Published since 1884 by the Society for the Study of Addiction.
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A brief course of motivational interviewing plus cognitive behavioural therapy, all delivered by telephone, can help to reduce cannabis dependence and promote abstinence in the short term. Link to Abstract
Among people who inject illicit drugs, ethnic minorities are approximately twice as likely to be HIV seropositive than ethnic majorities. Link to Abstract
Indirect drug screening of new mothers, which asks questions about non-drug factors that indicate drug use without requiring direct disclosure, may increase the accuracy of mothers\' self-reports of prenatal drug use. Link to Abstract
People who report having three or more drinks before driving show evidence of greater impulsivity when under the influence of alcohol than those who do not report heavy drinking before driving. Link to Abstract
In the Spanish population, genetic factors are associated with level of alcohol intake. Also, heavy drinkers tend to smoke more, eat more meat, eat less fruit, and be less educated than very low drinkers. Link to Abstract
Poor drinking habits may contribute to retirement because of disability among middle-aged working people in Finland. Link to Abstract
Children under age 13 with different risk factors for alcohol use, such as impulsive behaviour and parents with drinking problems, tend later on to develop specific forms of alcohol use, such as early onset drinking and alcohol problems, depending on the risk factor. Link to Abstract
There is a high degree of variability in the apparent effectiveness of the treatment for substance use disorders in England in different areas. Link to Abstract
Insomnia, antidepressant use and alcohol dependence may increase the risk of benzodiazepine dependence. Link to Abstract
An individually tailored web-based intervention for stopping smoking was found to be no more effective than web-based materials that presented broadly similar non-tailored information. Link to Abstract
A $1 tax increase could reduce the economic burden of smoking for a state in the US by an average of $530.6 million and increase gross tax revenue by an average of 162%. Link to Abstract
In the US, white and Hispanic adolescents appear to be more likely than black adolescents to try smoking as a result of exposure to smoking in movies. Among white adolescents, susceptibility to movie smoking appears to increase with socio-economic status. Link to Abstract
Across a range of European countries, 4.4% of adolescents appear to show what might be considered 'pathological internet use', or internet addiction. Adolescents lacking emotional and psychological support are at highest risk. Link to Abstract
Smokers receiving help with quitting from specialist practitioners have very different chances of success depending on which specialist they see. Link to Abstract
Gambling intervention reports need to adhere better to transparency guidelines, which require clear and comprehensive descriptions of experiments and reporting of all outcomes. Link to Abstract
Iran is facing a major HIV epidemic among non-injecting illicit drug users. Link to Abstract
At-risk adolescents appear to be motivated toward stimuli associated with drinking (e.g. pictures of beer) shortly after they start drinking. These motivations particularly affect the drinking behaviour of adolescents with low inhibition. Link to Abstract
Among people convicted of driving while impaired in the United States, those who start drinking at a young age or combine drinking with substance use are more likely to engage in risky drinking behaviour later in life. Compared with men, women start drinking later in life and are more likely to stop drinking. Link to Abstract
Among psychiatric inpatients in Iceland, diagnoses of alcohol use disorder are rising among women and falling among men. The male-to-female ratio of alcohol use disorder decreased from 4.2 in 1993 to 1.5 in 2007. Link to Abstract
While depression in parents appears to increase risk of depression in their children when they reach late adolescence through the way they behave, substance use disorder and cannabis and nicotine use of parents appears to be linked to similar behaviour in children through gene transmission. Link to Abstract
Attending 12-Step meetings appears to help with depression beyond any effect on substance use. Link to Abstract
Opiate substitution and syringe exchange programmes can reduce hepatitis C prevalence if they are sustained long term. Link to Abstract
Methamphetamine use can be reduced for a short time by community residential programmes but simple 'detoxification' programmes do not appear to be effective. Link to Abstract
Contrary to what has been predicted by opponents of smoke-free laws, banning smoking in indoor public places and work-places has not increased exposure of children to second-hand smoke at home. Link to Abstract
Genetic factors contribute differently to amount smoked and nicotine dependence. Link to Abstract
A significant minority of smokers in England believe that using nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) for one year or more is harmful but this belief does not seem to deter them from using NRT. Link to Abstract
Tobacco control campaigns appear to be more effective at getting people to try to quit smoking than pharmaceutical companies' nicotine replacement therapy campaigns. Link to Abstract
Combining Quitline smoking cessation support (which uses nicotine replacement therapy and behavioural support) with very low nicotine content cigarettes (to be used whenever quitters had an urge to smoke for up to 6 weeks after the quit date) may help some smokers to quit smoking entirely. Link to Abstract
Using wastewater analysis to monitor illicit drug use in large populations does not raise major ethical concerns because individual drug users are not identifiable. In smaller populations, such as prisons, schools or work-places, wastewater analysis could potentially harm individuals and businesses. Link to Abstract
Students with a family history of alcohol problems do not drink more than other students, but they may be at greater risk for difficulties with alcohol and drugs. Link to Abstract
Children whose carers abuse alcohol or drugs are more likely to experience recurrent abuse and neglect than children whose carers do not abuse alcohol or drugs. Link to Abstract
Young binge drinkers appear to show abnormal brain activity that may underlie difficulties in impulse control. Link to Abstract
People who are alcohol dependent may experience impairments in prospective memory (the ability to perform intended actions at an appropriate moment in the future). Link to Abstract
Treating opioid-dependent patients with implant naltrexone can reduce mortality and opiate overdose during the first four months following treatment compared with patients treated with oral naltrexone. Link to Abstract
In the Russian city of Ekaterinburg, inadequate drug treatment practices prevent HIV-infected drug users from receiving HIV treatment. Access to HIV treatment appears often to be contingent upon prior drug treatment or evidence of having become 'drug free', yet there is no access to opioid substitution therapy in Russia. Link to Abstract
Dronabinol (a synthetic version of the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis, used medicinally to treat anorexia, nausea, vomiting, and chronic pain) impairs driving performance in occasional and heavy users. Link to Abstract
People with current or lifetime depression have a lower likelihood of quitting smoking, and former smokers with current depression have a greater likelihood of smoking relapse, compared with people who do not have current or lifetime depression. Link to Abstract
Cigarette smoking may be reduced significantly among pregnant, methadone-maintained women by providing incentives for gradual reductions in breath carbon monoxide levels. Link to Abstract
German medical students receive little training on the treatment of alcohol use disorders and smoking. Link to Abstract
Pathological gamblers may have greater difficulty than others in learning from unpleasant experiences. So they may be less likely to learn from the experience of losing when they bet. Link to Abstract
