Addictions Archives

Virtual Reality Helps Addicts Prepare for Cravings - April 29, 2008

Can resisting temptation in the virtual world help addicts say no in reality? University of Houston Associate Professor of Social Work Patrick Bordnick is has alcohol-dependent individuals donning virtual reality helmets to answer this question. So far, the answer appears...
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PsychBriefs: October 21-27, 2007 - October 26, 2007

Scientists Identify Drug-Craving Region of Brain Chilean researchers have identified a region of the brain called the insular cortex, or insula, as being central to amphetamine addiction in rats. This region of the brain was found to be tied not...
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PsychBriefs: September 30-October 6, 2007 - October 5, 2007

More Evidence for Influence of Cinematic Smoking A study of 1,528 adults age 18 to 25 highlights the impact of on-screen smoking on young adults. Comparing subjects' exposure to smoking in films over the past 30 days to rates of...
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Research Identifies Natural Treatments for ADHD, Compulsive Gambling - September 12, 2007

Findings to be published in the journal Nutritional Neuroscience report that an extract from French maritime pine trees called Pycnogenol may help ease the symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The study examined 57 Slovakian children with ADHD. Forty-one...
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What Brain Scans Reveal About Love - February 14, 2007

The Wall Street Journal has published an interesting article discussing the chemical basis of love. In the lab it seems falling in love is a lot like addiction--and heartbreak isn't too different from obsessive-compulsive disorder. Read more: Is It Love...
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Rehab Redux - February 12, 2007

There's a lot going on in the world of the addiction rehabilititation these days, Lindsay Lohan news aside. In "Rehab Reality Check," Newsweek reports on competing strategies in the imperfect science of addiction treatment and a forthcoming paradigm shift in...
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The New Addiction That's Probably in Your Purse - January 30, 2007

Anyone who's endured the oblivious cell phone user yapping through movies, train rides or even library visits won't be surprised to find that certain folks may be so attached to their phone that personal relationships and obligations may suffer. Now,...
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Research Locates Seat of Smoking Addiction - January 25, 2007

The insula, the same region of the brain recently shown to prevent overspending, is now being linked to vice rather than virtue. Research published in tomorrow's issue of Science shows that smokers with lesions in this area of the brain...
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Article: Online Games and Addiction - November 30, 2006

Online role-playing games such as EverQuest and World of Warcraft which allow users to take part in a continuing fantasy drama with thousands of players from all over the world are now being called the cause of failing marriages, lost...
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Poor Perceptions About Sleep May Lead Alcoholics to Relapse - November 27, 2006

Inaccurate perceptions about sleep quality can have troubling effects on recovering alcoholics, a University of Michigan study has found. Monitoring a group of such patients, researchers found that they tended to overestimate how long it took for them to fall...
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26 Genes Linked to Alcoholism, Other Addictions - October 31, 2006

A genome analysis funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism has identified 188 genetic variants, most of which occur within 26 genes, as being associated with alcoholism. Of those thought...
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Early Alcohol Abuse Leads to More Severe Dependency - October 30, 2006

A study funded by National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism published in Pediatrics shows that individuals who become alcohol-dependent at younger ages experience stronger symptoms of dependency. Researchers interviewed more than 4500 people who had been alcohol dependent at...
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Mental Illness May Keep Pregnant Women Smoking - October 12, 2006

A study of 744 low-income women published in the American Journal of Public Health shows that women who continue to smoke during pregnancy are more likely to suffer from psychiatric disorders such as anxiety disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or...
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LSD: A Far Out Treatment for Alcoholism? - October 6, 2006

Erika Dyck, a Canadian history of medicine professor, has unearthed research from the 1950s and 1960s showing the results of a group of Canadian psychologists' experiments using the drug LSD to treat alcoholism. Noting that the symptoms of delirium tremens,...
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Pill-popping Up as Other Drugs Wane Among Teens - October 6, 2006

A survey of California high school and middle school students reveals that 15 percent of 11th graders, 9 percent of ninth graders and 4 percent of seventh graders have abused prescription drugs, replacing inhalants as the third most abused drug...
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Influx of Boomer Addicts Enter Nursing Homes - October 5, 2006

As the Woodstock generation ages, older adults struggling with chemical dependency in addition to medical issues are becoming more and more common in nursing homes, leaving many facilities struggling for resources even as state legislatures expand funding for treatment programs...
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Majority of Repeat DUI Offenders Suffer From Mental Illness - September 23, 2006

A study of repeat DUI offenders published in the September edition of Journal of Studies on Alcohol has shown that more than half of DUI offenders suffer from one or more mental disorders. Participants in the study had been convicted...
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Study Finds Nicotine Withdrawal Starts Within First Half-Hour - August 22, 2006

A study published in Psychopharmacology has shown that increased nicotine cravings in smokers begin with in thirty minutes after smoking the last cigarette. The study divided 50 pack-a-day smokers into two groups, the first of which was allowed to smoke...
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