The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline launched across the U.S. nearly 2 years ago. But college students — who are particularly vulnerable to substance use problems and related mental health crises — appear disinclined to use it, according to new research.
Tag: Addiction
Drug used for cocaine addiction may pave way for new treatment of advanced colon cancer
New research from the University of Ottawa proposes using vanoxerine as a safe method for potentially eliminating cancer stem cells in colorectal tumors.
Homelessness leads to more drug, alcohol poisoning deaths
Reducing homelessness by 25% could save almost 2,000 lives lost to opioid overdoses, according to new research from the University of Georgia.
Amid Cocaine Addiction, the Brain Struggles to Evaluate Which Behaviors Will Be Rewarding
Rutgers researchers find long-term users of cocaine may continue with unrewarding behavior because of changes in brain structure and chemistry responsible for generating an important teaching signal.
A Decade of Progress: Addressing Humanity’s Shared Challenges
Ten years after the creation of Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences, new university institutes and centers are bringing the world’s best medical ideas to New Jersey and beyond
Cellular Atlas of Amygdala Reveals New Treatment Target for Cocaine Addiction
Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine have used single-cell sequencing to identify a potential new treatment for cocaine addiction and shed new light on the molecular underpinnings of addiction.
Five Questions with UAlbany Expert on Sports Betting, Problem Gambling
Dolores Cimini, a licensed psychologist and director of the Center for Behavioral Health Promotion and Applied Research at the University at Albany and senior research scientist in the Department of Educational and Counseling Psychology.
Anesthesiologists should play bigger role in perioperative care of people with Substance Use Disorders
As use and misuse of alcohol, opioids, and psychostimulants continues to increase, anesthesiologists can become a more integral part of the care team managing patients with a Substance Use Disorder (SUD).
Police Involvement May Hamstring Overdose Outreach Efforts
A new study finds law enforcement plays a critical role in launching programs designed to reduce the risk of repeat overdoses in people who use drugs.
Do Prisons Hold the Key to Solving the Opioid Crisis?
Rutgers study finds improved prison reentry programs could help flatten the rate of opioid overdose deaths in the U.S.
Easier Access to Opioid Painkillers May Reduce Opioid-Related Deaths
Treatment medications are too stigmatized, costly and racially prescribed to stem the surge in overdoses, Rutgers researchers find.
Bloomberg American Health Initiative at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Announces Seventh Cohort of Bloomberg Fellows
The Bloomberg American Health Initiative at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health announces the 2023 Bloomberg Fellows, each selected from organizations working to improve one of five critical public health challenges facing the country: addiction and overdose, adolescent health, environmental challenges, food systems for health, and violence.
NJ Medicaid Reforms Tied to Increased Use of Opioid Addiction Treatment
Rutgers study shows higher number of caregivers prescribing buprenorphine
Cannabis use disorder and schizophrenia connection: expert says the drug, “seems to be amplifying some of the consequences that we are seeing”
What: A new study in Psychological Medicine found an association between young men with cannabis use disorder and a higher risk of developing schizophrenia. Furthermore, intense cannabis use may trigger and/or worsen schizophrenia. Who: Katharine Sperandio, Ph.D., LPC, ACS, NCC, assistant professor of…
Substance use disorder expert available for comment
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 13.5% of young adults aged 18 to 25 had both a substance use disorder and some form of mental illness in 2021. Lokesh Shahani, MD, PhD, associate professor of psychiatry and…
Study: Treatment for opioid addiction lags despite policies designed to increase it
Treating opioid addiction should be much easier now than it was a few years ago, thanks to pandemic-era rule changes that aim to improve access to buprenorphine, a medicine proven to help in recovery. But a new study shows prescriptions and adherence rates have remained flat.
In some US schools, 1 in 4 students report misusing prescription stimulants
U.S. middle and high schools with the most students taking prescription stimulants to treat ADHD also had, overall, the highest percentage of students who misused prescription stimulants within the past year.
IU researchers receive $8.6M NIH grant renewal to study alcohol use, binge drinking
A multi-disciplinary team of Indiana University researchers is focusing their efforts on a growing public health concern: binge and “high-intensity” drinking—extreme drinking behaviors that are increasingly prevalent among college-age adults.
1 in 8 Americans over 50 show signs of food addiction, U-M poll finds
Whether you call them comfort foods, highly processed foods, junk foods, empty calories or just some of Americans’ favorite foods and drinks, about 13% of Americans aged 50 to 80 have an unhealthy relationship with them.
