The latest brain research shows that the human brain is uniquely wired to become addicted — to behaviors and substances. But is sex one of them?
Addiction
‘Cuddle Chemical’ Oxytocin Relieves Alcohol Withdrawal
Oxytocin is best known for its role in creating social bonds, but it may also forge the chains of addiction.
Should States Let Families Force Addicts Into Rehab?
Addiction is a heartbreaking condition for parents and spouses: they watch, often helplessly as their loved one self-destructs, hurting those who care about them most.
Could an Addiction-Proof Painkiller Finally Be on the Horizon?
New research on a drug that boosts the pain-relieving effect of opioids, while cutting their addictiveness, hints tantalizingly at non-addictive treatment options for pain patients
How PTSD and Addiction Can Be Safely Treated Together
The vast majority of people with addiction have suffered significant previous trauma, and many people who struggle with addiction suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) simultaneously. But the treatment of these …
A Combo of Existing Drugs Could Treat Cocaine Addiction
Two drugs currently used to treat heroin and prescription painkiller addiction may work together to fight cocaine as well — without causing dependence themselves, according to a new study in rats.
Human Rights Watch: Hundreds of Thousands Still Tortured in Name of Drug Treatment
If we want to end human-rights abuses in drug-detention centers in Asia, we should start by addressing the abusive “treatment” practices being used in our own backyard
How Childhood Trauma May Make the Brain Vulnerable to Addiction, Depression
Childhood trauma has long been known to raise a child’s odds of developing depression and addiction later on. Now, a small but intriguing new study links these risks to specific changes in the brain, finding that disruptions in …
Bogus Alcoholism Cure: Pay Up or We’ll Tell Your Boss!
A Florida court orders more than $700,000 in restitution for victims of an online scam selling a phony cure for alcoholism
The Prescription Painkiller Experience: Less than a Third Say They Like It
Many people fear that mere exposure to prescription painkillers like Vicodin or OxyContin will set them down the road to addiction. But new research on the response to opioid medication suggests that most people don’t …
Abuse-Proof OxyContin Pushes Addicts to Heroin and Other Opioids, Survey Finds
Abuse-deterrent reformulations of widely misused prescription painkillers may not be the “magic bullets” many hoped they would be in the battle against addiction
The Other Health Care Announcement: A Tool Kit for the World’s Mentally Ill
While the Supreme Court was making health care news in Washington, voting to uphold the Affordable Care Act on Thursday, a smaller gathering at the United Nations was discussing another, completely non-binding document that could …
Addiction Treatment in America: Not Based in Science, Not Truly ‘Medical’
Addiction is typically characterized as a disease by experts and government officials. Yet, unlike most known diseases, the treatment of addiction is not based on scientific evidence nor is it required to be provided by people …
