Alcohol dependence is far more than a matter of willpower. The neurobiology of alcohol dependence reveals a complex set of brain changes that alter how people think, feel, and respond to the world around them. Understanding what alcohol does to the brain helps explain why dependence develops, and why breaking free from it is so...
When a patient admits they are drinking three litres of wine a day, alcohol misuse in GP consultations becomes one of the hardest moments in medicine. Many doctors want to help. Few feel equipped. Edinburgh GP Dr Rachel Phillips decided to change that, partnering with SHAAP (Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems) and the Royal...
A major new study covering data from more than 100 million people has found compelling evidence that illicit drug use substantially raises stroke risk. Younger adults who may feel invincible are not exempt. Researchers at the University of Cambridge analysed decades of published evidence. They also applied a sophisticated genetic technique to test whether the...
Bollywood actor Arshad Warsi has surprised even his most devoted fans with a recent revelation. After 35 years of lighting up, he says he managed to quit smoking with an app in just seven days, without a prescription, without nicotine patches, and without any withdrawal drama worth speaking of. His tool of choice was a...
Smoking affects skin health in ways most people never consider. While the damage to the heart and lungs gets most of the attention, tobacco quietly ages the skin, raises the risk of cancer, and slows the body’s ability to heal. The effects are visible, well-documented, and they start earlier than many expect. Dr Anjali Mahto,...
Brain stimulation techniques are reshaping how researchers think about treating addiction. Scientists now use magnetic pulses, sound waves, and electrical signals to target brain circuits damaged by substance use disorders. These approaches are gaining traction, and the early findings are hard to ignore. The Addiction Policy Forum recently hosted a webinar bringing together three specialists...
Suvorexant for Sleep Disturbance Shows Promise in Addiction Recovery For many people navigating recovery from drug or alcohol addiction, suvorexant for sleep disturbance is emerging as a potential tool that clinicians are beginning to take seriously. Sleep problems do not end when substance use stops. Disrupted, restless nights are a recognised feature of withdrawal, and...
In 1996, a small Sydney research team set out to do something simple but badly needed: ask people who inject drugs what they were using and how they were getting it. That pilot study became the foundation of drug use monitoring in Australia that has now run for 30 years. NDARC’s Drug Trends programme has...
By Peter Lyndon-James / Founder, Shalom House Fifteen years ago, I opened the doors of Shalom House with nothing but lived experience and a conviction that the system was broken. I knew it was broken because I spent twenty-six years inside it, children’s homes, juvenile detention, foster care, adult prisons, parole, in and out of...
When Dr Hugo Jobst walked into a candlelit church hall in Dundee at 19, he expected to feel out of place. Instead, strangers greeted him with handshakes, hugs, and a cup of tea. That evening changed his thinking about addiction medicine education entirely and planted the seed for something much bigger. “I met people who...