Posted on Jun 20, 2013
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)
A new report from researchers at the Drexel University School of Public Health identifies patterns in the misuse of illicit drugs among young adults who also misuse prescription drugs. The report, “Misuse of Prescription and Illicit Drugs among High-Risk Adults” in Los Angeles and New York, was recently published in the first issue of the Journal of Public Health Research.
This is the first report to compare patterns of prescription and illicit drug misuse among high-risk young adults who are already misusing prescription drugs. Dr. Stephen Lankenau, associate professor at Drexel and principal investigator, and colleagues, suggest that drug treatment providers should be aware of this pattern of drug use to treat their clients more effectively.
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Prescription And Illicit Drug Misuse In High-Risk Populations
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Read the full post (257 words, 3 images, estimated 1:02 mins reading time)A new report from researchers at the Drexel University School of Public Health identifies patterns in the...
Posted on Jun 19, 2013
Pharmacophore model of the benzodiazepine binding site on the GABAA receptor. White sticks = carbon atoms of diazepam, green = carbon atoms of CGS-9896, red = oxygen, blue = nitrogen. The H1 and H2/A3 are presumed hydrogen bond donating and accepting sites respectively in the receptor. L1, L2, and L3 represent lipophilic binding sites. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The results from comparative analysis of this population demonstrate the risk of developing dementia increased by 50% for subjects who consumed benzodiazepines during the follow-up period, compared with those who had never used benzodiazepines. Although this study does not confirm a cause and effect relationship, as is the case for all epidemiological research, the researchers recommend increased vigilance when using these molecules, which remain useful in the treatment of insomnia and anxiety in elderly patients.
The results from comparative analysis of this population demonstrate the risk of developing dementia...
Posted on Jun 17, 2013
A new study finds prescription painkiller abuse jumped 75 percent between 2002 and 2010. Men and adults ages 26 to 49 were most likely to abuse prescription painkillers.
Bloomberg News reports the study is the first to examine who is likely to abuse prescription painkillers, and how often it occurs. The study found more than 15,000 people overdosed on painkillers and died in 2009—more than double the number in 2002.
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Prescription Painkiller Abuse Jumped 75 Percent From 2002 to 2010
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Read the full post (316 words, 3 images, estimated 1:16 mins reading time)A new study finds prescription painkiller abuse jumped 75 percent between 2002 and 2010. Men and adults ages...
Posted on Jun 16, 2013
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One in 10 children in the United States are living with a mother or father who has an alcohol problem and many reside with two parents who are afflicted, a government report said Thursday.
According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) 7.5 million children — about 10.5 percent of the US population under age 18 — live with a parent who suffered an alcohol use disorder.
Some 6.1 million children live in two-parent households where one or both parents suffered from alcohol abuse. The remaining 1.4 million lived in a single-parent home where the adult had a drinking problem.
One in 10 children in the United States are living with a mother or father who has an alcohol problem and...
Posted on Jun 15, 2013
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Rates of alcohol-related hospital admissions are due to rise to 1.5m per year by the end of this parliament if the Government does not invest in alcohol services, according to a report published today.
Over a million hospital admissions per year are currently caused by excessive drinking, with the total cost to the NHS expected to rise to £3.7Bn if no further action is taken to arrest this increase. Hospital admissions for alcohol misuse stood at half a million in 2002 and have doubled, now costing the NHS £2.7Bn every year.
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Hospital admissions for alcohol due to rise to 1.5m per year by 2015
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Read the full post (651 words, 2 images, estimated 2:36 mins reading time)Rates of alcohol-related hospital admissions are due to rise to 1.5m per year by the end of this parliament...
Posted on Jun 14, 2013
English: Pre-war Bayer heroin bottle, originally containing 5 grams of Heroin substance. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
New data from the University of Washington’s Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute indicates increases in heroin availability, abuse and deaths across the state, particularly among young adults ages 18-29. These increases are concerning because of the high risks of overdose and contracting infectious diseases associated with heroin use.
Police drug evidence testing, particularly in 2011 and 2012, points to dramatic increases in heroin. The largest increases were outside of metropolitan areas; the number of pieces of police evidence positive for heroin totaled 842 in 2007 and increased to 2,251in 2012 statewide.
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Heroin Availability Increasing Across Washington State
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Read the full post (443 words, 2 images, estimated 1:46 mins reading time)New data from the University of Washington’s Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute indicates increases in...
