In a recent study, researchers at the UT Southwestern Medical Center found that blocking neurogenesis -- the normal growth of new nerve cells in the brain -- made rodents more vulnerable to addiction and relapse.

Researchers are hoping that the opposite effect -- facilitating neurogenesis -- may improve addiction treatment and relapse prevention in humans.

"More research will be needed to test this hypothesis, but treatments that increase adult neurogenesis may prevent addiction before it starts, which would be especially important for patients treated with potentially addictive medications," said Dr. Amelia Eisch, associate professor of psychiatry at UT Southwestern and senior author of the study.

The study, which is the first to link addiction with neurogenesis in a specific part of the brain, appeared in the Journal of Neuroscience.

Labels: addiction, brain_chemistry, relapse

Soaring rates of drug addiction in Afghanistan have led one province to adopt an extreme policy: Kick the habit or get kicked out of the region.

Leaders of the area, which is located in the remote eastern region of Ghazni, are taking desperate action to battle the overwhelming increase in young addicts over the past several years. Heroin addicts are being given quitting deadlines after tribal elders decided that the only way to fight the tide of addiction was to begin threatening, punishing and ultimately evicting drug users.

Users receive a warning, followed by a fine. If they ignore these measures, they may have their houses burned down, and they will eventually be evicted from their communities. The measures will also be used against drug dealers and suppliers.

Elder Mohammad Razaq commented: "Heroin addiction among our young people was destroying us. This destruction was getting worse and worse every day and we felt that we had no choice but to deal with it in this way.

"Since the elders made the decision, we have evicted more than 200 addicts from villages in this district. They have all been told that until they give up their addiction, they are not welcome back."

Opium exports currently represent about 25 percent of Afghanistan's annual gross domestic product, or $2.8 billion. Opium is a widely grown crop, which contributes to its easy availability.

In addition, according to a United Nations report, "Conflict, displacement, economic hardship and overflowing opium production have generated widespread drug abuse in Afghanistan."

(Source: www.google.com/hostednews)

Labels: addiction, drugs, heroin, opium

Experts are warning that the increased availability of gambling opportunities may be causing an increase in problem gambling and gambling addiction. According to San Francisco psychotherapist Michael Halyard, addiction treatment providers are receiving more requests to treat gambling behaviors, which are extremely similar to drug and alcohol abuse behaviors.

According to Halyard, "Compulsive gambling is the urge to gamble despite having harmful negative consequences or a desire to stop. It's not how much time or money a gambler gambles, but the harm to the gambler or his or her partner or family that determines whether it is compulsive gambling. Compulsive gambling, like drug and alcohol addiction, is a debilitating condition that wrecks havoc in people's lives."

Halyard says that problem gamblers seeking treatment even include teens who become addicted to Internet gambling. Teen gamblers, like other gamblers, are falling prey to the new proliferation of gambling opportunities, especially on the Internet.

He said, "It used to be that if you wanted to gamble, you had to go to Las Vegas or Atlantic City. Now days, people can gamble in the comfort of their own homes on the computer, or go to nearby card room or Indian Casino. Casinos offer slot machines, sports betting, card games, but there's also the horse racing, greyhound racing, card rooms, bingo parlors, and state lotteries. Gambling is ubiquitous and one of the few booming industries. In 2006, Americans lost nearly 91 billion dollars gambling."

(Source: www.prweb.com)

Labels: addiction, gambling

Scientists have discovered a key mechanism in the brain that helps to explain the addictiveness of cocaine, according to new research funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), which is part of the National Institutes of Health.

The study, which is published in the January issue of the journal Science, demonstrates who cocaine affects an epigenetic process call histone methylation. An epigenetic process is a process that is capable of influencing gene expression without changing a gene's sequence. The changes caused to this process by cocaine affect the brain's pleasure circuits and are likely to contribute to an acquired preference for cocaine.

For the study, researchers studied the effects of chronic cocaine exposure in young mice. The researchers gave one group of young mice repeated doses of cocaine, while a control group received repeated doses of saline solution with a final dose of cocaine. The researchers then examined how one-time exposure to the drug differed from chronic exposure. The study confirmed that chronic exposure alters the brain's reward pathway.

NIDA Director Dr. Nora Volkow commented on the findings: "This fundamental discovery advances our understanding of how cocaine addiction works. Although more research will be required, these findings have identified a key new player in the molecular cascade triggered by repeated cocaine exposure, and thus a potential novel target for the development of addiction medications."

Dr. Eric J. Nestler, study investigator and director of the Brain Institute at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, commented: "The more complete picture that we have today of the genetic and epigenetic processes triggered by chronic cocaine give us a better understanding of the broader principles governing biochemical regulation in the brain which will help us identify not only additional pathways involved but potentially new therapeutic approaches."

(Source: www.sciencedaily.com)

Labels: addiction, cocaine

Britain's National Health Service (NHS) has recorded a near 100 percent increase in youth being treated for cocaine addiction over the past four years, and many experts are blaming the drug's newfound glamorous image for the spike in abuse.

Last year, 753 youth under the age of 18 sought treatment for cocaine addiction, compared with 453 in 2005-2006. Among these, at least 15 children were under the age of 12, 14 children were aged 12 to 14, and 169 children were aged 14 to 16.

Experts believe that young children and teens using "Class A" drugs are most likely to be using them as a coping mechanism or imitating a parent or family member who uses the substance. Harry Shapiro, director of communications at the charity Drugscope, said that in recent years all age groups have been moving away from heroin and crack and more often using cocaine.

He commented: "If young people are in a particularly risky or dysfunctional environment, alcohol or cannabis abuse is going to be more likely, and that makes them more likely to try other drugs. If you are in an environment where the house is used as a dealing hub or there are users regularly coming round to score, or if they come into contact with Class A substances through family members who are using them, then clearly that is an issue.

"Although they are coming forward for treatment, it's likely that their drug use is symptomatic of other problems that are going on at home or school. I don't think it's a question of children and teenagers hanging round street corners, buying off dealers, but that could be their future if they don't get treatment."

(Source: www.timesonline.co.uk)

Labels: addiction, cocaine, teens, treatment

The lead singer of famed rock band Aerosmith, Steven Tyler, entered rehab this week to receive treatment for an addiction to painkillers. Reportedly, the singer has been taking painkillers for the past 10 years to cope with "performance injuries."

Tyler also checked into rehab last year to recover from several foot surgeries and receive physical therapy. The surgeries were to correct injuries sustained during years of highly physical performances with Aerosmith. According to the doctor who will be treating Tyler, severe orthopedic injuries have left Tyler with chronic pain that will require several more surgeries on his knees and feet.

Although Tyler was known to be a heavy drug and alcohol user in the 1970s, he first entered rehab in 1986, and achieved several years of sobriety. After this bout in rehab the band enjoyed a resurgence in popularity.

In a statement released on Tuesday, Tyler expressed his commitment to making a full recovery: "I love Aerosmith; I love performing as the lead singer in Aerosmith. I am grateful for all of the support and love I am receiving and am committed to getting things taken care of."

(Source: www.google.com)

Labels: addiction, chronic pain, painkillers

Experts fear that addiction in Russia is reaching such epidemic proportions that it may threaten the country's social and economic future. Russia has a long history of dealing with alcohol abuse, but now intravenous drug use has also hit frightening levels.

Heroin is one of the primary drugs taken intravenously in Russia. Heroin use is relatively new to Russia compared to the United States, exploding into popular culture there as recently as the 1990s. The drug caught on amid post-Soviet Union uncertainty, and the already unbalanced social structure was ill-equipped to handle to new problem.

In recent years, heroin from nearby Afghanistan has saturated the country. Russia's top drug enforcement official, Viktor Ivanov, blames the United States. Ivanov believes that the U.S. should institute aerial drug crop eradication programs in Afghanistan, similar to those currently funded by the U.S. in South America. Ivanov says that the U.S. is indifferent to the situation because drug production in Afghanistan is not an immediate geographical threat to the U.S. Meanwhile, Russia is suffering under the influx of heroin.

