According to new research smoking marijuana regularly distorts the brain’s natural risk and reward circuitry which, in turn, can affect people’s decision-making as well as their ability to maintain relationships. In this way, the study...
A recent review carried out by researchers at the University of Nottingham's UK Centre for Tobacco and Alcohol Studies suggests popular YouTube music videos that include aural and/or visual references to alcohol often glamourise consumption...
Marijuana use amongst adults in the United States is increasing. A study of over half-a-million people carried out between 2002 – 2014 and subsequently published in The Lancet suggests that this is because fewer perceive the drug to be...
Mass-media can be a great means for sharing knowledge and information. A study recently published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) aimed to determine whether such channels are successful in reducing the intention to use, and the...
The Health Report of the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare covers a range of health issues, including the health status of Australians, health expenditure, the major causes of ill health, determinants of health, health through the...
Student life and excessive drinking often go hand-in-hand. New research has found that it is students with low self-esteem that are more likely to indulge in unhealthy drinking behaviours than those with higher confidence levels. The...
Up to 50% of children who try tobacco cigarettes for the first time are likely to become regular smokers within three years. At the same time, experimentation with e-cigarettes is increasing. It is now more common for 11- to 15-year-olds in...
Drug use disorders are a serious global health problem. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) estimates that 246 million people, or one in twenty 15- to 64-year-olds, used an illegal drug in 2013. Of those who use, one in ten...
Some forms of substance use, such as adolescent (aged 12 to 17) underage drinking and alcohol use among young adults (aged 18 to 25), continued to drop according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA)...
'Listen First' is a drug prevention initiative that aims at raising awareness around listening to children and youth as the first step to help them grow healthy and safe. This global campaign targets parents, teachers, policy makers, health...
The prevalence of binge drinking is highest amongst 18- to 24-year-olds. In the United States around 1,800 college students die from unintentional alcohol-related injuries each year. Given the growth of the Internet in the last twenty years...
London’s world-famous nightclub 'Fabric' has had its license revoked due to what local authorities have described as a “culture of drugs” at the venue. In the last four years there have been six drug-related deaths involving the nightclub...
Eighty percent of 3- to 17-year-olds play some form of sport. Practitioners in the field of drug prevention have looked to promote sporting activity as a healthy alternative to substance use amongst young people. The Canadian Centre on...
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the world’s most common developmental conditions. A recent collaborative study conducted in the United States and subsequently published in the journal Addiction shows that greater...
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...
The Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse (CCSA) has released an engaging learning module that provides evidence-based information on the effects of cannabis use during adolescence. The module is based on CCSA's report on the psychological...
The use of e-cigarettes, also known as vaping, has become more popular among teens in recent years and has caused concern over a rise in nicotine intake among young people. In order to learn more about the percentage of nicotine consumption...
Previous research has shown that young athletes might be at greater risk of nonmedical prescription opioid use due to injuries. However, a new study found that sports participation might act as a protective factor against opioid as well as...
A new study offers a glimpse into the link between mental health disorders and drug use among secondary school students in Brazil. Researchers at Columbia University and the Federal University of São Paulo found that students with symptoms...
