Young adults who have used cannabis or marijuana for a longer period of time appear more likely to have hallucinations or delusions or to meet criteria for psychosis, according to a report posted online today that will appear in the May print issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. Previous studies have identified an association between cannabis use and psychosis, accordi ...

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center hope they have begun paving a new pathway in the fight against drug dependence. Their hypothesis – that increasing the normally occurring process of making nerve cells might prevent addiction – is based on a rodent study demonstrating that blocking new growth of specific brain nerve cells increases vulnerability for cocaine addiction and relapse. The study's fin ...

Studies of alcohol use and cognition among the elderly are rare and have mixed results. A study of drinking among the elderly in Brazil has found that heavy alcohol use is associated with more memory and cognitive problems than mild-to-moderate alcohol use, especially among women. Mild-to-moderate alcohol use was associated with lower cognitive disorder rates than no alcohol use, also among women. Results w ...

An old wives tale regarding drunk persons "sobering up" through coffee and other stimulate drinks appears to have been dispelled. People who drink alcohol should know that coffee will not sober them up, according to new laboratory research. Instead, a cup of coffee may make it harder for people to realize they are drunk. What is more, popular caffeinated "alcohol-energy" drinks do not neutralize alcohol int ...

Adolescence is a period of significant developmental change when health patterns are being established. Decisions that youths make about tobacco, alcohol, and drug use can have both immediate and long-term health consequences for themselves, their families, and their communities. Adolescents' attitudes about the risks associated with substance use are often closely related to their substance use, with an in ...

Changing the words used to describe someone struggling with alcoholism or drug addiction may significantly alter the attitudes of healthcare professionals, even those who specialize in addiction treatment. Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers have found that health professionals' answers to survey questions about a hypothetical patient varied depending on whether he was described as a "substance ...

Methamphetamine use among teens appears to have dropped significantly in recent years according to NIDA's annual Monitoring the Future (MTF) survey that was released at a news conference at the National Press Club in Washington. However, the survey also reported that declines in marijuana use have stalled and that prescription drug abuse remains high. The Monitoring the Future survey is a series of classroo ...

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism's "Rethinking Drinking: Alcohol and Your Health" is a wonderful online evidenced-based resource for clinicians who work with persons with drinking problems. This website is somewhat unique in that it does not promote abstinence, though abstinence is one treatment option discussed. A downloadable PDF e-book that is suitable for patient handout is also av ...

This review covers an open access article* that investigates prevalence rates of adult non-medical (illicit) methamphetamine use. Check the end of this post for a link to download a free PD of the original journal article. This is truly a sad topic because chronic methamphetamine use can lead to not only major physical health problems, but also to psychosis, suicide, violent behavior, sexual promiscuity, an ...