Alcohol dependence and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) often co-occur and prove resistant to treatment. Treatment is complicated by concerns that prolonged exposure (PE) therapy—considered one of the most effective therapies to treat PTSD—may exacerbate alcohol use.
Many college students are mixing alcohol and energy drinks, as well as engaging in hazardous drinking, which puts them at risk for alcohol-related harm. But do the negative consequences that result from consuming alcohol with these energy drinks go beyond just alcohol alone?
The possibility that food can be addicting has been getting some serious attention in recent years (see for example Gearhardt AN et al, J Addict Med 2009;3(1):1–7). The idea isn’t half-baked: food and other natural rewards, like sex, activate the same brain regions that are hijacked by drugs of abuse.
Despite a large body of evidence providing overwhelming proof that misuse of cannabis can lead to the typical problems of substance abuse, some people continue to question the entire concept of cannabis (marijuana) addiction.
While many people think marijuana is harmless, some people do become addicted to it. Roughly one million people receive substance abuse treatment for cannabis each year and the majority resume using marijuana following program discharge.
Separate the facts about cannabis use from the myths in an interview with Itai Danovitch, MD, director of Addiction Psychiatry Clinic Services at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
Smoking remains a scourge despite almost universal acknowledgement of its harms. This raises a puzzling question: If smoking is so bad for you, why do people continue to smoke?
In today's episode, Dr. Brian Hurley provides expert insights into the current state of stimulant use disorder, its implications across different regions, and available...