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 …
Addiction
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 …
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
How the Global War on Drugs Drives HIV and AIDS
The war on drugs is driving much of the global AIDS pandemic, increasing new infections among injection-drug users in the U.S. and elsewhere, according to a new report from the Global Commission on Drug Policy.
Hope for Quitters? Scientists Devise a New Nicotine Vaccine
Researchers are getting closer to developing a vaccine that could help protect people from the addictiveness of nicotine.
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 …
Bypass Surgery for Weight Loss Doubles the Risk of Alcohol Problems
Why the mostly commonly performed bariatric surgery in the U.S. doubles patients’ risk for drinking problems, compared with a less severe weight-loss procedure
Control Yourself! Inhibiting Physical Action Cuts Risky Gambling and Drinking
Want to gamble smarter, make less risky financial decisions or cut down on your drinking? Practice stopping yourself midway through a simple physical movement, new research suggests.
Should Depressed People Avoid Having Children?
Do people with depression or other psychological problems have any moral obligation to forgo bearing children in order to avoid passing on their “bad” genes?
The Case of Cameron Douglas: Prison Is Not Rehab, Say Addiction Experts
An unusually harsh prison sentence handed down to the drug-addicted son of actor Michael Douglas has prompted addiction experts to indict the courts for ignoring the treatment needs of inmates.