Opiate Addiction & Substance Abuse Articles

Binge Drinking: Too Often a Deadly "Game"
In recent national surveys about a third of high school seniors and 42 percent of college students reported at least one occasion of binge drinking within the previous 2 weeks. Alcohol poisoning – a severe and potentially fatal physical reaction to an alcohol overdose – is the most serious consequence of binge drinking.

Bipartisan Bond Over Addiction Recovery
Republican Rep. Jim Ramstad (R-Minn.) and Democrat Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.) come from different ends of the political spectrum but have forged a close personal bond because of their struggles with addiction and recovery, the New York Times reported Sept. 19.

Study Examines Alcohol Gene
Research from the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) has led to the discovery of another gene suspected of being linked to alcohol dependency.

Missouri Tobacco Tax Approved for November Ballot
A proposal to raise Missouri's tobacco tax and dedicate the proceeds to antismoking and other health programs has been approved by a state judge who said it should appear on the statewide ballot in November, the Springfield News-Leader reported Sept. 12.

N.J. Poised to Vote on Needle Bill
New Jersey is the only U.S. state that still bans the distribution of clean needles by government programs to prevent the spread of AIDS among drug users, but lawmakers may vote to change that next week, the New York Times reported Sept. 25.

Alcohol Researchers Identify a Genetic Basis of Pain Response
A common genetic variant influences individual responses and adaptation to pain and other stressful stimuli and may underlie vulnerability to many psychiatric and other complex diseases.

Meth-Lab Victories Prove Fleeting
MSNBC reported Sept. 18 that police in Georgia and elsewhere have been hit by a wave of imported, high-quality meth as drug cartels moved to fill the void in local markets after local labs shut down.

ADHD Students Prescribed Stimulant Medications Less Likely to Abuse Other Drugs
Students who take prescription stimulant medications to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) report relatively low rates of tobacco, alcohol, marijuana, and ecstasy use compared to students who illicitly use prescription stimulants, according to a recent study of Detroit middle and high school students.

Suicide Tied to Alcohol Intake
The more alcohol an individual drinks, the more the risk of suicide grows, according to a researcher at Canada's Center for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH).

Shame Becomes Potent Weapon in Fighting Drug Crime
Family and social pressure, not arrests, have been successful in fighting drug crime in one North Carolina community, the Wall Street Journal reported Sept. 27.