Ivanov commented, "Given the damage by Afghan heroin, we have to call it a weapon of mass destruction, selectively attacking the young, the future of our country."

Currently, Russia has one of the world's highest rates of drug-related deaths at approximately 80 deaths per day. Alcohol-related deaths comprise more than half of these, most often from alcohol-related accidents, violence or poisoning. In addition, Russia's population has been steadily declining since the 1990s, the result of depressed birth rates and growing death rates.

The Russian government does administer drug treatment programs, but Russian citizens are skeptical about their effectiveness. Methadone is illegal in Russia, and government programs seem to rely heavily on medication and appear to offer little in the way of counseling.

Denis Prokin, 32, went through several government-run addiction treatment programs only to start using again. Like many Russian addicts, he has abandoned government treatment to try a 12-step program run privately by a recovered heroin addict.

He feels that his treatment in the private program will give him the skills to stay clean: "The government programs I went through just isolate you and pump you full of pills. I didn't learn anything about myself. I got out and immediately started shooting up again. I know a lot more now, and when I finish here, I know where to find support groups."

(Source: www.scpr.org)

Labels: addiction, heroin, treatment

A Santa Rosa, Calif., man received a sentence of life in prison this week for murdering his mother.

Christopher Anthony Lavis, 43, was living with his mother while battling an addiction to methamphetamines. Lavis pleaded guilty to first-degree murder for the stabbing death of Constance Elizabeth LaSalle, as well as two weapons charges. LaSalle was stabbed over 45 times.

Lavis stayed in his mother's condo for 10 days after the murder, ordering take-out pizza three times. He was finally arrested in San Francisco on Oct. 10, 2008, after he was detained for not paying for a meal at a restaurant. Santa Rosa police discovered LaSalle's body in the condo on Sept. 27, 2008. Sonoma County prosecutors reported the Lavis must now spend at least 26 years in prison before he is eligible for parole.

(Sources: www.sfgate.com, fugitive.com)

Labels: addiction, methamphetamines

New evidence suggests that using fruit flies to conduct research on the nature of addiction and substance abuse may yield some valuable insights.

According to a new study appearing online in ACS Chemical Neuroscience, scientists report that fruit flies provide a simpler and more convenient model for studying the neurological effects of cocaine abuse and abuse of other substances. The scientists state that although mammals have been useful in the study of addiction, they are relatively complex research subjects that introduce unknown variables into any research effort.

The study confirmed that fruit flies, which are biologically similar to mammals, can be reliably used to study the effects of cocaine, amphetamine, methamphetamine and methylphenidate, as well as related addictive behaviors.

(Source: www.sciencedaily.com)

Labels: addiction, cocaine, substance abuse

According to a biomedical researcher at the Cumming School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, mothers who abuse painkillers during adolescence may predispose their children to becoming addicted to those same substances.

Elizabeth Byrnes, a research assistant professor of biomedical sciences at the University commented on the research's implications: "If you took these drugs as an adolescent, and you're thinking, hey, that's no big deal, that's in the past, and now I am happy and healthy and everything's fine ... that probably is not the case.

"You actually may be transmitting sensitivity to opiates to your offspring. And that sensitivity is one thing that will determine how likely [the offspring] are to have a problem with those drugs. We already know that genetic information is passed down from one generation to the next. Is it just a matter of which genes are expressed?"

According to the 2008 Monitoring the Future Report, a national annual survey of the behaviors and attitudes of 8th, 10th, and 12th graders that is funded by the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA), approximately 10 percent of high school seniors reported recreational use of the painkiller Vicodin within the last year, and 4.7 percent reported using OxyContin.

(Source: www.laboratoryequipment.com)

Labels: addiction, genetics, painkillers

A new study suggests that junk food may be addictive in the same was a drugs such as heroin and cocaine. The study, conducted by researchers at Scripps Research Institute in Florida, found that rats that were given unlimited access to high-fat, high-calorie foods became compulsive overeaters. The foods included those typically available at convenience stores such as HoHos, candy bars, and sausage.

As the rats' neurological pleasure pathways became less and less responsive to the foods, the rats consumed more and more to achieve the same level of pleasure. The rats even endured a slight electric shock in order to access the foods. The researchers state that these behaviors are classic hallmarks of addiction. After 40 days of unfettered access to junk food, the rats were deprived of all junk food and given healthy food pellets instead. The rats refused to eat the pellets, even though they were starving.

Paul Kenny, an associate professor of molecular therapeutics at Scripps, reported at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience: "Not only did we find that the animals' brain reward circuits became less responsive at they continued to overeat and become obese ... but that decrease in responsiveness was similar to what our laboratory has seen previously in rats as they become addicted to cocaine or heroin."

(Source: www.washingtonpost.com)

Labels: addiction

Crushing cigarettes in cyberspace may help to treat smoking addiction, according to a new study by Canadian researchers.

The researchers randomly divided 91 smokers enrolled in a 12-week anti-smoking support program into two groups. All participants attended four weekly sessions of cyber treatment. In a computer-generated virtual reality environment, one group simulated crushing virtual cigarettes, while the other group grasped balls. Participants who crushed cigarettes exhibited significantly reduced nicotine dependence and higher rates of smoking abstinence than participants who grasped balls.

At the end of 12 weeks, the smoking abstinence rate for cigarette crushers was 15 percent versus 2 percent for the ball-grasping participants. In addition, cigarette crushers stayed in the treatment program longer, and at a six-month follow-up, 39 percent of cigarette crushers reported not smoking during the previous week versus 20 percent of ball graspers.

Brenda K. Wiederhold, PhD, MBA, BCIA, Editor-in-Chief of CyberPsychology and Behavior, from the Interactive Media Institute in San Diego, Calif., commented on the study: "It is important to note that this study increased treatment retention. All too often individuals drop out of treatment prior to completion. It will be interesting now to go further and compare this to other popular treatments such as the nicotine patch."

(Source: www.sciencedaily.com)

Labels: addiction, cigarettes, nicotine, smoking

More and more states are passing laws that allow prison inmates to cut their sentences if they complete a substance abuse rehabilitation program. Many states are utilizing these strategies to help relieve overcrowding in prisons and alleviate budget deficits.

But some experts worry that releasing inmates may increase crime rates, particularly if rehabilitation programs are not effective. Proponents believe that rehabilitation programs that cut sentences are successful at motivating inmates to create real change in their lives.

Rhode Island is one state that has recently adopted such a strategy. Rhode Island Corrections Director A.T. Wall, a supporter of exchanging prison time for rehabilitation, commented on the approach: "I would rather have an inmate released three weeks earlier, knowing that he had dealt with his substance abuse addictions, than waiting the three weeks and releasing him untreated."

Critics believe, however, that many inmates simply "go through the motions" to get out early.
John Murphy, executive director of the Ohio Prosecuting Attorneys Association, which opposes a rehabilitation-for-time-off proposal in Ohio, commented: "If they cared about getting their rehabilitation, they'd be in this program without having this carrot dangled in front of them."

(Source: Associated Press)

Labels: addiction, rehab, substance abuse

Drug abuse is costing Scottish society 3.5 billion pounds (approximately $5.6 billion) per year.

Researchers confirm Scotland as the addiction capital of Europe -- Scottish addicts spend about 1.4 billion pounds ($2.3 billion) per year on purchasing drugs. Experts estimate that the cost of treating addicts and the impact of substance abuse on the criminal justice system adds about 2 billion pounds.

These figures, which are based on data from 2006, were generated by research conducted by the Scottish government. The data shows a 30 percent increase in the number of addicts injecting drugs since 2003.

