Publications - Substance Abuse and Addictions

Prescriptions may hold clues to who gets hooked on opioids, study says, by Nadia Kounang, CNN, Mar 20 2017.

“The duration of a prescription may give clues into how long a person ends up using a narcotic painkiller, a new study finds...Considering that prescription opioids such as oxycodone and hydrocodone were involved in 24% of all drug overdoses in 2015, experts have said, management of prescription drug overdoses is a key element of fighting the opioid epidemic...According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, half of all young people who inject heroin started by abusing painkillers. ”

Participation in Contact Sports Increases Risk of Opioid/Heroin Use, by Rick Nauert, PhD, Psych Central, Mar 6 2017.

“Parents may need to take notice as a University of Michigan study suggests high school athletes who play high-contact sports (like hockey or football) are at greater risk for heroin use and nonmedical use of prescription opioids...'The findings provide critical information to inform doctors and parents of the potential risks associated with participating in certain high contact sports and the need to monitor the use and misuse of prescription drugs that have high abuse potential,' Veliz said. ”

Teen Substance Use on the Decline, by Rick Nauert, PhD, Psych Central, Dec 14 2016.

“Results from the Monitoring the Future (MTF) annual survey appear to reflect changing teen behaviors and choices in a social media-infused world...Researchers explain that the survey measures drug use and attitudes among eighth, 10th, and 12th graders. Findings from the survey indicate that past year use of any illicit drug was the lowest in the survey’s history for eighth graders, while past year use of illicit drugs other than marijuana is down from recent peaks in all three grades. ”

Sexist men have psychological problems, by Sarah Kaplan, The Washington Post, Nov 22 2016.

“Researchers identified 11 norms considered to be “traditionally masculine” — desire to win, need for emotional control, risk-taking, violence, dominance, sexual promiscuity or playboy behavior, self-reliance, primacy of work, power over women, disdain for homosexuality and pursuit of status — and looked to see whether they were associated with particular mental health outcomes. In general, the men who stuck more strongly to these norms were more likely to experience problems such as depression, stress, body image issues, substance abuse and negative social functioning. They were also less likely to turn to counseling to help deal with those problems. The effect was particularly strong for men who emphasized playboy behavior, power over women and self-reliance. ”

Landmark report by Surgeon General calls drug crisis ‘a moral test for America’, by Lenny Bernstein, The Washington Post, Nov 17 2016.

“A landmark report released Thursday by U.S. Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy places drug and alcohol addiction alongside smoking, AIDS and other public health crises of the past ­half-century, calling the current epidemic “a moral test for America.” 'The reason I’m issuing this report is I want to call our country to action around what has become a pressing public health issue,” Murthy said in an interview. “I want our country to understand the magnitude of this crisis. I’m not sure everyone does.' ”

More Children Are Being Poisoned By Prescription Opioids, by Shefali Luthra , NPR, Oct 31 2016.

“Young children and teenagers are increasingly likely to be poisoned by opioid painkillers that are often prescribed for other family members, a study finds. The rate of children hospitalized for opioid poisoning increased 165 percent from 1997 to 2012, from about 1.40 per 100,000 kids to 3.71 per 100,000. 'Opioids are ubiquitous now,' says Julie Gaither, a postdoctoral fellow at Yale School of Public Health and the study's lead author. 'Enough opioids are prescribed every year to put a bottle of painkillers in every household. They're everywhere, and kids are getting into them.' ”

Violence, Drugs, Mental Illness May Account for Half of Maternal Deaths, by Janice Wood, Psych Central, Oct 16 2016.

“Intimate partner violence, substance use and mental illness may be as threatening to health and survival during pregnancy as medical issues, according to a new study...Although substance use, serious mental illness and intimate partner violence may also be exacerbated by pregnancy and are known to worsen perinatal outcomes, deaths specifically due to these causes are not included in current definitions of U.S. maternal mortality, the researchers noted. ”

Bipolar Teens’ High Risk for Substance Abuse May Persist as Young Adults, by Rick Nauert, PhD, Psych Central, Aug 31 2016.

