A study published this year indicates that, unlike the withdrawal process with most other addictive substances, going through withdrawal from methamphetamines does not reverse the brain's dependence on the drug. This finding explains why cravings for methamphetamines persist for far longer than with other addictive substances.

Researchers from the University of Washington found that repeatedly stimulating a rodent's brain with methamphetamine depressed certain parts of the brain, and that this could only be reversed by reintroducing the drug.

Dr. Nigel Bamford, UW assistant professor of neurology and pediatrics and a physician at Seattle Children's Hospital, commented,

"What we found is that the repeated use of methamphetamine causes adaptations in the brain, and that only re-introducing the drug can reverse that. ... We think these changes in the brain may account for at least some of the physiological components of meth addiction."

(Source: ScienceDaily.com)

Labels: addiction, methamphetamines

New research by the Boston University School of Medicine indicates that a common heart medication, diltiazem, may reduce cravings for cocaine. The medication, which is typically prescribed to treat high blood pressure, showed positive results when used with rats. The medication disrupts the particular interaction of two brain chemicals, dopamine and glutamate, which happens during cocaine abuse and contributes to addiction. (Sources: sciencedaily.com)

Labels: cocaine, cravings, medication

A region of the human genome has been identified as determining how strongly drinkers feel the effects of alcohol. Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco Ernest Gallo Clinic and Research Center found that a DNA sequence variation on chromosome 15 was significantly related to the human body's response to alcohol, and therefore to whether certain individuals are more prone to alcoholism.

Raymond L. White, PhD, director of the Gallo Center and senior author of the paper, commented on the findings:

"By understanding which portion of our genetic makeup influences our response to alcohol, we can begin to understand what type of treatments might be most successful in helping reduce alcohol use disorders." (Sources: sciencedaily.com)

Labels: alcohol, alcoholism, genetics

According to recent research in Germany, methadone is surprisingly effective at killing untreatable leukemia cells. Methadone is a drug primarily used to wean addicts from opiates. The new finding gives hope to leukemia sufferers who have been unsuccessful with chemotherapy and radiation. The study's senior author, Claudia Friesen, Ph.D., of the Institute of Legal Medicine at the University Ulm, commented:

"Methadone kills sensitive leukemia cells and also breaks treatment resistance, but without any toxic effects on non-leukemic blood cells ... We find this very exciting, because once conventional treatments have failed a patient, which occurs in old and also in young patients, they have no other options."

This is the first study to explore methadone as a treatment for leukemia. Researchers discovered that the effectiveness of methadone in killing non-resistant leukemia cells was comparable to standard chemotherapies and radiation treatments against non-resistant leukemia cells. They also found that methadone killed leukemia that was resistant to multiple chemotherapies and to radiation. Researchers are hopeful that the agent may be effective against other types of cancer as well. (Sources: ScienceDaily.com)

Labels: addiction, leukemia, methadone

Most studies have found that men are not only more likely to drink alcohol but more likely to consume greater amounts. And yet women are at greater risk of developing alcohol-related problems, and are more affected when they drink.

Because women's bodies have less water than men's, alcohol is less diluted, making women more susceptible to the impairments caused by alcohol. They are also more susceptible to alcohol-related organ damage for this same reason.

Reproductive function can also be affected, especially during puberty. Studies have found that normal reproductive development can be hindered in someone who drinks moderate amounts of alcohol on a regular basis. Heavy drinking can cause disruptions in the menstrual cycle, and increase the risk of infertility and miscarriages.

Because the body is still developing during the teenage years, adolescent girls who drink heavily may hinder development of a region of the brain called the hippocampus. This area is associated with memory and learning, and studies have found that it's noticeably smaller in girls who abuse alcohol.

Pregnant women who drink run the risk of having a child with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS). FAS children not only have significant behavioral and/or learning disabilities, but their growth is often retarded. Even small amounts of alcohol consumption have been shown to affect learning and behavior. In fact, studies have not yet found a "safe minimum," at which exposure to alcohol doesn't negatively affect an unborn child.

One good thing alcohol can do for women is reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. Coronary heart disease is the leading cause of death among American women, causing one out of every three deaths. The risk to women is highest after menopause, possibly due to decreased levels of estrogen. Studies have found that light or moderate consumption of alcohol could increase estrogen levels, helping prevent coronary heart disease.

