The Obama administration announced on Tuesday a new initiative to reduce prescription painkiller misuse and overdose, a problem that has become the leading cause of accidental death in 17 states, surpassing car accidents — and …
Addiction
Hooked on Addiction: From Food to Drugs to Internet Porn
America is having an addiction moment. Media headlines scream daily about new neuroscience findings on porn addiction, Internet addiction, food addiction and plain, old-fashioned drug addiction.
Heroin vs. Häagen-Dazs: What Food Addiction Looks Like in the Brain
Is Häagen-Dazs ice cream as addictive as heroin? Or, put another way, is heroin as addictive as Häagen-Dazs?
From Heroin to IVF: A Healthland Contributor’s ‘Needle Exchange’
“The last time I gave myself an injection, the needle held heroin,” writes Healthland’s Maia Szalavitz in an honest, insightful essay that appears on the new addiction and recovery-themed site The Fix. Twenty-two years after …
Does Narconon’s Addiction Rehab Really Work?
In a field in which the meetings and prayers of 12-step treatment are among the most accepted ways to help people with drug addiction, consumers have little way of knowing which rehabs are genuinely evidence-based and which …
Appreciation: G. Alan Marlatt Brought Compassion to Addiction Treatment
Many people claim to be pioneers in addiction treatment, but few have left a more important legacy than G. Alan Marlatt, professor of psychology at University of Washington, who died of melanoma on March 14, at age 69.
Is Dr. Drew More Like Charlie Sheen than He Thinks?
Could Dr. Drew Pinsky be following Charlie Sheen off the rails? Recently the “Celebrity Rehab” host claimed that Sheen was “in an acute manic state” — a public statement which teeters on the bounds of psychiatric ethics (more …
Addict or Bipolar? Examining the ‘Passion’ of Charlie Sheen
Charlie Sheen’s public meltdown–media blitz continues, with riveting interviews aired on morning shows on NBC and ABC; a volatile, rambling conversation streamed on TMZ.com; and a more restrained appearance on CNN’s Piers Morgan Tonight.
Is Teen Binge-Drinking Really a Harbinger of Alcoholism?
Is teen binge-drinking “just a phase?” Or do most teens who drink heavily become alcoholics?
Should Parents Let Kids Drink at Home? New Data Show Many Do
Among American teens aged 12 to 14 who report drinking alcohol, nearly 30% were given the booze by their parents or other adult relatives, according to new statistics released by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
How to Find the Best Drug Treatment for Teens: A Guide for Parents
Getting your child treatment for, say, cancer presents numerous challenges — but most of them don’t involve determining whether the therapies offered by major medical organizations are backed by data. Unfortunately, that’s …
Can You Use Crack ‘Socially?’ Addiction Myth Watch: Charlie Sheen Edition
The subject of addiction swirls with myths and misinformation. It doesn’t help that so many people seem to believe that their own struggle with addiction — or a few drop-ins to Alcoholics Anonymous meetings — make them …
Smokers Light Up Inside When Watching Actors Smoke
When Don Draper lights up a Lucky Strike, the smokers in the Mad Men audience are simultaneously — and likely unconsciously — planning the actions involved in having a cigarette, according to a new study published in the …