"These figures underline all too clearly why we must continue to invest in treatment, focus that investment on the most effective range of treatment, care and rehabilitation services," said David Liddell, director of Scottish Drugs Forum, "including in areas like housing, family support and employability, and continue to address the underlying issues of poverty, deprivation and other social and health inequalities."

(Source: www.timesonline.co.uk)

Labels: addiction, substance abuse, treatment

An anti-cocaine vaccine shows promise in treating cocaine addiction. A study conducted by researchers at Yale University and funded by the National Institutes of Health found that a shot of the vaccine reduced cocaine use in 38 percent of study participants.

Like vaccines for infectious diseases, the cocaine vaccine causes the human body to produce antibodies to cocaine. When cocaine is ingested, the antibodies bind themselves to the cocaine molecules in the blood and prevent them from entering the brain and producing a high.

Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, commented on the results:

"The results of this study represent a promising step toward an effective medical treatment for cocaine addiction ... Provided that larger follow-up studies confirm its safety and efficacy, this vaccine could offer a valuable new approach to treating cocaine addiction, for which no [Food and Drug Administration]-approved medication is currently available."

The study, which appeared in the most recent issue of the journal Archives in General Psychiatry, tracked the progress of 115 people over 12 weeks. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either the vaccine or a placebo.

(Source: weblogs.baltimoresun.com)

Labels: addiction, cocaine, cocaine vaccine

A new study by British researchers shows that about half of cocaine and crack abusers are able to quit the drugs after six months of treatment.

For the study, researchers monitored the progress of more than 14,600 patients throughout England who were addicted to heroin, crack cocaine or both. Heroin addicts received oral methadone for at least six months, combined with counseling. Crack addicts received counseling, but not substitute drug therapy, since an approved medical substitute for crack does not currently exist.

After six months, 42 percent of heroin addicts and 57 percent of crack addicts reported that they had stopped using. Among participants addicted to both drugs, about half reported quitting both after six months.

Although the results of the study are considered encouraging, many substance abuse treatment experts warn that six months may not be long enough to provide adequate treatment. Many experts, including Dr. Thomas McLellan, deputy director of the White House's Office of National Drug Control Policy, compare treating heroin and crack addicts to managing patients with chronic conditions such as diabetes or high blood pressure.

"Addiction is best thought of as a chronic condition," McLellan said. "There is no cure, but we can manage it."

(Source: Associated Press)

Labels: addiction, cocaine, crack, methadone, treatment

Darryl Virostko, of California, has been surfing big waves for a long time. Until a year ago, he usually surfed high -- on acid, meth and an array of other drugs. Now, Virostko is using surfing, in collaboration with treatment from a local drug rehabilitation center, to tackle his addiction.

Virostko has been sober for one year. As part of his recovery, he is working with the local drug rehabilitation center to also teach surfing and other sports to patients undergoing supervised alcohol and drug rehabilitation. He hopes that his new program -- named FleaHab, after his nickname, Flea -- will help others to stay sober by teaching them to replace the high of drugs with the endorphin rush of strenuous physical activity.

(Source: www.nytimes.com)

Labels: addiction, rehab

A national gambling task force, the Task Force on College Gambling Policies, published a report this week urging colleges to treat problem gambling as a form of addiction. Problem gambling by students, the task force says, should be treated as a health issue and schools should establish policies to restrict wagers on campuses and to treat students who develop destructive gambling habits.

A 2005 report by the Cambridge Health Alliance, a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School, found that only 22 percent of colleges have written gambling policies, in spite of the fact that nearly half of all college students reported gambling at least once in the previous year.

Christine Reilly, a task force member and executive director of the Institute for Research on Gambling Disorders in Beverly, Mass., commented, "It is important, we believe, for schools to send a clear, unified message about acceptable behaviors ... It's very common for schools to have different rules for alcohol use ... and for gambling, and so we think this is an issue that colleges should think about."

(Source: www.ap.org)

Labels: addiction, gambling

Approximately 250,000 heroin-addicted individuals are incarcerated in the United States each year, yet many prison systems across the country still lack adequate medical treatment for heroin and opiate addiction.

Despite the fact that existing programs and research have demonstrated the social, medical and economic benefits of opiate replacement therapy (ORT), only half of all federal and state prison systems offer ORT with the medications methadone and buprenorphine, and only in very limited circumstances.

In addition, only 23 states provide treatment referrals for some inmates upon release from prison. Guidelines issued by both the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say prisoners should be offered ORT for treatment of opiate dependence.

"Pharmacological treatment of opiate dependence is a proven intervention, is cost-effective and reduces drug-related disease and reincarceration rates, yet it remains underutilized in U.S. prison systems," said Amy Nunn, ScD, the study's lead author and an assistant professor of medicine at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. "Improving correctional policies for addiction treatment could dramatically improve prisoner and community health as well as reduce both taxpayer burden and reincarceration rates."

Josiah Rich, MD, MPH, co-director of the Center for Prisoner Health and Human Rights at The Miriam Hospital and Alpert Medical School, believes that addiction treatment is as crucial as treatment of other long-term chronic diseases.

"Opiate addiction, like all forms of addiction, causes long-term changes to the structure and functioning of the brain, which is why it is classified as a disease," he said. "Addiction requires treatment just as other chronic diseases, like diabetes and cancer, do. Unfortunately, there is a large gap between the number of prisoners who require addiction treatment and those who actually receive it."

(Source: www.eurekalert.com)

Labels: addiction, heroin, opiates, substance abuse, treatment

The recent opening of the Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh has some residents worried about a surge in problem gambling. Studies have found that the closer people live to a casino, the more likely they are to become compulsive gamblers.

People living within 10 miles of a casino have twice the rate of gambling problems as other adults, according to a national study by John Welte, a researcher at Buffalo State College. He said it correlated with a similar study, used by a national commission on gambling a decade ago, which found that the rate of problem gambling among adults doubled within 50 miles of a casino.

Studies have also found that slot machines tend to attract more problem gamblers than any other type of gambling because they provide rich sensory stimulation and are programmed to present tantalizing near misses to users.

State officials are hoping that a newly created state-funded treatment system will assist problem gamblers. The program was created within the same bureau that oversees drug and alcohol treatment because of the similarity among the addictions.

Proponents of the casino argue that the revenue and jobs created by the casino more than compensate for the possible social toll.

(Source: www.post-gazette.com)

Labels: addiction, gambling, treatment

Women are up to 48 percent more likely than men to be prescribed a narcotic, anti-anxiety or other potentially abusable drug, according to the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University.

CASA found that approximately 7.5 million girls and women misuse or abuse prescription drugs each year, and that women who use sedatives, anti-anxiety drugs or hypnotics are almost twice as likely as men to become addicted to these drug. CASA also found that teenage girls are more likely than teenage boys to use prescription drugs for non-medical reasons.

The effects of this trend are real. For example, in Park County, Wyo., approximately 90 percent of suicide attempts in the past year involved prescription drugs, alcohol or both. County prosecuting attorney Jonathan W. Davis stated that women with children seem to gravitate toward prescription medications as their drugs of choice.

"You can't justify meth, but people taking prescription drugs tend not to think it's a problem. It doesn't eat up your face and rot your teeth," he said. "But it certainly is a problem. It's easy to obtain and highly addictive. It's not just the typical drug users abusing. It crosses all strata and all ages."

(Source: www.codyenterprise.com)

Labels: addiction, prescription-drug-abuse, sedatives

Dr. Drew Pinsky, addiction specialist and television star, commented this week that pain medication likely led to the recent death of Adam Goldstein (known as DJ AM).

Goldstein, a former drug addict who promoted sober living, was found dead in his apartment at the end of August. A crack pipe and prescription pills were found in his Manhattan residence. Goldstein was 36 years old.

Although Goldstein was prescribed the medication for legitimate reasons -- he sustained serious injuries in a plane crash two years earlier that required two skin graft surgeries -- the drugs probably triggered the addictive behaviors that he previously conquered.

