MedWorm.com provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest items from the 'Addiction Inbox' source. Mon, 17 Nov 2008 22:38:56 +0100 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AddictionInbox/~3/450904199/michigan-massachusetts-pass-marijuana.html Voters bolster medical marijuana movement—or do they?On November 4, both Michigan and Massachusetts passed harm reduction measures aimed at eliminating stiff penalties for possession of small amounts of marijuana. Opponents vowed to keep fighting.In Michigan, on a vote of 63% to 37%, voters passed Proposal 1, allowing for the physician-supervised possession and use of cannabis. However, the initiative did not go as far as allowing for licensed medical dispensaries, as California has done. Nonetheless, this was not a happy outcome for the President’s Office of National Drug Control Policy and its director, John P. Walters, who campaigned strenuously against the measure, calling it an “abomination” and said it was likely to lead to marijuana shops in every neighborhood. For its part,... Addiction Inbox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1955364 Wed, 12 Nov 2008 17:12:00 +0100 1955364 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AddictionInbox/~3/446848041/narcotic-farm-new-pbs-documentary.html Lexington, Kentucky's notorious treatment center.From 1935 through the 1960s, if you were famous, and you got busted for serious narcotics, there was a good chance of ending up at the U.S. government's combination addiction hospital and mad scientist's dream factory. Novelist William Burroughs may have been its most famous graduate, but everyone from jazz saxophonist Sonny Rollins to actor Peter Lorre did time there."Narrated and scored by former inmate Wayne Kramer," according to the film's website, "the film tells the story of this long forgotten American institution through the voices of the former addicts who spent years of their lives locked within its walls."Scientific American says the film is "based on rare film footage, numerous documents, dozens of interviews of former staff, inm... Addiction Inbox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1945394 Sat, 08 Nov 2008 21:15:00 +0100 1945394 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AddictionInbox/~3/440337518/go-vote.html (Source: Addiction Inbox) Addiction Inbox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1927888 Sun, 02 Nov 2008 21:59:00 +0100 1927888 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AddictionInbox/~3/439102262/more-doctors-smoke-camels.html The good old days of tobacco advertising.The Transform Drug Policy Foundation of the U.K. has an absolutely first-rate collection of early cigarette advertising on display at their TDPF blog.I’ve always been a sucker for the ones featuring doctors:The TDPF blog calls this one “particularly awful, featuring a five year old girl proclaiming to her paternal looking doctor figure and radiant young mother that 'I'm going to grow a hundred years old'. It then goes on to inform us that ‘possibly she may - for the amazing strides of medical science have added years to life expectancy.' You can 'thank your doctor and thousands like him--toiling ceaselessly--that you and yours may enjoy a longer better life.’”It sounds like something Don Draper and his associates might have dreamed up on "... Addiction Inbox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1926615 Sat, 01 Nov 2008 14:39:00 +0100 1926615 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AddictionInbox/~3/430022116/dopamine-and-obesity.html Overeating, drug abuse, and the D2 receptor.A genetic variation in the dopamine D2 receptor predisposes women toward obesity, according to a small but potentially significant study published in the October 17 issue of Science.While numerous twins studies demonstrate the likelihood of biological factors in obesity, there are few rigorous studies that back up the contention. Now researchers from Yale University and the University of Texas have used brain scans to show that a dopamine-rich structure called the dorsal striatum exhibits “reduced D2 receptor density and compromised signaling” in obese individuals.Why would this matter? The dorsal striatum releases dopamine in response to the consumption of tasty food. Going right to the sugary heart of the tasty food cornucopia, the research... Addiction Inbox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1901796 Thu, 23 Oct 2008 19:29:00 +0100 1901796 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AddictionInbox/~3/426007800/stone-age-drug-paraphernalia.html Ceramic bowls and tubes discovered--but what were they sniffing?Archeologists have never doubted that prehistoric man liked to get high. Previous excavations in Mexico and Texas have yielded indirect evidence of the New World use of peyote and mescal several thousand years ago. However, researcher Quetta Kaye of University College, London, says she has found the actual works—“The objects tested for this study are ceramic inhaling bowls that were likely used for the ingestion of hallucinogenic substances,” Kaye wrote in the Journal of Archaeological Science.Such physical finds are not uncommon, but the estimated age of these ceramic items caught the attention of archeologists. In a report published in the London Sunday Times, science editor Jonathan Leake writes that the bowls likely ... Addiction Inbox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1889068 Mon, 20 Oct 2008 03:03:00 +0100 1889068 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AddictionInbox/~3/423877860/guest-post-video-games-controversy.html This article gives first-hand accounts of people who are addicted themselves, or know someone who is addicted, to World of Warcraft (the most popular MMORPG). These testimonies expose the potentially harmful nature of online gaming and how it can interfere with real world obligations and relationships.Another aspect which was evident in these testimonies was the difficulty of quitting. Two of the gamers said that they had tried to quit playing, but eventually came back and got hooked on the game again. Withdrawal symptoms were also clearly present. One of the gamers claimed that playing the game was “all [he] thought about.”The most dangerous aspect of these games, though, may be how