The Latest News from Our Field

The growing population of older adults who are taking many medications prescribed by different doctors, combined with the growing opioid epidemic, is contributing to the increasing problem of drug misuse among the elderly, according to Harry Hanoutunian, MD, Director of the Professional Program at the Betty Ford Center.

A new study finds teenage girls start drinking before their male peers, even though most strategies to reduce underage drinking are aimed at boys.

Even light hookah smoking can cause changes in airway cells, a new study suggests.

An analysis of sports supplements that claim to burn fat or improve your workout may contain a stimulant drug banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency. Researchers from Harvard Medical School say the stimulant may pose health risks.

In Missouri, the only state without a prescription drug monitoring program, the state senator blocking approval of the program argues it represents an invasion of privacy, NPR reports.

The U.S. Surgeon General will release a report this fall on substance use, addiction and health, according to Medscape. It will be the first such report since U.S. surgeons began issuing them in 1964.

The business of addiction treatment is attracting a growing number of private equity investors, NPR reports. The treatment business is estimated to be worth $35 billion.

Some cities are using Medicaid funds to provide addiction treatment for repeat low-level drug offenders, the Associated Press reports. Many are mentally ill or homeless and have never had coverage for addiction treatment before.

A new study suggests smokers remain unemployed longer than nonsmokers. Researchers at Stanford University found when smokers do find jobs, they earn much less than nonsmokers, according to CBS News.

The opioid epidemic is leading to an increase in the number of “sober homes,” a form of housing where people in recovery live together in a supervised, substance-free setting. Most of these homes have little or no government oversight, the Associated Press reports.

A new study suggests the opioid painkiller hydromorphone may help treat people with heroin addiction.

One question about drinking frequency in the past year can help doctors identify which teens are at risk for alcohol problems, a new study concludes. Teens ages 12 to 17 who report having at least one drink on three or more days in the past year are most at risk for alcohol problems.

Europeans spend more than $27 billion annually on illicit drugs, according to a new report by the European Union. Marijuana accounts $10.6 billion, while heroin accounts for $7.7 billion, Reuters reports.

Top headlines of the week from Friday, April 1- Thursday, April 7, 2016.

Several local governments have started to include synthetic cannabinoids in their criminal justice drug monitoring programs in an effort to deter their use, after it became clear many people were using the drugs because they knew tests wouldn’t detect them, according to the Director of the University of Maryland’s Center for Substance Abuse Research (CESAR).

Teens with severe drug and alcohol problems often have a low regard for others, a new study suggests. They have higher rates of driving under the influence and having unprotected sex with a history of sexually transmitted disease, The Huffington Post reports.

A new study suggests addiction may be linked with the high use of social media in people with depression. People who check social media most frequently throughout the week were 2.7 times more likely to be depressed than those who check it least often, the study found.

The Drug Enforcement Administration said this week it will decide in the first half of 2016 whether marijuana should be reclassified under federal law. The agency gave no indication what its decision will be, according to The Huffington Post.

The St. Louis area has been flooded with a cheap new form of potent heroin, leading to a wave of overdoses, addiction and crime, The New York Times reports.

Addiction, which was a major issue leading up to the presidential primary in New Hampshire, is once again a key topic in the election, The Wall Street Journal reports.

When the prescription opioid painkiller Opana ER was reformulated in 2012 to make it more difficult to crush and snort, the change led many people to abuse the drug by injection. The resulting increase in shared needles led to a spike in cases of HIV, according to NPR.

A small number of consultants are advising families on treatment options for addiction, The New York Times reports. Their services can be very expensive. One service charges about $10,000 a year, while another charges $5,000 to $10,000 to set up an initial plan of care, and an additional $5,000 a month for close monitoring for six months.

A group in Seattle says it wants to open a site where people can use drugs under medical supervision, according to The Seattle Times. Advocates say such sites can reduce overdose deaths, HIV and hepatitis C transmissions.

A growing number of family members of people struggling with addiction are finding help through online support groups, The Wall Street Journal reports. These groups offer flexibility and real-time help, participants say.

A new study finds monthly injections of the anti-addiction medication extended-release naltrexone (Vivitrol) can significantly decrease relapse rates among people addicted to opioids. The study included 153 adults who formerly had been incarcerated and had a history of opioid dependence.