Category: From Newswise – Addiction

Leading experts from across the world will join forces in the UK this week in a bid to confront the wide-reaching challenges and curb the devastating effects of gambling.

International researchers, regulators, treatment and support practitioners, policy experts, and people with lived experience are set to gather in Bristol on Thursday, 10 October, for the second annual International Interdisciplinary Colloquium of the Bristol Hub for Gambling Harms Research at the University of Bristol.

Amongst other topics, this year the interrelationship of gambling and sport – including football, cricket and eSports – comes under the spotlight, in the wake of new research by the University which exposed the huge surge of gambling marketing at the start of the Premier League football season.

Keynote speaker Professor Simon Chadwick, founder of The Future Sport Forum, works with sports clubs, including Manchester United, governing bodies such as the Union of European Football Associations (EUFA), and sponsors to positively influence commercial strategy and policy.

Prof Chadwick said: “The Bristol Hub for Gambling Harms Research International Colloquium has very rapidly established itself as an important place for people to meet and discuss one of society’s biggest current problems. Gambling harms constitute a major public health issue, as well a challenge for leaders, managers, and decision makers across multiple sectors. 

“One of these is sport, where sponsorships involving betting brands continue to grow in number. Though we are now seeing some moves to regulate this type of deal, there remains a whole host of issues that sport governors and national governments must get to grips with. I look forward to sharing possible ways to address some of these issues and hearing from other leading experts on this and a wider range of other key areas.”

Delegates will consider factors drawing people into harmful gambling, how this deepens socio-economic inequalities and what innovative interventions can help combat these trends. Illegal gambling, fraud, and cryptocurrency are among other hot topics to be examined by more than 150 attendees from countries, including the US, Namibia, Norway, and Gibraltar.

Although gambling operators are huge global enterprises, regulations are devolved to different countries and sometimes regions, making it hard to keep betting activity in check. This problem has been exacerbated by the surge in online platforms offering gambling services around the clock and across borders.

Keynote speaker Brianne Doura-Schawohl is spearheading international gambling policy change and has a proven track record of legislative progress in this field in the US and across the world. Brianne will present a high-level overview of recent US legislative undertakings, including the legalisation of sports betting nearly six years ago, and how one Supreme Court ruling has fundamentally changed the landscape nationwide.

Brianne said: “Gambling always has been, and will always be, pervasive and deeply rooted within our culture. However, the massive expansion has had unprecedented impacts, including profound and worrisome ramifications on public health. With a woefully inadequate system to address harmful gambling, I will highlight the desperately needed policies, both legislative and regulatory, that would better protect players and the public.

“I am honoured to be a part of this colloquium, which aims to increase awareness and evidence about this global health issue. It will be a great opportunity to learn from others through many robust conversations and presentations highlighting what more we can collectively do.”

People with first-hand experience of gambling harms will also be sharing their stories.

Royal Navy veteran, Matt Losing, who experienced years of gambling-related harms, now works as the Armed Forces project lead at Ara Recovery for All, which provides support and recovery services for those affected. After seven years in recovery personally, he now channels his energies into breaking the stigma and helping others, including offering gambling harms awareness training tailored for the Armed Forces community.

Mother-of-two Julie Martin coordinates peer aid aftercare at Betknowmore UK, which delivers education and support services. Three years ago her husband took his own life after decades of battling a gambling addiction which saw him lose everything.

She said: “More and more lives are tragically being lost to gambling. The industry has got to change now so others can be spared. We need urgent reform so advertising is more robustly regulated and there are effective restrictive measures on people’s gambling in place. Events like this conference are great to better understand the many related problems and consider possible ways to limit the risk and damage.”

In 2022 the University launched the Bristol Hub for Gambling Harms Research to lead pioneering multidisciplinary research into the wide-reaching effects of gambling harms.

The independent hub, funded by a grant of £4million from national charity GambleAware, facilitates world-leading research to improve understanding of gambling harm as a growing public health issue which needs greater scrutiny and regulation.