Among people with alcohol-dependence, the severity of the baseline alcohol problem predicts both the recurrence and persistence of dependence while the severity of their symptoms of depression or anxiety predicts the recurrence of alcohol dependence but not severity. Link to Abstract
Tailored, multi-faceted programmes aimed at improving general practitioners' management of patients' drinking are difficult to implement and do not show an effect on practitioners' rates of screening or advising their patients on alcohol use. Link to Abstract
Young adults with long-standing illnesses that limit their activities are more likely to be non-drinkers. So part of the link between non-drinking and health problems later in life may be due to people with health problems being less likely to take up drinking rather than moderate drinking being beneficial to health. Link to Abstract
Very few patients who try to taper off from methadone maintenance treatment succeed. Success is more likely when patients combine tapering with periods of stable methadone use. Link to Abstract
Crime rates are not higher in the vicinity of methadone treatment centres. Link to Abstract
Misconceptions about methadone are common among opiate addicts in China who are prescribed methadone maintenance therapy for the first time. These misconceptions are associated with poor adherence to the treatment regime and a high rate of dropout. Link to Abstract
A cannabis dependence programme that combines contingency management (CM), which rewards abstinence, and cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT), which builds skills for maintaining abstinence, does not appear to be more successful than a program that offers only CM or CBT. Link to Abstract
Children and adolescents who exhibit aggression, delinquency, and attention problems are more likely to become smokers, while those with anxiety and depression are less likely to become smokers. Link to Abstract
Italy's 2005 smoke-free policy did not appear to have a long-term effect on smoking prevalence. Link to Abstract
State-funded treatment to help smokers to quit, in very low income areas, can have a substantial reach. Success rates are lower than is typically found in randomised trials but higher than would be expected for smokers trying to stop by themselves. Link to Abstract
Compared with environmental factors, genetic factors play a larger role in the way smoking patterns develop in adolescence. Link to Abstract
Studies evaluating family-based prevention of alcohol misuse in young people often don't include enough information to assess how far the results generalise beyond the study sample. Link to Abstract
Cannabis users who also smoke tobacco are more dependent on cannabis, have more psychosocial problems, and find it harder to quit using cannabis, compared with cannabis users who do not use tobacco. Link to Abstract
Among college students drinking with their peers, unconscious positive perceptions about alcohol do not increase drinking. But conscious positive beliefs, like 'drinking is pleasant' or 'drinking increases happiness', do seem to cause increased drinking. Link to Abstract
The most effective piece of advice a doctor can give to a heavy drinker is to encourage the patient to monitor his or her alcohol consumption, typically by keeping a daily record. Link to Abstract
Prevalence of alcohol use disorders, such as alcohol dependence and harmful use, is low in Singapore. But those with alcohol use disorders also have higher odds of depression, nicotine dependence, gastric ulcers, respiratory problems, and chronic pain. Link to Abstract
Women who end marriages to husbands who are problem drinkers may decrease their own risk of alcohol-related problems. Link to Abstract
People who start outpatient substance abuse treatment increase their use of general health-care services. Link to Abstract
Pregnant women living in Ibiza substantially under-report their illicit drug use. Under-reporting is particularly strong among Spanish nationals. Link to Abstract
Newborn infants whose mothers are on methadone maintenance treatment during pregnancy are likely to spend less time hospitalized in neonatal units compared with infants whose mothers also use opiates, benzodiazepine, or cocaine during pregnancy. Link to Abstract
Electronic cigarettes can reduce cravings for traditional cigarettes and appear to have lower potential for abuse compared with traditional cigarettes. Link to Abstract
The urge to smoke is strongly connected with relapse in the first week of quitting smoking. Other withdrawal symptoms such as mood disturbance appear to play on a minor role. Link to Abstract
Clinicians and administrators are more likely to adopt evidence-based practice for treating addiction if the practice is seen as helpful to clients and if it is supported by their co-workers and administrators. Link to Abstract
Although drinking alcohol increases the risk of cancer of the oesophagus, quitting drinking reduces the risk over time. Link to Abstract
Although low to moderate drinking offers some protection against heart disease, the size of the benefit varies across drinkers. Link to Abstract
The rate of alcohol-related injuries is higher among people who frequently drink heavily or have occasional heavy-drinking episodes. Link to Abstract
People under the influence of alcohol are less able to perceive facial assymmetry, a trait associated with physical unattractiveness. Link to Abstract
Training people to control the impulse to drink triggered by alcohol-related stimuli (e.g., pictures of beer) reduces excessive drinking by lowering people's implicit positive attitudes towards alcohol Link to Abstract
High-risk sexual behaviors during young adulthood seem to be driven both by individual traits, such as sensation seeking or impulsivity, and the state of intoxication brought about by alcohol use. Link to Abstract
The anti-epilepsy drug Topiramate does not help current methamphetamine users to quit but can lower relapse rates among individuals who have already quit using the drug. Link to Abstract
The use of cannabis is linked to a reduction in work commitment among adults in Norway. Link to Abstract
The rapidly increasing number of prescription opioid injectors are at high risk for contracting Hepatitis C. Link to Abstract
A significant minority of menthol cigarettes smokers in the United States would try to stop smoking altogether if menthol cigarettes were banned. Link to Abstract
A policy of making nicotine replacement therapy prescribable to patients with cardiovascular disease does not increase prescribing rates among those patients. Link to Abstract
Nicotine patches help quitting smokers recover from smoking lapses. Link to Abstract
Bangladeshi women in the UK who chew paan with tobacco are more likely to quit if they use nicotine replacement therapy, have relatively low levels of social deprivation and are recruited via the community rather than via primary care practices. Link to Abstract
People who share drug-preparation equipment have the same risk of Hepatitis C infection as people who share needles. Link to Abstract
Doctors may be more effective in getting their patients to stop smoking by offering assistance to all smokers rather than by advising all smokers to quit and offering assistance only to those who say they want to quit. Link to Abstract
Showing alcohol-related images to people who are strongly motivated to drink prompts them to focus on the images and ignore peripheral information. It is thus possible that alcohol cues, such as advertisements for alcoholic beverages, can produce a narrow, alcohol-focused mindset that leads to drinking. Link to Abstract
In Australia, almost 25% of parents and other child carers report that a child for whom they were responsible has been adversely affected by someone's alcohol consumption in the past year. Link to Abstract
Focusing on the immediate priorities of people who inject drugs, such as improving access to injectable veins and minimizing the pain and length of injection time, can re-engage injectors who are jaded or confused by hepatitis C prevention messages. Link to Abstract
Collaborative behavioral management, which offers incentives for good behavior, may reduce substance use among prison parolees who primarily use marijuana or other 'non-hard' drugs without increasing the number of reincarcerations. Link to Abstract
