Helpline
Call 1.855.378.4373 to schedule a call time with a specialist or visit scheduler.drugfree.org
Helpline

Drug & Alcohol Addiction

Treating long-term heroin users with medically prescribed heroin is more cost-effective than methadone, a new study suggests.

A new study suggests teenagers with “pathologic” Internet use are more likely to admit to drug abuse.

A new study shows that alcohol problems are not uncommon among surgeons.

New findings by a Yale team of scientists may help explain why the risk of drug abuse and addiction increase significantly when cocaine use begins in adolescence.

A new study of siblings’ brain structure and function may provide clues to addiction. Time reports that the study suggests at least some brain changes seen in addiction are a cause of excessive drug use, not the result.

The American Academy of Pediatrics has released updated guidelines for doctors and hospitals on how they can identify and monitor infants exposed to opioids and other drugs of addiction.

Clergy can, should, and must make a difference in the pain and confusion felt by so many of their congregants, but they must first understand the role that alcoholism and drug addiction play in the insidious social and spiritual erosion plaguing so many of their congregation’s families, says Sis Wegner of NACoA.

Chemical changes caused by cocaine may be passed on to the next generation, a new study of rats suggests. The changes cause male offspring to find the drug less rewarding.

The first large-scale study of treatment for addiction to prescription opioids finds the drug Suboxone (buprenorphine plus naloxone) can be an effective therapy. The study found adding intensive counseling for opioid dependence was not helpful, however.

The antidepressant mirtazapine (Remeron) can help reduce methamphetamine dependence, a new study suggests.

Nicotine appears to be a “gateway” drug that primes the brain to be susceptible to cocaine, according to a new study in mice.

The increasing number of women addicted to painkillers in Maine has had a particularly unfortunate consequence—a growing number of babies who have been exposed to opioids before birth and experience withdrawal symptoms after being born.

Computer programs and applications for cell phones and other mobile devices are increasingly popular as tools for prevention and treatment of substance use disorders.

Many young adults entering treatment for an addiction want to change, but don’t have the skills, confidence or commitment to do so without help, a new study suggests.

Dr. Kim Janda, who is working on creating vaccines to treat addiction, finds a growing number of people in the scientific community are interested in his work. He attributes the attention to a change in the way people view addiction.

Substance abuse treatment providers must start making changes now so they are ready when the Affordable Care Act is implemented in 2014, says Dr. Thomas Freese.

Experts in the Chicago area say they are seeing more people facing drug addiction who are white, suburban and upper-middle class.

With great unmet demand for substance abuse treatment, addiction experts are looking for ways to expand treatment options. Dr. McCance-Katz, Professor of Psychiatry at the University of California San Francisco and former president of the AAAP, discusses the need to increase the number of patients treated with Suboxone and ways to increase use of the drug as treatment.

David K. Mineta, ONDCP Deputy Director for Demand Reduction, shares how we can succeed in helping students avoid drugs and social pressures that run counter to their health and safety.

Mitchell S. Rosenthal, MD, Founder of Phoenix House, talks about a new campaign to lower the barriers families face in getting teens the treatment and recovery support they need.

The American Society of Addiction Medicine has released a new definition of addiction, calling it a chronic brain disorder, not just a behavior problem.

A finding about the role of a protein in the brain that influences behavior may hold clues to addiction-like behaviors, a study in mice suggests. The research could help scientists searching for more effective addiction treatments, according to Science Daily.

When parents find out their teen is abusing drugs or alcohol, the family’s immediate focus is generally on getting help for the teen. But parents are often in great need of help themselves. A new toll-free, bilingual phone helpline is providing that assistance.

Activating a specific brain receptor may reduce the appeal of cocaine, a new study in mice suggests.

Under the American Psychiatric Association’s new definition of addiction, one-third of patients undergoing long-term pain therapy with opioids meet the criteria for addiction, a new study finds. Contrary to expectations, the new definition does not reduce the percentage of people considered addicted to opioids.