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The Cultural Aspect: How to Measure and Interpret Epidemiological Data on Alcohol-Use Disorders across Cultures
Abstract
Aims:
To examine the cultural impact on the diagnosis of alcohol-use disorders using European countries as examples.
Design:
Narrative review.
Results:
There are strong cultural norms guiding heavy drinking occasions and...
Sexual Orientation and Estimates of Adult Substance Use and Mental Health
Abstract
Background: Research suggests that sexual minorities (e.g. people who identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual) are at greater risk for substance use and mental health issues compared with the sexual majority population that...
Sporting Activity and Substance Abuse among Teens: What’s the Link?

A recent survey which looked at the drug habits of over 20,000 US high-school athletes has found those who play high-contact sports, such as hockey, are more likely to use heroin and prescription opioids for non-medicinal purposes.
The...
Public Health Strategies to Prevent Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome: CDC Grand Rounds
Public Health Burden of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome
Neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) is a drug withdrawal syndrome that most commonly occurs in infants after in utero exposure to opioids, although other substances have also been...
Key Points from EMCDDA’s 2016 European Drug Report
As we welcome in the New Year it seems an ideal time to take stock and present the key points from the 2016 European Drug Report (EDR), the European Monitoring Centre for Drug and Addiction’s (EMCDDA) annual review of the European drug...
Maltreatment and Marijuana Use
Is the maltreatment of children linked with marijuana use later in life? Are behavioural problems and tobacco and alcohol consumption during adolescence associated with smoking marijuana?
These are questions that an Australian study...
Suicide and Substance Abuse
New research has found a significant link between suicide risk and simultaneous cocaine and alcohol consumption.
The study examined the drug-taking habits of 874 participants hospitalised for displaying suicidal tendencies, ranging from...
Are People Smoking Less and Less?
According to new findings published in the journal Tobacco Control, more than 53 million people in 88 countries have stopped smoking between 2008 – 2014 because of tobacco control measures.
Statistically, this means that during the 4-year...
'Big data' on American Youth
Scotland and New Psychoactive Substances
A collaborative research project geared towards understanding the patterns of use, motives and harms of New Psychoactive Substances (NPS) - commonly referred to as ‘Legal Highs’ - in Scotland has recently published its findings. Amongst the...
Scottish Substance Use: The Numbers
The latest Scottish Schools Adolescent Lifestyle and Substance Use Survey (SALSUS) provides a national overview of the prevalence of smoking, alcohol consumption and drug use in 2015, as well as looks at trends over time. It assesses risk...
Canadian Quits
The latest Canadian Tobacco, Alcohol and Drug Survey (2015) reports a decrease in the number of smokers nationwide.
Click here to view the full set of results (available in both English and French).
Dying for an E-Cigarette?
The use of e-cigarettes has increased dramatically in recent years. New research suggests that besides acting as a gateway to tobacco smoking, ‘vaping’ can also potentially damage your health in other ways. A study undertaken at the Keck...
The Lasting Health Effects of Alcohol Dependency
A new study conducted in the United States and subsequently published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs suggests that those who suffered from symptoms of alcohol dependence during their youth may still experience the mental and...
Smoking to Cancer Death Ratio in the US
Smoking has for a long time been known to be a significant cause of cancer. A new article published by JAMA Internal Medicine suggests that the proportion of cancer deaths caused by smoking in the United States is highest in the South of...
75% of Teens See E-Cigarettes as a Safer Alternative to Tobacco
Almost 3 out of 4 teenagers in the United States think that e-cigarettes are less harmful or addictive than smoking tobacco, a new study has found. The researchers also found that increases in the perceived safety of what has become known...
Bullying and Substance Abuse
New research investigates the complex relationship between bullying and substance use among adolescents. The study, published in the journal Addictive Behaviors, identifies a number of processes involved with bullying that take into account...
Weaker Bones Linked to Cannabis Use
Research conducted at the University of Edinburgh has found a link between cannabis use and bone mass density. More specifically, the findings, recently published in the American Journal of Medicine, report that frequent cannabis users are...
Opioid Abuse Linked to Heroin Use
New research published in the journal Addictive Behaviors has found the likelihood of 18- to 34-year-old nonmedical prescription opioid users having a prescription opioid use disorder has increased between 2002 – 2014. More specifically...
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