Children of Military Families at Increased Risk for Substance Use
In a paper published in the journal Addiction, researchers report that children of military families have a higher risk for alcohol and other substance use than do their peers in nonmilitary families. On the basis of their findings, the researchers suggest that schools and health care providers consider parental military deployment as an opportunity to provide early intervention and screening for substance abuse for young people in military families. The researchers’ data indicated that substance use overall was higher among those in the currently deployed or recently returned groups than in the nonmilitary group. Deployment often means that children…
CrimeSolutions.gov Offers Research on Program Effectiveness
The Office of Justice Programs’ CrimeSolutions.gov uses rigorous research to determine what works in criminal justice, juvenile justice, and crime victim services. This website offers: Research on program effectiveness reviewed and rated by Expert Reviewers Easily understandable ratings based on the evidence that indicates whether a program achieves its goals Effective Promising No Effects Substance abuse prevention and education programs aim to prevent individuals, particularly juveniles, from the harmful physical, social, and psychological consequences of drug and alcohol use or abuse. These programs, which may be implemented in communities, schools, faith-based settings, or the home, often seek to educate young…
Anti-smoking medication shows promise for treating alcohol dependence
A smoking-cessation medication may be a viable option for the treatment of alcohol dependence, according to a study by scientists at the National Institutes of Health. The study found that varenicline (marketed under the name Chantix), approved in 2006 to help people stop smoking, significantly reduced alcohol consumption and craving among people who are alcohol-dependent. The findings were published online in the Journal of Addiction Medicine. Continue reading…
Kids Who First Drink During Puberty…
New research shows that youths who first drink during puberty are at greater risk for developing later alcohol problems. “Most teenagers have their first alcoholic drink during puberty. However, most research on the risks of early-onset alcohol use up to now has not focused on the pubertal stage during which the first alcoholic drink is consumed,” said Miriam Schneider, Ph.D., a researcher at the Central Institute of Mental Health, University of Heidelberg, and one of the authors of the new study. Click here for full story…
Brain patterns may help predict relapse risk for alcoholism
Distinct patterns of brain activity are linked to greater rates of relapse among alcohol dependent patients in early recovery, a study has found. The research, supported by the National Institutes of Health, may give clues about which people in recovery from alcoholism are most likely to return to drinking. “Reducing the high rate of relapse among people treated for alcohol dependence is a fundamental research issue,” said Kenneth R. Warren, Ph.D., acting director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), part of NIH. “Improving our understanding of the neural mechanisms that underlie relapse will help us identify…
New Web-Based FASD Toolkit
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), with support through a cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDDD) has developed a comprehensive, web-based FASD toolkit that helps to raise awareness, promote surveillance and screening, and ensure that all affected children receive appropriate and timely interventions. Primary care providers should consider FASDs when evaluating children with developmental problems, behavioral concerns, or school failure. Like other children with complex medical or behavioral disabilities, children with FASD need a pediatric medical home to provide and coordinate care and ensure necessary medical, behavioral,…
Parents’ Deployment May Increase Risk of Kids’ Substance Abuse
Researchers from the University of Iowa evaluated data from 2010, when 1.2 million American children had a parent in the active duty military. Study results suggest parent’s deployment may increase risk of substance abuse in preteen and teens. “We worry a lot about the service men and women and we sometimes forget that they are not the only ones put into harm’s way by deployment—their families are affected, too,” senior study author Stephan Arndt, PhD, said in a news release. “Our findings suggest we need to provide these families with more community support.”