The National Drug Early Warning System to report trends in synthetic drug use
Warnings regarding national health risks, such as those caused by synthetic drugs and potential outbreaks due to injected drug use and unsafe sex, have been provided via statistical health reports from the Community Epidemiology Work Group (CEWG) since 1976. These services have been a valuable resource to addiction experts...
Studies correlate cannabis use with symptoms of mania and psychosis
According to recent studies, prolonged use of cannabis can increase the risk of developing psychotic symptoms demonstrated in people with schizophrenia and bipolar disorders. Certain theorists state that tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) induces symptoms of psychosis in people that would otherwise be perfectly healthy. THC also acts as a catalyst, as...
New study finds clonidine and buprenorphine useful in opioid withdrawal
Opiate dependence is a major public health concern associated with deadly diseases, homelessness, crime and death. “It is estimated that between 26.4 million and 36 million people abuse opioids worldwide, with an estimated 2.1 million people in the United States suffering from substance use disorders related to prescription opioid...
Social conditioning and Generation Y
An important factor to consider when determining how to decrease the amount of drug and alcohol use among young people is to focus some attention on what they’re being taught through mainstream media. To understand what Generation Y is being sold to believe, what they’re reading and what they’re...
The two sides to benzodiazepines: understanding their use and the risk of addiction
Many times when people have sleeping disorders or anxiety, they’ll consider using a tranquilizer to calm down. Tranquilizers are normally benzodiazepines and include various types including Valium or Xanax which are some of the most prominent medications prescribed in the United States for anxiety, insomnia, alcohol withdrawal, muscle relaxation...
Alcohol addiction in women
For women, having a single glass of wine after a tough workday and becoming dependent on liquor to the point that it’s necessary to drink in order to engage in everyday activities are two completely different situations. According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, one alcoholic beverage a day...
The link between abuse and addiction in women
The link between trauma due to histories of suffering from violence and/or addiction to drugs or alcohol is often overlooked and unrecognized in the medical community for women as much as men. Studies show that 55 to 99 percent of women with co-occurring disorders experienced some degree of trauma...
How alcohol addiction is defined by the American Psychological Association
Getting help for a drinking problem can be incredibly intimidating. For some people, heavy drinking might lead to a chronic condition that could lead them to the depths of homelessness, diseases such as cirrhosis and cancer or even death. Abusers of alcohol may not be aware of the negative...
The dangers alcohol poses to the brain
When a person picks up a drink, they are usually not thinking about how that drink is going to affect their brain or what mistakes they swore wouldn’t happen again which that next drink could would lead them to make. “Losing one’s inhibitions” is a state of consciousness in...
Main causes of hepatitis C
Chronic alcoholism and intravenous drug injections are both major causes of hepatitis C (HCV). In 2012, an estimated 21,870 cases of acute hepatitis C virus infections were reported in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.