“...A new study finds that risk of substance abuse was even greater five years later, particularly among those with persistent bipolar symptoms...Researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) investigators also found evidence that the presence of conduct disorder, in combination with bipolar disorder, may be the strongest influence on the risk of smoking and substance use disorder. ”

Illegally Made Fentanyl Seems To Be Fueling A Spike In Overdoses, by Katherine Hobson, NPR, Aug 25 2016.

“Federal data suggest illegally manufactured fentanyl, a drug that is 50 to 100 times stronger than morphine, is behind an increase in synthetic opioid deaths.  A report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that there was a 426 percent increase in seized drug products that tested positive for fentanyl from 2013 to 2014. And separate data show the number of deaths involving synthetic opioids, a class that includes fentanyl and tramadol but not hydrocodone, rose 79 percent during that same period. ”

Mindfulness Can Aid Recovery from Stimulant Addiction, by Rick Nauert, PhD, Psych Central, Aug 8 2016.

“Learning to focus full attention to the present moment appears to be an effective strategy to reduce the likelihood of relapse for certain people struggling to break their addiction to stimulants including cocaine and methamphetamine.   University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) researchers discovered mindfulness training is particularly beneficial for adults dependent on stimulants who have been diagnosed with depression or anxiety — common co-occurring disorders among people with substance addiction. ”

Many More People Seek Medical Help For Opioid Abuse, by Julie Appleby, NPR, Aug 1 2016.

“Health care claims for people with opioid dependence diagnoses rose more than 3,000 percent between 2007 and 2014, according to an analysis of insurance records. The findings illustrate that the opioid problem is 'in the general mainstream,' says Robin Gelburd, president of Fair Health, a nonprofit that analyzes health care costs and conducted the study...Such a sharp rise over a short period of time is a classic definition of an epidemic... ”

How Parents Can Help Their Underage Kids Resist Alcohol, by Aimee Cunningham , NPR, Jul 6 2016.

“Two recent studies provide guidance for parents. One finds that parents who set limits in a warm and supportive environment reduced the risk that their adolescent children would binge drink. The other study reports on the potential of a home-based program that educates parents and children about alcohol prevention. The stakes are high. About 1 in 6 teens drank alcohol before turning 13, and about the same proportion of high school kids has binged on alcohol, according to the latest biannual Youth Risk Behavior Survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Overall, a third of teenagers drink — down from about half of teens 25 years ago, but still a problem. ”

Teen checkups should include suicide risk screening, by Lisa Rapaport, Reuters, Jun 27 2016.

“Suicide is among the leading causes of death in U.S. adolescents and while it’s not entirely preventable, doctors can minimize the risk by asking the right questions during routine checkups, the American Academy of Pediatrics says.   Pediatricians should ask about mood disorders, use of drugs and alcohol, suicidal thoughts, bullying, sexual orientation and other risk factors for suicide as part of a routine conversation about medical history, the AAP notes in treatment guidelines released today. ”

More Than 6 Million U.S. Students Are 'Chronically Absent', by Elissa Nadworny, NPR, Jun 10 2016.

“It's one of the oldest issues in school improvement: Getting kids to show up. If students miss 10 percent of the school year — that's just two days a month —research shows they are way more likely to fall behind — even drop out. Today, the U.S. Education Department is releasing a report on the first national data set on chronic absence — defined as missing 15 or more days of school a year. The numbers come from the 2013-2014 Civil Rights Data Collection survey — an on-the-ground look from 95,000 schools. The numbers are striking: More than 6 million kids are missing 15 days or more of school a year. ”

Programs to reduce drinking may not work on fraternity members, by Madeline Kennedy, Reuters, May 26 2016.

“College students who are in so-called Greek letter organizations seem to be immune to programs that work for other students to reduce the use and abuse of alcohol, according to a new review of research on the topic. Fraternity members continue to drink as much and as often as usual, even while enrolled in programs aimed at reducing drinking, and they have the same number of alcohol-related problems – such as injury, sexual assault and expulsion - as brethren not involved in programs, the researchers conclude in the journal Health Psychology. ”