We’ve all seen the headlines about sex, food and rock-and-roll “lighting up” the same brain regions as drugs. The latest? “Tanning Bed Users’ Brains Like Addicts’,” claims the UPI, citing a new study.
Addiction
The Detox Amy Winehouse Should Have Done
It appears that we won’t know what caused Amy Winehouse’s death for several months, but if the singer did die from alcohol withdrawal, as has been speculated, the tragedy of her loss will be compounded by the fact that such …
Most Teens Taking Prescription Drugs Do It Right
Most students taking prescription medications for pain, sleep, anxiety or attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) do not misuse the drugs, a new study finds. And proper use of these medications was not associated with a …
New York State Passes ‘Good Samaritan’ Law to Fight Overdose
New York state last week became the largest state in the nation to adopt a “Good Samaritan” law to fight overdose. The law bars arrests and prosecution for personal possession of drugs, paraphernalia or underage drinking …
Q&A: The Author of Unwasted Talks About Socializing Sober
Writer Sacha Z. Scoblic spent years reveling in her life as the party girl, always quick with a laugh and up for another drink—or five. But when she gave up alcohol in 2005, Scoblic found she wasn’t interested in chronicling …
Marijuana Derivative May Offer Hope in Cocaine Addiction
A new study in mice has found that activating a receptor affected by marijuana can dramatically reduce cocaine consumption. The research suggests that new anti-addiction drugs might be developed using synthetic versions of …
How Repetitive Foods Can Mean Weight Loss
Want to lose weight? How about trying to bore yourself thin? According to a study that will be published in the August issue of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, monotony at mealtime might be a clever — if …
The Healthland Podcast: Superobese Kids, Parents on Facebook and Betty Ford’s Mixed Legacy
This week on the podcast, Healthland editor Sora Song asks whether child obesity is child abuse. TIME editor-at-large Belinda Luscombe reports that adults are less savvy on Facebook than teens. And TIME senior writer John Cloud …
Teens and Drugs: Rite of Passage or Recipe for Addiction?
Teen drug use shouldn’t be looked at as a rite of passage but as a public health problem, say experts, and one that has reached “epidemic” levels.
Study: Most Addicts Get Painkillers from Friends or Family, Not Doctors
Only 1 in 5 people who misuse opioid painkillers like Vicodin get their drugs exclusively from doctors, and 69% never obtain any of these drugs from medical sources, according to a recent study published in the Archives of …
‘Magic Mushrooms’ Can Improve Psychological Health Long Term
The psychedelic drug in magic mushrooms may have lasting medical and spiritual benefits, according to new research from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.
Does Acting Like a Weiner Mean You’re An Addict?
As revelations about Rep. Anthony Weiner’s Twitter sexting continue to emerge — including private messages he sent to a 17-year-old girl — the announcement Saturday that he was entering “treatment” was almost inevitable. …
The Criminal Mind: How Drugs and Violence May Affect the Brain
Brain imaging studies of violent criminals are difficult to interpret because the most persistent among them — those who are responsible for a disproportionate amount of all crime — are not only violent but also …