Recent Parliamentary topics have included Cutting youth crime and the link to substance misuse, Steps to minimise harm from Alcoholic Drinks: Delivery Services, a timetable for government to respond to the ACMD’s report on Ketamine, and Reoffending reduction through addressing needs…
News Archives
Smoking: hospital admissions and deaths
Public Health Scotland published Smoking attributable hospital admissions and deaths showing 1,107 smoking-attributable hospital admissions per 100,000 population (38,675 admissions). It also released Analysing Smoking Harms – New statistics using up to date evidence. See also Local commissioning of pharmacy smoking cessation…
SOS!UK Survey launch
The Students, Alcohol and Drugs Survey is SOS!UK’s annual research, aiming to identify students’ relationships with alcohol and drugs across the UK and Ireland. The launch event on 26 May will present the most recent research to help develop responses to…
SUD risks dropping ADHD meds
Adults with ADHD and a coexisting substance use disorder are 44% more likely to discontinue treatment with medication within one year of diagnosis or 1st SUD-related event, compared to 25% in the ADHD-only group, according to Sweden’s Linköping University et…
Does stress lead to alcohol use?
The Recovery Research Institute shared key findings from University of Washington et al’s How people decide to consume (more) alcohol when feeling stressed. The bottom line is, unsurprisingly, that stress can lead to a greater alcohol preference when choosing between…
Opioids and rising amputation rates
Clinicians and local researchers have reported rising numbers of amputations among people who use opioids, but national data on long-term trends has been limited. Now Mass General Brigham and the University of California share research on rising amputations, significantly steeper…
Cannabis with tobacco triples psychosis risk
A multi-site study with Vanderbilt Health revealed that combining cannabis and tobacco significantly increases the long-term risk of developing full psychotic disorders like schizophrenia. Smoking tobacco and cannabis together increases the body’s absorption of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), altering brain chemistry more…
Surrendering in addiction recovery
Some people balk at “surrendering” as a concept in recovery from addiction, thinking it sounds disempowering rather than freedom. Peg O’Connor PhD suggested in Psychology Today that we use “renounce” instead. “To renounce something is to take an active stance…
Driving under the influence: a web intervention
The Recovery Research Institute summarised key points from Australia’s Charles Sturt University’s Preventing alcohol and cannabis-impaired driving among adolescents: Effects of a web-intervention in a driver education program. Even a brief web-based intervention embedded in (Colorado) driver education can help adolescents…
Sober times for alcohol companies
Today, health concerns and tighter household budgets are prompting people to drink less. The shift is rippling through the drinks industry, wiping hundreds of billions of dollars from the market value of major beer, wine and spirits companies, forcing producers to cut…