Pinsky commented on the effects of pain medication on a former addict: "It very slowly and subtly reawakens addiction. I'm not saying it was inappropriately prescribed, I'm saying he didn't know the risks."

(Source: Associated Press)

Labels: addiction, drug-abuse, painkillers

A 30-year-old woman who abused painkillers while pregnant and passed her addiction to her unborn daughter pleaded guilty to a charge of cruelty this week.

Anahit Dufrene of Houma, La., was arrested after doctors at Leonard J. Chabert Medical Center reported to law enforcement officers that her newborn girl was suffering from withdrawal symptoms.

Dufrene's now 7-month-old daughter has been undergoing addiction treatment since birth. Dufrene's other two children have been placed in the custody of her husband's parents.

"A mother needs to be punished rather severely for making this choice for the child, who couldn't make the choice on its own," said Jason Lyons, a Terrebonne Parish assistant district attorney. "There is no crime that specifically mentions a mother who gives birth to a child who is addicted. It fits under the cruelty statute."

Dufrene may be sentenced to spend up to 10 years in jail.

(Source: www.wwltv.com)

Labels: addiction, painkillers, substance abuse

According to a story appearing this week in The New York Times, addiction experts are testing the use of heroin to treat heroin addicts who are unresponsive to other treatment methods. The study is the first rigorous test of the new approach performed in North America. The results are appearing in the current issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

In the study, researchers in Canada recruited 225 long-term heroin addicts who had failed to improve using other treatment methods, including methadone maintenance therapy. The researchers randomly assigned about half of the addicts to methadone treatment and the other half to receive daily injections of diacetylmorphine (the active ingredient in heroin).

After one year, 88 percent of those who received injections were still in the study and two-thirds of those had significantly reduced their heroin use and use of other illicit drugs. Of those in the methadone group, however, only 54 percent were still in the study and 48 percent had curbed their drug use.

Methadone has long been considered the best chemical treatment for heroin addiction because it is a chemical cousin of heroin that prevents withdrawal but does not produce the same high. Dr. Joshua Boverman, a psychiatrist at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, comments on the results of the study and the reason why methadone does not appear to work as well as heroin in the treatment of heroin addiction: "It showed that heroin works better than methadone in this population of users, and patients will be more willing to take it ... [perhaps the biggest weakness of methadone treatment is that] many patients don't want to take it; they just don't like it."

(Source: www.nytimes.com)

Labels: addiction, heroin, methadone, treatment

Afghanistan supplies over 90 percent of the world's opium and now the people of Afghanistan, including large numbers of women and children, are being crushed by a tsunami of opium addiction.

Experts estimate that there are around 2 million opium addicts in Afghanistan. In poverty-stricken areas, it is not uncommon for mothers to give their children opium. Opium suppresses hunger pains and relieves the biting cold of winter.

Although some families are lucky enough to receive addiction treatment, chronic poverty and suffering and easy access to opium draws them back into using. Dr. Toorpaikay Zazai, who runs a family treatment center where she treats more than 100 children in west Kabul, says children get addicted quicker and it's harder for them to quit.

"For every addicted mother, there are on average four addicted children," she said. "If something isn't done today, the country will lose a generation to drugs."

(Source: CBSnews.com)

Labels: addiction, drug-abuse, opium

A new study involving an unlikely creature -- the zebrafish -- has shown that genes involved in brain reward processes and adult neuron formation may be involved in drug addiction.

German and Dutch researchers compared gene expressions in normal and mutant zebrafish who had and had not been exposed to amphetamines. They found that 139 genetic transcripts were expressed differentially between wild type zebrafish and mutant fish that don't respond to the drug. This allowed researchers to identify a dominant mutation that renders zebrafish indifferent to amphetamines.

Katherine Webb, a neurogenetics researcher at the German Research Center for Environmental Health and the study's lead author, commented on the study's goal: "Because a major step in the development of addiction is the switch from drug use to drug abuse ... we aimed to gain insight into the mechanisms triggering the initiation of addictive behavior."

The study results are available online through Genome Biology.

(Source: www.genomeweb.com)

Labels: addiction, brain_chemistry, drug-abuse

A new study involving an unlikely creature -- the zebrafish -- has shown that genes involved in brain reward processes and adult neuron formation may be involved in drug addiction.

German and Dutch researchers compared gene expressions in normal and mutant zebrafish who had and had not been exposed to amphetamines. They found that 139 genetic transcripts were expressed differentially between wild type zebrafish and mutant fish that don’t respond to the drug. This allowed researchers to identify a dominant mutation that renders zebrafish indifferent to amphetamines.

Katherine Webb, a neurogenetics researcher at the German Research Center for Environmental Health and the study's lead author, commented on the study's goal: "Because a major step in the development of addiction is the switch from drug use to drug abuse ... we aimed to gain insight into the mechanisms triggering the initiation of addictive behavior."

The study results are available online through Genome Biology.

(Source: www.genomeweb.com)

Labels: addiction, brain_chemistry, drug-abuse

Use of illegal narcotics in Mexico has increased by nearly 30 percent over the last five years, and the number of addicts has increase by 100 percent since 2002.

Experts worry that Mexico is ill-equipped to handle the implications of this increase in drug abuse, with an already weak infrastructure and struggling economy. Only about 100 competent drug abuse treatment centers exist in the country, although the government hopes to increase the number to 1,000 by the year's end.

In addition, Mexican President Felipe Calderon is considering signing a bill, already passed by Congress, to decriminalize drug possession. Although the bill is intended to free law enforcement agents to focus on drug dealers and traffickers, some experts worry that the bill could cause a further spike in drug consumption.

(Source: Newsweek.com)

Labels: addiction, drug-abuse, trafficking

A unique women's self-help group is celebrating its 10-year anniversary. The Mom Off Meth group first met 10 years ago. Since then, chapters of the group have been established across the state of Iowa, and the program has helped hundreds of women turn their lives around. The meetings are open to any woman with an addiction, and meetings focus on replacing regret and shame with support.

According to member Lisa Gray, the group has simple ground rules: "No shaming, blaming, or hating." Lisa, age 37, is recovering from years of crack cocaine addiction. Her addiction cost her dearly -- her two youngest children were taken away. But she has now been sober for almost two years with the support of the group.

Lisa now has a job, a home and a relationship with her oldest child, but says that recovery is still a daily commitment: "At first I was doing it for my children because I wanted my children back, but now it's for me. It's one day at a time, that's all you can do is take it one day at a time."

(Source: www.wowt.com)

Labels: addiction, methamphetamines, recovery

Prescription drug abuse is on the rise in Ohio, according to a report released this week by the Ohio Substance Abuse Monitoring Network. The report, called "Surveillance of Drug Trends in the State of Ohio," noted an increase in the abuse of prescription medication such as Vicodin and OxyContin, and a slight decrease in the use of cocaine and methamphetamines.

The report includes data from June 2008 to January 2009, collected in eight metropolitan areas. Report authors interviewed drug users, treatment professionals, police and crime lab officials to obtain information useful to the development of addiction prevention, treatment and recovery programs.

(Source: www.limiohio.com)

Labels: addiction, OxyContin, prescription-drug-abuse, recovery, Vicodin

The drummer for the world-famous rock band Aerosmith is releasing a new book about his struggles with addiction and depression. Joey Kramer's book, HIT HARD: A Story of Hitting Rock Bottom at the Top, recalls his battles with drug use, alcohol abuse, depression, and other self-destructive habits.

Word of Joey's troubles first reached the media and fans in 1997 during Aerosmith's sold-out world tour. A member of the band since it was founded in 1970, Kramer had experienced all the highs and lows of a rock-star lifestyle. He relates in the introduction to his book how he finally arrived at the beginning of recovery:

"I'd played my drums in front of eighty thousand screaming fans and passed out in my own puke. I'd toured in private jets, rode in limos. I also lived in rat-infested, shithole apartments, got caught in a burning car where I sustained third-degree burns all over my body, racked up hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt, and watched my father die a slow, agonizing death. But I had never felt anything like this depression that brought me to Steps. This time, there was only me and my pain, and I didn't see any way out."

