addiction

Addiction is defined as not having control over doing, taking or using something to the point where it could be harmful to you.

Addiction is most commonly associated with gambling, drugs, alcohol and smoking, but it’s possible to be addicted to just about anything, including work, the internet, shopping, solvents and sex.

Our addiction Blogs

Mobile app for reducing binge drinking in young adults: better evidence needed

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Sally Adams appraises a naturalistic study about the D-ARIANNA mobile app, which aims to reduce levels of binge drinking in young people.

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Can pharmacotherapy help smokers with severe mental disorders?

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Andrew Jones reports on an ecological pragmatic clinical trial, which suggests that it is feasible to support smoking cessation in people with severe mental disorders such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.

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Institutional smoking bans reduce secondhand smoke exposure and harms, but more research is needed

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Olivia Maynard summarises a recent Cochrane systematic review about the impact of institutional smoking bans on reducing harms and secondhand smoke exposure in hospitals, universities and prisons.

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Psychiatric disorders: what’s the significance of non-random mating?

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Marcus Munafo considers the implications of a recent Swedish population study, which explores patterns of non-random mating within and across 11 major psychiatric disorders.

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Marijuana use and head and neck cancer risk #CannabisMatters

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9 case-controlled studies were included in this review of the effect of marijuana use on head and neck cancer. The findings suggest no association marijuana use and head and neck cancer but other reviews suggest that this may differ by tumour site

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Nalmefene for alcohol dependence: new evidence casts doubt over NICE recommendations

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Matt Field presents new evidence on the risks and benefits of nalmefene in the treatment of adult alcohol dependence, which casts further doubt over the controversial recommendations made by NICE and the European Medicines Agency.

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CBT and motivational interviewing: best bet for cannabis cessation? #CannabisMatters

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Mark Monaghan writes his debut Mental Elf blog about a systematic review on psychological and psychosocial interventions for cannabis cessation in adults. Part of our #CannabisMatters series, this review suggests that CBT and Motivational Interviewing may improve outcomes in a self-selected population of cannabis users.

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Periodontal disease associated with persistent cannabis use #CannabisMatters

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This study of the impact of cannabis use on physical health used participants from the 1972-3 Dunedin birth cohort. An association between cannabis use and poorer periodontal health at age 38 years and within-individual decline in periodontal health from ages 26 to 38 years was found.

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Psychosocial interventions for cannabis use disorder #CannabisMatters

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Ian Hamilton presents the findings of a recent Cochrane review, which finds that despite the large number of cannabis users seeking treatment, we still know relatively little about the best psychosocial interventions for cannabis use disorder.

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