Spain's expansion of harm reduction services in response to a national epidemic in heroin and injecting drug use was greatly delayed. Medium-level coverage for needle exchange programs and opioid substitution treatment did not occur until 8 years after peak need. Link to Abstract
Among cannabis users in Denmark, self-reported cannabis use using the timeline follow-back technique (which uses a visual calendar to enhance recall) is as accurate as blood sampling in determining cannabis consumption. Link to Abstract
Patients on low daily doses of methadone may show a tendency to prolonged QT intervals, a risk factor for irregular heartbeats and fatal heart attacks. Link to Abstract
The atypical antidepressant bupropion appears to blunt the preference for cocaine over monetary reward but increases how much enjoyment is derived from it. Link to Abstract
One session of personalized feedback combined with 4-6 sessions of group cognitive-behavioral therapy may help to reduce compulsive and problem gambling among US college students. Link to Abstract
Plain packaging is probably more effective than larger health warnings in undermining the appeal of cigarette brands and reducing intention to buy cigarettes. Link to Abstract
In women who stop smoking during pregnancy, anxiety and depression may be a factor in resumption of smoking both during and after pregnancy. Link to Abstract
Excessive cannabis and multi-drug use in adolescence is associated with psychotic experiences in adulthood. Link to Abstract
Withdrawal reactions to selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs, used as antidepressants) appear similar to those for benzodiazepines. There is therefore no basis for claiming that benzodiazepines cause dependence while SSRIs do not. Link to Abstract
Increasing the minimum price of alcohol can substantially reduce alcohol consumption. Link to Abstract
Zopiclone, a hypnotic agent used to treat insomnia, can impair psychomotor performance at blood concentrations as low as16 µg/l. Link to Abstract
Over a 7-year period, US adolescents with substance abuse disorders who continued to attend 12-step meetings such as Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous were more likely to stay off alcohol and drugs than those who did not. Link to Abstract
Drug counseling in the first 4 months of treatment is not essential to a achieve benefit from supervised methadone treatment in adults dependent on heroin. Link to Abstract
A brief intervention for illicit drug use that is linked to the Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST) is effective, at least in the short term, in Australia, Brazil and India. Link to Abstract
In Norway, men on methadone maintenance treatment appear to have an increased risk of being involved in motor vehicle accidents involving personal injuries compared with men in the general population. Link to Abstract
People with substance use disorders are more likely to stay off drugs when they have access to drug-free recovery housing and day-treatment programs following detox. Link to Abstract
Members of the US military service increase their probability of taking up smokeless tobacco when they are deployed, exposed to combat, show symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, start smoking, or return to smoking after quitting. Link to Abstract
In England, very low rate smokers (fewer than one cigarette per day) and light smokers (one to nine cigarettes per day) are at least as motivated to quit as heavier smokers. Although very low rate and light smokers are less likely to use prescription medication to help them stop smoking and are more likely to quit successfully, they still fail in quit attempts to a substantial degree. Link to Abstract
Compared with non-smokers, smokers have a greater preference for small, immediate rewards over larger, delayed rewards. This observation holds true over several methods of measuring this preference. Link to Abstract
There is limited evidence that programs designed to reduce both substance use and sexual risk in school children are effective. The most promising programs address several levels that influence risk behaviour (i.e., individual and peer, family, school, and community). Link to Abstract
The proportion of people in Sweden who never drink alcohol has increased from 1968 to 2000 primarily because each successive group has more teetotalers, not because people tend to stop drinking as they get older. Link to Abstract
Compared with young white men, US-born Hispanics aged 40+ years have a higher risk of developing alcohol use disorder and all younger minority men have an increased risk of developing alcohol dependence. Compared with young white women, older black women and US-born Hispanics have a higher risk of developing alcohol use disorder and alcohol dependence. Link to Abstract
In the USA, no more than 7 scheduling decisions with respect to the 63 substances studied might be considered errors, and results for other countries are broadly similar. Link to Abstract
Many patients receiving methadone maintenance therapy in Ontario, Canada receive overlapping prescriptions for other opioids such as codeine and oxycodone. Many prescriptions may reflect deceitful drug-seeking behavior, either for personal use or for sale to others. Link to Abstract
It appears that d-amphetamine, a frequently prescribed medication, has a similar potential for abuse as methamphetamine. Link to Abstract
Despite the health risks, young people who continued to use mephedrone after it became illegal would try a new legal high if it were pure and rated highly by their friends or on the Internet. Link to Abstract
A preventive nicotine vaccination program is unlikely to be a cost-effective way to stop adolescents from becoming smokers. Link to Abstract
Proposed changes to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) of Mental Disorders would increase the number of young people diagnosed with nicotine use disorder (called 'nicotine dependence' under the current DSM) despite no changes in their smoking habits and would introduce potentially problematic new criteria for diagnosis. Link to Abstract
Adolescents who do well in school are less likely to smoke, suggesting that it would be cost-effective to focus smoking prevention activities on the unstable low achievers who are more likely to begin smoking at an early age. Link to Abstract
An intervention based on the Stages of Change model to promote smoking cessation in cardiac patients in China was not effective beyond one year. Link to Abstract
In Australia, most people aged 15 to 25 are aware that substance use has a negative impact on mental disorders, but a few high-risk groups remain, including males, young adults (18 to 25) of both sexes, and young people with high levels of psychological distress. Link to Abstract
Smokers think a lot about quitting and make many unsuccessful attempts to quit, relapsing even after extended periods of nonsmoking. It's important to find ways to translate efforts to quit into long-term abstinence. Link to Abstract
Brief advice from physicians is a cost-effective intervention for tobacco control in Vietnam. Pharmacological therapies are not cost-effective at current prices. Link to Abstract
Cannabis use has declined in Australia since 1998 and the age of first use among those under 20 has increased. Link to Abstract
Drug users who voluntarily take drugs as participants in research projects do not show subsequent increased heroin use. Some research participants go on to enter treatment and stop heroin use in the short term. Link to Abstract
Heroin users have dysfunctional eating patterns that are amenable to improvement with help. Link to Abstract
When deep brain stimulation produces 49% of patients remaining heroin-free after 6 months of treatment, it is as cost effective as methadone maintenance treatment in treating opiate addiction. Link to Abstract
A high mortality rate, particularly caused by HIV infection, has reduced hepatitis C among injecting drug users in Amsterdam. Link to Abstract
Drug abuse is a substantial problem in both urban and rural areas in China. Link to Abstract