(Sources: examiner.com, amazon.com)

Labels: addiction, depression

Researchers at Canada's University of British Columbia (UBC) have designed the first ever laboratory experiment that successfully models human gambling behaviors.

Researchers followed the habits of 32 rats over six months to test new treatments for gambling addiction. Researchers placed rats in chambers for half an hour every day. The rats would poke their noses into four holes, each leading to a different quantity of sweet pellets.

Catharine Winstanley, an assistant professor in UBC's Department of Psychology and study author, commented on the motivation for the study: "For most people, gambling is a harmless recreational activity, but for some it becomes a maladaptive obsession similar to drug addiction. We hope to find treatments to offer people who have this problem. This study is the first in hopefully many studies that looks at the biological basis of gambling."

(Source: www.canada.com)

Labels: addiction, gambling

Far from the big city, in the rolling farm county of rural Pennsylvania, residents are struggling with heroin addiction. This week, several community organizations hosted an informational session on the dangers of heroin, including a discussion of how accessible heroin has become in rural areas of the United States.

The informational session included a screening of a video titled "Heroin: Lives Forever Changed." A local couple, Kathy and Denzel Morgan, are featured in the video. The Morgans know firsthand about the deadly grip of heroin addiction. They lost their son, Jeremy, to a heroin overdose.

Jeremy attended the University of Pittsburgh and earned a degree in finance. It wasn't until he was starting a successful career as a financial analyst that he began using drugs. Jeremy was introduced to heroin by friends, and his parents tried to help him recover, accompanying him to inpatient and outpatient drug treatment programs.

Jeremy died from a heroin overdose in 2007 at the age of 29. Jeremy's story counters cultural stereotypes about heroin users.

Armstrong County District Attorney, Scott Andreassi, comments on the new face of heroin addiction, saying, "The classic junkie stereotypes that we used to know are right out the window. There's nothing, no income section that drugs -- especially heroin -- hasn't affected."

(Source: www.pittsburghlive.com)

Labels: addiction, drug-abuse, heroin

A former professional football player, Philadelphia Eagles defensive lineman Sam Rayburn, may be nearing the end of a long struggle with painkiller addiction, according to an article appearing in the Philadelphia Inquirer this week.

Rayburn first began using painkillers from 2003 to 2006 while he was still playing football professionally, to help with his recovery from playing injuries. Rayburn often sought out painkillers on his own to deal with injuries he didn't want his coach or trainers to worry or know about. However, his use of prescription substances quickly grew into an addiction.

As his habit got out of control, he started taking more drastic measures. He admits stealing a doctor's prescription pad to forge prescriptions for Percocet and Lortab. He began taking medications in excessive amounts. Rayburn recalls, "Especially toward the end, when I was taking obscene amounts, I was hiding it from everybody -- I was even hiding it from myself."

On March 19, 2009, two local associates of Rayburn's tried to fill prescriptions that Rayburn had forged. The men were both arrested and charged with felony counts of attempting to obtain a controlled substance by forgery. Rayburn admitted responsibility for the incident, and said he requested the prescriptions. Rayburn was also arrested and spent 45 days in a drug rehabilitation facility.

After reaching a high of 100 pills per day earlier this year, he has been clean for 80 days.

Labels: addiction, painkillers, prescription-drug-abuse

According to a new government study released this week, Hawaii has one of the nation's highest rates of alcohol addiction, but has the lowest rate of any state for drug dependence.

According to the study, more than 4 percent of Hawaii residents over the age of 12 are addicted to alcohol. Only Montana and the District of Columbia had higher rates of alcohol addiction, and the national average is 3.4 percent.

By contrast, only 1.4 percent of Hawaiians reported drug dependence -- the lowest of any state and well below the national average of 1.9 percent. The study was conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration, an agency of the U.S. Health and Human Services Department.

(Source: www.starbulletin.com)

Labels: addiction, alcohol, drugs

The National Partnership on Alcohol Misuse and Crime (NPAMC), a body that contains representatives from more than 50 federal agencies, is meeting in Washington, D.C., this week to evaluate addiction treatment as a component of new justice programs.

NPAMC is a public-private partnership that brings together stakeholders on the issue of alcohol misuse and crime. The partnership works to effectively change the way the U.S. justice system manages and rehabilitates alcohol-involved offenders. The one-day conference will focus on the vital role of addiction treatment in the management of alcohol-involved offenders.

NPAMC President and Founder Stephen Talpins, a former national policy director for Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and a former DUI prosecutor for the Miami-Dade County State Attorney's Office, comments on the purpose of the partnership: "The justice system has been trying for decades to mitigate both the economic and public safety impact of alcohol misuse. Research is showing, time and again, that treatment-based programs for addicted offenders are, dollar for dollar, the most effective way to reduce the extraordinary burdens placed in justice agencies and to reduce the cycle of recidivism."

(Source: prnewswire.com)

Labels: addiction, alcoholism, treatment

Experts have known for a while that cheese, one of America's favorite foods, contains addictive opiates. In 1981, researchers at Wellcome Research Laboratories found traces of morphine in cow's milk. Further investigation revealed that cows actually produce morphine, codeine, and other opiates in their livers.

Milk contains a protein called casein that releases various opiates called casomorphins during digestion. Casomorphins can contain up to one-tenth the pain-killing power of morphine. The cheese-making process creates a much higher concentration of casein than the casein levels in milk. In addition, cheese contains an amphetamine-like chemical called phenylethylamine, which is also found in chocolate.

Significantly, cheese cravings, like opiate cravings, are reduced by the drug naloxone. Naloxone is a special narcotic used to reverse the effects of other narcotics, especially opiates.

Although knowledge of cheese's addictive properties has existed for several decades, the information has become especially pertinent in recent years, with the rise of obesity in the United States. Cheese consumption per person in the United States has tripled since 1975, from 11 pounds per year to 31 pounds per year and is expected to rise to 37 pounds by 2017. Since 1990, the average American has gained 13 pounds.

Both the federal government and cheese producers promote cheese consumption. In a 2000 USDA report to Congress on dairy promotion programs, the agency reported partnering with cheese makers to encourage fast food restaurants to increase the use of cheese in their foods. Currently, as a result of these efforts, Domino's Pizza is launching a new line of pizzas that uses 40 percent more cheese.

(Source: www.examiner.com)

Labels: addiction, codeine, morphine, opiates

Drugs approved for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer may help fight alcohol addiction, according to new research from the University of California, San Francisco.

The drugs, which inhibit a receptor for the Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF), have been shown to cause rats to spontaneously consume less alcohol when it was freely available to them, while their consumption of sugar water remained the same. In addition, flies and mice treated with this class of drugs grew more sensitive to alcohol.

(Source: www.sciencedaily.com)

Labels: addiction, alcohol, treatment

The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy has a new director, Gil Kerlikowske. Mr. Kerlikowske wants to end references to a "war on drugs" and focus on drug addiction as a public health concern.

Mr. Kerlikowske commented to the Wall Street Journal last week, "Regardless of how you try to explain to people it's a 'war on drugs' or a 'war on a product,' people see a war as a war on them."

Mr. Kerlikowske's vision may take some time to implement, however, as the analogy of a "war" is entrenched in drug policy lingo and communications. Last week, Attorney General Eric H. Solder, Jr., spoke to the House Judiciary Committee of "targeting" cartels and "deploying" federal agents to the Southwestern border.

(Source: www.washingtonpost.com)

Labels: addiction, drugs

A 50-patient pilot study recently published in the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment indicated that participants who received addiction treatment online were more satisfied with their overall treatment, compared to participants who received counseling in traditional group sessions.

