| Collision of the COVID-19 and Addiction Epidemics |
| ANNALS OF INTERNAL MEDICINE (04/02) – [...] Because of direct challenges to respiratory health, those with SUD may be especially susceptible to infection by the virus that causes COVID-19 and associated complications. And because of impediments to delivering care to this population, persons with SUD who develop COVID-19 may find it harder to get care. Those in recovery will also be uniquely challenged by social distancing measures. Read more |
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| Addressing the Stigma that Surrounds Addiction |
| NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DRUG ABUSE: NORA'S BLOG (04/22) – Untreated drug and alcohol use contribute to tens of thousands of deaths every year and impact the lives of many more. Healthcare already has effective tools including medications for opioid and alcohol use disorder that could prevent many of these deaths, but they are not being utilized widely enough, and many people who could benefit do not even seek them out. One important reason is the stigma that surrounds people with addiction. Read more |
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| Virus Forebodes a Mental Health Crisis |
| ROLL CALL (04/10) – Mounting economic pressures and health concerns coupled with social isolation during the COVID-19 public health emergency have led to a rise in individuals seeking mental health care and self-medicating with drugs and alcohol. This has sparked a cry for more funding for behavioral health care from experts and advocacy groups. Read more |
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| Prescribing an Overdose: A Chapter in the Opioid Epidemic |
| MAYO CLINIC (04/15) – Research indicates that widespread opioid overprescribing contributed to the opioid epidemic. New research shows that this dangerous trend has apparently been coupled with another: inappropriate use of high-potency opioids. Read more |
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| Coronavirus Crisis Spurs Access To Online Treatment For Opioid Addiction |
| NPR (04/20) – A January report found that 40% of U.S. counties don't have a single health care provider approved to prescribe buprenorphine, a medicine integral to helping many patients beat opioid addiction. Permitting more-distant doctors to evaluate patients online and prescribe the medicine is a welcome advance, say addiction specialists. Read more |
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| Cocaine Seeking Heightened by Dopamine’s Epigenetic Effects |
| GENETIC ENGINEERING AN BIOTECHNOLOGY NEWS (04/10) – [...] Through a process called dopaminylation, it binds to chromatin, altering gene expression in brain cells and effectively rewiring the brain’s reward circuitry. This surprising finding emerged from a study of cocaine addiction, but it may be relevant to the abuse of drugs other than cocaine, as well as to reward-seeking behavior generally. Read more |
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| Coronavirus Presents New Challenges For Those With Eating Disorders — Here's How Survivors Are Seeking Out Support Online |
| TIME (04/22) – […] “In general, this tends to be an anxious group of people, whether it’s anorexia, bulimia, or a binge-eating disorder,” says Dr. Walter Kaye, the founder and executive director of the University of California, San Diego’s Eating Disorder Research and Treatment Program. “They’re very sensitive to stress, uncertainty, and change, all the kinds of things that are going on right now with COVID-19, so it’s likely to exacerbate the problem for them.” Read more |
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| E-Cigarettes and Youth: Patterns of Use, Potential Harms, and Recommendations |
| SCIENCE DIRECT (04/20) – [...] Most health professionals agree that youth exposure to e-cigarettes needs to be addressed but feel uninformed, rely on unconventional information sources such as the media and their patients, and report that routine screening procedures concerning e-cigarettes are lacking. Read more |
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| Heavy Cost of Excessive Drinking on People's Decision Making |
| SCIENCEDAILY (04/21) – A new study from psychologists at the University of Bath highlights the true impact of heavy drinking on our ability to plan, set goals and make decisions the following day. Published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine, the study provides new evidence as to why hangovers cost the wider economy so much. Read more |
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| Coronavirus Hits Global Drug Trade, Experts Say |
| FOX NEWS (04/16) – The coronavirus pandemic is reportedly crippling the illegal drug trade, as borders shut down and supply chains linking Mexico to China are severed. Law enforcement officials and trafficking experts told The Associated Press that the lockdowns have turned cities into ghost towns and are disrupting everything from production to transport to sales. Read more |
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| Virus Pandemic, Opioid Epidemic Collide Around Social Distancing |
| BLOOMBERG LAW (04/07) – The physical distancing needed to mitigate the worst pandemic in more than a century could exacerbate the opioid epidemic and other public health emergencies that continue to loom in the face of Covid-19, the head of NIH’s drug abuse research programs said. Read more |
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| Early Exposure to Cannabis Boosts Young Brains’ Sensitivity to Cocaine, Rodent Study Suggests |
| COLUMBIA ZUCKERMAN INSTITUTE (04/20) – Cannabis use makes young brains more sensitive to the first exposure to cocaine, according to a new study on rodents led by scientists at Columbia University and the University of Cagliari in Italy. Read more |
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| Earn Your Education 100% Online |
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The University of Cincinnati’s 100% Online Bachelor’s in Substance Abuse Counseling prepares graduates for rewarding careers helping those who are struggling with drug and alcohol addictions. Make a difference in your community and help combat addiction.
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| A Key Brain Region for Controlling Binge Drinking Has Been Found |
| MEDICAL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA (04/16) – A team of MUSC researchers led by Howard C. Becker, Ph.D., director of the Charleston Alcohol Research Center and professor in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, found that deactivating a stress-signaling system in a brain area known for motivation and emotion-related behaviors decreases binge drinking. Read more |
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