The Latest News from Our Field

Male veterans with a history of heavy alcohol use are more likely than civilians to seek treatment. They are also more likely to report better overall health, and to be less depressed, according to a study presented at the American Public Health Association Annual Meeting.

Although the field of addiction treatment is always in need of new ideas and helpful tools, it is critical that the ideas/tools be based upon sound research. The idea that “cash in hand” is a trigger for drug use has long been an area of critical debate, say scientists from the Treatment Research Institute.

Programs designed to treat physicians’ substance use disorders have too little oversight and no clear standards, according to two experts from Harvard Medical School.

Many energy drinks incorrectly list the amount of caffeine in their product, or do not list the amount at all, according to Consumer Reports.

The number of prescription drug-related deaths decreased in Florida in 2011, according to a new report. Deaths related to oxycodone decreased more than 17 percent, according to The Miami Herald.

A new study in rodents suggests that having a few drinks a day can adversely affect the brain.

Doctors’ concerns about receiving negative reviews on consumer ratings websites may influence their decision to write opioid prescriptions for patients who request them, according to an opinion piece in this week’s New England Journal of Medicine.

A web-based survey for people in recovery from an alcohol or drug problem will be available until October 31. The “What is Recovery” study is funded by the National Institutes of Health. The researchers hope the study will help dispel the stigma that those in recovery face.

An online petition demanding the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation test homes for methamphetamine residue before selling them has received more than 200,000 signatures. The petition was started by a family who purchased a home from the agency that turned out to be a former meth lab.

Maine is seeing an increase in the number of children placed in foster care due to their parents’ abuse of bath salts, MPBN reports.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is investigating reports that five people have died since 2009 after they consumed Monster energy drinks, according to the Los Angeles Times.

A study of almost 45,000 men confirms that smoking is a key risk factor for poor circulation in the legs, a condition known as peripheral artery disease. Diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels are other risk factors, the study found.

Voters in Missouri will decide on November 6 whether to increase their state tobacco tax, which is currently the lowest in the nation. The measure would raise the tax from 17 cents per pack to 90 cents.

A new poll finds 54 percent of voters in Washington state say they are in favor of a measure that would legalize small amounts of marijuana for recreational use among adults 21 and older.

As leaders in public health, it is our job to protect the consumer. Tobacco has been and remains the number one preventable cause of death for decades and we know this fight to save lives is a marathon, not a sprint, explains Legacy President and CEO Cheryl Healton.

The number of doctor visits for substance use disorders increased 70 percent among American adults between 2001 and 2009, according to a new study. The increase appears to be driven in large part by prescription drug abuse, the researchers said.

“Red Ribbon Week,” a national drug prevention campaign, begins Tuesday with a national contest for families to promote awareness in their neighborhoods, and win a drug prevention grant for their children’s school.

Regular use of natural or synthetic marijuana has been linked with cases of cyclic nausea and vomiting, according to research presented at the American College of Gastroenterology meeting this week.

Many smartphone applications promote a pro-smoking message, a new study concludes. Some programs allow the user to simulate smoking or collect points for buying cigarettes.

A Justice Department official says the federal government will not change its position on the legalization of marijuana, even if voters in Colorado, Washington state or Oregon approve measures to legalize recreational use of the drug.

Many people fail to quit smoking because they do not use existing treatments, or don’t use them in the most effective way, according to a report published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Combining behavioral support with medication improves the chances of success, the report notes.

Doctors and pharmacies in Colorado check the state’s prescription drug monitoring database only 10 to 15 percent of the time before dispensing opioids, according to a local Drug Enforcement Administration official.

The role of police and prosecutors is in question in the case of a Massachusetts crime lab chemist who faces criminal charges in mishandling thousands of drug test results. Annie Dookhan was arrested last month for allegedly faking drug results, forging paperwork and mixing drug samples.

As this country moves into a new era of how we approach the treatment, prevention and administration of illness, we must keep the rubric of co-occurring disorders at the forefront, says Andrew Kessler of IC&RC.

The hormone oxytoxin, known as the “love hormone” because of its role in social bonding, may help block symptoms of alcohol withdrawal, a new small study suggests.