Substance Use Disorder

The federal government on Wednesday issued a final rule on “essential health benefits” that most health insurance plans must offer next year, including treatment of drug addiction and alcohol abuse.

The risk of dying before age 55 is increased in teens and young adults who smoke, are obese and have high blood sugar levels, a new study suggests.

Teens who are old enough to be in 12th grade, but have dropped out of school, have higher substance abuse rates than their peers who are enrolled in school, according to a new government report.

A new study finds racial differences in opioid prescribing, monitoring and follow-up treatment practices. Black patients are less likely than white patients to have their pain levels documented, and to be referred to a pain specialist. They are more likely to be referred for substance abuse assessment after being prescribed opioids, MedicalXpress reports.

Teenagers with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder are significantly more likely to have substance abuse issues and to smoke cigarettes, compared with their peers without a history of the disorder, according to a nationwide study.

The percentage of teenagers who received substance abuse prevention messages from the media in the past year dropped from 83.2 percent in 2002, to 75.1 percent in 2011, according to a new government report.

High school programs that teach teens to better manage their personality traits can help reduce and postpone problem drinking, a new study suggests.

Having a parent or sibling who has been deployed in the military increases the risk of drug and alcohol use among middle and high school students, a new study finds.

A new study suggests substance abuse impairs sexual performance in men, even after they stop using drugs or alcohol. Earlier studies suggested men spontaneously recover their normal sexual performance several weeks after they end substance abuse.

Some young adults under age 21 are not happy with new laws in Colorado and Washington that allow the recreational use of marijuana only for those who are at least 21 years old, according to U.S. News.

Sending substance-abusing state prisoners to community-based treatment programs instead of prisons could reduce crime and save billions of dollars, a new study concludes.

One in five high school girls binge drink, according to a new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The report finds almost 14 million women in the United States binge drink about three times a month.

Teenage girls who experience dating violence are more likely to binge drink compared with their peers who aren’t in abusive relationships, a new study finds. Teen boys who report dating violence are more likely to use marijuana as young adults compared with boys with healthy dating relationships.

A new study concludes that parental involvement is more important than the school environment in preventing or limiting children’s use of alcohol or marijuana.

Substance dependence or abuse is much more likely to occur in adults with a mental illness, compared with those without mental health problems, according to a new government report.

The American Psychiatric Association has approved a new edition of its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders that combines substance abuse and dependence into a single category of “substance use and addictive disorders.”

A report by a nonprofit group concludes communities across Massachusetts are struggling with an epidemic of substance abuse. The report notes the Boston area has had a particularly high number of emergency department visits involving illicit drugs.

Kentucky has increased funding to treat prisoners with addictions, to $7 million, up from $1.1 million six years ago. While 30 percent of the state’s inmates with substance abuse problems return to jail, that number drops to 20 percent among those who receive treatment for their addiction, The Courier-Journal reports.

Mothers’ smoking during pregnancy probably does not lead to substance abuse in their children, as earlier studies suggested, according to researchers at Indiana University.

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

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.

Teenagers and young adults are abusing prescription painkillers at a rate 40 percent higher than what would be expected for their age group, a new study finds.

A new study links weight loss surgery with an increased risk for substance abuse. The study found patients who underwent gastric bypass surgery were at increased risk for alcohol use after the procedure.

People who suffer from both mental illness and a substance use disorder often receive care from two very different types of systems, creating confusion for patients, their families and clinicians, says Ken Duckworth, MD, Medical Director for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).

Nurses can significantly reduce substance abuse in homeless youth, a new study finds.