Prof Michele Acuto, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Global Engagement at the University of Bristol, said: “We are very proud of the pioneering work of the Bristol Hub for Gambling Harms Research, which unites leading experts in the field to advance our understanding of the complexity of gambling harms.

“Today’s event is an example of our collective endeavour to keep pushing for positive change, as part of the University’s mission to protect public health, overcome inequalities, and champion social justice.”

Newswise — People with alcohol use disorder (AUD) who are at risk of advanced liver disease are less likely to be referred for liver evaluation and care if they present primarily with alcohol-related mental health issues or a mental health diagnosis, according to a study of referral practices in Virginia’s largest health system. The findings point to the possibility of widespread missed opportunities for treating three conditions that commonly co-occur: AUD, mental health disorders, and liver disease. Recent years have seen notable increases in the USA in alcohol-related deaths, mental health disorders, and hospital admissions relating to alcohol use and concurrent mental health conditions. AUD is a significant cause of liver disease, and both addiction and co-occurring mental illness can be barriers to successful liver treatment. Integrating AUD treatment, mental health care, and hepatology (liver care) is necessary to improve outcomes, but data suggests this approach is not the norm. For the study in Alcohol: Clinical & Experimental Research, investigators evaluated which patients with excessive alcohol use and potentially advanced liver disease were referred to hepatology for evaluation and treatment.

Researchers worked with data representing 316 patients experiencing excessive alcohol use who were treated between 2013 and 2023. All the patients in the study had results from FIB-4—a blood test included in routine lab work—correlating to a high risk of advanced liver fibrosis. The researchers collected information on the participants’ demographics, alcohol-related hospital admissions, predicted mortality, referral patterns, and mental health diagnoses and hospitalizations. They used statistical analysis to explore factors associated with referral to hepatology.

Most patients were men, and the average age was 60. Six in 10 were Caucasian, and nearly 4 in 10 African American. Only 37% of patients with excessive alcohol use and a high risk of advanced liver disease were referred for liver care. Referrals to hepatology were associated with higher FIB-4 scores, more co-occurring health conditions, and hospitalization due to AUD-related liver issues or gastrointestinal concerns. Patients less likely to be referred for liver care included those admitted to the hospital for physical injury or alcohol-related mental health concerns, who presented with mental health disorders, or who were older. Of these, patients with depression or suicidal ideation were more frequently referred to hepatology than patients with other mental health diagnoses.

The study identified an opportunity to increase integration of care across specialties serving patients with alcohol-related liver disease and mental health conditions. People presenting with primarily mental health or addiction issues were especially unlikely to be referred for appropriate liver care. The findings highlight the need for healthcare providers to be educated about the importance of multispecialty care, including hepatology and GI referrals. Managing liver disease is necessary for reducing the risk of cirrhosis, cancer, and other conditions and for liver transplant evaluation. Similarly, early identification of AUD in patients with liver disease is essential for improving outcomes.

Referral to hepatology is lower in patients with excessive alcohol use who have mental health disorders despite a high FIB-4 index. K. Houston, S. Harris, A.Teklezghi, S. Silvey, A. D. Snyder, A. J. Arias, J. S. Bajaj.                                                                     

ACER-24-6074.R2

Newswise — Drug overdose is the leading cause of injury deaths in young adults in the United States, with fentanyl causing over 70,000 deaths annually.

Many people who use fentanyl become trapped in their addiction out of fear and a low tolerance for the withdrawal symptoms, which include muscle cramps, nausea, chills, sweats and intense cravings. 

They can’t stop using fentanyl, and they also have trouble starting either of the two medications, methadone and buprenorphine, that can dramatically reduce their risk of overdose death.

Research findings published Aug. 29 in Addiction Science & Clinical Practice may offer hope. A pilot study showed that a small amount of ketamine can reduce or eliminate the withdrawal symptoms associated with quitting fentanyl.

“The main takeaway is that we have found an easier way for people trapped in the grip of fentanyl addiction to get started in treatment,” said Dr. Lucinda Grande, a clinical assistant professor of family medicine at the University of Washington School of Medicine. She was the study’s lead author. 

