Family

Over the past two decades, Iceland has seen teenage smoking, drinking and drug use dramatically decrease. This is partly because of state-funded initiatives which look to promote healthier alternatives, or ‘natural highs’, such as sport, family-orientated activities and cultural provisions.

In its first report for almost 20 years, the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), has found the use of marijuana seems to be particularly connected to: Breathing problems Mental health issues such as psychosis, social anxiety and suicidal...

We are in the middle of the first quarter of the 21st century. It is a technologically advanced era, in which people across the world, and within a country are trying to excel in their lives, exploring new opportunities and trying to build...

This five year survey is a global model for its rigor – the only national prevalence survey that I know of in the world where questionnaires were combined with 100% toxicology testing of three biological samples per person (hair, urine...

Afghanistan is the world’s leading producer of illicit opium. This video takes us to a remote village in northeastern Afghanistan, where families meet for their daily ritual of opium smoking. The women in the video say that the drug is only...

Substance abuse entails a whole host of social, physical and mental health problems. A recent overview published in the Journal of Adolescent Health evaluates the effectiveness of interventions focused on smoking, alcohol or combined drug...

Suicide ranks among the top five causes of death among 15- to 19-year-olds. Research has shown that youth who misuse drugs are more likely to commit suicide than their peers who do not abuse substances. An estimated 27-50 percent of...

Even though scientific advances over the past decades have supported the concept of addiction as a brain disease, skepticism remains. Recent research has aimed to reinforce the link between addiction and brain functions and broaden the...