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Addiction Research
A neurobehavioural approach to addiction is vital for prevention
In recent years, heroin and other opioid fatalities have escalated to crisis proportions, intensifying the need for evidence-based recommendations for educational and policy campaigns...
Meditation reduced opioid dose needed to ease chronic pain by 75%
A study published this month in JAMA Internal Medicine presents new evidence that mind-body interventions can help reduce pain in people who have been taking prescription...
Rise in adults who perceive e-cigarettes as more harmful than cigarettes
The number of US adults who perceive e-cigarettes to be at as harmful as, or more harmful than, cigarettes increased between 2017 and 2018 – even...
Study finds teen vaping probably doesn't lead to smoking
While many public health advocates have suggested that vaping may lead to cigarette smoking, a study in Nicotine & Tobacco Research published by Oxford University Press suggests that...
Impact of e-cigarette non-menthol flavours on perceptions and use
Given the exponential increase in the use of e-cigarettes among younger age groups and in the growth in research on e-cigarette flavours, scientists at...
Money spent on beer ads linked to underage drinking
Advertising budgets and strategies used by beer companies appear to influence underage drinking in the United States, according to research from Iowa State University, published...
In tiny doses, an addiction medication eases chronic pain
A growing group of chronic pain patients are turning to the addiction treatment medication naltrexone, which can substantially relieve pain when used in micro-doses,...
Parallels between decline in alcohol use and mortality rates in Russia
Since the early 2000s, Russia has seen significant declines in overall alcohol consumption, and a review published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol...
Breath test successfully detects opioid use
A test to detect opioid drugs in exhaled breath has been developed by engineers and physicians at the University of California – Davis. A...
Exploring psychology’s role in responding to opioid addiction
The literature on addictive substances such as alcohol and tobacco has developed consistently over decades of study within the field of psychology, writes Bert...
The opioid epidemic and the psychology of addiction
Heroin and other opioid fatalities have escalated to crisis proportions, intensifying the need for evidence-based recommendations for educational and policZy campaigns to prevent abuse...
Vaping's toxic chemical fumes could cause lung injury – Mayo study
Research into the pathology of vaping-associated lung injury is in its early stages. But a Mayo Clinic study published in The New England Journal of...
Chemical emissions from heat-not-burn tobacco devices still a concern
Chemical emissions from heat-not-burn tobacco devices are lower than from conventional cigarettes, but they're still high enough to be cause for concern, US government...
Parent, sibling attitudes among top influences on teenage vaping
Flavour, safety and family attitude toward vaping are among the greatest factors influencing teenage perception of e-cigarettes, University at Buffalo research finds. The study published in...
Shopping addiction is a real disorder – Research
UK-based healthcare group the Priory is well-known for treating gambling, sex, drug, alcohol and computing addictions – especially of the rich and famous, writes Cathrine Jansson-Boyd,...
Data shows e-cigarettes effective for stopping smoking – Economist
In the United States a sharp drop in cigarette smoking from 2013 to 2017 coincided with a steep increase in the use of e-cigarettes. In...
MDMA (ecstasy) treatment for alcoholism could reduce relapse
The first study looking into the use of MDMA – commonly known as ecstasy – to treat alcohol addiction has shown that the treatment is safe,...
Social media stress can lead to social media addiction
Social network users risk becoming more and more addicted to social media platforms even as they experience stress from their use, reports Lancaster University in the...
Quitting smoking associated with lower risk of CVD
Heavy cigarette smokers with at least a 20 pack-year smoking history can reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) by 39% within five years if...
Misinformation, lack of access, confusion hamper quitting smoking
Philip Morris International Inc on 20 August released a ‘white paper’ titled “Unsmoke: Clearing the way for change” based on findings from an international study...
Daily e-cigarette use may help smokers quit regular cigarettes
A study from Massachusetts General Hospital's Tobacco Research and Treatment Center provides critical population-level evidence demonstrating that using e-cigarettes daily helps US smokers to...
A moral problem – Barriers to e-cigarettes for smoking cessation
Ensuring that vaping is cheaper than smoking is key to harm reduction among poorer communities in the United Kingdom, research by sociologist Frances Thirlway of the...
Advertising restrictions needed to curb vaping among youth
As the popularity of e-cigarettes among Canadian teens surged, advertisements in stores and on TV contributed to their popularity – and now need to be regulated – according to...
E-cigs can trigger same lung changes seen in smokers, emphysema
E-cigarette 'vaping' is widely assumed to be safer than cigarette smoking, but scientists at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine have uncovered...
Study finds vaping just once leads to reduced vascular function
Vaping has been marketed as a safe alternative to tobacco cigarettes. However, a single e-cigarette can be harmful to the body’s blood vessels – even when...
Why some people can’t stop running, according to sport psychology
Alex has a problem with running; he has become addicted to it, write Andrew Wood and Martin J Turner of Staffordshire University for The Conversation....
When quitting cigarettes, consider using more nicotine, not less
When delivered through cigarettes, nicotine is considered to be one of the most addictive substances on Earth. So it may seem odd to suggest that...
Asian nations in early tobacco epidemic – Study
Asian countries are in the early stages of a tobacco smoking epidemic with habits mirroring those of the United States from past decades, setting the...
Tobacco use among UK young continues to fall despite vaping popularity
The sharp increase in the use of e-cigarettes has not led more British children to take up cigarettes or regard smoking as normal, the first study...
Smelling your favourite food or beverage could curb cigarette cravings
Struggling to curb that cigarette habit? A study has found that people trying quit smoking may benefit from inhaling pleasant smelling aromas like peppermint, chocolate...
Metabolite may play a role in nicotine addiction
A substance that scientists identify to screen people for nicotine use may also play a role in smokers becoming addicted to tobacco, writes Christie Delfanian...
Young people at risk of addiction show differences in key brain region
Young adults at risk of developing problems with addiction show key differences in an important region of the brain, according to an international team...
Ecstasy users more empathetic than those who take other drugs
If you’ve ever seen someone in a club on MDMA – also known as ‘ecstasy’ or ‘molly’ – it may not surprise you to...
Smokers misunderstand risks of smokeless tobacco product snus
American smokers mistakenly think that using snus – a moist snuff smokeless tobacco product popular in Scandinavia but newer to the United States – is...
Studies underestimate effects of alcohol consumption on younger people
Studies of the health effects of alcohol consumption may underestimate the risks of imbibing, particularly for younger people, according to a US study. This...
Binge drinking changes your DNA, and that matters for treating addiction
Binge drinking can trigger genetic changes that make people crave alcohol even more, researchers from Rutgers University have found, writes Aneri Pattani for The Inquirer. It’s...
Maternal smoking in pregnancy increases risk of offspring ADHD three-fold
The higher the cotinine levels in a mother's blood during pregnancy, the greater was her child's risk of developing attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or ADHD later...
Nicotine’s effect on the developing embryo studied in new model
It's common knowledge that smoking during pregnancy confers a host of risks on a developing embryo and fetus, including miscarriage, low birth weight and premature...
E-cigarettes linked to heart attacks, coronary artery disease, depression
Concerns about the addictive nature of e-cigarettes – used by around in 20 Americans – may only be part of an evolving public health story...
Vaping associated with wheezing in adults
Electronic cigarette use or 'vaping' is associated with wheezing in adults, according to a University of Rochester study. People who vaped were nearly twice...