easily and quickly a gamers' tolerance can rise. These games are engineered so they become more time co... Addiction Inbox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1886497 Fri, 17 Oct 2008 16:45:00 +0100 1886497 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AddictionInbox/~3/421994244/pharmacokinetics-of-speed.html Meth lingers longer than coke, targets different brain areas.Scientists at the Brookhaven National Laboratory, already famous for their work on positron emission tomography (PET) scans, have traced the pathways by which methamphetamine lingers in the brain longer than cocaine. The Brookhaven Lab, managed by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) tested non-drug abusing volunteers. The results will be published in the November 1 issue of Neuroimage.The researchers injected the 19 volunteers with radioactively tagged doses of the drugs. Scanning cameras then recorded the concentration and distribution of the tagged molecules. Both cocaine and methamphetamine enter the brain quickly—part of the reason why the two drugs are so reinforcing. However, cocaine clears the brain just as quickly, whil... Addiction Inbox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1880038 Wed, 15 Oct 2008 21:39:00 +0100 1880038 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AddictionInbox/~3/418778205/supreme-court-lights-up.html Unlikely to let states sue over low tar cigarettes.Can states sue tobacco companies for marketing one of the most addictive products known to man? Not if the claim hinges on deceptive claims about “light” cigarettes, the U.S. Supreme Court seemed to say last Monday.The Court began its new term by taking up the tobacco case, in which three residents of Maine filed suit against Altria Group Inc. and its subsidiary, Philip Morris USA, under a state law barring unfair marketing practices. According to an Associated Press report, the plaintiffs argued that Philip Morris had long known that smokers of low tar cigarettes compensate by taking longer puffs and smoking more cigarettes.After being thrown out by a federal district court, a U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals allowed the suit to proceed.... Addiction Inbox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1870978 Sun, 12 Oct 2008 18:30:00 +0100 1870978 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AddictionInbox/~3/417063737/drugs-on-ballot.html States to vote on drug policy proposals.The Drug War Chronicle has done an excellent job of rounding up the various drug policy initiatives that will appear on state ballots in November. The majority of these initiatives concern marijuana decriminalization, medical marijuana, and prison sentencing reform. The Drug War Chronicle reports in its October 3 issue that the pace of drug policy initiatives has slowed, compared to the beginning of the decade, when medical marijuana initiatives were on the ballot in dozens of states.While California voters will be asked to strengthen their support of medical marijuana and lessen penalties for possession, voters in Michigan and Massachusetts will have the opportunity to follow California’s lead with marijuana decriminalization initiatives of their ... Addiction Inbox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1868608 Fri, 10 Oct 2008 18:45:00 +0100 1868608 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AddictionInbox/~3/413011962/john-mccain-and-ambien.html Is he sleep-driving through the campaign?After the last three weeks of erratic and unpredictable behavior from presidential candidate John McCain, it seems reasonable to revisit an issue first raised in May by ABC News: Is McCain’s use of the drug Ambien as a sleep aide affecting his behavior and judgment?After the press was allowed a brief look at candidate McCain’s medical records earlier this year, Dr. Peter A. Fotinakes of the St. Joseph Sleep Disorders Center in Orange, California, told ABC News that, while Ambien was generally a safe medication, “Taking more than the recommended dosage of Ambien or combining it with other sedative-hypnotics--for example, alcohol—may result in amnesia, fugue states, and sleep walking.”Ambien’s official website lists other reported effects:... Addiction Inbox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1856277 Mon, 06 Oct 2008 18:02:00 +0100 1856277 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AddictionInbox/~3/412075693/addiction-and-recovery-news-recovery.html Jason Schwartz at Addiction and Recovery News has a similar reaction to the happy spin SAMHSA put on its recent survey:Addiction and Recovery News: Recovery and stigma"I'm not sure what to make of the prevention attitudes," Jason writes. "I suspect SAMHSA finds them encouraging, but I assume that they are more symptomatic of the belief that addiction has a lot to do with a person "losing their way", "getting hooked", or falling in with the wrong crowd." (Source: Addiction Inbox) Addiction Inbox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1853705 Sun, 05 Oct 2008 18:19:00 +0100 1853705 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AddictionInbox/~3/411421268/addiction-stigma-lives-on.html Would you live next door to a drug addict?A telephone survey by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), a branch of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, shows that public attitudes toward addiction and recovery are still laced with negativity.Undertaken as part of National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month, the survey was released in late September. For all the positive spin SAMHSA puts on the findings—emphasizing that only a fifth of survey respondents said they would think less of a friend or relative who was in recovery from addiction--the telephone survey also showed that negative attitudes and stigmas associated with drug and alcohol addiction are slowly waning—but still demonstrably present. People continue to view alcohol addi... Addiction Inbox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1852700 Sat, 04 Oct 2008 21:51:00 +0100 1852700 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AddictionInbox/~3/409388813/mccain-on-drugs.html Full speed ahead on the Drug War.One issue largely missing in action during the presidential campaign has been the Drug War, and