This week we’re hearing all kinds of reports about addiction in places and populations where we wouldn’t usually think to look for it. If you find yourself thinking that drug addiction is limited to undisciplined American kids, check out these stories: This tale of drug abuse — a 24-year-old addicted to Tramadol to escape his … Continued
This week, researchers in Indianapolis are using mathematical models to deepen our understanding of how the brain reacts to long-term substance use: “[T]he introduction and restriction of drugs over time caused neurons to lose their ability to engage supervisory control over brain function and behavior.” This slightly graphic, creatively-worded article tells about a new strategy … Continued
In a lot of ways addiction is similar to most other fields of medicine, but there’s one aspect of the job I didn’t anticipate when I started: I spend a very large part of my day badmouthing other doctors. It’s not an intentional thing; I have no grudge or problem with any other physician. And … Continued
This week the news is full of firsthand accounts of addiction from celebrities of all sorts. Matthew Perry, now working with addiction recovery programs and hosting a halfway house for recovering addicts, calls himself an “award-winning alcoholic”. Lil Scrappy also discuss his addiction to marijuana, among other life events. And, in a new spin on … Continued
This morning I saw a link on Twitter that surprised and discomfited me. “Buprenorphine and methadone shown to be equally effective in prison study,” read the tweet, along with this link to a study performed on opiate-addicted inmates in English prisons. I was a bit skeptical, since it has been my overwhelming experience that buprenorphine … Continued
Starting things off on a sweet note: while “food addiction” remains more a useful analogy than a proven diagnosis, it seems that laboratory rats react similarly to high-fructose corn syrup and cocaine. Luckily, it appears researchers may be on the track of a molecule that can block the specific pathways involved in cocaine addiction. This … Continued
Last week I was sent the third part of this three-part series on addiction treatment centers in Florida and California, and specifically how they are almost entirely unregulated. This is completely absurd, and it goes to show just how far behind the medical community is in dealing with addiction the way it should be dealt … Continued
We’ve talked often before about how many people who addicted to drugs — especially legal prescription drugs — got that way through irresponsible or uninformed medical treatment. People who have suffered accidents or required surgery end up addicted to the medications they were told would make them better. That in itself is a travesty and … Continued
The FDA this week is making a move to reclassify drugs containing hydrocodone from Schedule III to Schedule II, meaning they are considered to have a greater potential for abuse and may become more difficult to obtain. Many are in favor of the change; others oppose it, saying “legitimate pain patients will suffer”. This is … Continued
This week, have a shot of alcohol-related science: A new study shows that in rats, social isolation is a risk factor for addiction to alcohol and drugs. This is probably a contributing factor to addiction among adolescents in unstable social situations. Raising and lowering legal drinking age limit laws has the expected short-term effects on … Continued