Addiction

Marijuana use may be associated with an increased risk of developing a prescription opioid use disorder, according to new research published in the American Journal of Psychiatry. "The idea that marijuana could help curb the opioid epidemic, which has received...

New research has found evidence that female adolescents with ADHD are at heightened risk for nicotine addiction. "Because ADHD and substance abuse are more common in males than in females, many conclusions regarding risk for smoking among those with ADHD...

New neuroimaging research provides evidence that pornography use may be problematic for some people and resemble an addictive behavior. The findings were published in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology. "Before I dedicated myself to science I was working as a cognitive-behavioral therapist...

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) can improve cognitive function and reduce cravings in people addicted to methamphetamine, according to a study recently published in Drug and Alcohol Dependence. Methamphetamine is a strong stimulant of the central nervous system that is used...

New research indicates that alcohol use can affect how the brain processes information. The study, published in the journal Addictive Behaviors, found that alcohol-related images and words were processed more efficiently by people with a history of binge drinking. "Previous...

Faith in a higher power appears to have less of an influence on substance use and abuse than previously believed, according to a new study. Many substance abuse programs, including Alcoholics Anonymous, include religious or spiritual elements. Some past research...

Heroin use is associated with excessive histone acetylation, an epigenetic process that regulates gene expression, and more years of drug use correlate with higher levels of hyperacetylation, according to research conducted at The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai...

The hypocretin/orexin (HCRT) system of the brain is best known for promoting wakefulness and appetite. A new paper in Biological Psychiatry suggests that blocking hypocretin signaling via the HCRT-1 receptor (HCRT-R1) might also reduce the appetite for cocaine. The study,...

Are e-cigarettes a gateway product that lead more people, especially teens, to smoke regular cigarettes? No, according to public health researchers from the University at Buffalo and the University of Michigan writing in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence. "The...

More than two in five people receiving buprenorphine, a drug commonly used to treat opioid addiction, are also given prescriptions for other opioid painkillers - and two-thirds are prescribed opioids after their treatment is complete, a new Johns Hopkins Bloomberg...

There's an idea out there of what a drug-addled teen is supposed to look like: impulsive, unconscientious, smart, perhaps - but not the most engaged. While personality traits like that could signal danger, not every adolescent who fits that description...

Cocaine addiction may affect how the body processes iron, leading to a build-up of the mineral in the brain, according to new research from the University of Cambridge. The study, published today in Translational Psychiatry, raises hopes that there may...

Cocaine is one of the most addictive substances known to man, and for good reason: By acting on levels of the "feel-good" chemical dopamine, it produces a tremendous sensation of euphoria. Now the laboratory of Rockefeller University Professor and Nobel...