Herbal Extract May Curb Binge Drinking
An extract of the Chinese herb kudzu dramatically reduces drinking and may be useful in the treatment of alcoholism and curbing binge drinking, according to a new study by McLean Hospital and Harvard Medical School researchers...

Less Inflammation Seen In Patients With NAFLD, A Common Liver Disease, Who Consume Modest Amounts Of Alcohol
NAFLD (non-alcoholic fatty liver disease) is the most common type of liver disease in the developed world, affecting up to one-third of the US population. NAFLD is often associated with obesity and other parameters of the so-called "metabolic syndrome," which is a major risk factor for the development of cardiovascular disease...

Food Cravings Reduced By Lizard Saliva
A drug made from the saliva of the Gila monster lizard is effective in reducing the craving for food. Researchers at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, have tested the drug on rats, who after treatment ceased their cravings for both food and chocolate...

Resiliency During Early Years Can Protect Against Later Alcohol/Drug Use
Resiliency is a measure of a person's ability to flexibly adapt their behaviors to fit the surroundings in which they find themselves. Low resiliency during childhood has been linked to later alcohol/drug problems during the teenage years...

Comparison Of On-Premises and Off-Premises Alcohol Outlets and Links To Crime
Prior research has shown that neighborhoods with higher densities of alcohol outlets are more likely to have higher rates of violent crimes. This study examined the effects of different types of alcohol outlets - on-premises such as bars and restaurants, and off-premises such as liquor and convenience stories - on four different categories of crime in urban neighborhoods...

Possible Link Between Early Alcohol Use, Alcohol Dependence, Daily Nicotine Use, And Fewer Years Of Educational Attainment
Although various kinds of substance use are associated with reduced educational attainment, these associations have been mixed and may also be partially due to risk factors such as socioeconomic disadvantages...

Examining Adaptive Abilities In Children With Prenatal Alcohol Exposure And/or ADHD
Prenatal exposure to alcohol often results in disruption to the brain's cognitive and behavioral domains, which include executive function (EF) and adaptive functioning...

Novel Approach To Stimulate Immune Cells Has Potential For Treatment Of Immune Diseases And Cancer
Researchers at Rutgers University have uncovered a new way to stimulate activity of immune cell opiate receptors, leading to efficient tumor cell clearance...

21.8% Of Pregnant White Women Smoke
According to a study by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), 21.8% of pregnant white women between the ages of 15 to 44 years smoked cigarettes within the past 30 days, which is considerably higher compared with the smoking levels amongst pregnant Black women (14.2%) and pregnant Hispanic women (6.5%) within the same age range...

Changes Triggered In Brain's Neuron Structure By Chronic Cocaine Use
Chronic exposure to cocaine reduces the expression of a protein known to regulate brain plasticity, according to new, in vivo research on the molecular basis of cocaine addiction. That reduction drives structural changes in the brain, which produce greater sensitivity to the rewarding effects of cocaine...

Facebook Addiction - New Psychological Scale
Researchers in Norway have published a new psychological scale to measure Facebook addiction, the first of its kind worldwide. They write about their work in the April 2012 issue of the journal Psychological Reports. They hope that researchers will find the new psychometric tool useful in investigating problem behavior linked to Facebook use...

A New Abused Drug Is Methoxetamine (MXE), Sold On The Internet As A "Legal" Alternative To Ketamine
A group of researchers from the IMIM (Hospital del Mar Research Institute) and from the INAD (Hospital del Mar Neuropsychiatry and Addictions Institute) has participated in an international study aiming to give a general overview at a chemical, pharmacological and behavioural level of a recently appeared new chemical compound, according to the Recreational Drugs European Networ...

Extramedical Pain Reliever Usage More Likely During Mid-Asolescence
According to a study published Online First by Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, teenagers in the United States are more likely to use prescription pain relievers to get high or for other unapproved indications (extramedical use) during mid-adolescence...

16 Years Olds At Greatest Risk For Misusing Prescription Drugs
The peak risk for misusing prescription pain relievers occurs in mid-adolescence, specifically about 16 years old and earlier than many experts thought, according to a new study by Michigan State University researchers. The results, based on recent nationwide surveys of nearly 120,000 U.S...

Facebook Addiction - New Research
The use of Facebook has increased rapidly. We are dealing with a subdivision of Internet addiction connected to social media, Doctor of Psychology Cecilie Schou Andreassen says about the study, which is the first of its kind worldwide. Andreassen heads the research project 'Facebook Addiction' at the University of Bergen (UiB)...