Last update:

Addiction news

Neuroscience

Disrupted brain balance in alcohol dependence involves two signaling pathways

A new study by Scripps Research reveals that alcohol dependence disrupts two signaling pathways in a stress-related part of the brain—and offers insights on developing drugs to treat this condition.

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes

How to sip smart this festive season

Almost half of Australian teenagers who drink alcohol say they get it from their parents, prompting fresh warnings from researchers as families prepare for Christmas and New Year celebrations.

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes

Most Americans still get nicotine wrong

Nicotine is the drug that keeps people coming back to cigarettes, but not the substance that causes serious health effects in people who use tobacco. It is the tar and toxic chemical mix in tobacco and tobacco smoke that ...

Addiction

Reported use of most drugs remains low among US teens

For the fifth year in a row, use of most substances among teenagers in the United States has continued to hover around the low-water mark reached in 2021. The findings come from the latest report of the Monitoring the Future ...

Health

Young adults commonly mix cannabis with nicotine and tobacco

Simultaneous use of cannabis with nicotine and tobacco products is common among cannabis users—particularly those who vape—according to a new study from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. The research ...

Health

Trying to quit smoking? A workplace lottery may help

People who want to quit smoking benefit from lotteries as an incentive. This is evident from the Smoke-Free Lottery, a field experiment conducted by the RIVM, Radboud University and various Dutch universities. The findings ...

Medical research

Rats may seek cannabis to cope with stress

It isn't just people—when given the chance, rats may also use cannabis to cope with stress, according to a study by researchers at Washington State University.

Genetics

Study identifies Shisa7 gene as key driver in heroin addiction

Opioid use disorder is associated with more than 350,000 deaths annually worldwide. Guided by the need for an increased understanding of critical neurobiological features of addiction, researchers have now found a unique ...

Dentistry

Severe gum inflammation found after using white snus

Painful inflammation that takes months or up to a year to heal—this can be seen in the mouth after using white snus. Researchers in oral medicine at the University of Gothenburg will now look more closely at the effects ...

Addiction

Xylazine detected in US–Mexico border drug supply, study finds

Researchers at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine, in collaboration with the Prevencasa free clinic in Tijuana, Mexico, have confirmed the presence of xylazine in the illicit drug supply at the U.S.–Mexico ...

Addiction

New telehealth restrictions may limit opioid use treatment

Weill Cornell Medicine researchers found that restricting telehealth prescriptions for opioid use disorder could keep thousands from accessing buprenorphine, a medication that helps people recover from addiction.

Health

Lethal synthetic opioids found in Australian wastewaters

Deadly synthetic opioids have been detected in Australian wastewater for the first time, an international survey, led by University of Queensland researchers, has found. The research is published in Addiction.

Cardiology

How using cigars, pipes or smokeless tobacco can harm your heart

The data on the health effects from smoking cigarettes has been clear for decades. Today, tobacco use causes nearly 1 in 5 deaths each year in the U.S. While many of these deaths are cancer-related, researchers have found ...

Cardiology

Cannabis users face substantially higher risk of heart attack

Marijuana is now legal in many places, but is it safe? Two new studies add to mounting evidence that people who use cannabis are more likely to suffer a heart attack than people who do not use the drug, even among younger ...

Oncology & Cancer

Alcohol and cancer risk: What we know

Most people know about the connection between cigarettes and cancer risk, but does drinking cause cancer? It's something rarely discussed, despite years of evidence that alcohol increases cancer risk.