People with antisocial, borderline and schizotypal personality disorders tend to maintain drug use disorders over a three-year period. Link to Abstract
In Appalachia, in the United States, the prescription opioid OxyContin® is widely used non-medically and users show a higher risk of rapid transition to injection drug use compared with the use of other illicit drugs. Link to Abstract
'Seeking Safety', a manualised treatment approach for substance use disorder, shows better drug use outcomes than 'treatment as usual′ in male veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder. Link to Abstract
In the UK, problematic alcohol use in girls (but not boys) is associated with prior depressive symptoms. This association may be caused by family and social factors. Link to Abstract
One in five songs sampled from US popular music has explicit references to alcohol, and one-quarter of these mention a specific alcohol brand. Specific alcohol brand mentions involve a luxury life-style characterized by wealth, sex, partying, and other drugs. Link to Abstract
In Australia, there is a clear short-term temporal relationship between emergency department attendances for acute alcohol problems and assaults reported to police. Link to Abstract
Young people who show behavioral disinhibition and negative emotionality before they start using alcohol have an increased risk of developing alcohol use disorders. Development of an alcohol use disorder affects the rate of personality change during emerging adulthood. Link to Abstract
In Norway, each additional one-hour extension to the opening times of premises selling alcohol is associated with a 16% increase in violent crime. Link to Abstract
In the Netherlands, alcohol initiation, frequency, and quantity have increased among adolescents over a 15-year period, but there are no changes in the genetic basis of adolescent alcohol use. Link to Abstract
Benefits of opioid maintenance treatment in prison include recruiting problem opioid users into treatment, reducing illicit opioid use and risky behaviours, allowing continuity of treatment as people enter and leave prison, and possibly minimising overdose risks upon release. Link to Abstract
When asked for their opinions of the net societal harm caused by major addictive products, French addiction experts appeared to assign more weight to the products' benefits than to their harms. Link to Abstract
'Hardcore' smoking seems to involve both low motivation to quit and high nicotine dependence. Motivational factors, such as the intention to quit and previous quit attempts, best predict whether a smoker will try to quit in the first place. Measures of sm Link to Abstract
Point-of-sale health warnings about tobacco are more prominent in Australia than the USA, UK, or Canada and appear to have some effect in prompting people decide to quit smoking. Link to Abstract
Like regular smokers, and unlike non-smokers, young people who experiment with cigarettes tend to prefer small immediate rewards over large delayed rewards. Link to Abstract
According to a simulation model, in the Netherlands, smoking and smoking-related deaths can be reduced through tax increases, smoke-free legislation, high-intensity media campaigns, stronger advertising bans and health warnings, comprehensive cessation treatment, and youth access laws. Link to Abstract
As may be expected, low-risk gamblers who shift to high-risk gambling are subsequently more likely to experience future gambling-related harms than those who remain low-risk. Link to Abstract
Norwegians who are in opioid maintenance treatment appear to commit fewer crimes than when they are not. Link to Abstract
Methadone use may blunt emotional responses. Link to Abstract
Among Dutch school students, there is an association between cannabis use at an early age and psychotic experiences, even after they report having not used cannabis for at least a year. Link to Abstract
In New South Wales, Australia, opioid substitution treatment after release from prison appears to have reduced the average risk of being sent back to prison by one-fifth. Link to Abstract
The PROMETA protocol is no more effective than placebo in reducing methamphetamine use, keeping patients in treatment, or reducing methamphetamine cravings. Link to Abstract
Injection drug users in southern India demonstrate a high rate of quitting, but relapse is common and quitting often coincides with an increase in alcohol use. Link to Abstract
Among African Americans, violent victimization appears to drive substance use. African Americans who are not raised in extreme poverty are the most negatively affected by violence. Link to Abstract
For a given amount of alcohol consumed, young drinkers are more likely to show alcohol tolerance, drink more than intended, and spend time getting, drinking, or recovering from the effects of alcohol. Older drinkers are more likely to experience alcohol withdrawal symptoms Link to Abstract
Drinkers' own reports of being intoxicated, having hangovers and passing out appear to be useful in identifying drinkers at risk for later health problems caused by drinking. Link to Abstract
Adolescents who begin drinking at an early age appear to show reduced activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in response to stress. Link to Abstract
Any pattern of AA attendance, even if it declines or is never high for a particular 12-month period, is better than little or no attendance in terms of helping maintain abstinence. Keeping a sponsor over a period of time raises the attendance benefit. Link to Abstract
Alcoholics Anonymous helps people recover at least in part by changing its members' social networks and boosting self-belief in high risk social contexts. Link to Abstract
There are no proven treatments to help people stop volatile substance use but three types of intervention merit further study: family therapy, activity-based programmes and some residential approaches. Link to Abstract
In the United States, substance-using mothers have 8.4 times the mortality of non-substance-using women because of more severe problems of employment, physical health, and psychiatric health. Link to Abstract
In adolescents, substance use disorder and psychological dysregulation appear to be associated with reduced frontoparietal network white matter maturation, which is commonly found among adolescents with disruptive behaviour disorders. Link to Abstract
There is wide variation across countries in rates of attempts to stop smoking and use of assistance to quit, with medication being more popular than behavioural support. Link to Abstract
Higher cost of smoking does not appear to have affected smoking prevalence in the European Union in recent years. Link to Abstract
In the Netherlands, antidepressant therapy seems to be more effective in aiding smoking cessation among people with high-activity variants of a gene that promotes release of serotonin. Link to Abstract
Among Australian smokers, exposure to retail displays of tobacco increases the probability of smoking and leads to higher levels of smoking. Link to Abstract
Children who exhibit impulsive behaviour at age seven are more likely to report problem gambling in adulthood. Link to Abstract
People who are co-infected with HIV and Hepatitis C who also engage in treatment for Hepatitis C show high adherence to anti-retroviral treatment for HIV. Link to Abstract
Direct buprenorphine/naloxone (BNX) induction is a safe and effective strategy for maintenance treatment of opioid dependence. Link to Abstract
Cocaine-dependent patients who achieve at least two weeks of abstinence and are then given sertraline take longer to relapse than similar patients given placebo. Link to Abstract
Pregnant HIV-infected injecting drug users (IDUs) in Ukraine have worse clinical status, poorer access to prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) prophylaxis and highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), more adverse pregnancy outcomes, and higher risk of mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) than Ukrainian women who do not inject drugs. Link to Abstract
Russian women substantially reduce drinking after they know they are pregnant. Russian women who know they might become pregnant or are trying to conceive show no reductions in drinking prior to knowing they have become pregnant. Link to Abstract