all the policy implications for addiction treatment that go with it. Our thanks go out to OnTheIssues blog for compiling the admittedly skimpy record of public statements about drug policy by both candidates. In this post, we examine the on-the-record views of Republican candidate John McCain.In his long career in the U.S. Senate, John McCain’s support for the Drug War has never wavered. Campaigning for president in 2000, McCain’s positions were the most hawkish of the four major candidates, the Boston Globe reported. “He wants to increase penalties for selling drugs, supports the death penalty for drug kingpins, favors tightening security to stop the flow ... Addiction Inbox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1848042 Thu, 02 Oct 2008 15:41:00 +0100 1848042 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AddictionInbox/~3/403369459/obama-on-drugs.html Will he do anything about the Drug War?One issue largely missing in action during the presidential campaign has been the Drug War, and all the policy implications for addiction treatment that go with it. Our thanks go out to OnTheIssues blog for compiling the admittedly skimpy record of public statements about drug policy by both candidates. In this post, we examine the on-the-record views of Democratic candidate Barack Obama.The official Obama plan, as outlined in his campaign booklet, Blueprint for Change, calls for greater use of drug courts, job training for ex-offenders, and the elimination of sentencing disparities like the crack/powdered cocaine inequities. He does not favor lowering the current drinking age from 21 to 18, despite a collective push to do so by dozens of university p... Addiction Inbox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1829344 Fri, 26 Sep 2008 02:20:00 +0100 1829344 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AddictionInbox/~3/401239404/scared-smokeless.html Will New Yorkers quit smoking if you frighten them? If it looks grim, that’s because it’s meant to. And if you don’t like that one, the New York Health Department has several other yucky pictures you’re bound to dislike just as much.That’s the idea, anyway. Whether or not it proves successful or even useful is another matter. Yesterday, the city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene rolled out its new series of revolting matchbooks designed to help undercut tobacco industry marketing schemes. By focusing awareness on the graphic presentation of smoking’s worst effects, the campaign hopes to highlight the ugly side of the public health equation and reinforce this message by associating cigarettes with pictorial representations of gum disease, blackened lungs, and throat ca... Addiction Inbox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1826009 Tue, 23 Sep 2008 23:11:00 +0100 1826009 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AddictionInbox/~3/398541760/cindy-mccains-drug-addiction.html She’s no Betty Ford.In 1989, Cindy McCain had back surgery for ruptured disks. By her own admission, she became addicted to powerful painkillers—Vicodin and Percocet. Mrs. McCain spoke openly on television about her addiction, which had culminated in 1992 with an intervention staged by her parents. She told Jay Leno on the “Tonight Show” that she wanted to talk about the experience as often as possible, “because I don’t want anyone to wind up in the shoes that I did at the time.” She also penned a column about her addiction for Newsweek in 2001, and did an interview for Harper’s Bazaar.As it turns out, however, Mrs. McCain’s openness about her addiction may have been the involuntary result of a yearlong DEA investigation into her drug use. Moreover, it is far from clear t... Addiction Inbox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1811437 Sun, 21 Sep 2008 01:21:00 +0100 1811437 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AddictionInbox/~3/395413624/what-type-of-drinker-are-you.html U.K health officials classify problem drinkers.In an effort to combat problem drinking with “social marketing techniques,” the British Department of Health has released a study purporting to break down heavy drinkers into 9 distinct personality types, according to the U.K. Guardian.British Department of Health researchers performed the studies at the behest of the National Health Service, which says that alcohol-related illnesses cost England almost $5 billion each year. It was unclear what criteria were used to identify and define the nine types.BBC news quoted Health Minister Dawn Primarolo on the findings: "This will be a tough one to crack. Research found many positive associations with alcohol among the general public - even more so among those drinking at higher-risk levels. For ... Addiction Inbox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1802863 Wed, 17 Sep 2008 17:45:00 +0100 1802863 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AddictionInbox/~3/389936187/alcohol-and-medicine-when-drugs.html Is it okay if I drink with these pills?We've all seen the warnings; the labels on prescription bottles telling us not to mix the pills with alcohol. The warnings tell us that alcohol may blunt or enhance or nullify the effect of the prescribed drugs.But what's so bad about mixing alcohol with common medications? What, really, can go wrong? "Nausea and vomiting, headaches, drowsiness, fainting, or loss of coordination," according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). "It can also put you at risk for internal bleeding, heart problems, and difficulties breathing. In addition to these dangers, alcohol can make a medication less effective or even useless, or it may make the medication harmful or toxic to your body."The NIAAA reminds consumers that certain medicines,... Addiction Inbox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1788829 Thu, 11 Sep 2008 19:05:00 +0100 1788829 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AddictionInbox/~3/387857192/guest-post-conspiracy-theories-on.html A humorous look at the pot wars.From "WebPreneur" Sarah Scrafford comes this list of reasons not to legalize pot. As Scrafford writes, "this isn’t intended as a serious policy article (so no hate mail please!). Rather, its intended to be a chance for everyone to take a step back and laugh at some of the truly nuttiest