Topic description and stories

Woman holding a glass of whisky

Substance use disorders linked to poor health outcomes in wide range of physical health conditions

04 Nov 2022

People who have a past history of hospitalisation because of substance use disorders have much worse outcomes following the onset of a wide range of...

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Identification of brain region responsible for alleviating pain could lead to development of opioid alternatives

27 Feb 2018

Researchers from the UK & Japan have identified how the brain’s natural painkilling system could be used as a possible alternative to opioids for...

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Sträng

Carrots and sticks fail to change behaviour in cocaine addiction

16 Jun 2016

People who are addicted to cocaine are particularly prone to developing habits that render their behaviour resistant to change, regardless of the...

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Living with adversity: What Tupac and Eminem can tell us about risk factors for mental health

12 Apr 2016

Hip-hop artists Tupac and Eminem are among the most iconic music artists of the past two decades, and as Dr Akeem Sule and Dr Becky Inkster, co-...

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Highway to addiction: how drugs and alcohol can hijack your brain

25 Feb 2016

The discovery of a brain circuit ‘shortcut’ could explain why some addicts unintentionally relapse, and suggests that a shift in focus for therapies...

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relaxing after work_MMVI (cropped)

Cocaine addiction: Scientists discover ‘back door’ into the brain

12 Jan 2016

Individuals addicted to cocaine may have difficulty in controlling their addiction because of a previously-unknown ‘back door’ into the brain...

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Three faces of London - St Paul's, Millenium Bridge and a homeless man

From ASBOs to IPNAs: how begging might become an official nuisance

18 Jan 2014

Johannes Lenhard, a PhD candidate in Social Anthropology, discusses his experience of researching the lives of people who beg and considers how they...

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Cocaine

Individuals with a low risk for cocaine dependence have a differently shaped brain to those with addiction

17 Jan 2013

Research provides unique insight into the often misunderstood world of addiction.

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Wine drop

Wiping memories to tackle alcoholism

12 Mar 2012

Research into the way memory works could lead to a breakthrough in the treatment of alcoholism. Memories associated with triggering relapse in...

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Brain scans from study

Siblings’ brain scans could hold the key to drug addiction

03 Feb 2012

Research provides insight into why some individuals with a family history of drug abuse are at higher risk of addiction.

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A close up of a young woman snorting cocaine during the 1920s

Possible tool to help cocaine users kick the habit

06 Oct 2011

Medicines which increase levels of the brain chemical dopamine may hold the key to helping those addicted to cocaine and amphetamines kick the habit...

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20ml

Addiction treatment – genes can play a part

04 Jan 2011

Imagine a one-off cure for drug addiction or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) instead of today’s life-long therapy regimes.

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