The coming weeks mark the return to school for many of our youngest citizens. Sadly the satisfaction of making new friends and obtaining good test scores may be overshadowed by the prospect of substance abuse for some school-aged adolescents. The previous decade has witnessed a two-fold increase in both alcohol consumption and intoxication by adolescents age 12 to 17...

Despite medical research that indicates Vancouver's supervised injection facility, Insite, reduces needle-sharing and overdose deaths, the facility's fate is uncertain, states an analysis article in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). Insite was North America's first sanctioned supervised safe injection site, opened in 2003 under the then Liberal government...

Researchers found that moderate alcohol drinkers are more likely to live longer over a 20-year follow-up than heavy drinkers and abstainers. Moderate drinking means consuming about one or two drinks per day...

For patients with chronic (long-term) neuropathic pain, smoking cannabis was found to reduce symptoms of pain, improve mood and help sleep, a report published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Journal Association) revealed...

The Australian Psychological Society (APS) will offer psychological assistance to sportspeople and sporting organisations to deal with drugs in sport as part of a new government initiative. As part of the Australian Government's $20...

At the NACDS Pharmacy & Technology Conference, taking place August 28-31 in San Diego, Calif., Cardinal Health will encourage attendees to learn more about how they can get involved in the fight against prescription drug abuse...

Authorities have arrested more than 80 people and seized 10 tons of counterfeit medicines across six East African countries, the international police agency Interpol announced Thursday, United Press International reports (8/26). Interpol, together with a WHO unit, "targeted alleged networks of counterfeit drugs makers, traffickers and vendors," the Canadian Press reports (8/26)...

The Los Angeles Times: Obama administration officials at a meeting in Los Angeles Thursday touted their efforts to crack down on health care fraud, "saying quickly expanding criminal enterprises are costing taxpayers billions of dollars each year. ... Atty. Gen. Eric H. Holder Jr...

Doctors have used the drug disulfiram to help patients stay sober for several decades. It interferes with the body's ability to metabolize alcohol, giving a fierce hangover to someone who consumes even a small amount of alcohol. More recently, disulfiram was shown to be effective in treating cocaine addiction as well, even though alcohol and cocaine affect the nervous system in different ways...

Eleven research institutions in 11 states will receive more than $6 million in federal funding from fiscal year 2010 to support research on substance abuse and associated problems among U.S. military personnel, veterans, and their families...

Daily Mail
George Michael enters rehab
Toronto Sun
The Careless Whisper hitmaker has now revealed he checked himself into a clinic shortly after the incident to undergo a 14-day detox program. ...
George Michael Enters RehabMTV UK
Why I put myself in drug rehab by George MichaelDaily Mail

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A new Geisinger study begins to unlock the puzzle of painkiller (opioid) addiction why some people are more likely to become addicted than others. Geisinger investigators have found that patients with four common risk factors have a significantly higher risk of addiction. In addition, a history of severe drug dependence and drug abuse compounds the risk...

College students are less likely to let their female friends engage in risky sexual behavior after a night of drinking alcohol. Recent findings in the journal Communication Education examine how and why college students protect their friends who have been heavily drinking...

Extra TV
Get Red Carpet Ready: Best Ways to Detox Your Body
Extra TV
"Extra" Lifechanger Haylie Pomroy is a celebrity nutritionist who says the best way to detox is not to starve yourself, but to eat foods that naturally ...

Dr Dre Hires Top Ghostwriter To Finish Detox
RapBasement.com
It looks like Dr Dre is trying to finish his upcoming "Detox" album as he promised fans recently he soon would. Multiple sites are reporting that Dre hired ...

A Scientific American series examines how recent scientific advances will guide future efforts to thwart HIV/AIDS and also looks at the epidemic among men who have sex with men (MSM) and injecting drug users (IDUs)...

Although a cognitive-behavioral intervention to encourage men who have sex with men to reduce their substance use and sexual risk behavior (as both are linked) was partially successful, a similar reduction was achieved in comparison groups who did not receive the intervention suggesting that better methods for changing behaviors are needed...

While moderate drinking - one to less than three drinks per day - is linked to a decrease in mortality in middle-aged and older adults, there is also concern that the health benefits of moderate drinking have been overestimated...

Project Detox: The Juice Press
BlackBook Magazine
All in all, I feel like my detox project has been going smoothly. Since Monday, I've been replacing my usual lunch of salads, soups, and sammies with ...

Five medical societies collaborated to develop a "Tip Sheet on Prescribing for Controlled Substances in Long Term Care." The groups include the American Geriatrics Society (AGS), AMDA-Dedicated to Long Term Care Medicine (AMDA), the American Medical Association (AMA), the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), and the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM)...