conspiracy theories put forth from both sides of the aisle.... It is my hope that this regaining of perspective will allow people on both sides of the debate to recognize the extremes often taken and find a middle ground that in the end will serve all parties better."The complete post can be found at Web Designs School Guide:-- The legalization of Mary Jane will turn America’s youth into useless consumer hippies: Forget for a moment that the 2006 Monitoring the Future sur... Addiction Inbox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1779511 Tue, 09 Sep 2008 17:26:00 +0100 1779511 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AddictionInbox/~3/386232950/uk-expands-production-of-homegrown.html Meanwhile, British soldiers destroy poppy fields in Afghanistan.The British government has been quietly recruiting growers for a program of licensed cultivation of poppies for morphine in an effort to stem shortages of the drug at the National Health Service.This summer, various British newspapers have confirmed that more than 6,400 acres of cropland on a dozen different farms in Hampshire, Lincolnshire and Hertfordshire have been converted to opium production.The result, according to the London Daily Mail, is "an increasingly visible crop in the British countryside." According to the London Times, the British government had been hoping to keep a low profile on the project, with the poppies being grown at undisclosed locations.A spokesperson for Macfarlan Smith told the Times the effort wa... Addiction Inbox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1773296 Mon, 08 Sep 2008 01:13:00 +0100 1773296 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AddictionInbox/~3/382508632/drug-for-cocaine-addicts-causes-weight.html Is Vigabatrin the next big diet pill?The U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory announced that obese rats lost weight on the experimental anti-cocaine drug vigabatrin, reinforcing the idea that certain forms of obesity--particularly binge eating--result from the same kinds of neurotransmitter disturbances that underlie vulnerability to addictive drugs like cocaine.Amy DeMarco, lead author of the study, said in a press release from Brookhaven that the results "appear to demonstrate that vigabatrin induced satiety in these animals."Earlier, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had given Fast Track designation to vigabatrin, an anticonvulsant, for evaluation as an anti-craving drug for cocaine and methamphetamine addiction. If successful, it would be the first medic... Addiction Inbox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1764071 Wed, 03 Sep 2008 17:17:00 +0100 1764071 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AddictionInbox/~3/377199414/quitting-when-youre-high.html Active smokers underestimate rigors of withdrawal.An alcoholic wraps his car around a tree in a drunken haze. He has "hit bottom" and vows never to drink again.A meth tweaker gets so high he becomes unruly and disoriented and is arrested. In jail, cranked to the gills on speed, she pledges to go sober, starting right now.A cigarette smoker stumbles to bed after a typical two-pack day, coughing, throat burning, reeking of tobacco, and swears that upon waking, his remaining cigarettes will go out with the trash and his life as a human ashtray is over.Each of these addicts has started off on exactly the wrong foot, and will very likely fail quickly in their quitting attempts, according to recent research on smoking cessation from the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University. It... Addiction Inbox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1739370 Thu, 28 Aug 2008 14:49:00 +0100 1739370 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AddictionInbox/~3/367600328/2008-marijuana-sourcebook.html Feds back gateway theory, say no to medical marijuana.Attention marijuana users: The President’s Office of National Drug Control Policy thinks it has a pretty good idea of where you live. Last month, the office released its 2008 Marijuana Sourcebook (PDF), which includes the map to the right. (Dark green equals low use, yellow equals moderate use, and red stands for high use.)Prime marijuana territory, according to the estimates, includes Northern California, upstate New York and New England, Alaska, Northern Florida, Northern Arizona, and Western Montana. Areas showing little interest in pot include Texas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Iowa, and Utah.The Marijuana Sourcebook also features the controversial gateway hypothesis: “For younger users, the risk of marijuana abuse or dependency exceeds... Addiction Inbox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1711811 Sun, 17 Aug 2008 22:46:00 +0100 1711811 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AddictionInbox/~3/366754507/nothing-beats-booze.html Annual survey ranks alcohol as #1 problem.Drugs may make headlines, but alcohol is the elephant sitting in the corner of the room, according to Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA), a non-profit organization that conducts an annual survey of community anti-drug service groups. CADCA, sponsored in part by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, found that 68 percent of community anti-drug coalitions ranked alcohol as “the number one problem facing their community.”The group said that marijuana was in second place, listed by 60 percent of communities as one of the major problems in their areas. Tobacco was a close third.“It’s no surprise that our members are seeing big problems with youth alcohol use in their communities,” said Arthur T. Dean, CADCA chairman ... Addiction Inbox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1709464 Sat, 16 Aug 2008 19:51:00 +0100 1709464 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AddictionInbox/~3/363207229/clinical-lsd.html “Psychedelic psychotherapy” makes a comeback.