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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.
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation of Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex Reduces Cocaine Use
Abstract
Recent animal studies demonstrate that compulsive cocaine seeking strongly reduces prelimbic frontal cortex activity, while optogenetic stimulation of this brain area significantly inhibits compulsive cocaine seeking, providing a...
Chemsex: An Emergent Phenomenon
Chemsex is the term given to the intentional use of psychoactive drugs in order to maintain sexual relations between men who have sex with men (MSM), usually for long periods of time and with multiple partners. This phenomenon has also been...
Syndemic Risk Classes and Substance Use Problems among Adults in High-Risk Urban Areas
Substance use problems tend to co-occur with risk factors that are especially prevalent in urban communities with high rates of poverty. The present study draws on Syndemics Theory to understand profiles of risk and resilience and their...
Lack of Sleep and Substance Use: A Worrying Link
Children and adolescents need more sleep than adults. A good night's sleep for those in their teens is considered to be 8.5 – 9.5 hours. Just over ¼ of US high school students get 8+ hours of sleep a night, according to the 2015 Youth Risk...
Methamphetamine Increases Risk of Stroke, Study Finds
The use of methamphetamine, or what is commonly known as ‘speed’, ‘ice’, or ‘meth’, correlates with an increased risk of stroke among young people, according to new research published in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery & Psychiatry.
...Terminology and Stigma: How Should We Talk about Substance Use?
In the field of substance use prevention and treatment choosing the correct terminology can be tricky, especially if we want to avoid contributing to stigmatised perceptions of people battling with substance use disorders.
‘Abuse’, ‘abuser...
Barriers and Facilitators to Implementing Addiction Medicine Fellowships
Abstract
Background
Although progress in science has driven advances in addiction medicine, this subject has not been adequately taught to medical trainees and physicians. As a result, there has been poor integration of evidence-based...
Opioid Crisis Fast Facts
Opioid is abuse prescription pain medication that formulate to replicate of opium.
Neural Mechanisms of Extinguishing Drug and Pleasant Cue Associations in Human Addiction
Abstract
The neurobiological mechanisms that underlie the resistance of drug cue associations to extinction in addiction remain unknown. Fear extinction critically depends on the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC). Here, we tested if...
What is 'Substance Use'?
The following tries to summarise both what “substance use” is, and some of the issues that surround the term.
The Importance of Nutrition for Recovery from Addiction
How important is nutrition for recovery from Substance Use Disorders (SUDs)?
According to new research published in the academic journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence the answer is: very.
The paper, which looked at the relationship between...
Dual Disorders: A New Way to Think about Addiction?
Despite a growing evidence base and numerous policy changes, the association between addiction and other mental health problems is often ignored.
It remains that many patients with Substance Use Disorder (SUDs) also have Other Psychiatric...
Synthetic Cathinone and Cannabinoid Designer Drugs Pose a Major Risk for Public Health
As part of an increasing worldwide use of designer drugs, recent use of compounds containing cathinones and synthetic cannabinoids is especially prevalent. Here, we reviewed current literature on the prevalence, epidemiology, bio-behavioral...
Energy Drinks, Drug Use and the Developing Brain
New research funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) has found that university students who regularly consume energy drinks are more likely to develop alcohol use disorders later in life. The same students are also at greater...
Why Are Females More Sensitive to the Effects of Cocaine?
Previous research has shown that females report more intense highs from cocaine use than do males, and that the former are more likely to become addicted to the drug, given the presence of the female hormone estradiol. However, little is...
Environmental Stressors, Socioeconomic Factors, and Alcohol-Related Problems among Argentinian College Students
Abstract:
Introduction: The relationship between alcohol consumption, individual characteristics, and alcohol-related problems may vary according to environmental characteristics in certain populations.
Objective: To explore the existence...
A Serious Matter: Laughing Gas Prompts Review of UK’s Psychoactive Substances Act
Introduced in 2016, The Psychoactive Substances Act is designed to deal with the influx of new drugs often labelled ‘legal highs’.
The Act bans any substance that "by stimulating or depressing the person’s central nervous system… affects...
Guidelines for the Evaluation of Drug Prevention: A Manual for Programme Planners and Evaluators
Guidelines for the Evaluation of Drug Prevention: A Manual for Programme Planners and Evaluators is a publication by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA).
It is the second edition of the 1998 EMCDDA...
Economic Hardships and Patterns of Drug Consumption in Europe
A new study recently published in the Journal of Health Economics considers the changes in patterns of drug consumption and attitudes towards substances among youth (15-24) across 28 European countries.
Of particular interest for the...
Drugs, Brains and Behavior: The Science of Addiction
Since the 1930s, the response to drug addiction has moved from one that focuses on the need to punish users to another that recognises the importance of prevention and treatment approaches.
In other words, thanks to scientific advances...