Wastewater samples show the dramatic effects of tough love on codeine addicts as consumption plunges
Wastewater sampling has shown the significant impact of removing the strong painkiller codeine from pharmacy counters to a prescription-only medication since 2018 in Australia. The move has led to a 37 per cent drop in codeine use, cutting dependency and potentially saving lives.
Rutgers Medical Toxicologist and Addiction Expert Available to Discuss Fentanyl Vaccine’s Impacts
Lewis Nelson, a medical toxicologist and chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, is available to discuss the possible benefits and many uncertainties of the experimental fentanyl vaccine. “Vaccines against other noninfectious agents, such…
Brain-gut connection may reveal way to prevent cocaine addiction
Cocaine disrupts the balance of microbes in the guts of mice, part of a cycle of waxing and waning neurochemicals that can enhance the drug’s effects in the brain. But the same chemicals may also be harnessed to prevent addiction, according to new research from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.Cocaine increases levels of a hormone called norepinephrine in users’ intestines, triggering an explosion of growth of proteobacteria, a family of microbes that includes the common and sometimes harmful bacterium E.
Sleeping Medications Used for Insomnia May Combat Drug and Alcohol Addiction
Rutgers research shows how changes in the brain promote drug-seeking behavior and why some insomnia medications may block it
Parental Discord May Be An Indicator of Children’s Genetic Risk for Future Alcohol Misuse
Parents can transmit a genetic risk for alcohol problems to their children not only directly, but also indirectly via genetically influenced aspects of the home environment, such as marital discord or divorce, according to a Rutgers researcher.
IU researcher creates virtual reality experiences to aid substance use disorder recovery
Researchers are combining psychological principles with innovative virtual reality technology to create a new immersive therapy for people with substance use disorders.
Human Cocaine and Heroin Addiction Is Found Tied to Impairments in Specific Brain Circuit Initially Implicated in Animals
Study results suggest the pre-frontal cortex-habenula circuit is potentially amenable for targeted interventions and prevention.
WVU pharmaceutical experts caution ‘one pill can kill’ as new forms of fentanyl become more prevalent
Faculty members with the West Virginia University School of Pharmacy are issuing warnings about the rise of fentanyl in Mountain State communities and elsewhere following the recent seizure of a large amount of “rainbow fentanyl,” potent illegal pills resembling candy, by law enforcement officers in Monongalia County.
News addiction linked to not only poor mental wellbeing but physical health too, new study shows
People with an obsessive urge to constantly check the news are more likely to suffer from stress, anxiety, as well as physical ill health, finds a new study published in the peer-reviewed journal Health Communication.
New research identifies a simple trick that may reduce drinking
A new study published today in the scientific journal Addiction has found that households in the United Kingdom consumed about 6.5% less wine when drinking from smaller (290 ml) glasses than from larger (350 ml) glasses.
UCLA researchers use artificial intelligence tools to speed critical information on drug overdose deaths
Fast data processing of overdose deaths, which have increased in recent years, is crucial to developing a rapid public health response. But the system now in place lacks precision and takes months. To correct that, UCLA researchers have developed an automated process that reduces data collection to a few weeks.
Clinical Psychologist Available to Comment on 988
Millions of Americans dial 911 each year to seek help for mental health and substance use emergencies. However, doing so may unnecessarily land them in the emergency room or the criminal justice system. Now, as Anu Raj, Psy.D., a clinical…
Adolescents more vulnerable to cannabis addiction but not other mental health risks
Adolescents are over three times more vulnerable to developing a cannabis addiction than adults, but may not be at increased risk of other mental health problems related to the drug, finds a new study led by UCL and King’s College London researchers.
Study of pre-teens yields surprises about alcohol, tobacco and marijuana
They may only be in 4th or 5th grade, but 1 in 10 pre-teen children already say they’re curious about using alcohol or tobacco products, and 1 in 50 say they’re curious about using marijuana, a new study shows.
As many as 3% of the nearly 12,000 9- and 10-year-olds surveyed say they already have a friend who uses one of these substances. And those who said they did were also much more likely to be curious about trying alcohol or tobacco and other nicotine-containing products themselves.
