Is Couple Therapy Better Than Individual Psychotherapy In Alcoholism?

Alcohol abuse serves as a chronic stressor between partners and has a deleterious effect on relationship functioning.

A Call To Combat Tobacco Smuggling

The UK government needs to increase its efforts in tackling the tobacco smuggling problem, according to a team of experts who authored an essay published on bmj.com. Tobacco smuggling is responsible for about 4,000 premature deaths every year in the UK - four times the number of deaths that are caused by using all other smuggled illegal drugs combined.

Experience, Science And The Drinking Age

Recently more than 100 college presidents surrendered their authority to do something meaningful about campus alcohol abuse by urging policymakers to lower the drinking age from 21 to 18. There has not been so great a "hand-washing" of a significant problem since Pontius Pilate! Thankfully, this group did not include University of Wyoming leadership. I have a unique perspective on this issue. I was a member of the Wyoming Legislature when it lowered the drinking age to 18 in 1973.

Trauma Surgeons Find A Significant Number Of Moped Crashes Involve Intoxicated Drivers

In a study presented at the 2008 Clinical Congress of the American College of Surgeons, trauma surgeons reported a high association between moped driver injuries and positive alcohol levels greater than 0.05 mg/dL. In fact, 39 percent of moped operators were driving under the influence of alcohol, which is more than one-and-a-half times more moped operators who were using alcohol and driving a motor vehicle than operators of motorcycles or automobiles, according to Ashley B.

The More Alcohol Your Drink The Smaller Your Brain Gets

The more alcohol an individual drinks, the smaller his or her total brain volume, according to a report in the October issue of Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. Brain volume decreases with age at an estimated rate of 1.9 percent per decade, accompanied by an increase in white matter lesions, according to background information in the article.

Strong Public Policy Measures On Alcohol Price And Availability Would Be More Effective Than Clinical Treatments, Say Experts

Three of Britain's leading experts in alcohol policy and treatments say that strong public policy measures on price and availability of alcohol would be far more successful than clinical treatments or current Government initiatives in reducing alcohol-related harm.

Resveratrol Prevents Fat Accumulation In Livers Of 'Alcoholic' Mice

The accumulation of fat in the liver as a result of chronic alcohol consumption could be prevented by consuming resveratrol, according to a new study with mice. The research found that resveratrol reduced the amount of fat produced in the liver of mice fed alcohol and, at the same time, increased the rate at which fat within the liver is broken down. Chronic alcohol consumption causes fat to accumulate and can lead to liver diseases, including cirrhosis and fibrosis of the liver.

Does Alcohol Make Your Brain Smaller?

A new study published in the October issue of Archives of Neurology reports that people who drink more alcohol have smaller total brain volume. Every ten years of age yields an estimated 1.9% decrease in brain volume and an increase in white matter lesions. People who are developing dementia or problems with thinking, learning, and memory also tend to have lower brain volumes and larger white matter lesions.

Innovative Method Used To Better Analyze Multiple Genetic Factors

Could an aversion to bitter substances or an overall heightened sense of taste help protect some people from becoming addicted to nicotine? That's what researchers at UVA have found using an innovative new method they've developed to analyze the interactions of multiple genetic and environmental factors. Their findings one day may be key in identifying people at risk for nicotine dependence.

Adolescent Brain Function Adversely Affected By Marijuana Use

Brain imaging shows that the brains of teens that use marijuana are working harder than the brains of their peers who abstain from the drug. At the 2008 annual meeting of the American Academy of Pediatrics in Boston, Mass., Krista Lisdahl Medina, a University of Cincinnati assistant professor of psychology, presented collaborative research with Susan Tapert, associate professor of psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego. Medina's Oct.

Understanding Why Methamphetamine Is So Addictive And Damaging To The Brain

Using positron emission tomography (PET) to track tracer doses of methamphetamine in humans' brains, scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory find that the addictive and long-lasting effects of this increasingly prevalent drug can be explained in part by its pharmacokinetics - the rate at which it enters and clears the brain, and its distribution.

Historic Appeals Case Against The Tobacco Industry Positions Court To Decide On Key Tobacco Control Issues

Statement of the American Lung Association: Today, The U.S. Department of Justice and Public Health Intervenors, including the American Lung Association, presented oral arguments before the United States Court of Appeals in a landmark case against the tobacco industry.

Alcohol-related Admissions At London Hospital 'treble In Last Four Years'

The number of adult alcohol-related admissions to an inner London hospital has tripled in the last four years, new research shows. The three psychiatrists who carried out the study claim the results "raise concerns about the changing of the licensing laws". 1 Moreover, if this trend is repeated in other hospitals in the UK, they believe it will have "significant ramifications" on NHS resources.

Top Researchers To Explore Stress And Anxiety, Trauma, Poverty And Addiction - Seminar

Promising scientific investigations that might someday yield new strategies related to anxiety, addiction, trauma caused by war or natural disasters, and brain development among children growing up in poverty will be the focus of a seminar on "Science, Stress and Human Health." The 2008 Philip Hauge Abelson Advancing Science Seminar will take place Friday, 24 October at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), 12th and H Streets, N.W., Washington, D.C.

Injection Drug Use Threatens To Increase HIV/AIDS Rates In Cambodia, Official Says

An increase in injection drug use, which is being driven by an influx of low-cost methamphetamines, is contributing to rising HIV/AIDS rates in Cambodia, Lour Ramin, director-general of the National Authority for Combating Drugs, said Monday, the SAPA/Independent Online reports.