“Take a tab of Sunshine and call me in the morning.”No, we haven’t reached that point yet. But there is a growing movement among research scientists to take another look at powerfully psychoactive drugs like LSD, psilocybin, MDMA and ibogaine as treatments for a variety of illnesses.In June, the first clinical trial of LSD since the 1970s began in Switzerland, according to the U.K. Guardian. While LSD has sparked renewed interest as a potential treatment for everything from depression to cluster headaches to post-traumatic stress disorder, the Swiss trial will focus on administering LSD in varying doses to eight terminally ill subjects. “During the course of therapy,” the Guardian reported, “researchers will assess the patients�... Addiction Inbox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1700979 Tue, 12 Aug 2008 19:19:00 +0100 1700979 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AddictionInbox/~3/359869275/why-dont-they-just-say-no.html Are addicts at fault for refusing to get well?It often seems as if alcoholics and other drug addicts are at fault for perversely refusing to get well. Rarely do the treatment methods, or lack of them, come under question. The traditional view of the addict as an immature and irresponsible person, short on will power, low on self-esteem, and forever at the mercy of his or her “addictive personality,” works at cross-purposes with the goal of helping addicts recognize the need for treatment. Addicts have traditionally been taught to think of themselves the way Franz Kafka thought of himself in relation to his tuberculosis: “Secretly I don’t believe this illness to be tuberculosis, at least not primarily tuberculosis, but rather a sign of my general bankruptcy.”Who is really at fault... Addiction Inbox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1692288 Fri, 08 Aug 2008 23:33:00 +0100 1692288 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AddictionInbox/~3/357655423/gates-bloomberg-target-cigarettes.html Billionaires pledge $500 million, but will it do any good?If money were all it took, tobacco smoking would be on the run after Bill Gates and Michael Bloomberg jointly pledged last month to fight tobacco use worldwide, especially in low- and middle-income countries, through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Johns Hopkins University.Mayor Bloomberg, who has been involved in anti-smoking campaigns for years, admitted at a joint news conference that "all the money in the world will never eradicate tobacco. But this partnership underscores how much the tide is turning against this deadly epidemic."The program, put together by Bloomberg and Dr. Margaret Chan of the World Health Organization (WHO), is an ambitious, multi-faceted effort to be coordinated by the Bloomberg Initiative to Red... Addiction Inbox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1686429 Wed, 06 Aug 2008 18:41:00 +0100 1686429 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AddictionInbox/~3/352974902/no-need-for-weed.html U.K. book on cannabis dependency.For James Langton, author of "No Need for Weed: Understanding and Breaking Cannabis Dependency", it was no easy task to find information and support when he sought to rid himself of a 30-year marijuana relationship. Through his own efforts, and the early help of Marijuana Anonymous, Langton became abstinent. And in an effort to help others in the same boat, he published his own account, a combination of personal memoir, anecdotes from pot smokers drawn to his own Clearhead support website, and a thoughtful assessment of the nature of both active marijuana dependency and marijuana withdrawal.Langton has written a valuable and insightful book, dedicated, he says, to those "who fell blindly in love with the drug, in all its forms, without a second thought. But... Addiction Inbox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1675041 Fri, 01 Aug 2008 20:31:00 +0100 1675041 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AddictionInbox/~3/350838586/ten-ways-to-battle-coffee-addiction.html Caffeine-free energy boosters(From the mailbag)Kelly Sonora at the Nursing Online Education Database (NOEDb) recently sent me an article by Christina Laun, entitled "50 Ways to Boost Your Energy Without Caffeine." The complete article is available on the NOEDb web site. If you are making an effort to decrease reliance on coffee, Laun writes, the suggestions will "give you a boost when you're feeling sleepy or prevent tiredness altogether."Herewith, a sampling:--Turn on the lights. Your body responds naturally to changes in light, so if it's unnaturally dark where you're working or sleeping it may make staying alert a lot harder. Try keeping your blinds open a bit so you'll wake up naturally in the morning or adding a few extra lights to your workspace to keep you from feeling sleepy throug... Addiction Inbox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1668588 Wed, 30 Jul 2008 20:29:00 +0100 1668588 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AddictionInbox/~3/345992876/ten-drug-myths-exposed.html Drug abuse vs. drug dependence.As the neurobiology of addiction has come into clearer focus over time, our ability to separate fact from fiction in the field of drug dependence has grown rapidly. Beliefs that have been common wisdom for years--that anyone who uses cocaine or heroin inevitably becomes addicted to it, for example--can now be confidently replaced with insights gained from a decade or more of intense research on the biological causes and treatment of addiction.Dr. Carlton Erickson, professor of Pharmacology/Toxicology and director of the Addiction Science Research and Education Center at the University of Texas, has assembled an intriguing list of such changes in thinking, based on his book, "The Science of Addiction: From Neurobiology to Treatment." The complete list can be f... Addiction Inbox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1655600 Fri, 25 Jul 2008 20:15:00 +0100 1655600 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AddictionInbox/~3/343927989/coffee-and-cigarettes.html Recovering alcoholics and their drugs.It's no secret that alcohol and cigarettes go together. And it is common knowledge--and an AA truism--that recovering alcoholics take to strong black coffee like ducks to water.Now comes a study of Alcoholics Anonymous participants in Nashville, to be published in the October issue of Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, which verifies the obvious, with a twist. Of 289 AA members interviewed by Dr. Peter R. Martin and coworkers at the Vanderbilt Addiction Center, 56.9% of respondents were cigarette smokers (approximately 20% of all adult