Light to moderate alcohol consumption can also reduce the risk of osteoporosis in post-menopausal women. The reasons are thought to be the same; that estrogen is increased, which leads to increased bone density, which then reduces the risk of fracture.

Despite these two potential benefits of light to moderate drinking, in general alcohol consumption is detrimental to a woman's health. Regardless of her age, serious medical consequences can result from excessive drinking. Any woman who struggles with overuse of alcohol should seek help immediately from a trusted friend, medical professional, or alcoholism treatment program.

Labels: alcohol, long-term-effects, women

Addiction treatment professionals are facing a new trend: Internet addiction. Professionals are only beginning to understand the similar problem of gambling addiction, and this new trend is leaving them at a loss. Experts anticipate that the problem will grow in coming years. Louise Nadeau, a professor at the Université de Montréal's Department of Psychology, commented:

"The problem isn't widespread but we know of serious cases in which teenagers don't leave the house, don't have interpersonal relationships, and have been isolated in front of their computer screen for the past two or three years, and only speak in the language of the characters they play with in network video games. ... In a few years we'll have couples in therapy because the Internet will have become their main occupation." (Source: sciencedaily.com)

Labels: addiction, gambling, internet

Inhalants represent a relatively low drug threat, according the National Drug Threat Assessment 2005 Summary Report by the United States Department of Justice (DOJ). Across all age groups, use has declined since 1995, although use among eighth-graders significantly increased between 2002 and 2003.

Unlike most other abused substances, inhalants are not manufactured for illicit use. Inhalants are the chemical vapors of over 1,000 household and office products, which are produced and sold for legitimate uses. These chemical vapors produce mind-altering effects and also cause significant and irreparable bodily harm. Products that are used as inhalants fall into several general categories:

• Volatile solvents (e.g., paint thinner, correction fluid, glue, gasoline);

• Aerosols (e.g., spray deodorant, spray paint, hairspray);

• Gases (e.g., ether, chloroform, nitrous oxide); and

• Nitrites (cyclohexyl nitrite - a chemical found in such products as room deodorizers and VCR head cleaners - as well as amyl nitrite and butyl nitrite).

Immediate side effects of use can include hallucinations, delusions, dizziness, impaired judgment, and belligerence, as well as sudden sniffing death (SSD). Long-term users also experience lack of coordination, depression, disorientation, muscle weakness, weight loss, and irritability. Physical effects from sustained inhalant use include sudden death, suppressed immune system functioning, injury to red blood cells, bone marrow injury, reproductive system toxicity, changes in the heart muscle and heartbeat, cirrhosis of the liver, hearing and vision damage, brain damage, liver damage, and kidney damage.

The DOJ reports that although the inhalants pose a low threat across all age groups (in comparison to illicit substances which are illegally imported into the U.S. and distributed by criminal organizations), use of inhalants is still a great concern. Demand for inhalants is relatively high and adolescents are the typical users of inhalants.

The 2006 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) supports the DOJ's assertion that the demand for inhalants is significant. In 2006, more people (approximately 800,000) reported past-month use of inhalants than reported past-month use of crack, ecstasy, sedatives, meth, or heroin. Approximately 783,000 people tried inhalants for the first time in 2006, and the average age for first use was low at 15.7 years - the youngest mean age for drug initiates for any drug type in 2006. By comparison, approximately 977,000 first tried cocaine in 2006, and the mean age for first use was 20.3 years.

According to the 2006 Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS data is collected by the states and reported to the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services administration), the percentage of people admitted to substance abuse treatment programs with a primary addiction to inhalants is extremely low. In 2005, inhalants were reported as the primary substance of abuse by 0.10% of people admitted to public substance abuse treatment programs.

By comparison, meth (the NSDUH reported 700,000 current users of meth compared to 800,000 current users of inhalants) comprised 9.0% of admissions in 2005. According to the TEDS data, one in five people admitted for inhalant use was under the age of 15. Approximately 66% of those admitted for inhalant use were non-Hispanic white males or non-Hispanic white females.

