Heroin purity could shoot back up. (No pun intended.)

Another interesting study:According to Dutch researcher Wendy Ooteman, the biological and genetic characteristics of alcoholics can predict which drugs will best suppress the desire to drink. Naltrexone and acamprosate are drugs that are supposed to suppress the desire for a drink. The researcher investigated which patient characteristics were responsible for predicting the drug that would … Continue reading DNA Highly Promising Predictor For Successful Treatment Of Alcoholics

Another California program to get people into treatment and out of the criminal justice system: (Requires free registration. If you don't want to register, try BugMeNot.)Hoping to reduce the number of Californians who cycle in and out of prison, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has quietly signed a bill allowing nonviolent ex-convicts to earn their way off … Continue reading Schwarzenegger Signs Bill Allowing Shorter Parole in Exchange for Drug Treatment

This paper promoted the use of snus as a form of harm reduction to address the harms associated with smoking.I felt that three things were striking about the paper:First, it presents harm reduction as late in coming to tabacco related health problems. I've always thought of nicotine replacement (gum, patch, lozenges, inhaler, etc.) as harm … Continue reading Helping Smokers Quit: A Role for Smokeless Tobacco?

This article provides a national view of harm reduction efforts focused on HIV/AIDS reduction.The sidebar table is interesting, but keep in mind that it is AIDS cases, not new HIV infections. In Michigan, in 2004, 12% of new HIV infections were attributed to injection drug use.

New brain research on overeating:By looking at how the human brain responds to "fullness" messages sent to the brain by an implanted device that stimulates the stomach, the scientists have identified brain circuits that motivate the desire to overeat in the obese -- the same circuits that cause addicted individuals to crave drugs. The scientists … Continue reading Study Offers New Clues To Brain-stomach Interaction In Overeating

There's nothing new about lean/barr/purple drank/syrup. People have been misusing codeine for a long time and the resurgence of its use in Houston started in the late 1980s.What's interesting about this is this "screwed culture", in which codeine cough syrup is central. It has its own music, language, clubs, etc. It has a lot of … Continue reading ‘Lean,’ A New Hip High

It's too bad that entering addiction treatment has become the standard method for politicians and celebrities to avoid accountability.Mark Foley, Jason Blair, Mel Gibson and Bob Ney are just a few examples. It often feel like a cynical attempt to avoid accountability and ennoble their suffering.What does this do to public understanding of addiction? Nothing … Continue reading Scandal and Rehab