Americans smoke cigarettes).When it came to coffee, however, 88.5% of AA attendees were coffee drinkers, and a third of them drank more than 4 cups a day. "The most important finding," said Dr. Martin in a V... Addiction Inbox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1649214 Wed, 23 Jul 2008 20:54:00 +0100 1649214 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AddictionInbox/~3/341847286/drugs-for-alcoholism.html Different meds for different drinkers Although there are still only three drugs officially approved by the FDA for the treatment of alcoholism, the research picture is beginning to change. In an article by Greg Miller published in the 11 April 2008 edition of Science, alcoholism researcher Stephanie O'Malley of Yale University said: "We have effective treatments, but they don't help everyone. There's lots of room for improvement."The medications legally available by prescription for alcoholism are: disulfiram (Antabuse), naltrexone (Revia and Vivitrol), and acamprosate (Campral), the latest FDA-approved entry. A fourth entry, topiramate (Topamax), is currently only approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use against seizures and migraine. The controversial practice of “off... Addiction Inbox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1642760 Mon, 21 Jul 2008 19:47:00 +0100 1642760 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AddictionInbox/~3/337217953/drugs-for-cocaine-addiction.html Researchers target GABA, noradrenaline.According to Catalyst Pharmaceutical Partners, a company conducting research on drugs for the treatment of addiction, "The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has recognized that cocaine addiction is a 'serious, life-threatening condition for which there is no current drug treatment,' and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) has stated that finding a pharmacological treatment for cocaine addiction is their number one research priority."Other researchers view it differently, however. Allan Parry, a drug counsellor in Liverpool, U.K., told New Scientist that such work was "only likely to be relevant to a tiny minority of people. People often give up cocaine because their lifestyle changes or they just grow up."Fighting fire with fire--using drugs t... Addiction Inbox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1631315 Wed, 16 Jul 2008 16:12:00 +0100 1631315 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AddictionInbox/~3/334699093/no-pill-for-stimulant-addiction.html Meth and cocaine continue to elude researchers.Despite promising trials of several compounds, methamphetamine addiction remains largely impervious to anti-craving pills and other forms of drug treatment. According to a paper in the June issue of Addiction Science and Clinical Practice, "currently, no medications are approved by the FDA for the treatment of stimulant dependence. However, recent advances in understanding... have allowed researchers to identify several promising candidates."The paper's author, Dr. Kyle Kampman of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and Treatment Research Center, notes that "the demand for treatment for cocaine dependence remained roughly level from 1992 to 2005, while the demand for treatment for amphetamine dependence increased about eight-fold... Addiction Inbox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1618124 Mon, 14 Jul 2008 02:12:00 +0100 1618124 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AddictionInbox/~3/331966293/rogue-pharmacies-on-internet.html You've got drugs!No prescription? No problem. Of 365 web sites advertising or selling controlled drugs, fully 85 percent do not require a written prescription, according to the 5th annual White Paper from the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University (CASA).Although the overall number of drug-peddling web sites declined from 2007, the report found that benzodiazepines like Xanax and Valium were the most frequently offered online drugs, followed by painkillers like Oxycontin and Vicodin. 27 percent of the sites also offered Ritalin, Adderall, and other stimulants.The paper, entitled "'You've Got Drugs!' V: Prescription Drug Pushers on the Internet," reported that only two of the 365 sites were certified by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, an offi... Addiction Inbox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1606051 Thu, 10 Jul 2008 18:35:00 +0100 1606051 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AddictionInbox/~3/328368635/if-genes-fit.html U.K psychiatrists agree addiction is "genetically determined."Although the verdict is very little in doubt these days, the heritability of addictions was reaffirmed by the U.K.'s Royal College of Psychiatrists in London on July 4th.In a presentation at the group's annual meeting, held at Imperial College, Professor Wim van den Brink of the University of Amsterdam's Academic Medical Center pinned the blame for addiction squarely on the absence of a sufficient number of dopamine receptors in the brain. "Addicts find it difficult to receive pleasure," he said. "They are not likely to enjoy most of the ordinary things most of us enjoy... they are looking for more stimulus." Professor van den Brink also made clear the importance of environmental interactions for gene expression: "You might star... Addiction Inbox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1583001 Sun, 06 Jul 2008 22:46:00 +0100 1583001 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AddictionInbox/~3/323653287/pain-patients-sue-state-of-washington.html Do doctors suffer from "opiophobia?" The opium family of painkillers has always been a bane and a boon to the human race, as evidenced by nurses injecting morphine into agonizingly wounded soldiers, and street junkies selling the clothes off their back for another fix.However, as I wrote in an earlier post, "The Morphine Scandal," the ironies fly thick and fast: In many cases, pain relief is the one thing doctors can offer their patients, and the one thing they withhold. Studies show that 70 per cent of patients present with painful conditions. Typically, non-addicted patients take morphine therapeutically for pain at doses in the 5 to 10 mg. range. But experienced morphine addicts regularly take several