In Norway, problem drinkers and those who do not drink alcohol at all are at increased risk of eventually needing disability pensions. Link to Abstract
In Swedish men there is an association between low IQ measured in adolescence and later risk of alcohol-related disease and death Link to Abstract
In New Zealand, longer work hours appear to be associated with higher rates of alcohol-related problems, including more frequent alcohol use, higher rates of alcohol abuse/dependence, and a greater number of alcohol abuse/dependence symptoms. Link to Abstract
The prevention paradox, which holds that a majority of alcohol-related problems in a population can be attributed to low and moderate drinkers, seems to be valid among adolescent European boys and girls. Link to Abstract
Most drinking problems in Brazil are associated with low or moderate drinkers. Binge drinking better accounts for the distribution of alcohol problems than total volume consumed. Link to Abstract
Alcohol consumption increases a person's intention to have unsafe sex. Link to Abstract
Stigma associated with substance use disorder can be reduced by a range of interventions including Acceptance Commitment Therapy and communicating positive stories of people with this disorder. Link to Abstract
Chronic, frequent use of ketamine is associated with ulcerative cystitis, neurocognitive impairment, and deficits in working and episodic memory. Link to Abstract
The use of dietary supplements may lead smokers to smoke more cigarettes under the false belief that the vitamins mitigate the risk. Link to Abstract
Keeping quiet about the fact that one is trying to stop smoking is very common and does not appear to hinder the chances of success. Link to Abstract
Despite the removal of "light/mild" labels from cigarette packaging, alternative labels such as "smooth" and "fine" and design features such as lighter colours are enough to maintain the belief that "light" cigarettes are less harmful than regular ones. Link to Abstract
Stopping regular cannabis use appears to improve the ability to remember information that has just been learned. Link to Abstract
In the 30 years since first entering treatment, liver disease has been found to be the most common cause of death among opioid-dependent people in Australia. Link to Abstract
Individuals diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder are more likely to suffer from substance use disorder than those diagnosed with non-obsessive-compulsive psychological disorders; this is particularly true of men. Link to Abstract
Among people attending Alcoholics Anonymous, a decrease in impulsivity is associated with fewer alcohol-related problems. Link to Abstract
Cognitive-behavioural therapy, delivered by paraprofessional counsellors, appears to be effective in reducing alcohol use among HIV- infected Kenyan out-patients. Link to Abstract
The non-medical use of prescription medications that affect the central nervous system increases the risk for the onset and recurrence of psychopathology. Link to Abstract
The "Örebro prevention programme", as currently delivered in Sweden, does not appear to reduce or delay youth drunkenness. Link to Abstract
When Brazil reduced the legal limit for blood alcohol when driving it reduced the numbers of deaths caused by traffic accidents Link to Abstract
Even after long periods of abstinence from smoking, relapses continue to erode quit success. Starting to smoke early in adolescence appears to be linked to lower likelihood of quitting later in adulthood. Link to Abstract
E-cigarettes are used both as an aid to reducing and quitting smoking and by former smokers to avoid relapse, in much the same way that people use nicotine replacement therapy. Link to Abstract
Among smokers in Ontario, most quit attempts are planned and planners are more likely to use quit aids; however, planning does not appear to increase the likelihood of success. Link to Abstract
The 'Clubs against Drugs' community-based intervention programme, a systems approach to prevention, appears to increase the frequency and effectiveness of club doormen's interventions to tackle obviously drug-intoxicated guests. Link to Abstract
Mephedrone has a high abuse and health risk liability, with increased tolerance, impaired control and a compulsion to use being the predominant reported dependence symptoms. Link to Abstract
In the UK, opiate substitution therapy and a high coverage of needle and syringe programmes appears to have substantially reduced the risk of hepatitis C virus transmission among injecting drug users. Link to Abstract
Living in a deprived neighbourhood appears to undermine attempts to stop injecting illicit drugs. Relocating out of these neighbourhoods appears to be helpful in promoting behaviour change. Link to Abstract
Much of the 1990 to 1994 rise in Russian mortality appears to have been due to the increase in population alcohol consumption. Link to Abstract
Excessive drinking, frequent drinking and binge drinking behaviour have reached epidemic proportions among current drinkers in China. Link to Abstract
The proposed DSM-5 revisions to diagnosis of alcohol use disorders would exclude as cases individuals who drink at hazardous levels but show no other signs of dependence or alcohol problems but include individuals with relatively low levels of dependence Link to Abstract
In countries with relatively high gender-income equality, the combination of motherhood, paid labour and partnership appears to be associated with decreased alcohol consumption; in countries with lower gender-income equality, this role combination does not appear to have the same effect. Link to Abstract
Increased participation in sports, athletics or exercising is related to significantly lower substance use at age 18 and into early adulthood. Link to Abstract
Canadian girls score higher than boys on measures of emotional dependence and social attitudes associated with tobacco smoking. Link to Abstract
The chances of success of quit attempts appear to be influenced not only by the strength of urges to smoke but by the way that they change over time Link to Abstract
While prescriptions of all smoking cessation medications in England increased in the months leading up to the introduction of smoke-free legislation, this increase was not sustained afterwards. Link to Abstract
Treatments aimed at preventing relapse to smoking after a quit attempt (such as nicotine replacement therapy) appear cost effective when used in routine clinical care. Link to Abstract
Cocaine appears to serve an emotion-regulating function among post-traumatic stress disorder patients. Link to Abstract
In China, "contingency management" - the use of motivational incentives - appears to improve opiate abstinence and treatment retention in methadone maintenance treatment clinics. Link to Abstract
Individuals in birth cohorts that are more disapproving of marijuana use are less likely to use, independent of their personal attitudes towards marijuana use. Link to Abstract
In China, concurrent sexual partnerships are common among both injection drug users and non-injection drug users; these concurrent sexual partnerships may serve as a bridging group to transmit HIV from high-risk populations to the general population. Link to Abstract
In Australia, an increased number of off-premises alcohol outlets in an area is associated with a greater risk of harmful alcohol consumption. Link to Abstract
The benefits of an extended telephone-based continuing care programme to treat alcohol dependence did not persist after the end of the intervention. Link to Abstract
In Sweden, brief interventions to reduce alcohol consumption are more effective when conversations with health-care professionals are longer and include advice on how to cut down on drinking. Link to Abstract
In primary care settings, a "stepped" smoking cessation intervention appears to significantly increase smoking abstinence, compared with a brief intervention. Link to Abstract
In Australia, an increase in cigarette prices does not appear to result in smokers moving to cheaper cigarette products. Instead, the majority of smokers indicate a positive change in their smoking-related thoughts and behaviours as a result of the prices increase. Link to Abstract