Posted on Jun 14, 2013
Gunboat Smith (LOC) (Photo credit: The Library of Congress)
Moderate exercise may help people cope with anxiety and emotional stress for an extended period of time post-workout, according to a study by kinesiology researchers in the University of Maryland School of Public Health published in the journal Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise.
“While it is well-known that exercise improves mood, among other benefits, not as much is known about the potency of exercise’s impact on emotional state and whether these positive effects endure when we’re faced with everyday stressors once we leave the gym,” explains J. Carson Smith, assistant professor in the Department of Kinesiology. “We found that exercise helps to buffer the effects of emotional exposure. If you exercise, you’ll not only reduce your anxiety, but you’ll be better able to maintain that reduced anxiety when confronted with emotional events.”
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Exercise May Protect Against Future Emotional Stress
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Read the full post (589 words, 4 images, estimated 2:21 mins reading time)Moderate exercise may help people cope with anxiety and emotional stress for an extended period of time...
Posted on Jun 13, 2013
infant (Photo credit: soupboy)
MANATEE — On any given day, more than one-third of the babies in the neonatal intensive care unit at Manatee Memorial Hospital have been exposed to drugs.
Their mothers have passed the curse of substance abuse to their newborns.
In their cribs, the infants suffer from withdrawal.
They shake with jitters, they cry inconsolably. They fight skin rashes, vomiting and diarrhea.The number of newborns in Manatee County hospitals experiencing drug withdrawal as a result of their mothers’ substance abuse rose from 2 to 27 during the years 2007-2010, an increase of 1,250 percent, according to the Manatee County Substance Abuse Coalition.
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Pill mills’ effects showing up in neonatal units, doctors say
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Read the full post (165 words, 2 images, estimated 40 secs reading time)MANATEE — On any given day, more than one-third of the babies in the neonatal intensive care unit at...
Posted on Jun 12, 2013
English: Relative risk of an accident based on blood alcohol levels. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Maybe better call that cab, after all: A new University of Florida study found that 35 percent of designated drivers had quaffed alcohol and most had blood-alcohol levels high enough to impair their driving.
Adam Barry, an assistant professor of health education and behavior at UF, and his team interviewed and breath-tested more than 1,000 bar patrons in the downtown restaurant and bar district of a major university town in the Southeast. Of the designated drivers who had consumed alcohol, half recorded a blood-alcohol level higher than .05 percent — a recently recommended new threshold for drunken driving.
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Designated Drivers Don’t Always Abstain: One in Three Are Impaired, Study Suggests
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Read the full post (547 words, 2 images, estimated 2:11 mins reading time)Maybe better call that cab, after all: A new University of Florida study found that 35 percent of designated...
Posted on Jun 11, 2013
Map of Maryland highlighting Baltimore County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
When state officials sent out a recent news release to detail their success providing 20,600 more Marylanders with drug and alcohol treatment, the description appeared vastly different than what some providers on the ground were saying.
The Baltimore Sun was already investigating a tip that three treatment centers in Baltimore County were closing their doors this summer and others were at risk. To find out how both scenarios could be true proved to be difficult and the explanation was complicated, but the human stakes involved were undeniably important.
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Growing treatment numbers clash with addiction center closures
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Read the full post (102 words, 2 images, estimated 24 secs reading time)When state officials sent out a recent news release to detail their success providing 20,600 more...
Posted on Jun 10, 2013
Prescription Pad (Photo credit: VCU Libraries)
A new study provides support for a bi-directional pathway between non-medical prescription opioid use and opioid-use disorder due to non-medical use and several mood anxiety disorders.
Individuals suffering from mood and anxiety disorders such as bipolar, panic disorder and major depressive disorder may be more likely to abuse opioids, according to a new study led by researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. They found that mood and anxiety disorders are highly associated with non-medical prescription opioid use. The results are featured in a recent issue of the Journal of Psychological Medicine.
A new study provides support for a bi-directional pathway between non-medical prescription opioid use and...
Posted on Jun 9, 2013
Angry Dog (Photo credit: Revolt! Puppy)
Anger is a powerful emotion with serious health consequences. A new study from Concordia University shows that for millions of individuals around the world who suffer from Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), anger is more than an emotion; it’s an agent that exacerbates their illness.
Concordia graduate student Sonya Deschênes investigated the subject after conducting a literature review for her PhD research, supervised by psychology professor Michel Dugas. While some of the studies she came across showed that anger and anxiety were linked, she noticed that this relationship was poorly understood. “This was surprising to me because irritability, which is part of the anger family, is a diagnostic feature of Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD),” she explains.
Anger is a powerful emotion with serious health consequences. A new study from Concordia University shows...