hundred milligrams a day—a huge difference.Now, a lawyer for a pain relief advocacy ... Addiction Inbox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1556447 Tue, 01 Jul 2008 00:42:00 +0100 1556447 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AddictionInbox/~3/321467118/guest-post-internet-addiction-novel.html Or a reflection of the new world order? [Editors Note: Addiction Inbox has not covered the so-called behavioral or non-traditional addictions--Internet addiction, video game addiction, compulsive shopping and compulsive gambling--because I am not yet convinced that such behaviors show the same chemical and often inheritable propensities associated with alcoholism and other drug addictions. Nonetheless, I am pleased to offer an alternative view, and to welcome guest blogger Elizabeth Dillon, who contributes a thought-provoking post on internet addiction.] --Dirk Hanson By Elizabeth Dillon It is impossible to deny the incredible significance of the internet and the effects its development has had on the world. Today the internet touches nearly every aspect of our daily lives; we shop onl... Addiction Inbox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1551655 Fri, 27 Jun 2008 17:04:00 +0100 1551655 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AddictionInbox/~3/319829876/addiction-treatment-who-is-client.html The Overselling of Drug RehabProfessor David Clark, who runs the Wired In recovery website in the U.K., recently posted several passages from William L. White's "Slaying the Dragon: The History of Addiction Treatment and Recovery in America."According to Professor Clark, "In highlighting [these quotes] on my Blog, I am not questioning the value of treatment. However, I am providing a word of caution to those who are trying to tell 'society' that the government-led treatment system is successful and is a panacea to some of society's problems."Among the observations from White's book:Who is the client?"Addiction treatment swings back and forth between a technology of personal transformation and a technology of coercion. When the latter dominates, counselors become, not helpers, but behaviora... Addiction Inbox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1543670 Wed, 25 Jun 2008 16:24:00 +0100 1543670 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AddictionInbox/~3/317078038/battling-addiction-with-exercise.html It helps you quit. Can it keep you from starting? We've all heard the claim: Physical exercise helps addicts who are working their way through withdrawal and recovery. It is one of the most common prescriptions given out by doctors and health professionals, whether you are a recovering alcoholic or a chronic binge eater.And it makes sense. Exercise has verifiable impacts on not just endorphin levels, but also levels of circulating serotonin and dopamine. All three neurotransmitter systems are heavily implicated in both maintaining addiction and withdrawing from it. Countless drug addicts have extolled the virtues of vigorous exercise, and there seem to be no compelling reason to doubt them.But is there reason to think that regular exercise can help prevent addiction from blossoming in the ... Addiction Inbox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1535876 Sat, 21 Jun 2008 21:01:00 +0100 1535876 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AddictionInbox/~3/313942615/meth-to-west-cocaine-to-east-pot-in.html The geography of drug use.To paraphrase an old tune by Gerry Rafferty, we got meth to the left of us, cocaine to the right, and here we are, stuck in the middle with pot.The National Drug Threat Survey of 2007, a product of the National Drug Intelligence Center (NDIC) at the Department of Justice, illustrates the stark nature of regional variation when it comes to illegal drugs of choice in the United States. The map at the right represents the responses of state and local law enforcement agencies to the question: "What drug poses the greatest threat to your area?" Blue indicates cocaine, red indicates methamphetamine, and green stands for marijuana. (Click map for larger image.)According to the Oregonian in Portland, reporting on similar numbers from the U.S. Substance Abuse and Ment... Addiction Inbox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1526544 Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:04:00 +0100 1526544 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AddictionInbox/~3/311432805/obama-and-mccain-on-addiction-treatment.html Candidates differ on medical marijuanaA drug and alcohol policy group has released a study of positions on drug policy by the presidential candidates, concluding that "neither John McCain or Barack Obama can really be considered a leader in the drug-policy area."In an article published on the Join Together website, author Bob Curley notes that Obama has admitted to youthful marijuana and cocaine use, and McCain has admitted to youthful alcohol abuse. Both candidates are former cigarette smokers, Obama having quit only recently. Curley write that "both appear to have a broader and more nuanced understanding of addiction issues than their White House predecessor."The article also quotes William Cope Moyers, vice president of external affairs at Hazelden treatment center, who says he has "nev... Addiction Inbox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1516644 Fri, 13 Jun 2008 21:49:00 +0100 1516644 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AddictionInbox/~3/306214014/smoking-rates-fall-18-in-indiana.html What's their secret?Addiction is a tough disease, and smoking grabs hold of the addiction-prone with a speed and ferocity that remains impressive even in a world of crack cocaine and ice amphetamine. Zyban may help, and there is the ever-controversial Chantix, as well as a plethora of nicotine replacement products. They are valuable and frequently effective additions to the arsenal of medical approaches to nicotine addiction.Yet there remains one universally effective--if equally controversial--method of lowering smoking rates in a given population. You can increase the price.Last year, Indiana boosted state taxes on cigarettes by a whopping 44 cents per pack. The result? Cigarette sales fell in Indiana by almost 18 per cent in the nine months since the new tax was put into