The various criteria conventionally applied to define dependence on nicotine, such as craving and experience of withdrawal symptoms, appear to be sufficiently closely related to each other as to be regarded as a single underlying condition that varies in severity. Link to Abstract
Heavy cannabis users appear to have an automatically triggered tendency to approach rather than avoid cannabis-related stimuli; those with stronger tendencies to approach are more likely to increase cannabis use. Link to Abstract
Familial similarities in the initiation of cannabis use appear to be influenced by both environmental and genetic factors, with the influence of environmental factors increasing - and genetic factors decreasing - from early adolescence to young adulthood. Link to Abstract
Both heroin-assisted and methadone maintenance treatments appear to improve physical and mental health among severe opioid-dependent patients, with heroin-assisted treatment producing the best results. Link to Abstract
In Norway, the use of cannabis is linked with subsequent receipt of social welfare assistance, although it is unclear whether this welfare assistance is a consequence of cannabis use or of cultural factors and the illegal status of the cannabis. Link to Abstract
In Australia, alcohol use at work appears to be widespread, with more than one in twenty workers admitting to having worked under the influence of alcohol. Link to Abstract
In the US, the severity of life-threatening motor vehicle accidents increases significantly at blood alcohol concentrations that are far lower than the current legal limit of 0.08 percent. Link to Abstract
Seventy percent of Australians report being negatively affected by other people's drinking; these negative effects range from noise and fear to physical abuse, sexual coercion and social isolation. Link to Abstract
Although adolescents from high socio-economic backgrounds are at risk of tobacco and cannabis experimentation, they are less likely to engage in daily use than adolescents from lower socio-economic backgrounds. Link to Abstract
Despite the recent inclusion of 12-17 year olds in the marketing licence for nicotine replacement therapy in England, prescriptions to adolescents remain low. Link to Abstract
Among non-smokers and non-daily cigarette smokers, plain packaging appears to increase visual attention towards health warning information and away from brand information. Link to Abstract
Among adolescents, low levels of reactivity to social stress are associated with repeated and lifetime cannabis use. Link to Abstract
Age-related cortical gray matter loss is greater than normal in methamphetamine users, suggesting the possibility of an accelerated decline in their mental functioning. Link to Abstract
The abuse potential of crushed buprenorphine and buprenorphine/naloxone tablets - used in the treatment of opioid dependence - taken by the intranasal route appears low. Link to Abstract
In Finland, a disadvantaged socio-economic background increases the likelihood of driving while under the influence of drugs for all substance use groups. Low education, unemployment and receiving a disability pension are particularly strong predictors. Link to Abstract
Among ex-prisoners in Taiwan with a history of opiate injecting, enrolment and continued participation in methadone maintenance treatment is associated with substantially lower mortality. Link to Abstract
Family environment appears to impact differently upon the alcohol use of male versus female adolescents. While an emotionally close relationship to mothers is associated with less frequent drinking in females, parental disapproval of alcohol is a better predictor of reduced drinking in males. Link to Abstract
Among Aboriginal Australians, episodic or "binge" drinking is associated with similar patterns of cognitive impairment and recovery as chronic alcohol use. Link to Abstract
Across Canada and the US, smoke-free legislation does not appear to have had an impact on existing smoking trends, although it has increased the decline of smoking prevalence is some regions. Link to Abstract
Contrary to findings in other South East Asian countries, neither low nicotine dependence nor high-self efficacy appear to predict successful smoking cessation in China. Link to Abstract
In areas with strong smoke-free laws, a breath carbon monoxide level of 5 parts per million or more is effective at identifying someone as a cigarette smoker. Link to Abstract
Since its introduction in England, varenicline has become the most commonly prescribed smoking cessation medication after nicotine replacement therapy. Despite this popularity, varenicline has not led to an increase in the overall prescription rates for smoking cessation medication. Link to Abstract
Employment-based reinforcement appears to increase adherence to depot naltrexone, a drug that blocks the effects of opioids, among unemployed opioid-dependent adults. Link to Abstract
Deviant socialization resulting from transmissible risk (genetic or parental upbringing risk factors) and poor parent-child relationships is integral to the development of cannabis use disorder in young adulthood. Link to Abstract
Among ecstasy users in Australia, the use of multiple ecstasy pills in one session is common, likely resulting in a greater exposure of the brain to MDMA than is predicted in single-dose studies. Link to Abstract
Although rare, illegal drug use among aviation employees is associated with a significantly increased risk of involvement in an aviation accident. Link to Abstract
Among women attending drug court, current major depression, but not past major depression, appears to increase the risk of crack cocaine use. Link to Abstract
In the Netherlands, adolescents who are motivated to drink alcohol for social reasons - such as "fitting in" and "having fun" - appear more likely to drink heavily after a year than adolescents who drank to enhance their mood or cope with negative emotion Link to Abstract
The use of motivational language by patients during counselling for excessive alcohol consumption does not appear to be a good predictor of their actual readiness to change their drinking behaviour. Link to Abstract
The majority of drunk drivers on US roads during weekend evenings and nights do not suffer from alcohol use disorders, but can be considered heavy drinkers. Link to Abstract
Despite reporting positive feelings about alcohol-related discussions in healthcare settings, relatively few people in Finland are asked about alcohol consumption by healthcare professionals, and even fewer are offered advice. Link to Abstract
Offering smokers who want to quit a wide range of nicotine replacement therapy does not appear to produce better results than offering a narrower selection of reduced cost nicotine replacement therapy. Link to Abstract
Although the words 'light' and 'mild' are banned, smokers in western countries continue to believe that some cigarette brands are less harmful than others. These beliefs are based on the descriptive words and designs used in cigarette marketing. Link to Abstract
In smokers with no immediate plans to quit, smoking reduction programmes with behavioural support and nicotine replacement therapy are more effective than brief advice to quit Link to Abstract
There are five distinct categories of opioid use and related behaviour, with each category - particularly the most severe, early-onset category - revealing significant genetic influences on the characteristics of an individual's opioid use. Link to Abstract
DSM's current distinction between cannabis abuse and cannabis dependence has limited use for diagnosing adolescents. The two sets of criteria do not reflect two distinct aspects of cannabis-related problems, but instead constitute a single underlying diso Link to Abstract
Patients with affective disorders and anxiety disorders have an increased risk of developing substance abuse problems, although it is unclear whether these disorders lead to substance abuse problems, or whether both are symptoms of a common cause. Link to Abstract
In Europe, health professionals - particularly those in primary care - appear to have a lower regard for treating substance users than for treating patients with other chronic conditions. Link to Abstract
