“One day at a time” is a mantra for recovering alcoholics, for whom each day without a drink builds the strength to go on to the next. A new brain imaging study by Yale researchers shows why the approach works.
Category: From Newswise – Addiction
Heavy-drinking Rodents Enhance Understanding of Problematic Alcohol Use Patterns
New study findings in mice suggest that repeated binge drinking increases the motivation to consume alcohol to excess. In humans, the pattern of drinking (as well as quantity consumed) can be an important indicator of future drink problems; in adolescents, for example, a binge-drinking pattern can predict development of alcohol use disorder (AUD). Studies using laboratory animals that have been selectively bred to drink alcohol (ethanol) in large amounts can provide valuable insights on problematic drinking patterns, using experimental approaches that would be impossible or unethical to apply in humans. Indeed, many important findings on responses to alcohol have been gained from animal studies, conducted to strict welfare guidelines. The latest study, reported in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, examined two behaviors in mice that reflect their motivation to experience alcohol’s rewarding effects on the brain.
Alcoholism treatment is potentially effective against COVID-19
A team of chemists from HSE University and the Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry used molecular modelling to find out that two medications that have been known for a long time can be used to fight SARS-CoV-2.
Trial Finds Drug Safe and Effective in Treating Hep-C During Pregnancy
Critics of the universal hepatitis C screening argue that it’s wasteful to test pregnant women for a disease that can’t be immediately treated, but results of a small phase I clinical trial suggest otherwise: pregnancy could be an excellent time to diagnose and cure hepatitis C infection.
Flavored Cigarette Ban Significantly Reduced Youth Smoking
George Mason University study finds 2009 US Food and Drug Administration flavored cigarette ban reduced smoking by underage youth by 43% and young adults by 27%
Can’t get off of Snapchat or Facebook? Research reveals differences between platforms
Researchers from Michigan State University and California State University-Fullerton conducted the first study comparing problematic use between Facebook and Snapchat — while also uncovering surprising findings about users’ personality traits.
Experts Strongly Recommend Varenicline Over the Patch for Adult Smokers Hoping to Quit
Smoking cessation initiatives notwithstanding, along with provocative public health campaigns and clinical guidance, quitting tobacco has remained elusive for many smokers. The American Thoracic Society’s new clinical practice guideline on treatment for tobacco dependence in adults addresses how clinicians may deal with patients’ reluctance to quit, one of a number of issues not previously assessed in the older guidelines.
New Study Shows Differences Between Male and Female Mexican-Americans Admitted for Substance Use Treatment
There are pronounced differences in substance use patterns between Mexican-American women and men admitted to treatment according to a national study sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
Wake Forest Baptist Researcher Works to Improve Efficacy of Nicotine Vaccination
Backed by a $2.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, Pradeep Garg, Ph.D., and research colleagues at Wake Forest Baptist and Duke University Medical Center are conducting research to improve the effectiveness of nicotine vaccination for cigarette smokers.
New NAPHS Annual Survey Tracks Behavioral Treatment Trends
Behavioral healthcare systems are playing a major role in responding to the needs of the millions of Americans of all ages who experience psychiatric and substance use conditions each year, according to the latest annual survey from the National Association of Psychiatric Health Systems (NAPHS).