“Methadone can be difficult to access due to strict federal regulations, and starting buprenorphine can cause severe withdrawal symptoms before those who start it become stabilized,” added study co-author Dr. Tom Hutch. He is the medical director of the opioid treatment program at We Care Daily Clinics in Auburn, Wash. “Ketamine, at an imperceptibly low dose, helps bridge that gap.” 

Over 14 months, Grande and colleagues in Auburn and Olympia prescribed ketamine to 37 fentanyl-addicted patients whose fear of withdrawal symptoms had deterred them from trying buprenorphine. Twenty-four patients actually tried the drug, and 16 completed the transition to buprenorphine. 

Most patients reported a reduction or elimination of withdrawal symptoms after each ketamine dose, the effect of which lasted for hours. Of the last 12 who completed the transition, 92% remained in treatment for at least 30 days.

Patients placed a ketamine lozenge or syrup under the tongue. The 16 mg dose is a small fraction of that typically used for anesthesia, the main clinical role of ketamine for 50 years, according to Grande. That dosage also is less than half of the smallest ketamine dose prescribed for depression treatment, an increasingly common use of this medication.

Researchers monitored patients daily or almost daily, and refined the treatment strategy based on patient response and prescriber experience.

Grande developed the concept after she learned that emergency-medicine physician and coauthor Dr. Andrew Herring of Oakland, California, used a higher, sedating dose of ketamine successfully in his emergency department to resolve a patient’s severe case of withdrawal from fentanyl addiction. 

Grande is a primary-care and addiction doctor in practice near Olympia who, in the past dozen years, has used low-dose ketamine to treat more than 600 patients for chronic pain and depression. 

Ketamine has gained prominence in the news since actor Matthew Perry of the sitcom “Friends” overdosed on the drug and drowned. Perry had undergone high-dose ketamine treatment for depression, news reports have suggested.

“Our study underscores the enormous potential of this medication for addressing important health problems such as depression, chronic pain and now fentanyl-use disorder,” said Grande. Ketamine’s positive attributes have been overshadowed by Perry’s death, she said.

Grande hopes this pilot study’s results will be confirmed by larger studies. “I am excited about these results,” she said. “This is a wonderful opportunity to save lives.”

Newswise — Combine cyberbullying, smartphone use, lack of sleep and poor mental health, and you have the perfect storm for a teenage meltdown.

Australian researchers have polled more than 50,000 primary and secondary school students aged 7-19 years about the link between their sleep and nighttime phone habits, experience of cyberbullying and stress levels.

Researchers from the Behaviour-Brain-Body Research Centre at the University of South Australia found that across all genders and age groups, phone use overnight not only robbed children of sleep, but it also had a negative impact on their mental health, especially among those who had been cyberbullied.

Whether one habit causes or stems from another is not crystal clear, but the study findings should send a clear signal to parents about the need to manage digital device use at home.

Approximately 66% of teenage girls and 58% of teenage boys (aged 12-19 years) reported being cyberbullied at least once in the preceding school term. Among the girls, 17% said they slept less than eight hours a night and the corresponding figure for the teenage boys was 13%.

Stress levels in the moderate-to-severe range were reported by 38% of teenage girls and 23% of teenage boys.

While cyberbullying and lack of sleep were not as common in primary aged children (7-11 years), one in five reported moderate-to-severe stress.

For the purposes of the study, “nighttime” refers to phone use when children are supposed to be sleeping, not prior to bed.

UniSA researcher and co-author Dr Stephanie Centofanti says that girls are particularly vulnerable because their smartphone use at night is higher than other age groups and they start using social media at a younger age.

“We found that frequency of nighttime phone use and getting less than eight hours sleep a night not only peaked in early adolescence but was also more evident in young girls,” Dr Centofanti says.

“Pre-teens are at higher risk for socio-emotional disorders because they are at a developmental stage where they are less prepared cognitively, behaviourally and neurobiologically.”