Hemp is a plant that belongs to the same family as marijuana (cannabis). It is used to make a variety of products, such as clothing, canvas, cellophane, rope, diapers, paper, cosmetics, soap, and even fuel. Many consider hemp products to be environmentally friendly, because the plant grows quickly and easily and doesn't require a lot of fertilizer or pesticides. It is also inexpensive to grow.

The hemp plant can also be used for food. Hemp seed oil is a good source of protein and essential fatty acids, and is used in food products such as bread, granola, waffles, pretzels, and chips.

Because of its close relationship to marijuana, people often confuse hemp with it's psychoactive cousin. Despite the fact that hemp contains a very small amount of the psychoactive ingredient found in marijuana (tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC), it is not enough to consider it a psychoactive substance.

Nevertheless, in October 2001, the federal Drug Enforcement Administration banned hemp foods containing THC from the market, though it continued to allow the sale of products that wouldn't be consumed, such as paper, rope, and clothing. The Hemp Industries Association challenged the DEA ruling, saying that hemp food products contain no more THC than the amount of opiate contained in a poppy-seed bagel. And in 2004, the U.S. Court of Appeals ruled that "non-psychoactive hemp products" may not be included in the DEA list of dangerous drugs.

Many in the hemp product industry believe that the dispute with the DEA increased profits, as sales of hemp foods almost doubled in the three years following the 2001 ruling.

According to the National Drug Threat Assessment 2005 Summary Report by the United States Department of Justice (DOJ), the abuse of pharmaceutical stimulants, depressants, and narcotics represents a significant threat. Rates of use have been rising since the mid-1990s, but appear to be stabilizing.

Two contributing factors to the rise in prescription drug abuse are the increased number of prescription drugs on the market, and the rise of the internet as a marketing and distribution vehicle to for these substances. In general, law enforcement agencies reported to the DOJ that pharmaceutical substance abuse was responsible for fewer crimes and less property damage than other abused substances.

Most pharmaceuticals that are illicitly used were manufactured for legitimate purposes, but diverted to a secondary market via theft or other illegal channels. The rise of prescription drug abuse has brought with it a rise in prescription fraud and illegal distribution by health professionals. However, some prescription medications are forged (knock-offs of the brand-name substances) and marketed directly to those who wish to obtain them without a prescription.

The types of prescription drugs are that used illicitly include not only narcotics, stimulants, and depressants, but also pain relievers (OxyContin ® is especially prevalent),and psychotherapeutics - medications that are traditionally prescribed to alleviate symptoms of mental illness.

Illicit demand for pharmaceuticals is relatively high. The 2006 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) estimates that in 2006, there were 5.2 million non-medical users of pain relievers, 1.8 million users of tranquilizers, 1.2 million users of stimulants, and 385,000 users of sedatives. In addition, the numbers of non-medical users of tranquilizers, stimulants, and sedatives were similar to 2005. As a combined category, abuse of these substances is only surpassed by marijuana. Approximately 8.5 million people used prescription drugs for non-medical purposes in 2006, versus 14.8 million who used marijuana in 2006.

In general, prescription drugs are abused by adults rather than adolescents. In 2006, approximately 1.1 million people tried stimulants for the first time; the median age at first use was relatively high at 23 years old. Approximately 2.1 million people tried pain relievers for the first time, also with a relatively high median age at first use of 21.9 years old.

Pain relievers had most initiates (first-time users) of any drug in 2006. Approximately 267,000 people tried sedatives for the first time in 2006, with a high median age at first use of 26.5 years old. Sedatives had the highest median age at first use of any drug in 2006. In 2006, the number of new illicit users of OxyContin ® was 533,000, with an average age at first use of 22.6. Approximately 2.6 million people used psychotherapeutics illicitly for the first time in 2006, with an average age at first use of 22.9.

According to 2002 Treatment Episode Data Set data (TEDS data is collected by the states and reported to the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services administration), the percentage of people admitted to substance abuse treatment programs with a primary addiction to "other opiates" has been on the rise since the early 1990s. The number increased from 13,671 in 1992 to 45,605 in 2002 (the most recent year for which this data is available). Similarly, admissions for benzodiazepines (tranquilizers) also increased between 1992 and 2002, from 2,882 to 7,226.