Researchers at the University of Buffalo have been testing a novel compound that could be the first substance to successfully treat cocaine addiction. During animal testing, the compound RO5263397 appeared to block the desire for cocaine, helping rats kick the habit and also helping to keep them from relapsing.
Continue reading
Author Archives: Texas Drug Rehab
Helping Inmates With Addiction and Mental Illness
Leaders from the prison system, law enforcement and advocacy groups in Texas recently came together to discuss the important issue of dual-diagnosis inmates in state prisons with state legislators. Inmates in the Texas prison system who have been diagnosed as having a mental illness as well as a substance abuse disorder are more likely to re-offend and end up back in jail than their peers. Leaders in the state hope to reduce the rates of these people coming back to prison by better addressing their illnesses and providing more effective treatments.
Continue reading
Nonprofits and Communities Fight Back Against Addiction
Addiction is a disease that impacts so many people across the U.S. From the addicts themselves to the people around them, addiction hurts everyone, and local communities and nonprofit groups are working to help the addicts in their midst. In particular, groups are working toward reducing the epidemic of heroin addiction taking root around the country.
Continue reading
Mobile App is Helping Many to Stay Sober
There are apps that can help you do just about anything, from shopping to losing weight. A new study reports that an app is also successfully helping people who are in recovery from alcohol addiction stay sober.
Continue reading
Campaign Using Mug Shots to Show Effects of Drugs Over Time
This entry was posted in Drug Addiction on .
There are plenty of places people can go to get the numbers on drug addiction in America. But there is something about putting a face to problems which somehow makes it more real for us. A campaign called “More Than Meth: Faces of Drug Arrests” offers a visual history of individual drug addiction in an effort to convince drug users to ask for help sooner rather than later.
Continue reading
Could Craft Beer’s Popularity Lead to a Different Kind of Binge Drinker?
Beer chugging may be associated with fraternity and bachelor parties, but a surprising segment of the population is edging craft beer sales up. Soccer moms are among those that have developed a taste for craft brews.
Is Salvia Still Popular Among Teens?
Salvia
is the commonly used name for Salvia divinorum, a hallucinogenic plant species that grows naturally in southern regions of Mexico and can also grow when cultivated in controlled circumstances. Although references to this plant in mainstream culture are fairly uncommon, it ranks in the top 10 of the substances used by U.S. teenagers for recreational purposes. Researchers from the University of Michigan follow ongoing trends in teen salvia abuse through a project called Monitoring the Future. Current findings from this project indicate that adolescent use of the plant/drug dropped somewhat in 2013.
Continue reading
Age, Race, Job Status All Affect Chances for Drug Use
With the help of demographic information gathered from the annual National Survey on Drug Use and Health, the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration tracks the factors that help determine the chances that any American age 12 or older will develop a diagnosable case of substance abuse or substance addiction.
Continue reading
Has the FDA Increased Access to the Opioid Overdose Medication Naloxone?
Opioids are powerful medications and illegal drugs that strongly alter the normal function of the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord). People who take too much of one or more of these substances can develop a dangerous, potentially lethal problem called an opioid overdose. Public health officials know that prompt use of a medication called naloxone can steeply reduce the odds that an opioid overdose victim will die; however, until recently, access to this medication was largely limited to licensed physicians. In April 2014, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration simultaneously approved the sale of a naloxone-based product called Evzio and made this product available for use by people not trained as doctors.