Avigen Initiates Opioid Withdrawal Trial In Partnership With NIDA, Columbia University And The New York State Psychiatric Institute

Avigen, Inc. (Nasdaq: AVGN), a biopharmaceutical company innovating therapeutics for neurological care, today announced the launch of an exploratory study of the company's pipeline product, AV411 (ibudilast), for the treatment of opioid withdrawal symptoms. The study is largely funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and will be run jointly by the New York State Psychiatric Institute (NYSPI) and Columbia University.

IDUs At High Risk Of HIV In Indonesia, Study Says

An Indonesian Ministry of Health study conducted in 2007 found that injection drug users are at the greatest risk of HIV in the country, with approximately 50% of the IDUs participating in the study living with the virus, the Jakarta Post reports.

Plans For Hispanic Substance Use Rehabilitation Center In Massachusetts Moving Forward

The Worcester Telegram & Gazette on Monday examined the development of a Hispanic substance use rehabilitation center to open in Worcester, Mass. The Hector E. Reyes House -- named after a longtime community activist who started numerous Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous groups for Hispanics -- will house 25 Hispanic males in need of substance use treatment.

Obese People's Brains Show Less Pleasure From Eating

New research from the US suggests that certain people may have a genetic predisposition to obesity because the reward centres in their brains respond sluggishly after eating, so to get more pleasure from eating they opt for foods denser in calories which makes them gain weight.

Treatment Alternative For Drug Offenders Has Had Mixed Success

The effectiveness of Proposition 36, a ballot measure approved by California voters in 2000 that offers treatment instead of incarceration for nonviolent drug offenders is being undermined by inadequate funding, participants dropping out of treatment, and increased arrests for drug and property crimes.

U.N. Calls On Indonesia To Expand Drug Treatment, Curb Spread Of HIV/AIDS In Prisons

United Nations officials on Thursday urged Indonesia to begin treating drug users like patients in need of clinical help and not criminals and increase the number of drug treatment facilities to curb the spread of HIV/AIDS in the country's prisons, the AP/Miami Herald reports.

Free Public Lecture On Teenage Drug Abuse In Northern Ireland

More teenagers in Northern Ireland are experimenting with illegal drugs at an earlier age than elsewhere in the UK, according to a new study. Youth experts and psychologists will meet at a free public lecture hosted by the NI Branch of The British Psychological Society in The Wellington Park Hotel, Malone Road, Belfast on Tuesday 21 October 2008 at 7.

Federal Anti-Drug Ad Campaign Didn't Work

New research finds that a national campaign's anti-drug TV ads failed to convince young children and teenagers to stay away from marijuana and actually might have encouraged some to try smoking pot. In their 1999 to 2004 incarnation, the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign's TV ads "either had no effects on kids or possibly had a boomerang effect," said Robert Hornik, lead author of a new study and professor of communication at the University of Pennsylvania. The U.

Lifetime Of Health Risk Created By Early Exposure To Drugs, Alcohol

People who began drinking and using marijuana regularly prior to their 15th birthday face a higher risk of early pregnancy, as well as a pattern of school failure, substance dependence, sexually-transmitted disease and criminal convictions that lasts into their 30s. A study published online by the journal Psychological Science has been able to sort out for the first time the difficult question of whether it's bad kids who do drugs, or doing drugs that makes kids bad.

Second-Hand Smoke May Trigger Nicotine Dependence Symptoms In Kids

Parents who smoke cigarettes around their kids in cars and homes beware - second-hand smoke may trigger symptoms of nicotine dependence in children. The findings are published in the September edition of the journal Addictive Behaviors in a joint study from nine Canadian institutions.

Increased Risk For Alcohol Problems In Adulthood When Alcohol Consumed Before 15 Years Of Age

It may seem like a minor point, but it matters when someone takes their first drink of alcohol relative to later development of alcohol problems. A new study of the relationship between age at first drink (AFD) and the risk of developing alcohol-use disorders (AUDs) during adulthood has found that the risk is greatest when AFD occurs before the age of 15.

Botswana, PSI Distribute 60M Condoms; PSI Plans Initiative To Curb Spread Of HIV, Alcohol Abuse

The government of Botswana, along with Population Services International, has distributed almost 60 million condoms in the country during the past two years in an attempt to scale up the fight against HIV/AIDS, Mmegi reports.

Don't Ask, Don't Tell Doesn't Work In Prenatal Care

While obstetrical care providers are doing a good job working with their patients on smoking cessation, they are not doing as well on abuse of other substances that can harm a woman's unborn baby. A new study appearing in the September 2008 issue of the journal Patient Education and Counseling reports that patients don't volunteer information about substance abuse unless specifically queried.

Pioneering Study Links Holiday Drug Taking To Acts Of Violence

A new study shows that high levels of drug and alcohol consumption are behind the growth in violence among young tourists. The research work, focusing on Mallorca and Ibiza, shows that 5% of tourists visiting these areas become involved in some kind of violence during their stay. Ecstasy was the only drug consumed that the scientists have not linked to violent acts.

Insomnia In Adolescence Linked To Depression And Substance Abuse During Adolescence And Young Adulthood

A study in the Oct. 1 issue of the journal Sleep shows that adolescent insomnia symptoms are associated with depression, suicide ideation and attempts, and the use of alcohol, cannabis and other drugs such as cocaine. Findings suggest that the presence of insomnia in adolescents increases the risk of developing mental health problems and also may increase the severity of these problems. Results indicate that adolescents who had symptoms of insomnia were 2.

Alcohol And Violence: Culture's Role

Countries with strict social rules and behavioral etiquette such as the United Kingdom may foster drinking cultures characterized by unruly or bad behavior, according to a new report on alcohol and violence released by International Center for Alcohol Policies (ICAP). The report lists 11 cultural features that may predict levels of violence such as homicide and spousal abuse.