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...
A major new study has found a clear link between public knowledge and alcohol policies and consequences across Europe. When people know that alcohol causes cancer, they are far more willing to support restrictions on how and where it is sold. The research, published in the European Journal of Public Health, surveyed more than 3,600...
A major new study reveals that teen cannabis use behaves much like alcohol at the population level. Shifts in overall consumption ripple across all groups of young users at once, from those who try it occasionally to those who use it heavily and regularly. Researchers published the findings in the peer-reviewed journal Addiction in 2026....
For women who have survived cervical cancer, quitting smoking is one of the most important steps they can take to protect their long-term health. Yet it remains one of the hardest. A new study published in JAMA Network Open suggests that a personalised counselling programme may have finally found a way to change that. Scientists...
Cannabis Vaping Health Risks Alarm Researchers California researchers have uncovered serious cannabis vaping health risks, linking vape use to a rare but potentially fatal condition. The condition is called cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome, or CHS. Vape users develop the disorder significantly faster than people who smoke or consume edibles. The findings come from a survey of...
Scientists have confirmed that prenatal cannabis exposure alters specific genetic markers in the placenta. These markers are strongly linked to a higher risk of schizophrenia in children. The findings appear in Biology of Reproduction, published in January 2026. They add real weight to concerns about what happens to a baby when a mother uses cannabis...
As the United States ramps up efforts to clear homeless encampments from city streets, more states are turning to a tool researchers have spent decades scrutinising: involuntary drug treatment. A July 2025 executive order from President Donald Trump and a wave of new state laws have pushed compulsory substance use treatment to the centre of...
A landmark international study shows that liver cirrhosis recovery through alcohol abstinence is achievable even for patients with severe, life-threatening complications. Researchers say this fundamentally changes how advanced alcohol-related liver disease should be understood and treated. Scientists at the Medical University of Vienna led the research, published in the Journal of Hepatology in early 2026....
They thought they were having a stroke. Some feared they had eaten something toxic. Others simply had no idea what was happening. Accidental cannabis ingestion is behind a growing number of frightening hospital visits, and most patients never saw it coming. The culprit? A biscuit at a colleague’s leaving do, a sweet from a friend’s...
Introduction A major new study has painted a striking picture of young adult substance use in the UK. Binge drinking, vaping, and drug use have all climbed sharply as people move from their teenage years into early adulthood. Yet one piece of genuinely good news stands out: this generation smokes cigarettes at roughly half the...