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Opioid epidemic linked to childhood emotional abuse, study shows

To uncover the link to emotional abuse, the study, published in the current issue of  Addictive Behaviors , analysed and cross referenced the results of a series of psychological tests administered to a sample of 84 individuals with a history of problem opioid use who had also suffered childhood trauma. Earlier research has found that a high percentage of adults who abuse substances were maltreated in a variety of ways as children. But few previous studies have investigated the causes of opioid addiction specifically, and no earlier ones narrowed the link among opioid users to emotional abuse . Emotional abuse was much more strongly correlated with survey participants' problem opioid use than childhood sexual and physical abuse or other kinds of maltreatment such as neglect. The study found that children who had been emotionally abused were more likely to engage in rash, risky behavior in adolescence and to suffer posttraumatic stress disorder ( PTSD ) as adults. Opioid us...
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Treating cocaine addiction by reducing our appetite for drugs?

"The more that we learn about the brain, the more that we learn that brain signaling mechanisms that play a particular defined function, such as a role in wakefulness or appetite, often play important roles in other functions, such as addiction," said professor John Krystal, Editor of  Biological Psychiatry . HCRT signaling has been implicated in stress and high-arousal conditions, linking it to cocaine's strong arousal-inducing effects and stress-induced relapse of drug seeking. To better understand how the HCRT system contributes cocaine addiction, Schmeichel, along with colleagues at The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, provided rats with short (1 hour) or long (6 hours) access to cocaine, which the rats could self-administer through an IV by pressing a lever. Long access to the drug induces compulsive-like cocaine seeking behavior in the rats, in contrast to more stable use by rats provided short access. Blocking hypocretin signaling throughout ...
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Drug and alcohol problems linked to increased veteran suicide risk, especially in women

The risk of suicide differs depending on the type of substance the veteran has problems with, according to the study. The highest suicide risks are among those who misuse prescription sedative medicines, such as tranquilizers. Women veterans who misuse opioid drugs also have an especially high risk of suicide, the study finds. The research, published in the journal  Addiction  by a team from the University of Michigan and Department of Veterans Affairs, finds that much of the difference in suicide risks might be explained by veterans who have both mental health conditions and substance use issues. But they say the new findings point to a need to focus more veteran suicide-prevention efforts on those who have substance use disorders, especially if they also have depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder or anxiety. The new findings come from one of the largest-ever examinations of substance use disorders and suicide, involving more ...
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Link between drug use and poor dental health confirmed

Drug use affects oral health through direct physiological routes such as dry mouth, an increased urge for snacking, clenching and grinding of teeth, and chemical erosion from applying cocaine to teeth and gums. The lifestyle that often accompanies problematic drug use also affects oral health through high sugar diets, malnutrition, poor oral hygiene, and lack of regular professional dental care. Dental care can be further compromised by tolerance to painkillers and anaesthetics. Oral health has significant consequences on quality of life and general health. In addition to functional and self-esteem issues that accompany bad teeth, the chronic inflammation and bacteraemia (bacteria in the blood) characteristic of poor oral health increases the incidence of coronary heart disease, stroke, diabetes and respiratory disease. There are simple steps that both dentists and doctors can take to improve this population's oral health. Dentists should screen their patients for substance u...
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Research reveals how family history can affect your memory of hangovers

Dr Stephens' latest research paper, "Does familial risk for alcohol use disorder predict alcohol hangover?," involved two studies focusing on hangover frequency and severity. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism people with a family history of alcoholism are four times more likely to develop a drinking problem. Based on this, Dr Stephens' research explores whether hangovers -- unpleasant effects felt the morning after drinking alcohol -- impact on this. In the first study, 142 individuals, including 24 who had a family history of problem drinking, were asked to complete a survey about their hangovers from the last 12 months. The study found those with alcoholism in their family background recollected more frequent hangover symptoms than those who didn't have any family history of problem drinking, taking account of alcohol consumption levels. In the second study, a group of 49 participants, including 17 who had a family hist...
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Tanning dependence linked to other addictive behaviors, new study finds

The study, recently published in the  Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology , surveyed 499 people who had previously sunbathed or used a tanning bed, and revealed that those who exhibited tanning dependence, also referred to as tanning addiction, were six times as likely to also be dependent on alcohol and three times as likely to suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). "We hope our findings will help researches design interventions specifically targeted to help people who are tanning dependent and thus reduce skin cancers," said Brenda Cartmel, Ph.D., the paper's lead author and senior research scientist and lecturer in the school's Department of Chronic Disease Epidemiology. The connections between tanning dependence and other disorders revealed by the study represent an opportunity for clinicians to address those related conditions. "People who are tanning dependent could also be assessed for SAD," said Cartmel. ...
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Transgender college freshmen drink more, experience more blackouts, study shows

The 989 students who identified as transgender were also more likely than their cisgender peers to cite stress reduction, relationship troubles or the sedating effects of alcohol as motivation for drinking, according to an analysis of the survey publishing March 21 in the journal  Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research . The results suggest transgender college students may be particularly vulnerable to alcohol abuse, which can negatively affect their academic standing and their physical health, said Scott Swartzwelder, Ph.D., senior author of the analysis and professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Duke University School of Medicine. "For people who work with this age group, it's important to understand that these students are drinking at levels that are quite dangerous," Swartzwelder said. "A blackout is a serious neurological event that occurs when you drink enough to impair the parts of your brain that encode new memo...
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