The Latest News from Our Field

Marriages in which one spouse drinks more than the other are more likely to end in divorce than unions in which both spouses drink a similar amount, Norwegian researchers have found.

People who mix diet soda with alcohol get more intoxicated, and more quickly, compared with those who use regular soda in their alcoholic drinks, a small study suggests.

Stereotypes about addiction, perpetuated by the media, can be unintentionally reinforced by addiction professionals, according to a New York addiction expert.

Many doctors don’t ask their teenage patients about their drinking, a new study finds. A survey of 10th graders found that while more than 80 percent had seen a doctor in the past year, only 54 percent of them were asked about drinking, and 40 percent were advised about the dangers of alcohol.

The shape of cocaine users’ brains may influence whether they become addicted to the drug, British researchers have found. A smaller frontal lobe is associated with a greater risk of cocaine addiction.

Recovering alcoholics who feel shame about past alcohol abuse may have an increased risk of a relapse, a new study suggests.

Prescription opioid overdoses rose seven-fold in New York City from 1990 to 2006, according to researchers at Columbia University. They found the increase in drug overdoses was due to painkillers. Methadone overdoses remained stable, and heroin overdoses decreased during the same period.

A program that teaches people to recognize and respond to overdoses of opioids can significantly decrease the number of overdose deaths, researchers at Boston Medical Center have found.

Energy drinks can be dangerous for teenagers, according to a new report published in a pediatrics journal. The drinks are particularly dangerous when they are combined with alcohol, CBS News reports.

A new study in rats explains the link between binge drinking and the increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Expert marijuana growers are in demand in states that have legalized the drug for medical use, The Arizona Republic reports. These consultants work for dispensaries or “grow centers,” giving tips on how to manipulate the plants with lights, nutrients and air to grow high-grade marijuana.

Addiction treatment professionals can play a vital role in preventing the leading known cause of intellectual disabilities, birth defects and neurobehavioral disorders in the world, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD), according to Kathleen T. Mitchell, Vice President and International Spokesperson for the National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.

Prescription drug thieves are stealing from medicine cabinets during open houses, ABC News reports.

People who inject drugs and have hepatitis C are “super-spreaders” of the virus, who are likely to infect 20 other people, a new study finds.

Almost any kind of illegal drug can be purchased online and delivered by mail, without the buyer making direct contact with drug dealers, according to a new report by the European Union. The report states such purchases make it more difficult to track drug routes.

The Food and Drug Administration is inviting public comment on possible changes to smokeless tobacco product warnings.

Three men who met while in recovery have developed a prepaid card designed to help others who are recovering from addiction manage their money, the New York Daily News reports.

New research suggests people with common genetic mutations have an almost eightfold increased risk of dying from cocaine abuse. The mutations affect the chemical messenger dopamine in the brain.

The lungs of people who smoked heavily for many years can be used successfully in double lung transplants, a new study finds.

The threshold for the driving-under-the-influence standard that is part of the new Washington state marijuana law may be too high, a government expert told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

Emergency departments reported a significant rise in the number of visits related to the opioid addiction medication buprenorphine between 2005 and 2010, according to a new government report.

A national survey of college freshmen finds 33 percent reported drinking beer in 2012, down from 35.4 percent the previous year. The survey found 39.2 percent of college freshmen said they drank wine or liquor last year.

Teenagers’ decision to have a first alcoholic drink may be influenced by their best friends, a new study suggests. Researchers found having friends who drink and who have access to alcohol is the most important factor in predicting when a teen starts drinking.

Major League Baseball has announced it is investigating claims that several high-profile players were sold performance-enhancing drugs by a clinic in South Florida, according to Reuters.

Medicine is only effective when it is used properly, and for young people moving to adulthood, learning how to use medicine properly is a critical life skill, explains Nora L. Howley of the NEA Health Information Network.