In the transition from high school to college, sensation seeking students from protective high school environments experience more alcohol-related problems than those from less protective environments. Link to Abstract
While light drinkers only show increased attention to pictures that are alcohol-related when they are expecting alcohol, heavy drinkers show a preference for alcohol-related pictures regardless of whether they are expecting alcohol. Link to Abstract
As is widely believed, heavy drinking adversely affects the health and personal well-being of others who are close to the heavy drinker. Link to Abstract
Psychiatric disorders have a stronger influence on the onset of nicotine dependence in adolescents than nicotine dependence has on the onset of psychiatric disorders. Disruptive behaviour disorders appear to be a particularly important precursor and consequence of nicotine dependence. Link to Abstract
When compared with other racial/ethnic groups, American Indians appear to have a low awareness of the use of pharmacotherapy - such as nicotine replacement therapy - to aid smoking cessation. Link to Abstract
Nicotine dependence and intelligence are only weakly associated. This association does not appear to be due to common genetic factors. Link to Abstract
Among Chinese smokers, a variant of the CYP2A6 gene leading to reduced rate of nicotine metabolism is associated with later smoking initiation, fewer cigarettes smoked per day, shorter smoking duration but reduced likelihood of smoking cessation. Link to Abstract
Treatment for Hepatitis C infection can be successful in patients on opioid substitution therapy, even if they are active injectors, and is not associated with any major safety concerns. Link to Abstract
'Transient elastography' - a non-invasive procedure - has the capacity to identify severe liver fibrosis in a significant proportion of drug users with hepatitis C infections, making it a feasible screening tool for cirrhosis among drug users. Link to Abstract
Although abstinence-contingent employment appears to reduce cocaine use in cocaine dependent patients, there is a high rate of relapse once the abstinence contingency of their employment is discontinued. Link to Abstract
The capacity for 'conditional reasoning' (using if-then rules) of patients being treated for alcohol dependence, including reasoning about social contracts and emotional intelligence, appears to be impaired. Link to Abstract
Alcohol use disorders have a low correlation with the 'substance-related legal problems' criterion used in the DSM diagnosis, supporting the removal of the criterion. Although alcohol use disorders have a high correlation with the proposed 'craving' crite Link to Abstract
In Taiwan, a brief in-hospital interventions has been found to reduce alcohol consumption among hospitalised men who drink heavily or have been diagnosed with alcohol use disorders. Link to Abstract
Rates of domestic violence appear to correlate positively with the density of alcohol outlets in the local area, particularly those with off premise alcohol licenses. Link to Abstract
Although 'duty' - the belief that one ought to quit smoking - appears to be the most commonly reported motive for quitting, both 'desire' and 'intention' to quit are better predictors of quit attempts, with 'duty' even appearing to mitigate their effects. Link to Abstract
Among smokers with smoking-related illnesses, tailoring nicotine replacement therapy according to the concentration of cotinine - a biomarker for tobacco smoke exposure - in the patient's saliva does not appear more effective than standard nicotine replac Link to Abstract
Treating heavy smokers in primary care with nicotine nasal spray compared with a placebo, significantly increases the rate of successful quit attempts, and is particularly effective among those highly dependent on nicotine. Link to Abstract
In the Netherlands, a workplace ban on smoking appears to have been more effective than a hospitality ban in reducing the prevalence of smoking and increasing the rate of successful quit attempts. Link to Abstract
Over the past decade there has been a sharp increase in accidental poisoning deaths in the US. While a baby boom cohort effect is likely responsible for this increase among black Americans, among white Americans it appears that a historical period effect - possibly the rise in non-medical pharmaceutical drug use - has contributed to this rise in deaths. Link to Abstract
Long-term ecstasy use increases the likelihood of adverse effects, such as paranoia, poor general health and irritability, particularly when the drug is consumed with alcohol. These adverse effects decrease with the period of abstinence from the drug. Link to Abstract
In New Zealand there is a positive correlation between earnings from property crime and levels of both methamphetamine/amphetamine and cannabis use. While this relationship also exists between methamphetamine/amphetamine use and drug dealing, earnings from drug dealing are negatively associated to levels of cannabis use. Link to Abstract
In contrast to previous findings, there is little evidence of decreased cognitive performance in long-term ecstasy users. Link to Abstract
The large increase in numbers of privately owned liquor stores in British Columbia between 2003 and 2008 was associated with a significant local-area increase in alcohol-related deaths. Link to Abstract
In Finland, a reduction in the price of alcohol in 2004 was associated with an increase in chronic hospitalization rates among 50-69 year olds. This increase was largely due to a rise in alcohol-related mental and behavioural disorders. Link to Abstract
The level of social interaction between light, moderate and heavy drinkers and the traffic between low-risk and high-risk drinking venues are important determinants of changes in drinking patterns among US college students. Link to Abstract
The genotype which predisposes to obesity is also associated with protection from alcohol dependence, lower alcohol consumption and less intense cigarette smoking. Link to Abstract
Drinkers in Edinburgh with alcohol-related illnesses pay an average of £0.29 less per unit of alcohol than the general Scottish population, with those paying the lowest prices consuming the greatest amounts of alcohol. Link to Abstract
Server training appeared to be successful at reducing alcohol-related violence in and around licensed premises. However, there is limited evidence that premises level interventions are effective at reducing intoxication or related disorder. Link to Abstract
The vast majority of nicotine, alcohol, cannabis or cocaine dependent individuals achieve remission at some point in their lives, with males, Blacks and those with personality disorders exhibiting the lowest rates of remission. Link to Abstract
During the first 30 days of a quit attempt, smokers who use more pieces of nicotine gum experience less weight gain. This relationship is not seen for smokers on nicotine-free placebo gum. Link to Abstract
Although stress coping responses during a quit attempt may be effective at lowering stress, they do not appear to protect against smoking or increase the likelihood of quit success. Link to Abstract
Among English smokers, a simple 'strength of urges' rating appears to be a good predictor of short-term quit success. Link to Abstract
Although price increases may reduce smoking prevalence among smokers as a whole, financial stress appears to limit the efficacy of price increases among low-income smokers. Link to Abstract
Smokers living in areas with higher cigarette prices and taxes were significantly more motivated to quit and had an increased likelihood of actual quitting. Link to Abstract
HIV prevention interventions that encourage injection drug users to take on the role of peer educator may have the additional benefit of increasing the likelihood of injection cessation. Link to Abstract
Among in-treatment opioid users, there appears to be two separate classes of individuals, exhibiting distinct patterns of opioid dependence, other substance use and mental health disorders. Link to Abstract
The mortality rate of male Vietnamese injection drug users is 13 times higher than that of the general population and substantially higher than the mortality rate of injection drug users studied in developed countries. Link to Abstract
