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Psychoactive Substances
Psychoactive substances are natural or synthetic substances that act on the central nervous system and alter mental processes such as mood, perception, cognition, consciousness, and behaviour. These substances may be legally prescribed medications (e.g., pain medications or sedatives), legally available substances such as alcohol or caffeine, or controlled or illicit drugs. Psychoactive substances can be used for medical, social, cultural, or recreational purposes, but some carry risks of misuse, dependence, and health or social harms when used in harmful ways.
Implementing Adolescent SBIRT
Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) is an evidence-based approach to early intervention of substance use.
This mixed-methods evaluation assessed the implementation of an adolescent SBIRT change package across...
Words Matter Language Guide
The need to change our language in relation to people who use drugs has become an increasing topic of discussion, but there is still a long way to go. People who use drugs are highly diverse and their relationship with drug use takes many...
New Psychoactive Substances (NPS): Synthetic Stimulants/Synthetic Cannabinoids
ISSUP are pleased to present the First Webinar in a series on New Psychoactive Substances (NPS).
Fetal Exposure to Cannabis and Childhood Metabolic Outcomes: The Healthy Start Study
Abstract
Objective
To assess the impact of fetal exposure to cannabis on adiposity and glucose-insulin traits in early life.
Research Design and Methods
We leveraged a subsample of 103 mother-child pairs from Healthy Start, an...
Assessing the feasibility, usability and acceptability of the MySafeRx platform among individuals in outpatient buprenorphine treatment: Lessons learned from a pilot randomized controlled trial
Abstract
Background
Increasing buprenorphine/naloxone (B/N) access for opioid use disorder (OUD) is essential yet ensuring adherence and preventing diversion remains challenging. This study examines the feasibility, usability, and...
Neurofeedback for opioid dependent patients in an outpatient setting: a pilot feasibility study
Background
When used in combination with other therapies for drug use disorders, neurofeedback (NF) has been classified as "probably effective," according to recent research in the community of people with opioid use disorder. Despite...
The role of specialist addiction nurses in alcohol treatment
A recent study has found that embedding specialist Addiction Nurses within general practice teams can help address alcohol problems in deprived areas.
In this blog, the lead author Dr Andrea Mohan examines why the role of the Addiction...
Introduction of new methods and tools for drug use disorders diagnostics and treatment discussed in Kazakhstan
On April 15, 2022, the UNODC Regional Office for Central Asia in collaboration with the Republican Scientific and Practical Center for Mental Health held a “National Round Table Discussion on the application of new methods and tools of drug...
Association of Psychiatric Disorders With Incidence of SARS-CoV-2 Breakthrough Infection Among Vaccinated Adults
Abstract
Importance Psychiatric disorders may be associated with an increased risk for SARS-CoV-2 breakthrough infection after vaccination, but no studies have tested this hypothesis.
Objective To evaluate whether past diagnoses of...
Advances in Addiction and Recovery
Advances in Addiction & Recovery, the official publication of NAADAC, is a quarterly digital magazine focused on providing useful, innovative and timely information on trends and best practices in the profession that are beneficial for...
DAM Report of Recovery Get-Together 2022
Dhaka Ahsania Mission (DAM) drug treatment centers celebrate Recovery Get-Together every year to support recoveries and help integration back into society. This year DAM arranged a “Recovery Get together” program on March 26, 2022, at Ahsania Mission Drug Treatment Center, Gazipur.
National Round Table Discussion on application of new methods and tools of drug use disorders diagnostics and treatment in Uzbekistan
On 25 March 2022 the UNODC Regional Office for Central Asia held a National Round Table Discussion on application of new methods and tools of drug use disorders’ diagnostics and treatment in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The meeting was attended by...
The Role of Qualitative Research in Addiction Science
Presenter: Dr. Richard Pates, Consultant Clinical Psychologist, Editor in Chief, Journal of Substance Use
MUP and homeless/street drinkers & service providers
Watch the video of the SHAAP/SARN 'Alcohol Occasionals' webinar presentation, held over Zoom on 31 March 2022: "Minimum Unit Pricing (#MUP): Qualitative study of the experiences of homeless drinkers, street drinkers and service providers"...
Khan, M & Aslam, N. (2020). Prevalence of Caffeine Intake among Cigarette Smokers: Directing Caffeine Use Disorder among Pakistani Population, Pak J Med Res, 59 (1), 15-21.
Background: Caffeine is the most commonly used psychoactive drug, being widely enjoyed and open handedly taken all around the world. The use of tea, coffee, soft drinks, chocolates etc is quite common without any sort of consideration to...
Drug use severity in adolescence affects substance use disorder risk in adulthood
Although more than 1 in every 3 US individuals will develop a substance use disorder in their lifetime, relatively little is known about the long-term patterns of substance use disorder symptoms from adolescence through adulthood.
Key
...Approach to the health situation of adolescents and young people linked to the Criminal Responsibility System
Technical document of the Ministry of Health and Social Protection, is built from an approach to the international evidence on health of adolescents and young people linked to judicial systems; recognizes the national evidence of the...
UNODC Trains Team of National Trainers from Central Asia within the Advanced Level of the Universal Treatment Curriculum for Substance Use Disorders
The UNODC Regional Office for Central Asia supported a training of trainers (ToT) on Course 13 – “Contingency Management: A Reinforcement Based Treatment” and “Course 18 – “Clinical Supervision” which took place in person in Bishkek...
Differences in addiction and recovery gains according to gender – gender barriers and specific differences in overall strengths growth
Background
The necessity of a gendered understanding of recovery is becoming increasingly evident. There have been reports of gender disparities in the character and amount of substance use, the paths to and through substance use disorder...
Navigating intersecting public health crises: a qualitative study of people with opioid use disorders' experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic
Background
The long-running opioid epidemic and the more recent COVID-19 pandemic are two interrelated events with major public health implications for people who use opioids (OUD). The majority of studies on the interaction of these two...