The Brown University Digest of Addiction Theory and Application articles from September 2008

The Brown University Digest of Addiction Theory and Application archives from September 2008

PTSD comorbidity associated with worse SUD treatment outcome.(Dual Diagnosis)(posttraumatic stress disorder)(substance use disordered)
September 1, 2008... Among treatment-seeking patients, the prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is higher in drug and combined alcohol and drug dependence than in alcoholism alone, according to findings published in Alcoholism: Clinical &...

Non-prescribed use of pain relievers occurs early in adolescence.(Special Populations)
September 1, 2008... Approximately one in 10 American adolescents reported a history of non-prescribed use of prescription pain relievers in 2005, according to findings published recently in Drug and Alcohol Dependence. Researcher Li-Tzy Wu of Duke University...

Computerized treatment comparable to therapy for opioid dependence.(Opioids)
September 1, 2008... Therapist-delivered therapy and computer-assisted therapy produced comparable levels of continuous abstinence among opioid-dependent outpatients, as well as markedly higher levels of abstinence compared to standard treatment, according to...

Therapeutic alliance may influence medical interventions for alcohol dependence.(Treatment Approach)
September 1, 2008... The therapeutic alliance may influence drinking outcome in medical-based interventions for alcohol dependence, but more research is needed, concludes a study published in Drug & Alcohol Dependence. Researcher W.D. Dundon and colleagues...

Hypnosis plus nicotine patch promising as smoking cessation treatment.(Tobacco)
September 1, 2008... Hypnosis combined with nicotine patch (NP) therapy produced long-term cessation rates that were slightly higher than those for standard behavioral counseling and NP, concludes a new study published in Nicotine & Tobacco Research. ...

Development of new pharmacotherapy approaches for the extinction of drug craving.(From The Field)
September 1, 2008... Craving is the subjective desire for a substance abuser to use their drug of choice, and it plays an important role in relapse. For example, heroin patients exposed to heroin-related cues and paraphernalia (e.g., needles, syringes) experience...

Brief alcohol intervention studied in postpartum women.(ADDICTION: Research Roundup)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... In their recent study, Michael Fleming and colleagues write that the postpartum period--a "time of transition" in a woman's life--may provide an "ideal opportunity" for a brief alcohol intervention. The authors presented the results of a...

Frequent consumption of "energy drinks" linked with risky behaviors.(ADDICTION: Research Roundup)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... New National Institute on Drug Abuse-funded research finds that young adults who frequently consume "energy drinks" are three times as likely as non-consumers to have smoked cigarettes or abused prescription drugs, and twice as likely to have...

Youth smoking impacted by perceived access to cigarettes.(ADDICTION: Research Roundup)
September 1, 2008... Findings from a recent study suggest that providers can identify teens at high risk of taking up smoking by asking two questions: "Would it be easy for you to get a cigarette?" and "Do you have friends who smoke?" Lead author Chyke Doubeni,...

At-home deaths from prescription drugs surge.(ADDICTION: Research Roundup)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... The first large-scale study of at-home prescription medication consumption found a 3,196% increase over 20 years in fatal medication errors involving alcohol and/or street drugs. University of California, San Diego sociologists examined death...

Two gene variants cut risk of alcohol-related cancers.(ADDICTION: Research Roundup)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... In the first study to identify genes that have a protective effect against alcohol, Paul Brennan and colleagues discovered two rare genetic variants that may significantly reduce the risk of alcohol-related head and neck cancers in...

Study identifies changes in brain relating to drug-seeking behavior.(ADDICTION: Research Roundup)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... A study in rats funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) has identified specific long-term adaptations in the brain's reward system that contribute to drug-seeking behavior. The findings provide an improved "characterization of...