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Heavy Alcohol Consumption Now Linked to Brain Inflammation
A recent scientific study published in a journal dedicated to brain health showed a clear connection between heavy drinking and brain inflammation. Critically, such inflammation was found to cause a long list of unique and potentially life-altering health problems for alcohol addicts.
Marijuana and Hallucinogen Use at All-Time Highs for Young Americans
According to the recently published 2022 Monitoring the Future Survey, even though overall drug use did not increase among youths between 2021 and 2022, certain drug types did become increasingly more popular, namely cannabis and hallucinogens.
How Do I Spot Fentanyl and the Chemicals That Make It?
A news story broke recently of an Arizona drug bust in which, unlike most drug busts, the agents did NOT seize fentanyl that had been trafficked from Mexico or China. Rather, the agents seized batches of chemicals intended to produce fentanyl right here in the United States.
Monitoring the Future Survey Showed Drug Abuse Rates Remained Steady Among Young Americans in 2022
The 2022 Monitoring the Future Survey was finalized and published recently. The findings showed no progress in reducing teen substance abuse rates from 2021 to 2022, as rates of substance abuse among young people held steady compared to drug use rates in previous years.
Alcohol Addiction Connected to Loss of Sense of Smell, Damaged Gait, and Impaired Balance
A scientific paper shows how people who drink alcohol compulsively often lose their sense of smell. Another paper showed how heavy drinkers tend to develop ambulatory and balance-related issues, making them more prone to falls and other accidents.
Multiple States Stiffen Penalties on Drug Dealing. But Will This Solve America’s Addiction Epidemic?
Since January 2023, several states have significantly increased penalties on drug dealing, all to discourage drug dealers from setting up shop in their states. While the intention behind such actions is good, stiffer penalties for drug dealers won’t solve the drug crisis in hard-hit states like West Virginia and North Carolina...
FDA Takes Action to Restrict Addictive Tranquilizer Drug, But Is it Too Late?
A new report outlines how the FDA is cracking down on xylazine diversion, the animal tranquilizer currently being mixed into opioids to create deadly concoctions that kill users. The FDA is moving in the right direction by making this effort, but more needs to be done...
Methamphetamine Deaths Increased by More Than 50-Fold Between 1999 and 2021—Fentanyl Largely to Blame
“I won’t overdose on that drug—it’s not an opioid.” For decades, people who have become addicted to mind-altering substances like methamphetamine and other non-opioid drugs have used this line to justify using their drug of choice.
Cocaine Deaths Surge as Autopsies Reveal Fentanyl in Most Cocaine Overdoses
One of the most critical developments of the last decade concerning drug abuse has been stories of traces of synthetic opioids creeping into local supplies of drugs, types of drugs previously thought to be “non-lethal” (or drugs that were thought to be less lethal than others).
What Is the Scope of Alcohol Addiction in America?
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism recently updated their statistical data on the scope of alcohol-related harm in America, releasing new figures on alcohol addiction, alcohol-related death, youth drinking, alcohol-related emergencies, and how alcohol harms the body.