A Look Inside the 3 Stages of Addiction
Thanks to a growing body of research, addiction is now understood as an acquired disease of the brain. But it’s a finding that many still have trouble wrapping their minds around.
Tag Archives: addiction research
Is Internet Addiction a Comorbid Disorder?
Internet addiction is a commonly used term for an unofficially defined form of non-substance-based behavioral addiction that centers on a personally and socially damaging pattern of Internet use. A comorbid disorder is a condition that appears at the same time as one or more additional health problems and contributes to a disproportionate worsening of general […]
Open Payments Website Shows Billions in Payments to Doctors
Do drug companies have your doctor on the payroll? More than half a million American doctors and nearly 1,360 teaching hospitals were paid $3.5 billion over five months last year by pharmaceutical and medical device companies, a new federal website has revealed. Some of the companies are among the bigger makers of prescription opiates that […]
Obsessive Tanning Is a Real Addiction
Excessive tanning, obsessive tanning, tanorexia, tanning addiction, whatever you call it, tanning too frequently and for too long is dangerous. Intentionally exposing your skin to ultraviolet (UV) light, either under the sun or in a tanning bed, doesn’t just cause you to wrinkle prematurely, it causes cancer. This comes as no surprise to most people. […]
Genetics of Addiction: Wired for Drugs
Researchers have found that about half of the variation in how likely we are to become addicted is based on our genetics. For those who have never experienced addiction first hand, it can be easy to blame it on a lack of willpower. If addicts can see the damage they are doing to themselves and […]
The Skinny on Cocaine: Why Drug Causes Weight Loss May Surprise You
There is a widespread assumption that cocaine use suppresses one’s appetite and thereby contributes to weight loss, and that during withdrawal, the “rebound” from this effect leads to rapid weight gain. However, new research from the University of Cambridge has provided evidence against this assumption, and while the overall effect is essentially the same, the […]
The Insidious Connection Between Substance Abuse and Stress
Stress is a normal and inevitable part of life. We all experience situations or emotions that activate stress responses. Sometimes stress is relatively mild, such as becoming tangled in traffic before an appointment. Other times it’s severe and prolonged, such as the stress experienced by victims of ongoing emotional, physical, or sexual abuse. While we […]
Experiment on Twins Finds Pre-Teen Years Key in Preventing Drug Abuse
Researchers have known for some time that people who display impulsive behaviors and focus on short-term rewards have significantly higher chances of becoming substance abusers than those who control their short-term impulses and focus on long-term rewards. Teenagers exhibit this tendency just as much as adults, if not more so. Current evidence indicates that both […]
What are Evidence-Based Practices?
Determining the best way to treat drug addiction is a contentious issue in the field. There are a wide range of competing theories, and different drug rehabilitation centers often have preferred approaches. There is some notable criticism, however, because there is thought to be a rift between the day to day practice of treating addiction […]
Addictive Personality
Addiction stems from a complicated blend of psychological, social and physiological factors. But is there a recipe for addiction? Are some of us doomed to predispositions toward addiction? While some experts say that addiction is far more complex than a list of personality traits, most agree that there are commonalities worth mentioning.
Elements Behavioral Health Hosts Symposium Exploring Process Addictions in Dallas
On July 27, 2012, Elements Behavioral Health will host a symposium in Dallas featuring leading process addiction experts Robert Weiss, LCSW, CSAT-S, Carolyn Coker Ross, MD, MPH, and Jack Kuo, MD.
Changes in the DSM Stir Up Controversy
Diagnosing an individual with a substance use problem involves following criteria provided by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) of Mental Disorders. The current manual is the 4th edition, but work is being completed now to publish the new manual, due out in 2013. With each new edition, physicians and other mental health experts have […]
Avoiding Substitute Addictions
Battling an addiction, whether to drugs, alcohol, or anything else, is a tough road to travel. It will probably be the most difficult thing you do, but also one of the most important. Unfortunately, too many people who are trying to recover from addiction either fail or transfer their compulsive behaviors to something else. If […]
New Phobia Emphasizes Role That Cellphones Play in Our Lives
Does the thought of not having your cell phone close by cause anxiety? Do you constantly check your phone or worry about its whereabouts? If so, you may be suffering from Nomophobia, cites a new study on the subject.
Male Flies Who Can’t Find Mates Become Bar Flies
Male fruit flies unable to find sexual partners increase their intake of alcohol, according to a new study from the University of California, San Francisco. Sexual deprivation but not social isolation caused them to consume more alcohol.
Researchers Identify Four Different Types of Compulsive Gamblers
To effectively reach through to pathological gamblers, clinicians may need to customize treatment strategies for patients that meet their specific therapeutic needs.
Higher Percentage of Drinkers Across American Ethnic Groups
Greater proportions of white, African American, and Hispanic drinkers have emerged since the early 1990s, a new study finds. Researchers at the University of Texas’s Department of Public Health and affiliates discovered that the number of both male and female drinkers of white, African American, and Hispanic backgrounds had risen from 1992 to 2002, but […]
Substantial Increase in Death Rates from Alcohol-Related Diseases in the U.K.
A new study has found that there has been a substantial increase in death rates from alcohol-related diseases in socioeconomically deprived areas of England and Wales. Researchers at the University of Sheffield published the findings in the journal BMC Public Health.
Study Finds Non-Smokers Put on Less Weight
A new study links nicotine poisoning with weight gain, and concludes that active smokers, not only those who stop, put on more weight than non-smokers. After four years of analysis in the University of Navarra, those who put on least weight were those who had never smoked.
Problem Drinking Patterns: Data across Seven Years
Understanding relapse patterns is a critical component to helping individuals overcome an alcohol use disorder. To understand relapse patterns, more must be examined. The behavior patterns of problem drinkers and whether they are able to ease in and out of problem drinking behaviors is important for improving treatment for alcohol use disorders.
Study Examines Potential to Control Drug Dependence
For the millions of individuals who fight drug dependence every day, not all of them set out to develop a drug problem. Those who are desperate to find relief may benefit from work done by researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center.
Study Examines Power of Labels When Encouraging Addiction Treatment
A new approach to treatment may involve changing the associated lingo. According to Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers, the attitudes of health care professionals toward those with alcoholism or drug addicts could be altered with changing words.
Patterns of Alcohol Consumption for those with Alcohol Use Disorder
Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) can look different for different people. The behaviors and risks associated can vary greatly, and it can be hard to understand how to intervene and educate regarding such a varied condition. A recent study examined how AUD changes over time. In 2008, Dawson, Stinson, Chou and Grant looked at the associations […]
Drunken Fruit Flies Provide Insight into Alcohol Tolerance
Fruit flies are more than just the pesky bugs that appear in later summer and seem to want to swarm your kitchen. Now, researchers at North Carolina State and Boston universities are using these pests to identify entire networks of genes – which are also present in humans – that play a vital role in […]