The researchers say that outside of the digital environment, boys are more likely to be physically bullied, while girls normally resort to psychological or relational bullying, which is more easily enabled online.

Approximately 15% of children in the study reported being cyberbullied, with a higher frequency of boys in primary school and girls in secondary school.

More than one third of primary school children and over 60% of teenagers in the study reported using their phone at night when they were supposed to be sleeping.

Of the children who experienced cyberbullying, almost 75% admitted they checked their phone throughout the night, compared to less than half for those who had never been cyberbullied.

“It is clear that parents need to pay closer attention to managing smartphone use at night, particularly if their children are more vulnerable to cyberbullying, and to ensure their children get enough sleep,” Dr Centofanti says.

The findings are published in the journal Adolescents.

Notes for editors

“Nighttime phone use and past exposure to cyberbullying and their impact on sleep and psychological wellbeing in Australian children aged 7-19 years” is co-authored by researchers from the University of South Australia and Resilient Youth Australia. DOI: 10.3390/adolescents4030025

Newswise — Irvine, Calif., Aug. 20, 2024 — A team of researchers led by the University of California, Irvine has discovered that an antioxidant found in rosemary extract can reduce volitional intakes of cocaine by moderating the brain’s reward response, offering a new therapeutic target for treating addiction.

The study, recently published online in the journal Neuron, describes team members’ focus on a region of the brain called the globus pallidus externus, which acts as a gatekeeper that regulates how we react to cocaine. They discovered that within the GPe, parvalbumin-positive neurons are crucial in controlling the response to cocaine by changing the activity neurons releasing the pleasure molecule dopamine.

“There are currently no effective therapeutics for dependence on psychostimulants such as cocaine, which, along with opioids, represent a substantial health burden,” said corresponding author Kevin Beier, UC Irvine associate professor of physiology and biophysics. “Our study deepens our understanding of the basic brain mechanisms that increase vulnerability to substance use disorder-related outcomes and provides a foundation for the development of new interventions.”

Findings in mice revealed that globus pallidus externus parvalbumin-positive cells, which indirectly influence the release of dopamine, become more excitable after being exposed to cocaine. This caused a drop in the expression of certain proteins that encode membrane channels that usually help keep the globus pallidus cell activity in check. Researchers found that carnosic acid, an isolate of rosemary extract, selectively binds to the affected channels, providing an avenue to reduce response to the drug in a relatively specific fashion.

“Only a subset of individuals are vulnerable to developing a substance use disorder, but we cannot yet identify who they are. If globus pallidus cell activity can effectively predict response to cocaine, it could be used to measure likely responses and thus serve as a biomarker for the most vulnerable,” Beier said. “Furthermore, it’s possible that carnosic acid could be given to those at high risk to reduce the response to cocaine.”

The next steps in this research include thoroughly assessing negative side effects of carnosic acid and determining the ideal dosage and timing. The team is also interested in testing its efficacy in reducing the desire for other drugs and in developing more potent and targeted variants.

In addition to UC Irvine researchers, scientists from the University of West Virginia and the University of Colorado participated in the study. See the full list here.

This work was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health, One Mind, the Alzheimer’s Association, New Vision Research, BrightFocus Foundation, and the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation.

About the University of California, Irvine: Founded in 1965, UC Irvine is a member of the prestigious Association of American Universities and is ranked among the nation’s top 10 public universities by U.S. News & World Report. The campus has produced five Nobel laureates and is known for its academic achievement, premier research, innovation and anteater mascot. Led by Chancellor Howard Gillman, UC Irvine has more than 36,000 students and offers 224 degree programs. It’s located in one of the world’s safest and most economically vibrant communities and is Orange County’s second-largest employer, contributing $7 billion annually to the local economy and $8 billion statewide. For more on UC Irvine, visit www.uci.edu.

Media access: Radio programs/stations may, for a fee, use an on-campus studio with a Comrex IP audio codec to interview UC Irvine faculty and experts, subject to availability and university approval. For more UC Irvine news, visit news.uci.edu. Additional resources for journalists may be found at https://news.uci.edu/media-resources.

