Do Drug-Dependent Patients Attending Alcoholics Anonymous Rather Than Narcotics Anonymous Do as Well? Alcohol and Alcoholism Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is the most prevalent 12-step mutual-help organization (MHO), yet debate has persisted clinically regarding whether patients whose primary substance is not alcohol should be referred to AA. Narcotics Anonymous (NA) was created as a more specific fit to enhance recovery from drug addiction; however, compared with AA, NA meetings are not as ubiquitous. Little is known about the effects of a mismatch between individuals' primary substance and MHOs, and whether any incongruence might result in a lower likelihood of continuation and benefit. More research would inform clinical recommendations.
Possible Evidence for Re-regulation of HPA Axis and Brain Reward Systems Over Time in Treatment in Prescription Opioid-Dependent Patients Journal of Addiction Medicine (free ASAM member resource) The purpose of this study was to evaluate clinical measures hypothesized to mirror elements of allostatic dysregulation in patients dependent on prescription opioids at 2 time points after withdrawal, compared with healthy control participants. Startle response results indicated reduced hedonic response to natural rewards among patients recently withdrawn from opioids relative to extended care patients...
Monitoring the Future Results National Institute on Drug Abuse Since 1975 the MTF survey has measured drug, alcohol, and cigarette use and related attitudes among adolescent students nationwide. Survey participants report their drug use behaviors across three time periods: lifetime, past year, and past month. Overall, 41,675 students from 389 public and private schools participated in this year's Monitoring the Future survey.
Information Sheet on Opioid Overdose World Health Organization Because of their capacity to cause respiratory depression, opioids are responsible for a high proportion of fatal drug overdoses around the world. The number of opioid overdoses has increased in recent years, in part due to the increased use of opioids in the management of chronic non-cancer pain. In the United States of America alone in 2010, there were an estimated 16,651 deaths due to overdose on prescription opioids and 3036 due to overdose on heroin.
Synthetic Cannabinoids: Epidemiology, Pharmacodynamics, and Clinical Implications Drug and Alcohol Dependence Synthetic cannabinoids (SC) are a heterogeneous group of compounds developed to probe the endogenous cannabinoid system or as potential therapeutics. Clandestine laboratories subsequently utilized published data to develop SC variations marketed as abusable designer drugs. The majority of SC detected in herbal products have greater binding affinity to the cannabinoid CB1 receptor than does Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the primary psychoactive compound in the cannabis plant...
Is Residential Treatment Effective for Opioid Use Disorders? Drug and Alcohol Dependence Findings here suggest that residential treatment may be helpful for emerging adults with opioid dependence. This benefit may be less prominent, though, among non-dependent opioid misusers. Randomized trials are needed to compare more directly the relative benefits of outpatient agonist-based treatment to abstinence-based, residential care in this vulnerable age-group, and to examine the feasibility of an integrated model.
Alcohol Use Before and During Unwanted Pregnancy Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research There is little information about pregnancy-related changes in alcohol use and factors contributing to changes among women with unwanted pregnancies. This study describes changes in alcohol use from before pregnancy recognition to during pregnancy and identifies important predictors of alcohol use severity among women with unwanted pregnancies.
NIDA: Smoking Cessation Does Not Interfere With Recovery from Substance Use National Institute on Drug Abuse Smoking cessation appears unlikely to hinder and may even help recovery from substance use disorders and from mood and anxiety disorders. These recent findings should ease concerns that encouraging patients to quit smoking might endanger their success in treatment of these disorders, NIDA-supported researchers say.
Opinion: Why Doctors Need Stories The New York Times In the past 20 years, clinical vignettes have lost their standing. For a variety of reasons, including a heightened awareness of medical error and a focus on cost cutting, we have entered an era in which a narrow, demanding version of evidence-based medicine prevails...
AMA Foundation Honors Dr. Dan Alford for Health Education Leadership American Medical Association Long-time ASAM member was rewarded for his service to the field in early December. A leading educator and researcher in the field of prescription opioid drug safety, Dr. Alford is associate professor of medicine, assistant dean of continuing medical education, and director of the safe and competent opioid prescribing education program at Boston University School of Medicine. He also is director of the clinical addiction research and education unit at Boston Medical Center.
NAPW & Experts Challenge 1st Fed Case That Used Pregnancy to Increase Sentence National Advocates for Pregnant Women ASAM joins National Alliance for Pregnant Women and 99 other amici in support of appealing decision by TN federal court to add additional sentencing to woman because she was pregnant at time of committing federal offense.
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