Officials commented, "An individual's pathway to recovery can be varied. There are some who will flourish with online counseling and others will need the face-to-face."

Individuals receiving online counseling were also more likely to "attend" counseling sessions. Online patients attended 92 percent of their scheduled sessions, while those in traditional treatment attended 76 percent.

(Source: www.explorebaltimorecounty.com)

Labels: addiction, treatment

The National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) has developed a new set of online tools for physicians to use when screening patients for tobacco, alcohol, illicit drug and nonmedical prescription drug use.

One online screening tool is designed for use during routine office visits. The tool provides a set of questions designed to determine the frequency of use of an array of substances, including tobacco, alcohol, sedatives and prescription opioids.

NIDA Director Nora Volkow, MD, commented on the need for such tools, "Many patients do not discuss drug use with their physicians, and do not receive treatment even when their drug abuse escalates ... [these tools enable the physician to be] the first line of defense against substance abuse and addiction."

(Source: www.ama-assn.org)

Labels: addiction, alcohol, prescription-drug-abuse, tobacco

According to an article appearing in the National Law Journal, lawyer assistance programs in several states are seeing a significant increase in cases -- twice as many in California and Illinois, and similar increases in New York and North Carolina.

Many of the attorneys seeking assistance are dealing with serious personal problems such as depression and addiction to substances. Officials from the assistance programs believe that increased stress due to a poor economy may be the key factor.

(Source: www.abajournal.com)

Labels: addiction, depression

In this month's Ladies Home Journal, singer, dancer and "American Idol" judge Paula Abdul talks about her 12-year addiction to painkillers and how she recently kicked the habit.

Abdul admitted being suicidal and said that withdrawal from the painkillers was "the worst thing. I was freezing cold, then sweating hot, then chattering and in so much pain. It was excruciating. But at my very core, I did not like existing the way I had been."

Abdul first started using painkillers to manage chronic severe pain -- the result of years of cheerleading and dancing as well as a 1992 auto crash and a 1993 plane crash. Paula's recovery from the plane crash involved 15 spinal surgeries and a diagnosis of sympathetic dystrophy syndrome. The illness gave her disabling pain, chattering teach and skin lesions.

(Source: www.foxnews.com)

Labels: addiction, painkillers

A new study indicates that recovering addicts, even those who have been abstinent for a long period of time, may be vulnerable to relapse because of memories of prior drug use. Experts are in the process of developing a drug that may ease the strength of memory associations for addicts and help them create new associations which are less likely to lead to relapse.

M. Foster Olive, Ph.D., co-author and senior investigator, explains the study: "In this study, we found that after repeatedly giving cocaine injections to rats within a particular environment, the rats developed a strong preference for that environment over another environment where a placebo was given. Next, we treated the animals with an experimental drug called CDPPB, and found that it decreased the rats' preference for the cocaine-associated environment during subsequent tests."

(Source: www.sciencedaily.com)

Labels: addiction, recovery, relapse

Researchers from Boston Medical Center (BMC) have found that medical training lacks sufficient education on addiction, which is resulting in suboptimal medical care for individuals with addictive behaviors.

The researchers found that a CRIT (Chief Resident Immersion Training program) in addiction is an effective way to disseminate needed information to medical staff. The chief resident takes information from this program and teaches it to residents through a "train-the-trainer" model.

Lead author of the study, Daniel P. Alford, MD, MPH, FACP, Associate Professor of Medicine at Boston University School of Medicine and director of Chief Resident Immersion Training in the Addiction Medicine Section of General Internal Medicine at BMC, commented: "Training chief residents who have a primary responsibility for educating medical trainees, appears to be one important pragmatic strategy to address the compelling need for better physician training in the identification and management of patients with addiction. This program effectively transferred evidence-based addiction knowledge and practice to 64 chief residents in generalist disciplines and more importantly, enhanced the addiction curriculum in 47 residency programs."

(Source: sciencedaily.com)

Labels: addiction

A $4.4 billion budget shortfall in Oregon is forcing all state departments to cut back by about 30 percent. The Department of Health has named treatment for gambling addiction as one of the programs that may fall victim to these cuts.

The suggestion has caused controversy among Oregon residents, however. Michele Tantriella-Modell, an addiction counselor in Eugene, Ore., commented, "I believe it's the state's responsibility, if they're going to sell and promote gambling, that they provide prevention and treatment for those folks it affects."

Currently, Oregon state law requires that 1 percent of the net proceeds from the Oregon Lottery go to a problem gambling fund; this provision may not stand up to impending budget cuts.

(Source: www.kval.com)

Labels: addiction, gambling

A new study from Brown University indicates that nicotine is not only addictive, but it may also interfere with dozens of cellular interactions in the body. The study, which is published in the Journal of Proteone Research, shows that nicotine may affect the body more extensively than previously thought.

Nicotine appears to impact cell communication throughout the mammalian nervous system, and "opens several new lines of investigation" for possible treatments of smoking addiction and disease.

The study analyzed the cellular processes of brain tissue in mice. In particular, researchers studied a receptor (the alpha-7 receptor) in the brain where nicotine bonds with the surface of the cells when it enters the body. Researchers compared cellular processes in the brains of mice with the receptor and in mice without, and found that 55 different proteins interacted with the alpha-7 receptor. This finding indicates that the alpha-7 receptor may have many more functions in the body than previously known, and that the presence of nicotine may negatively affect each of these functions.

(Source: www.miller-mccune.com)

Labels: addiction, nicotine

April 8, 2009, marked the 91st birthday of former first lady Betty Ford. With the founding of the Betty Ford Center in 1982, Betty Ford made a groundbreaking contribution to the treatment of addiction for women. Betty had many roles in her lifetime: model, dancer, first lady, feminist, and cancer survivor. But it was her experience battling and surviving her own addictions that led to her most memorable venture.

In April 1978, the year that her husband lost the presidential election to democratic candidate Jimmy Carter, Betty began losing her battle against substance addiction. Her family staged an intervention, and she was admitted to the U.S. Naval Hospital in Long Beach, Calif., for chemical dependency. During her treatment at the hospital, she first saw the need for a detoxification and treatment center that would offer services for each gender separately. In 1982, Betty joined with her friend Ambassador Leonard Firestone to co-found the nonprofit center.

(Source: www.findingdulcinea.com)

Labels: addiction, rehab, treatment

Researchers at Rockefeller University have conducted a study with mice that indicates that Ritalin, a drug commonly prescribed to treat attention-deficit disorder (ADD/ADHD), may be addictive.

Study findings suggest that long-term exposure to the drug could induce addiction because “Methylphenidate [Ritalin] and cocaine have similar chemical structures and their pharmacological effects appear to be similar," said study author Yong Kim, a senior research associate at The Rockefeller University. Long-term exposure to the drug appears to cause changes in neuronal morphology (the shape of neurons) and brain chemistry in the same way that cocaine does.

(Source: www.forbes.com)

Labels: ADD, addiction, ADHD, ritalin

A new study says that the cooling flavor of menthol cigarettes makes them more addictive than other kinds of cigarettes, and therefore more dangerous.

Study author Kunal Gandhi, a researcher in the division of addiction psychiatry at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, commented in a news release issued by the school: "We previously found that menthol cigarette smokers take in more nicotine and carbon monoxide per cigarette. This study shows that menthol smokers also find it harder to quit, despite smoking fewer cigarettes per day."

The study examined 1,700 people attending a university-run tobacco addiction clinic. Jonathon Founds, director of the university's Tobacco Dependence Program, said of the study, "These results build on growing evidence suggesting that menthol is not a neutral flavoring in cigarettes. It masks the harshness of the nicotine and toxins, affects the way the cigarette is smoked, and makes it more deadly and addictive."