NOTE TO EDITORS: PHOTO AVAILABLE AT
https://news.uci.edu/2024/08/20/uc-irvine-led-team-finds-that-compound-in-rosemary-extract-can-reduce-cocaine-sensitivity/

Newswise — For many years, addiction research has focused on chemical dependencies like drugs and alcohol. However, new phenomena such as video game and social media addictions are not as extensively studied. 

Dr. Puneet Manchanda from the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business dives into the world of modern addiction. He talks about his research on how these technologies impact us and what steps can help prevent addiction.

The latest episode of the Curious by Nature podcast, titled “How Addictive Are Companies Making Video Games” featuring Dr. Puneet Manchanda, is now available on Spotify and Apple Podcast.

Curious by Nature, presented by Newswise, is a podcast for curious people. In each episode, listeners can travel briefly into the fascinating world that comes with years of dedication to one field of study. Be inspired by the many amazing things that are going on right now, some of which may have a major effect on our lives. Enjoy this concentrated knowledge from experts. We hope you can take inspiration from glimpses of innovation, dedication, and discovery.

Follow us!

Spotify Podcast: https://spoti.fi/3YC1c1q

Apple Podcast: https://apple.co/4copuPI

Newswise — If you’re worried that your kids are wasting too much of their summer playing video games, there could be an unexpected payoff in the future.

A new study by the Rutgers Education and Employment Research Center (EERC) reveals that gaming, modding, and related hobbies can form a career pathway into the high-demand IT field, especially for adolescents and teens with supportive parents.

“Students don’t realize it at first, but playing video games and having related hobbies is often really helpful when choosing a career and even while job hunting,” said Rutgers EERC Research Analyst Eliza Peterson, the lead author of the study. “For example, if they’re hosting a Minecraft server for their friends, they could parlay those skills and lessons into a Server Administration major, and later, maybe a career in that area of IT.”

As part of a larger study supported by the National Science Foundation, Rutgers researchers interviewed 43 students and alumni of the Ivy Tech Community College School of Information Technology in Indiana. The interviews, conducted over three years, revealed a common trajectory.

Most participants became interested in technology at a young age, often while bonding with their parents, and more than half of them (26 of 43) eventually developed a hobby such as gaming, modifying games (modding), coding, programming, or building computers.

As teens, they did not expect that their passion for playing Minecraft or Fortnite could eventually lead to a job. But they eventually had a revelation – what the researchers call the “hobby-to-career reckoning” – and decided to study IT in their community college.

“I realized I have a lot of fun doing this,” said one gamer who decided to change majors. “I made the switch because I realized that I felt like everyone was pushing me to [study] business. But what I really enjoyed was learning programming.”

One alumnus, now a software engineer at J.P. Morgan, described how his coding hobby prepared him for the complexities of handling IT at a large financial institution: “That’s kind of where I shine, because the sort of sloppy hobbyist coder in me has been doing that all my life.”

A recent Pew Research Center study finds that 85% of American teens play video games, and 41% play them at least once a day. Studies have shown that gaming can improve cognitive function and memory, while helping gamers to develop important soft skills.

The Rutgers study adds to this growing body of work by highlighting a pathway from the thumb-cramping World of Warcraft into the lucrative world of IT work.

There are nearly 4.5 million computer and information technology professionals in the U.S., earning a median annual wage of $104,420, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s more than double the median annual wage for all occupations ($48,060).

More than 377,000 computer and IT job openings are expected each year, and overall employment is projected to grow “much faster” than the average for other occupations by 2032, including 25% growth for software developers and 32% for information security analysts.

Many of those future IT professionals could be playing Roblox or Brawl Stars today. But the Rutgers study notes there are several obstacles on the journey from hobby to career.

An estimated 42 million Americans lack broadband internet access, disproportionately affecting low-income families. This “digital divide” may prevent some students from developing an interest in the IT field. In addition, parental skepticism can deter some students from pursuing their passion.