Administering Buprenorphine to infants was demonstrated to be both safe and effective in the treatment of neonatal opioid abstinence syndrome, with indications of a therapeutic advantage over morphine. Link to Abstract
While adolescent users of alcohol and marijuana displayed no difference from non-users in their performance on a verbal encoding task, both binge drinkers and combined marijuana and alcohol users did exhibit different brain response patterns. No main effects of marijuana use alone were found. Link to Abstract
Despite steadily increasing during the first nine months of alcohol use, the emergence of clinical features of alcohol use disorder then appear to plateau or fluctuate during the second year. Link to Abstract
The portrayal of alcohol consumption in movies appears to increase the alcohol consumption of young males while they are viewing the movie, but not that of female viewers. Link to Abstract
An intervention targeting both young adolescents and their parents appears to be effective in delaying the onset of weekly alcohol use by developing adolescent self-control as well as parental rule-setting. Link to Abstract
Among American college students who had violated alcohol policies, face-to-face counselling reduced alcohol consumption and related problems more than computer-delivered interventions, particularly in female students. Link to Abstract
Alcohol consumption in parents may increase the risk of sudden infant death syndrome. However, it is unclear whether this is due to alcohol impairing parental capacity, or alcohol being a proxy for other risk factors, such as smoking. Link to Abstract
Both 'expert-led' and 'train-the-trainer' approaches to training clinicians in addiction treatment appear to be more successful than a self-study approach. Link to Abstract
Anxiety diagnoses are common among smokers attempting to quit, and appear to be related to an impaired ability to quit. Link to Abstract
For smokers attempting to quit, exposure to available cigarettes is a risk factor for lapsing. However, this risk can be reduced by repeated exposures to available cigarettes without smoking. Link to Abstract
Smokers appear to be more likely than non-smokers to prefer small short-term rewards over larger delayed rewards. Link to Abstract
An individual's initial smoking experience appears to be affected by heritable factors, particularly the experience of dizziness which may be caused by a heritable sensitivity to the chemicals contained in cigarettes. Link to Abstract
Dopamine release appears to be associated with increased excitement levels in pathological gamblers, regardless of their performance in a gambling task. Link to Abstract
Although oral opioid substitution therapy can reduce groin injecting in some patients, groin injecting usually persists despite both treatment and severe health complications. Link to Abstract
'STEP into Action', a peer-based training program using the influence of social networks, appeared to reduce behaviour with a high risk of HIV transmission among active injection drug users. Link to Abstract
Police interference in American syringe exchange programs is inconsistent, with programs predominantly serving non-white drug users reporting higher levels of police interference. Link to Abstract
Bone density appears to be lower than normal in men, but not women, taking methadone maintenance therapy. Link to Abstract
Substance use disorders appear more prevalent among patients also suffering from borderline personality disorder, although remissions in drug use appear common and relatively stable. Link to Abstract
Despite the common belief among young drinkers that caffeinated alcoholic drinks enhance alertness, when compared to non-caffeinated alcoholic drinks they do not appear to improve either driving performance or attention/reaction times. Link to Abstract
In couples over 65, high-risk drinking and differences in alcohol consumption do not appear to have a negative effect on the quality of marital relationships or family functioning, as they appear to in younger couples. Link to Abstract
In US adults, consumption of alcohol, and particularly spirits, appears to be associated with an increased rate of ischemic heart disease mortality while beer consumption appears have a protective effect. Link to Abstract
Effects of restricting pub closing times on night-time assaults in an Australian city Link to Abstract
Computer-based interventions appear to be effective at reducing alcohol consumption in both student and non-student populations. Link to Abstract
Individual responses to alcohol, tobacco and marijuana use appear to share common genetic influences; drug-specific genetic influences appear to contribute to individual differences in drug response Link to Abstract
In the Netherlands, approximately 1.5% of all 13-16 year olds can be considered addicted online gamers. Despite addiction-like problems, an association between addictive online gaming and decreased psychosocial health is not evident. Link to Abstract
The use of nicotine replacement therapy for smoking reduction and temporary abstinence does not appear to reduce the number of cigarettes consumed, when compared with those attempting reduction and temporary abstinence without nicotine replacement therapy. Link to Abstract
Smokers who quit smoking gain more weight than those who continue smoking; the association between quitting and weight gain is particularly pronounced in those who are already obese. Link to Abstract
The observed association between depressive symptoms and smoking in young adults may be influenced by a decline in the presence of alternative sources of personal reward in depressive young adults. Link to Abstract
Compared to 'morning types', 'evening types' are more likely to be current smokers and highly nicotine dependent; 'evening types' also have a lower likelihood of quitting smoking. Link to Abstract
Consistent with Swedish studies, Norwegian data shows that snus use is associated with an increased probability of being a former compared with a current smoker, suggesting that in Norway snus may have a role in smoking cessation. Link to Abstract
A study of users of a UK-based dance and clubbing website suggests that mephedrone use is common, particularly among males with the preferred route being intranasal. Link to Abstract
Non-injecting cocaine users in South America are vulnerable to Hepatitis C infection, particularly those in an intimate relationship with an intravenous drug using, or HIV positive, partner. Link to Abstract
A jail sanction for non-adherence to substance abuse treatment is more likely to achieve successful results in individuals not already acclimatized to incarceration. Link to Abstract
Paternal incarceration is associated with an increase in marijuana use and the risk of other illegal drug use among adolescents and young adults in the United States. Link to Abstract
Although there is evidence to show that interventions reduce unhealthy alcohol use in primary care populations, a multi-component intervention among older adults in primary care did not reduce at-risk drinking, despite reducing alcohol consumption. Link to Abstract
The 'Alcohol, less is better' project, which is aimed at changing attitudes to alcohol through the involvement of community leaders, appears to reduce alcohol consumption in participants, particularly women Link to Abstract
High alcohol consumption is associated with poor cognitive performance among low socio-economic grou Link to Abstract
Whilst alcohol-related mortality is higher in the more deprived areas of Northern Ireland, this appears to be due to the characteristics of individuals within the areas, rather than an independent effect of area deprivation. Link to Abstract
A deterioration in health appears to be an important motive for reducing or stopping alcohol consumption; this may at least partly explain the apparently increased risk of ill health in people who abstain from drinking. Link to Abstract
A third of homicide victims appear to have been intoxicated with alcohol at the time of their death but this figure has decreased over time. Link to Abstract
Although mortality in opioid-dependent users varies between countries, overdose is the most common cause of death. Link to Abstract