(Source: www.forbes.com)

Labels: addiction, cigarettes, tobacco

According to a new report from the University of Kentucky, 90 percent of the 1.4 million adolescents struggling with substance abuse do not get treatment, partly because not enough treatment programs are devoted to teens. The report was compiled by Hannah Knudsen, an assistant professor in the University of Kentucky Department of Behavioral Science and a researcher in the university's Center on Drug and Alcohol Research.

The report contained a random sampling of 154 programs. Knudsen looked at nine domains of quality. Overall, the cohort of programs received an average score. Addiction treatment services for teens in the Lexington, Kentucky area appear especially lacking. Of the 38 programs in the area, only six offer services for teens.

Knudsen commented, "One barrier has to do with the limited amount of funding that exists for substance abuse treatment. ... In addition, treating adolescents means that treatment programs need to find counselors with experience and training that helps them to work well with teenagers; that can also be a challenge." (Source: kykernel.com)

Labels: addiction, teenagers, treatment

A drug commonly prescribed to help with nausea is showing promise as a treatment for opioid addiction withdrawal. Scientists at Stanford University found that Zofran (ondansetron) prevents symptoms of withdrawal associated with drugs like heroin, morphine, and codeine, and that it does so without the drastic side effects of other medications that are currently used to treat these withdrawal symptoms. In a Stanford news release, Dr. Larry F. Chu, an assistant professor of anesthesia and lead author of the study, commented on the significance of the finding:

"Opioid abuse is rising at a faster rate than any other type of illicit drug use, yet only about a quarter of those dependent on opioids seek treatment. One barrier to treatment is that when you abruptly stop taking the drugs, there is a constellation of symptoms associated with withdrawal." (Source: www.forbes.com)

Labels: addiction, opiates, treatment

One year ago, Alicia Lannes, a 19-year-old from Fairfax Virginia, died of heroin overdose. Her death initiated a federal investigation into a heroin ring in Centreville, Virginia. Four young men, current and former students of a local high school, received sentences from four to 20 years for their involvement in the ring. Alicia's boyfriend was also charged with providing the heroin that killed her.

This week, Alicia's father, Greg Lannes, spoke out about heroin use in the suburban community, saying, "It's not some inner-city issue. ... We want the impact of our pain to be felt by the community."

Local police report that heroin use is a growing and unsettling trend among local high school students, many of them from privileged backgrounds. Fairfax County Police Commander Ron Lantz commented, "We're seeing kids on the honor roll, band students, kids in athletics and sports ... become involved in heroin." (Source: www.msnbc.msn.com)

Labels: addiction, heroin, teenagers

A new study says that the cooling flavor of menthol cigarettes makes them more addictive than other kinds of cigarettes, and therefore more dangerous. Study author Kunal Gandhi, a researcher in the division of addiction psychiatry at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, commented in a news release issued by the school: "We previously found that menthol cigarette smokers take in more nicotine and carbon monoxide per cigarette. This study shows that menthol smokers also find it harder to quit, despite smoking fewer cigarettes per day."

The study examined 1,700 people attending a university-run tobacco addiction clinic. Jonathon Founds, director of the university's Tobacco Dependence Program, said of the study, "These results build on growing evidence suggesting that menthol is not a neutral flavoring in cigarettes. It masks the harshness of the nicotine and toxins, affects the way the cigarette is smoked, and makes it more deadly and addictive." (Source: www.forbes.com)

Labels: addiction, cigarettes, smoking

According to a new report by the North Carolina Institute of Medicine, less than 10 percent of drug users and only 5 percent of alcoholics are getting the state-funded help they need. In addition, those who are receiving treatment are receiving services that are archaic and inadequate. More than 60 experts contributed to the highly critical report, including doctors, scientists, legislators, treatment program managers, and consumers of treatment services.

Legislators are wrestling with the report's hefty recommendation: that they spend more than $94 million on updating and expanding substance abuse services across the state. Senator Martin Nesbitt (Democrat) believes that legislators must consider the hidden costs of not spending money to enhance state-funded substance abuse treatment services. He says that the state economy currently loses more than $12 billion annually from the direct and indirect costs of substance abuse, including premature deaths, crime, traffic accidents, reduced productivity, unemployment, and other problems.

David Friedman, a Wake Forest University addiction expert, concurs with Nesbitt's opinion, stating, "You can cut back on treatment, but you end up paying in cops, hospitals, and broken families later on." (Source: www.newsobserver.com)

Labels: addiction, addicts, north-carolina

In the National Drug Threat Assessment 2005 Summary Report, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) states that although demand for heroin is markedly lower that for comparable illicit drugs (including cocaine, meth, and marijuana), the risks and outcomes associated with heroin abuse are so severe that it continues to represent a substantial threat.

Heroin is the most widely used opiate (drugs derived from opium). The report also indicates that demand for heroin has remained fairly stable over the past few years, ever since a significant increase in demand in the late 1990s. However, data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health indicates a recent increase in the number of current heroin users.

According to the 2006 Treatment Episode Data Set, collected by the states and reported to the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services administration, the percentage of people admitted to drug rehab programs with a primary addiction to heroin has remained stable over the past decade. Heroin addicts tend to seek treatment after using for several years. This is a factor that makes it extremely difficult to treat heroin addicts.

The most recent national Survey on Drug Use and Health (2006) indicates that the number of current heroin users (those who have used within the past 30 days) increased from approximately 136,000 in 2005 to 338,000 in 2006. The prevalence rate for use increased from 0.06% to 0.14%. The survey supports the assertion by the Department of Justice that demand for heroin is relatively low.

By comparison, the survey reported much higher numbers for current users of other drugs: 14.8 million for marijuana, 5.2 million for prescription pain medicine, and 2.4 million for cocaine. Only PCP (approximately 100,000) and LSD (fewer than 100,000) showed lower numbers of users than heroin. According to the survey, a relatively low number of people (approximately 91,000) first tried heroin in the past year, and the mean age for first use was relatively high (20.7 years). By comparison, approximately 2.1 million people first tried marijuana in the last year, and the mean age for use was 17.4.

Although heroin users account for only a small percentage of drug users in the United States (less than 2%), they consistently comprise a notable segment of those admitted to drug treatment programs. According to 2006 TEDS data, the percentage of people admitted to substance abuse programs with a primary addiction to heroin has remained stable over the past decade. Between 1995 and 2005, heroin admissions comprised 14-15% of all admissions to public substance abuse treatment facilities. According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 446,000 people reported receiving treatment for substance abuse in the past year, compared to 1.2 million for marijuana.

The TEDS data also indicates that heroin addicts tend to use for many years before seeking treatment. Users who inject heroin abuse the drug for an average of 12 years before seeking treatment, and users who snort heroin abuse the drug for an average of 11 years before seeking treatment. Because heroin addiction is usually obtained at a later age than most other illicit drugs, users wait so long to seek treatment, a high percentage of heroin addicts are intravenous users, and because heroin is one of the most potent illicit substances, heroin addicts usually arrive in treatment with serious health problems and are typically more difficult to treat than other addicts. According to TEDS data, approximately 64% of current heroin users are intravenous users.

Long-term intravenous drug use, in particular, carries serious health risks. Intravenous drug users are exposed to and contract diseases such as HIV, Hepatitis C, and bacterial pneumonia at significantly higher rates than other segments of the general population. In 1999, the National Institute on Drug Abuse reported that 36% of new Hepatitis C infections in the past year were related to intravenous drug use.

Labels: addiction, opiates

According to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), "doctor shopping" is one of the primary ways that addicts obtain prescription drugs for non-medical use. "Doctor shopping" refers to when an individual visits several different doctors to obtain prescriptions for the same medications, and then has the prescriptions filled at different pharmacies. This allows the individual to obtain more of the prescribed substance than any one physician or pharmacist would allow. Legally, doctor shopping is not a minor matter; it is prosecuted as a felony and is punishable by up to five years in prison.

