This weekend marks the 50th anniversary of the Surgeon General’s landmark Report on Smoking and Health, credited with helping to cut the number of U.S. smokers in half. But will the battle ever reach an endgame?
Smokers Risk Frostbite for a Fix Read More »
Close to 19 percent of American adults, representing 43.8 million people, smoke cigarettes. Smoking is the leading cause of deaths that could be prevented, and accounts for one in five deaths in the U.S, according to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Why Is It So Hard to Quit Smoking? Read More »
A new study published in the online journal Biological Psychiatry provides the first evidence that prenatal exposure to the stress hormones glucocorticoids predicts smoking and nicotine dependence later in life among women. The study confirmed previous research on prenatal smoking, and suggested that this increased risk of nicotine addiction is the result of exposure to
Mom Stresses, Daughter Smokes Read More »
In a major policy shift, the federal Food and Drug Administration seeks to place stronger restrictions on a class of prescription painkillers that contain hydrocodone, the highly addictive painkiller that has grown into the most widely prescribed drug in the U.S. The changes are expected to take place as early as next year. The FDA
FDA Wants Tighter Restrictions on Hydrocodone Painkillers Read More »
You may have seen Terrie Hall and struggled to watch her talk. Hall was once a competitive cheerleader, but now her mouth sags on one side and she’s lost her voice to smoking. In her halting YouTube account seen by millions, the North Carolina ex-smoker still fighting cancer makes a suggestion to those who’ve yet
Landmark Anti-Smoking Campaign Scares 100,000 Into Quitting Read More »
Oceana, West Virginia, is a picturesque mining town nestled in Wyoming County that boasts extraordinary natural beauty. But underneath the surface, a problem is brewing. The prescription drug epidemic that engulfs the entire United States
‘Oxyana’ Exposes Savage Addiction in Picturesque Mining Town Read More »
When a medication is effective, we give thanks. Drugs that can alleviate problem symptoms help patients live normal lives and restore a positive and hopeful outlook that brings many other desired outcomes. But when good medications are misused, everyone suffers. Patients are greeted with more skepticism and eventually medications become harder to obtain. Doctors are
Teens Are Faking ADHD Symptoms to Get Adderall Read More »
If methadone is used to help with heroin addiction and nicotine replacement products are used to help with nicotine addiction, could a stimulant like Ritalin help with addiction to a stimulant like cocaine? That’s the question researchers asked in a new study, conducted at the Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York and recently published in
Single Dose of Ritalin Helps With Cocaine Addiction, Study Finds Read More »
For the last several years, headlines have told the story of the new drug scourge in the U.S. Prescription narcotic painkillers are being used and abused like never before. From young teens experimenting, to adults with legitimate prescriptions, to junkies needing a new, cheap high, the number of people falling victim to abuse continues to
Alarming Rise in Babies Born Addicted to Prescription Drugs Read More »
The nature-nurture debate is alive and well in the world of drug addiction research. Scientists and addiction experts have long-speculated whether the biological factors—genetic variations and the resulting susceptibility—or the psycho-social factors—like depression, parental substance abuse, or socioeconomic disadvantage—are responsible for addiction. It’s generally agreed that both factors contribute to addiction, with at least 50
Animal Study Links Missing Brain Enzyme With Addiction to Painkillers Read More »