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UK Study Concludes Alcohol, Tobacco Addictions as Dangerous as Illicit Substances
A recent UK study has concluded that addictions to alcohol or tobacco are just as dangerous to a person’s health as addictions to illegal substances including heroine, cocaine, marijuana and ecstasy. The study does not advocate for any kinds of legal or illegal drugs, but rather puts alcohol and tobacco on par with other drugs…
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Illegal Drug Use in Germany, Russia Hits New Highs
Illegal drug use in both Germany and Russia have hit new heights according to different reporting agencies. In Germany, according to the National Treatment Agency, people receiving treatment for cannabis abuse has risen to 22,500 in the current year. In the prior year, 13,400 sought treatment, indicating an increase of 60-percent from last year to…
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Rep. Patrick Kennedy Names Oxycontin as Drug of Choice
Representative Patrick Kennedy (D – Rhode Island) has admitted to an Oxycontin addiction, which he sought treatment for after an auto accident outside the U. S. Capitol building last year that made national headlines. Kennedy checked himself into the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota in May 2006 after the crash for “addiction to painkillersâ€. At that…
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Addiction Parity Bill Before Congress
HBO producer Susan Froemke of the TV show “Addiction†interviewed Congressman Patrick Kennedy’s policy adviser Mike Zamore recently about a bill before Congress to provide parity in benefits for addiction treatment. The Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act amends and updates the Mental Health Parity Act of 1996 and hopes to end discriminatory…
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Half of College Students Binge Drink or Abuse Drugs
According to a study just released by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University (CASA), 3.8 million full-time college students (49-percent) binge drink or abuse drugs, both prescription and illicit. Of this number 22.9-percent meet the criteria for addiction. According to CASA chairman Joseph A. Califano, Jr. “It’s time to get…
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Afghanistan Exports 87-Percent of World Market of Heroin and Opium
As the war rages on in Iraq, the one in Afghanistan is often forgotten about. And, when the war in Afghanistan is remembered and talked about, the focus is on fighting Al Qaeda and the Taliban and not about fighting the outflow of the world’s largest supply of heroin and opium. To make matters worse,…
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Boston Celebrates St. Patrick’s Day with Drop in Heroin Use
With St. Patrick’s Day coming up, Boston has some good news. Addiction to heroin and Oxycontin have leveled off. Why is this good news around a drinking holiday in a city known for this celebration? Because heroin treatment admissions still account for more than those related to alcohol. And, more Bostonians die from drug and…
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Addiction Documentary Airs on HBO on March 15
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is presenting an HBO special titled “Addiction†on March 15, 2007 at 9 pm EST. The NIH’s two main arms, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), have collaborated with HBO to bring forward this documentary about addiction, a…
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NIDA Begins National Study of Painkiller Addiction
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) is conducting a large-scale, nationwide study on those who have an addiction to prescription pain medication. According to the NIDA, six million Americans in 2005 said that they used prescription drugs in a nonmedical manner within the past month. The nonmedical use of prescription pain medication has for…
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Huffing or Inhalant Abuse Rises 44-percent in Two Years
A two year old study by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America says that huffing, or inhalant abuse is up 44-percent over the two prior years among sixth graders. Inhaling aerosol sprays, rubber cement, rubbing alcohol, glue, permanent markers, paint, butane, correction fluid, gasoline, Freon, Dust-Off, whipped cream and nail polish are just a few…
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New Research Study Points to Brain Addiction Vulnerability
In the United Kingdom, University of Cambridge researchers have discovered that those who lack the neurotransmitter dopamine, at the top of the brain stem, are predisposed to compulsive behavior including drug addiction. The study conducted with rats and cocaine made a link between impulsive and compulsive behavior. Â Positron emission tomography (PET) scans were used on…
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Addiction Blog: The Beginning
Welcome to the first post in the Addiction Blog. We have moved the news items found in the Drug and Alcohol Alerts section of the website to this blog so that we can not only bring you news, but also opinion, interviews and factual information that does not easily fit within the confines of the…