Category: Rehab News

A new study finds that adults who legally were able to purchase alcohol before the age of 21 in their states are more likely than others are to be alcoholics or addicted to drugs.

A new study from the Abramson Cancer Center and Department of Psychiatry in the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine shows that smokers who carry a particular version of a gene for an enzyme that regulates dopamine in the brain may suffer from concentration problems and other cognitive deficits when abstaining from nicotine “” a problem that puts them at risk for relapse during attempts to quit smoking. The findings pave the way to identify novel medications to treat nicotine addiction.

The tendency to become addicted to nicotine and other drugs involves an interplay of genetics and environmental factors. In a unique study looking at the chemistry underlying the propensity to develop nicotine craving, scientists are gaining insight into predicting individual addiction to nicotine, forecasting nicotine tumorigenesis, and developing individualized treatments for this disorder.

Consuming large amounts of caffeine while taking acetaminophen, a widely used painkiller, could potentially cause liver damage, according to a preliminary laboratory study. The toxic interaction could occur not only from drinking caffeinated beverages while taking the painkiller but also from using large amounts of medications that intentionally combine caffeine and acetaminophen, the researchers say.