Chula Researchers Find Extensive amounts of THC in Cannabis-Flavored Drinks The Public Is Cautioned and the Government Urged to Impose Stricter Control
Research work of a biochemistry expert at Chulalongkorn University finds that over 30% of cannabis-flavored drinks randomly tested contain higher THC levels than what is permitted. The public is warned to keep their consumption to moderate levels and that children should refrain from drinking this beverage. The government should control its consumption and warn the people of the benefit and harm of cannabis.
Leading addiction expert: proposed FDA nicotine rule likely to help more people quit smoking
A proposed FDA rule meant to reduce nicotine levels in cigarettes sold in the United States would be a boon for improved health and could result in more people giving up smoking in favor of less dangerous forms of nicotine…
COVID-19 Pandemic Curtailed Young Adults’ Access to Addiction Treatment
A study analyzing prescription claims for a drug used to treat opioid addictions found that adolescents and young adults were less likely than usual to get treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially if they were covered by private, commercial health insurance.
Study Suggests Menthol Cigarettes Increase Youth Smoking, Nicotine Addiction
Menthol cigarettes increase youth smoking and nicotine addiction report researchers at the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science at University of California San Diego.
Disparities in opioid treatment access remain for women, Black and Hispanic people
Buprenorphine is a prescription approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that effectively treats opioid dependence or addiction. But women, as well as Black and Hispanic populations, do not have equal access to this potentially lifesaving medication, new Mayo Clinic research finds.
Graphic Warnings on Cigarette Labels Led Smokers to Hide Packs
Graphic warning labels led smokers to hide their packs but not change other smoking behaviors according to report by University of California San Diego Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science researchers.
More Young People Begin Recreational Cannabis Use Illegally in States that Legalize It
Once a state legalizes recreational cannabis and increase in youth using it illegally occurs, report researchers at University of California San Diego Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science.
Global study assesses teen vaping
In a study published in Addiction that analyzed 2015–2018 information from 47 countries, approximately 1 in 12, or 8.6%, of adolescents reported vaping in the past 30 days. Countries with higher tobacco taxes tended to have higher adolescent vaping.
Diverted Buprenorphine May Help Prepare People With Opioid-Use Disorder for Treatment
New research finds people who were using buprenorphine obtained without a prescription were more likely to remain in treatment for opioid-use disorder, underscoring need to expand access to this medication.
Medication that lowers risk of overdose underused
Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and Saint Louis University found that less than half of Americans who received treatment for opioid use disorder over a five-year period were offered a potentially lifesaving medication. The numbers were even lower for those with what’s known as polysubstance use disorder — when opioid users also misuse other substances.
Experts Available: San Diego Bans Flavored Tobacco; Health Experts Weigh In
UC San Diego health experts weigh in on the impact of flavored tobacco products, the populations most vulnerable to them, and the recent efforts to ban their sale in San Diego and beyond On Monday, April 25, 2022, San Diego…
Genetic Signals Linked to Problematic Opioid Use
UC San Diego School of Medicine researchers asked more than 132,000 23andMe research participants of European ancestry “Have you ever in your life used prescription painkillers, such as Vicodin and Oxycontin, not as prescribed?” More than 21 percent said yes.…
Mechanisms of addiction: Psychology professor receives NIH grant for brain research
A five-year, $2.59 million grant from the National Institutes of Health will allow a psychology professor at Binghamton University, State University of New York to study the mechanisms of addiction.
Addiction Expert and Health Equity Advocate Joins the Department of Psychiatry at NYU Langone Health
Ayana Jordan, MD, PhD, a renowned expert in addiction and other mental health conditions in underserved populations, has joined NYU Langone Health’s Department of Psychiatry as the Barbara Wilson Associate Professor of Psychiatry.
UAlbany Receives $1M for Program to Prevent HIV and Substance Abuse
The University at Albany has been awarded $1 million for the creation of a five-year, comprehensive program aimed at preventing HIV infections and substance use disorders among students.
Overdose Deaths Involving Cocaine or Meth Tripled in Shadow of Opioid Crisis
Even as the opioid epidemic dominated national attention over the past decade, the rate of overdose deaths involving cocaine, methamphetamine and other stimulants tripled, a new study in veterans suggests.
As Cocaine Overdose Deaths Increase, New Study @UCSDMedSchool Offers Potential Cocaine Addiction Treatment
Robert Anthenelli, MD, professor and director, Pacific Treatment and Research Center, UC San Diego School of Medicine, is available to talk about a new study that is investigating the potential use of a novel medication for cocaine addiction. UC San…