The Latest News from Our Field

Cognitive behavioral therapy can help bring relief to some patients with chronic pain, a new study suggests. The findings are potentially significant in light of the increasing incidence of painkiller overdoses and addiction, according to Fox News.

Many hospital patients are comfortable with having nurses deliver screening and brief intervention for alcohol, a new study suggests. According to the researchers, the findings indicate that nurses can be important partners in helping to screen for hazardous drinking.

A family history of alcoholism may affect teenagers’ decision-making, researchers at Oregon Health and Sciences University have found. They discovered these adolescents have a weaker brain response during risky decision-making compared with teens without such a family history.

At least 50 to 75 percent of Americans seeking treatment for a substance abuse problem also have a co-occurring mental health disorder, according to the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT). However, training of professionals for treating dual diagnoses in the field is not as frequent as its prevalence among Americans.

One person dies every 19 minutes from prescription drug abuse in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

A new study suggests the most significant alcohol-related damage to fetuses occurs during the seventh through twelfth weeks of pregnancy. However, the researchers emphasized their findings do not indicate it is safe to drink earlier or later in pregnancy.

The U.S. military is spreading awareness of the dangers of “Spice,” “bath salts” and other synthetic drugs, the Air Force Times reports.

The Association of Surfing Professionals has announced it will begin a new anti-doping policy for top surfers, according to The Orange County Register.

Prescription drug abuse has no socio-economic barriers. But it does come with a huge human cost, says Karen Kelly of Kentucky's Operation UNITE.

A new study provides clues about the brain mechanisms that drive people to abuse alcohol. The study found a link between how good people feel after they drink, and the amount of endorphins—proteins with opiate-like effects—released in their brain.

Princess Cruise Lines will ban smoking in its staterooms and balconies starting Monday. While more cruise lines are banning cigarettes, policies on e-cigarettes vary among the cruise lines, the Sun-Sentinel reports.

Smoking cessation resources have been diminishing over the past few years in Ohio, according to The Columbus Dispatch.

The New Jersey legislature this week approved a bill that would allow adults to buy syringes without a prescription. The bill was revised when Governor Chris Christie issued a conditional veto stating said he would not approve the measure unless buyers were required to show a photo ID, or otherwise prove to pharmacists they are at least 18.

Doctors are more effective in promoting smoking cessation by offering help to all smokers, rather than simply advising smokers to quit and only offering assistance to those who express interest in doing so, according to a new study.

A new study shows a program that provides a system of incentives for good behavior helps parolees reduce marijuana use. The system was not found to be successful among those who use stimulants or opiates, Medical News Today reports.

Oxycodone prescriptions jumped 82 percent in New York State from 2007 to 2010, The New York Times reports.

Indianapolis, which will host the Super Bowl on February 5, has changed its laws to allow retail permit holders to sell alcohol on that day, as well as the prior Sunday, within the downtown Super Bowl zone.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say 38 million American adults are binge drinkers, and most of them are ages 18 to 34.

Low to moderate use of marijuana is less harmful to the lungs than tobacco exposure, according to a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Pharmacists on Long Island, New York, and elsewhere throughout the country, are rattled by several recent drug robberies by criminals wielding guns that turned deadly.

A new study finds that investing in comprehensive tobacco cessation programs can result in substantial savings for Medicaid programs. These programs, by cutting smoking rates, lead to reduced hospital admissions for heart-related problems.

With more than two thirds of people relapsing after starting treatment for substance use disorders, researchers are looking for ways to predict a person’s susceptibility to return to drug or alcohol use. Researchers at the Yale Stress Center in New Haven, CT, are developing biological markers of recovery to predict who will relapse, and when.

Smokers who use nicotine replacement therapy such as patches or gum to quit are just as likely to start smoking again as those who quit "cold turkey," according to a new study.

The drug maker Novartis is recalling 1,645 lots of certain over-the-counter medication, including Excedrin and Gas-X, because the products could potentially contain stray capsules or caplets from other products. Prescription opioids including Opana, Percocet, and an extended-release version of morphine tablets were made at the same plant.

People with mild cognitive impairment who wear a nicotine patch for six months show improvements in attention, memory and mental processing, according to a new study.