effect, accordi... Addiction Inbox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1500093 Fri, 06 Jun 2008 16:32:00 +0100 1500093 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AddictionInbox/~3/303203119/biology-of-bulimia.html The binge-and-purge addiction.By 2000, the biological substrate unifying alcoholism, addiction, depression, and certain eating disorders had become irrefutable. Population surveys had shown that nearly half of alcoholic patients had a long history of coexisting depression and/or anxiety disorders. Overall, about a third of patients with depression or panic disorder have had lifelong problems with drug abuse. These are estimates, best clinical guesses, but associating depression and addiction is no longer a speculative venture.As with more familiar forms of addiction, bulimia was coming to be seen as another serotonin/dopamine-mediated medical condition. As noted, serotonin is involved in both the binge and the purge. Once researchers began performing the necessary double blind, placebo-con... Addiction Inbox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1488477 Mon, 02 Jun 2008 20:09:00 +0100 1488477 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AddictionInbox/~3/301426970/epigenetics-and-addiction.html Turning off the genes for substance abuse.If psychiatric disorders, including depression and addiction, are rooted in nature, but modified by nurture, some better way of viewing the interaction between genes and the environment is desperately needed.Enter "epigenetics," defined as the study of how gene expression can be modified without making direct changes to the DNA. Writing in Science News, Tina Hesman Saey explains that "epigenetic mechanisms alter how cells use genes but don't change the DNA code in the genes themselves.... The ultimate effect is to finely tune to what degree a gene is turned on or off. Often the fine tuning is long-lasting, setting the level of a gene's activity for the lifetime of the cell."A common form of epigenetic modification involves adding molecules to the D... Addiction Inbox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1480833 Fri, 30 May 2008 18:13:00 +0100 1480833 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AddictionInbox/~3/300723778/annals-of-addiction-richard-lewis.html From The Harder They Fall"It's hard to know exactly when I became an alcoholic. What I do know is that growing up I felt misunderstood, not appreciated, and needing validation. I didn't feel I was getting it from important people in my life. They had their problems, their own concerns. I felt sort of invisible...."Drinking made me feel not as miserable. It was a great Band-Aid. It progressed, but it didn't stop me in my career. I've done well, and I was an alcoholic at the height of my career, when I really hit. When alcohol really got me by the throat, I quit stand-up comedy. Acting was easier. Easier to stay sober most of the time, do my work, and know I'm off for three days....."There were tip-offs, even way early. I remember getting some sort of sexually transmitted disease that was go... Addiction Inbox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1478127 Thu, 29 May 2008 18:37:00 +0100 1478127 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AddictionInbox/~3/299895503/annals-of-addiction-grace-slick.html From The Harder They Fall"There's a whole bunch of alcoholics on both sides of my family, but they function in the sense that everybody kept their jobs. There were no divorces, except for my grandmother, but she's not an alcoholic. She was just a wild child like I was. Our alcoholics all kept their jobs and stayed married...."The Airplane became famous as the original psychedelic band, but personally, I was more of a drinker. Anything that was around and easy I took--marijuana was very easy to score, but alcohol was my drug of choice. That's the genetic deal going on, where I'm an addict in the sense that anything I like I'm all over. Like flies on shit! And sometimes that works out fine. Right now I'm a painter. That's how I make my living and pay the mortgage...."In 1970, when I became p... Addiction Inbox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1475315 Wed, 28 May 2008 14:50:00 +0100 1475315 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AddictionInbox/~3/298635426/annals-of-addiction-malcom-mcdowell.html From The Harder They Fall"My father was an alcoholic, so I never really drank much. I kept away from it, but I didn't realize that cocaine was really the same thing. Alcohol eventually started getting a little out of control, but in the form of 'fine wine.' That was my excuse...."So I didn't consider wine a problem, but cocaine was a problem, and that got out of hand quite fast. It had a very bad effect on my marriage. The lies and deceit and everything that goes with addiction. I went from snorting it occasionally to now smoking it, doing freebase. Doing as much as I could. Finish a batch at four in the morning. Driving around the San Fernando Valley looking for some more of it. Driving while completely stoned, of course. How I was never in an accident, I just don't know...."The using end... Addiction Inbox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1469915 Mon, 26 May 2008 21:28:00 +0100 1469915 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AddictionInbox/~3/293650390/chemistry-of-cocaine-addiction.html Crack, free-base, and powderThe cocaine high is a marvel of biochemical efficiency. Cocaine works primarily by blocking the reuptake of dopamine molecules in the synaptic gap between nerve cells. Dopamine remains stalled in the gap, stimulating the receptors, resulting in higher dopamine concentrations and greater sensitivity to dopamine in general.Since dopamine is involved in moods and activities such as pleasure, alertness and movement, the primary results of using cocaine--euphoria, a sense of well being, physical alertness, and increased energy—are easily understood. Even a layperson can tell when lab rats have been on a cocaine binge. The rapid movements, sniffing, and sudden rearing at minor stimuli are not that much different in principle from the outward signs of cocaine intoxic... Addiction Inbox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1454668 Mon, 19 May 2008 17:40:00 +0100 1454668