At a 2006 hearing, a high-ranking official from the DEA testified before the House Government Reform Committee Subcommittee on Criminal Justice, Drug Policy, and Human Resources regarding current efforts to address prescription drug abuse in the United States. According to Mr. Rannazzisi's testimony, doctor shopping is a growing problem in this country and is a primary means for addicts to obtain prescription medication for illicit use. Mr. Rannazzisi referred to prescription drug abuse as an "epidemic."

Other illegal activities associated with doctor shopping may include the forgery of prescriptions or the sale or transfer of the drug to others. To address this situation, PDMPs (prescription drug monitoring programs) are being introduced in many states. These programs are designed to allow physicians and pharmacists to cross-check prescriptions with each other and identify individuals who may be doctor shopping.

Abuse of prescribed medicines often begins with legitimate use. Because of this, individuals who otherwise would not abuse substances find themselves addicted when it is already too late. They begin doctor shopping to feed their addiction, but rationalize this behavior as being necessary to manage the pain and maintain the façade of being in control. Pain medication, prescribed for a variety of common reasons, including back pain or surgery, caesarian sections, or even dental procedures, carries the highest risk for dependence.

One Ohio mom recently posted her story on a public message board. She related having had three back surgeries and a herniated disk in her neck. She started on pain medication after her daughter was born by C-section. Soon, the medication from her pain management physician wasn't enough. She went to see another physician, and then another.

She was finally caught when a doctor's office, where she had called to schedule an appointment, asked for her social security number. Apparently, the office participated in a PDMP and had access to a list of all the physicians and pharmacies she had used. The office contacted her husband and provided him with a copy of the list. Now she is enrolled in a treatment program.

This story is typical of many pain medication abusers – middle- and upper-class individuals who lead otherwise respectable lives.

In 2006, one of the most famous doctor shopping and prescription drug abuse stories came to light. Conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh turned himself in to Palm Beach authorities for doctor shopping. From 1998 to 2006, Limbaugh obtained massive amounts of the painkiller OxyContin, both through multiple prescriptions from different health care providers and through illegal channels. Limbaugh began taking painkillers in the late 1990s after an unsuccessful back surgery. By the time he turned himself in to police, he was rumored to be taking up to 30 pills per day. His drug abuse was severe enough to damage his hearing.

According to a 2004 statement from the White House's Drug Czar John Walter, "The non-medical use of prescription drugs has become an increasingly widespread and serious problem in this country; one that calls for immediate action. The Federal government is embarking on a comprehensive effort to ensure that potentially addictive medications are dispensed and used safely and effectively."

A study completed by the Boston University School of Medicine in 2006 reported that more than 10 million Americans are taking opioid medications to treat pain, and more than 40% of those use potent painkillers on a regular basis. The study consisted of random telephone surveys of 19,000 adults from 1998 through 2006. With such a jump in use and abuse of pain medication by Americans, it's no surprise that associated behaviors such as doctor shopping and prescription fraud are also on the rise.

Labels: addiction, medication

By Linda Hepler

Many people think that addiction is a problem primarily among the young, but elderly individuals are not immune to drug dependence. In fact, older people are especially vulnerable to addiction, as they consume a third of all prescription drugs ordered in the United States.

There are many reasons that older persons become addicted to medications. One cause is that doctors often prescribe medications such as tranquilizers in doses that are too high for an older person who doesn't metabolize drugs as efficiently as a young patient would. Also, some older patients have several doctors (for example, a regular physician plus a variety of specialists) and may ask all of them for the same or similar prescriptions.

Many drugs that older people commonly use, such as tranquilizers and sleeping pills, are meant for short term use - but elderly persons may have difficulty stopping a medication that helps them to sleep better or feel calmer. Over time they become dependent upon the medication. They may be unaware of their addiction, or simply too ashamed to admit it.

Elderly people can become addicted to alcohol, too, even if they've never been heavy drinkers in the past. Retirement and subsequent boredom, grief over a spouse's death, a change of social status, or lack of social structure may result in an escalation from social drinking into an addictive problem.

Of particular concern is the potentially lethal habit of some seniors to combine their medications with alcohol.

Labels: addiction

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

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

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

Many people who struggle with drug abuse and addiction use, "I'm not affecting anyone but myself" as justification for their actions. But nothing could be further from the truth. Friends and family members of addicts are not just affected, but often deeply wounded by an addict's actions. It's easy for an addict to ignore the effects addiction has on his family and friends because they are primarily emotional and mental.

Some friends and family members may feel guilty. They think they should be able to do something to make the addict quit, or wonder if they've done something to actually cause their loved one's substance abuse. They think if they loved the person enough, or in the right way, the addiction would never have happened.

Family members who live with the person battling addiction are most strongly affected, especially if the addict has been confronted and has denied having a problem. This can cause the entire family to go into a "conspiracy of silence," in which everybody knows the addict is in trouble but no one talks about it. It causes a tremendous amount of stress and makes healthy relationships between family members all but impossible.

Trust is often broken between an addict and her family and friends. A person who's addicted to drugs or alcohol will lie about what they're doing (or how much), and may resort to stealing in order to fund the addiction. If school or job performance begins to suffer, the addict's family may cover for her, especially if a family member struggles with co-dependency. Someone who is co-dependent will try to help the addict by continuing to make excuses - to themselves, the addict, the addict's employer, and other friends and family members.

When an addict refuses to get help, friends and family members are put in the unfair position of trying to offer the help needed for a loved one to get clean. Friends and family can become almost obsessive - looking for any sign of use - and over time, all mental and emotional attention is focused on the addict.

If the addiction goes on long enough, the effects may become physical as well. Not only does physical abuse sometimes occur, but the family begins to shift their entire routine to fit - and possibly cover for - the addict. A child may take on the responsibility of paying bills and managing money, or a parent may finish homework assignments. If the addict gets into legal trouble, family members may cover the expenses, such as posting bail, paying court and attorney's fees, and restitution costs.

All of these steps that friends and family members take to protect their loved one are done out of concern and love. But the clinical name for it is "enabling," and all it really does is allow the addict to continue to spiral out of control while simultaneously putting tremendous emotional and mental strain on the people trying to help.

If the addictive behavior goes on long enough, the worry and anxiety felt by friends and family will give way to anger. Resentment begins to build toward the addict because he is either unaware of the damage he's causing in other people's lives or simply doesn't care. Resentment builds when friends and family realize that they've bent their whole life's activities around helping and covering for someone who doesn't appear to care.

Addiction affects everyone who knows and cares about the addict. If the addictive behavior goes on long enough, damage to relationships may be irreparable. Though friends and family might try to tell themselves that everything will work out, or that things aren't really that bad, the truth is that addictive behavior only gets worse until someone intervenes or the addict hits "rock bottom."

If you know someone who struggles with substance abuse or addiction, don't wait until she has lost jobs, material possessions, or significant relationships. Try to get them the help they need now.

If you're someone who struggles with addiction, know that you're hurting not only yourself but the people you cherish most. Recovery isn't easy, but the alternative is far worse. Please make an effort to get the help you need.

Labels: addiction

Although it’s clear that addiction to alcohol is largely physiological, there is also an emotional or psychological component. Very often, a heavy drinker has trouble coping with stress or negative feelings and finds that alcohol use relieves tension and anxiety. This can result in escalated use of alcohol, and ultimately physiological dependence.

Once addicted, a person’s cravings for alcohol result in predictable behaviors, such as:

A preoccupation with figuring out how to get and use alcohol

Withdrawal from former (non-drinking) friends and exclusive association with people who have similar drinking habits

Loss of interest in activities or hobbies that used to be enjoyed

Secrecy and withdrawal from family members, or hiding alcohol

Anger, anxiety, or depression regarding alcohol use or alcohol-associated problems

Blaming others for one’s problems

Anti-social behavior, such as fighting, theft, or absenteeism

Mood swings

Failed attempts to quit drinking

Successful treatment for alcohol addiction addresses both the physiological and psychological components of the problem.

Labels: addiction, signs