When we hear the word "addiction", many images come to our mind. We see the falling down drunk. We see a woman who sells her body in exchange for a "fix." We remember a permanently disabled teen in a wheelchair because of a drunk-driving accident. We read about a famous entertainer who died, and another whose sensational sex scandals are splashed across the tabloids. Most of us know a friend or family member, whose lives are affected by addiction. We all know that addiction is a serious problem. But behind that widely held agreement are many disagreements and questions. How big are addiction problems exactly? How does addiction differ from experimentation, misbehavior, and bad habits? What causes addiction? How does one overcome it? How successful is addiction treatment? How should society respond to individuals with addiction? What should governments do about addiction? Is addiction mostly a modern problem? Is the addiction problem getting worse?
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Using data reported for 2010 by the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration shows that:
Binge and heavy drinking may trigger DNA changes that make your booze cravings worse, a new study says. More...
A popular anti-diarrheal drug is fast becoming another dangerous byproduct of the opioid crisis, as more addicts take huge quantities of it to ease withdrawal symptoms or get dangerously high. More...
Although the U.S. opioid epidemic dates back more than a decade, only 6 percent of treatment centers in 2016 offered the three medications approved to treat opioid addiction, new research reveals. More...
Veterinarians are prescribing large quantities of opioids to pets, raising concern that some people might be using Fido or Snuggles to feed their addiction. More...
Millions of Americans are living with drug addiction, but a free, national hotline that offers help is underused because most don't know about it, new research finds. More...
University of Washington researchers have developed an app that can detect when a person's breathing dangerously slows or stops. More...
People who overdose on opioids can often be saved quickly with a dose of naloxone, but it hasn't been clear how long someone should be kept in the hospital after being revived. More...
As the United States continues to struggle with its unprecedented opioid crisis, an expert says all Americans need to take action to prevent addiction and help those in need. More...
The scourge of opioid addiction and related deaths cut through American society again in 2018, capturing headlines and making it the year's top health story. More...
As the epidemic of opioid addiction rips through the United States, one group is being hit especially hard: Native Americans. More...
Pot's increasing potency could make it more likely that toking will interfere with users' lives, a new study argues. More...
With the rate of drug overdose deaths more than doubling since the turn of the century, the United States now leads the world in these preventable tragedies. More...
Smoking and drinking often go hand-in-hand, stimulating pleasure centers in the brain. But there's even more to this unhealthy relationship than meets the eye. More...
entanyl, a powerful and dangerous synthetic opioid, is now showing up in crack cocaine and causing life-threatening overdoses. More...
Many injured workers turn to opioid painkillers for relief, and nearly 30 percent may still be taking them three months after their injury -- increasing the odds of addiction, a new study suggests. More...
People directly exposed to the World Trade Center terrorist attacks appear at increased risk of drug- and alcohol-related death, a new study finds. More...
But a new study shows that some heavy users will experience withdrawal symptoms while coming down from their high. More...
In 2016, almost 174 Americans died each day due to drug overdoses -- and roughly two-thirds of those deaths were caused by opioid drugs. The statistics are startling and make the problem seem hopeless. But is it? More...
High school students who get too little sleep are more likely than others to use drugs, drink alcohol or attempt suicide, U.S. researchers warn. More...
When they give up booze, some alcoholics have more severe withdrawal symptoms than others. This discrepancy may come down to genetics, researchers say. More...
Cassipa (buprenorphine and naloxone), a film designed to be placed under the tongue, has been approved to treat opioid dependence, the agency said in a news release. More...
Alcohol contributes to 2.8 million deaths a year worldwide, and there is no safe level of alcohol consumption, researchers say. More...
In electronic medical-record systems, prescriptions have a default number of pills. It's been suggested that reducing this number may help curb the use of addictive opioids, such as OxyContin. More...
Approval of the drug buprenorphine led to a rise in the number of Medicaid patients getting medication to treat opioid addiction. But the rates were lower among poor, black and Hispanic patients, a new study says. More...
When opioid pain medications, such as OxyContin, are prescribed in a risky manner, that increases a patient's chances of death. More...
Native American teens are at greater risk of alcohol and drug abuse than other American teens, a new study finds. More...
Fewer American teens may be smoking pot, but the same can't be said for older adults, a new study finds. More...
Medications that restore normal movement in patients with Parkinson's disease can unlock their inner demons more often than thought, a new study finds. More...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved the non-opioid drug Lucemyra to help adults cope with symptoms of opioid withdrawal. More...
Clean-needle programs are exactly what's needed, experts say, with Appalachia now an epicenter of the opioid addiction crisis ravaging the United States. More...
Prescription drug monitoring programs are touted as a way to reduce overdoses from opioid painkillers, but they might have the unintended effect of increasing heroin overdose deaths, researchers say. More...
Black Americans are no longer less likely than whites to be prescribed opioid painkillers -- but that means their risk of addiction to the narcotics has increased, researchers say. More...
Overdose deaths involving dangerous synthetic opioids like fentanyl have skyrocketed in recent years, surpassing deaths from prescription painkillers, a new U.S. study reveals. More...
The concept of internet gaming disorder and the pathways leading to it are unclear, according to a review published online April 6 in Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology. More...
For most, playing online video games is largely a harmless hobby. But a new review finds that some fall prey to what experts call "internet gaming disorder." More...
An injectable sensor that could provide ongoing monitoring of the alcohol intake of people receiving addiction treatment is in development. More...
In adults age 50 or older, higher education, illicit drug use, depression, and pain interference with normal work are significantly associated with opioid misuse, according to a study published recently in Nursing Outlook. More...
Frequent opioid users may be the best candidates for training to reverse overdoses in other users, researchers say. More...
Drug overdose deaths continue to pile up in the United States, driven largely by the opioid epidemic and the emergence of dangerously potent synthetic opioids like fentanyl, a new government report shows. More...
Poverty may be fueling America's opioid crisis, a new study suggests. More...
Across U.S. counties there is considerable variation in mortality due to alcohol use disorders, drug use disorders, self-harm, and interpersonal violence, according to a study published in the March 13 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. More...
Though fewer Americans are dying from alcohol abuse, suicide and murder, opioid overdose deaths have risen dramatically in recent decades, a new report finds. More...
Mobile alcohol interventions may help liver transplant candidates with alcoholic liver disease maintain sobriety, according to a study published online March 2 in Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research. More...
America's opioid epidemic is escalating at breakneck speed, with tens of thousands of overdose victims spilling into the nation's emergency rooms seeking lifesaving treatment, a new government report shows. More...
America is well aware of its opioid epidemic, but there's a hidden crisis brewing with prescription sedatives such as Xanax and Valium, a new review warns. More...
Researchers say they are one step closer to testing a heroin vaccine in humans -- in what they hope will become an additional weapon in fighting America's opioid epidemic. More...
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