While many of the participants felt supported in their decision to study IT, others were met with resistance at home. One first-generation student told the researchers that his family “didn’t get it” and urged him to enter a different field, but he pushed forward and earned an associate degree in software development.

“If you’re a parent or educator, I would encourage you to reframe the way you think about gaming,” Peterson said. “The gamers in your life could be gaining useful – and potentially lucrative – skills through these hobbies. In fact, you may even want to foster these hobbies further, and help them to see, ‘Hey, I could use this later on in life, in school or at work.’”

So the next time your teen turns on the PS5, perhaps think of it as employment training.

About the Study

Not “Just a Hobby”: The Influence of Early Interest and Hobbies on Community College IT Student Decision-Making by Eliza Peterson, Michelle Van Noy, Sam Scovill, and Renee Edwards appears in the Journal of Advanced Technical Education.

About Us

The Rutgers School of Management and Labor Relations (SMLR) is the world’s leading source of expertise on managing and representing workers, designing effective organizations, and building strong employment relationships. 

SMLR’s Education and Employment Research Center (EERC) strives to improve education and training to ensure students and workers are prepared to be successful in today’s workforce. 

Newswise — A new scientific review of 148 studies enrolling over 4.3 million adult chronic pain patients treated with prescription opioid painkillers has found that nearly one in ten patients experiences opioid dependence or opioid use disorder and nearly one in three shows symptoms of dependence and opioid use disorder.  This University of Bristol-led study, published in Addiction, provides a more accurate — and more concerning — rate of opioid misuse than has previously been calculated. 

Companies like Oxycontin manufacturer Purdue Pharma have claimed that fewer than 1% of opioid prescriptions result in problems for patients.  This new review, funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR),  makes clear that such claims greatly understate the risk of opioid misuse and addiction.  

The researchers divided the 148 studies into four general categories, depending on how the studies defined problematic opioid use: 

1. dependence and opioid use disorder: 43 studies that identified problematic opioid use through diagnostic codes (formal diagnoses using precise definitions);
2. signs and symptoms of dependence and opioid use disorder: 44 studies that looked for behaviours indicating dependence and opioid use disorder, such as craving, tolerance, or withdrawal, without use of specific diagnostic codes; 
3. aberrant behaviour: 76 studies that looked for inappropriate or concerning behaviour, such as seeking early refills, repeated dose escalations, or frequently lost prescriptions; and
4. at risk of dependence and opioid use disorder: 8 studies that looked for characteristics that might increase the risk of developing opioid dependence or opioid use disorder in the future; however, the characteristics do not fall within previous categories of aberrant behaviour or dependence and opioid use disorder.

Some studies reported multiple results within the same participants using different measurement criteria, so the sum of the number of studies in each category equals more than 148.  The prevalence (frequency) of problematic opioid use for each category was: 

1. Dependence and opioid use disorder: 3%, or nearly 1 in 10 patients.
2. Signs and symptoms of dependence and opioid use disorder: 6%, nearly 1 in 3 patients.
3. Aberrant behaviour: 22%, more than 1 in 5 patients.
4. At risk of dependence and opioid use disorder: 4%, nearly 1 in 8 patients.

Lead author Kyla Thomas, Professor of Public Health Medicine at the University of Bristol, explained: “Clinicians and policy makers need a more accurate estimate of the prevalence of problematic opioid use in pain patients so that they can gauge the true extent of the problem, change prescribing guidance if necessary, and develop and implement effective interventions to manage the problem.  Knowing the size of the problem is a necessary step to managing it.”

The studies in this review were predominantly from North American research and high-income countries. One hundred and six of the 148 studies were conducted between 2010 and 2021; the oldest study was from 1985.  Study size ranged from 15 to 2,304,181 patients. Due to the high heterogeneity of the studies, these findings should be interpreted with caution. 

Paper

‘Prevalence of problematic pharmaceutical opioid use in patients with chronic non-cancer pain: A systematic review and meta-analysis’ by Kyla H. Thomas et al. in Addiction