Feature Channels: Addiction

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Discovering when and why students smoke might lead to the development of better intervention methods, according to researchers at the University of Missouri. In an article published in the journal Substance Use & Misuse, the researchers showed that partying, drinking and work prompted college students to recall their smoking experience, and that smoking occurred most often at the start of the semester and on weekends.

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A new study of teens undergoing substance abuse treatment finds helping others helps the adolescent helper by reducing cravings for alcohol and drugs, a major precipitator of relapse.

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Substance use is widespread among adolescents in the United States, particularly among those of Native American, white, Hispanic and multiple race/ethnicity, and these groups are also disproportionally affected by substance-related disorders, according to a report in the November issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

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College students who have served in the U.S. conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan are more likely than their non-veteran peers to use tobacco, drink in excess and engage in other behaviors that endanger their health and safety, according to a study that appeared in the latest issue of American Journal of Health Promotion.

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A nationally honored University of Cincinnati doctoral student’s research is published this month by the American Psychological Association.

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A study by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine suggests that differences in brain activation in individuals with a low level of response to alcohol may contribute to their inability to recognize modest levels of alcohol intoxication. Their findings could provide the potential to identify individuals who are at risk for developing an alcohol-use disorder before it develops – in essence, providing a marker for this vulnerability.

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A new publication, Strategizer 55—Regulating Alcohol Outlet Density: An Action Guide, outlines available evidence-based community prevention strategies shown to decrease the consequences associated with alcohol outlet density, the concentration of bars, restaurants serving alcohol, and liquor and package stores in a given geographic area.

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A new study that examined responses to stimulants is the first to demonstrate that caffeine reinforcement prospectively predicts the positive effects of another drug.

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Men in treatment on average go longer between first use and first admission for treatment than do women. A new report shows that among the 669,000 adults admitted for substance abuse treatment for the first time last year, an average of 15.6 years had elapsed since the first time they started using the substance they were primarily being treated for. The study, Length of Time from First Use to Adult Treatment Admission, conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), indicates that while the average time between first use of a substance of abuse and first treatment for it may vary by type of substance and demographic groups, in almost all cases it involves a lag time of several years.

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If you cover drug addiction or alcoholism on your beat or have an interest in these and related social topics for future story opportunities, you don’t want to miss the upcoming Addiction Studies Program for Journalists November 10 and 11. Registration is open to a total of 20 qualified working journalists.

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The National Quit & Recovery Registry at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute allows scientists to observe methods used by addicts to quit and provides encouragement to those who struggle with addiction.

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Delaying the age when kids try alcohol or smoking decreases the likelihood that they will become dependent later in life. A new study of Communities That Care, a prevention system developed by University of Washington researchers, shows that tenth graders in towns using they system were less likely to have tried drinking or smoking. Delinquent behavior decreased too.

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Social media websites, such as Facebook and MySpace, may reveal information that could identify underage college students who may be at risk for problem drinking, according to a report published Online First by Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

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University of Adelaide researchers have found that immune cells in your brain may contribute to how you respond to alcohol.

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The drinking habits of a romantic partner’s friends are more likely to impact an adolescent’s future drinking than are the behaviors of an adolescent’s own friends or significant other, according to a new study in the October issue of the American Sociological Review.

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When does abstinence trump getting high? Daily call-in study aims to determine what makes users of the most commonly consumed illicit drug -- marijuana -- stop or cut back.

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An enzyme that appears to play a role in controlling the brain's response to nicotine and alcohol in mice might be a promising target for a drug that simultaneously would treat nicotine addiction and alcohol abuse in people, according to a study by researchers at the Ernest Gallo Clinic and Research Center, affiliated with the University of California, San Francisco.

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Information researchers at the University of Arkansas have found evidence that suggests dangerous mobile phone usage while driving may be attributed to obsessive-compulsive disorder traits rather than addiction. The findings have significant policy implications because most legislation prohibiting mobile phone usage while driving – which generally has failed – has relied on research that links dangerous and excessive usage to addictive traits.

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Parents of teens likely underestimate own teens’ substance use, while overestimating marijuana and alcohol use by teens nationally.

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Increased rates of marijuana use drive increase, especially among young adults.