use disorder.

Surgeons Detail Challenges in Treating 'Tranq' Wounds Amid Philadelphia's Xylazine Crisis

The Rothman Orthopaedic Institute Foundation for Opioid Research and Education — Mon, 17 Feb 2025 08:50:24 EST

A new study examining the treatment of xylazine-associated wounds in Philadelphia sheds light on the severe medical complications and healthcare challenges caused by the widespread presence of the drug in the city's illicit supply.

Peers Influence Drinking Behavior in Mature Adults, Too, Study Says

Research Society on Alcoholism — Mon, 10 Feb 2025 04:15:21 EST

How much alcohol a person drinks is strongly linked to how much their peers drink--and not just among teens and young adults. A new study of mature adults, published in Alcohol: Clinical and Experimental Research, has found that adults' social connections influence a person's drinking, both contemporaneously and over time. And, an individual's social network is more influential in changing their drinking behavior over time than other factors, such as their occupation or smoking. The study highlights the importance of understanding social connections in order to design interventions for mature adults who drink heavily.

Does drinking alcohol really take away the blues? It's not what you think

University of Chicago Medical Center — Tue, 04 Feb 2025 19:35:23 EST

New study finds that heavy drinkers with depression experience the same buzz as those without depression, countering long-held belief that the pleasure people get from drinking decreases with addiction.

Declining US Drug Overdose Deaths: Evidence-Based Prevention and Treatment Working

Johns Hopkins School of Nursing — Tue, 04 Feb 2025 09:45:50 EST

A new editorial in the BMJ suggests that a 22% decrease in overall U.S. drug overdose deaths over 2023/2024 signals that investments in overdose prevention and substance use disorder treatment are working.

Online Curriculum Aids Prescribers in Fighting Opioid Addiction Across Appalachia

The Rothman Orthopaedic Institute Foundation for Opioid Research and Education — Mon, 03 Feb 2025 10:20:37 EST

The Appalachian region continues to experience disproportionately higher opioid overdose rates and related fatalities. According to the most recent Center for Disease Control and Prevention, fully one-half of the 16 states with the highest overdose death rates are Appalachian states.

Standardizing Provider Assessments Reveals Important Information About Gun and Opioid Access for Veterans at Risk of Suicide

Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania — Tue, 28 Jan 2025 11:00:00 EST

Standardizing an assessment process currently used by doctors during care discussions with veterans at risk for suicide in other context could shed more light on the risks related to firearms and opioids.

Social Network, Social Functioning Associated with Longer Stays in Alcohol Treatment

Research Society on Alcoholism — Tue, 28 Jan 2025 10:00:00 EST

When seeking treatment for alcohol use disorder, how a person is functioning in society strongly influences how long they will stay in inpatient treatment. According to a study published in Alcohol: Clinical and Experimental Research, people who are dissatisfied in their primary social role--at work or school, for example--and people with a strong social network stay in treatment longer, giving them more opportunities for therapeutic intervention.

Virginia Tech Researchers Ask How Many Attempts It Takes to Quit Substance Abuse

Virginia Tech — Mon, 27 Jan 2025 17:15:28 EST

Relapse is common when someone is trying to quit, regardless of whether they're giving up opioids or alcohol or cigarettes. To better inform treatment, researchers with the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC's Addiction Recovery Research Center wanted to better understand how the experience of quitting differed across substances.

Researchers Track Sharp Increase in Diagnoses for Sedative, Hypnotic and Anxiety Use Disorder in Young Adults

Thu, 23 Jan 2025 01:00:00 EST

Rutgers Health researchers found sharp increase in the prevalence of diagnosed disorders from recurrent use of sedative, hypnotic and antianxiety medications in adolescents and young adults since 2001.

Study Finds Strong Negative Associations with Teenagers in AI Models

University of Washington — Tue, 21 Jan 2025 18:45:40 EST

A UW team studied how AI systems portray teens in English and Nepali, and found that in English language systems around 30% of the responses referenced societal problems such as violence, drug use and mental illness. The Nepali system produced fewer negative associations in responses, closer to 10% of all answers.

UTEP Researchers Secure $2.8M NIH Grant to Advance Understanding of Addiction-Related Decision-Making

University of Texas at El Paso — Thu, 16 Jan 2025 19:20:34 EST

Researchers at The University of Texas at El Paso have been awarded a $2.8 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to explore the neurobiological mechanisms behind drug-taking behaviors and addiction. The study will focus on striosomes, clusters of cells within the brain that play a pivotal role in decision-making,

Is a Dry January Actually Helpful? Expert Available to Discuss

McMaster University — Tue, 14 Jan 2025 19:30:15 EST

Science Behind Genetic Testing for Identifying Risk of Opioid Misuse Remains Unproven

Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania — Thu, 09 Jan 2025 11:00:00 EST

Opioid misuse and specifically opioid use disorder (OUD), continues to represent a significant U.S. public health threat, with more than 6 million Americans aged 12 and older meeting the criteria for OUD in 2022. Efforts to ease the crisis have included the development of genetic testing to identify individuals most at risk for OUD.

Experts Available: Getting Beyond Quitter's Day

Virginia Tech — Tue, 07 Jan 2025 20:10:54 EST