Archive for substance abuse
Naloxone on demand: Shining a light to reverse opioid overdose
Overdose deaths from fentanyl and other opioids are at record highs in the U.S. Naloxone, if delivered soon after an overdose, is proven to be life-saving. It binds to the same brain receptors that opioids use, thereby blocking opioids’ effects. A naloxone nasal spray (Narcan) is now available over the counter, but there are still problems ... Read More about Naloxone on demand: Shining a light to reverse opioid overdose
Talking with – not at – young people about substance use
Teens and young adults using drugs and alcohol is not new. Neither is the challenge of speaking with them about the dangers and implications. However, what is changing are the substances young people are using and the ways they’re exposed to them. We’re also learning more about how drugs, alcohol, and nicotine affect growing bodies ... Read More about Talking with – not at – young people about substance use
Cannabis edibles: Keep kids safe from adult ‘treats’
Candy and chips aren’t necessarily for kids anymore. These days, a chocolate bar, gummy, or bag of cheesy treats may contain a very adult ingredient: cannabis (also known as marijuana). As more states legalize marijuana for medical and recreational use, more of these potent treats are finding their ways into children’s mouths. While older kids ... Read More about Cannabis edibles: Keep kids safe from adult ‘treats’
As COVID-19 fuels opioid deaths, researchers look to create an anti-opioid vaccine
A project that began one year ago at Boston Children’s Hospital to develop an anti-opioid vaccine is starting to bear its first fruits. A team of addiction experts and vaccine developers across the Boston Children’s research community were recently awarded a $25 million research contract from the NIH’s Helping to End Addiction Long-term Initiative, or NIH ... Read More about As COVID-19 fuels opioid deaths, researchers look to create an anti-opioid vaccine
Vaping and COVID-19: A toxic blend?
With the COVID-19 pandemic keeping most of us sheltering at home, teens who vape are facing a reckoning. Should they quit vaping? What if they can’t? “Some of our patients have successfully quit vaping, and tell us that ‘stay at home’ orders have helped, because they’re not around their friends who use,” says Dr. Sharon ... Read More about Vaping and COVID-19: A toxic blend?
A nimbler way to track alcohol use: mining Twitter and Google searches
Large, survey-based studies are a slow, expensive way to collect rigorous public health data. New research, focusing on alcohol use, shows that mining Twitter and online searches could enable public health professionals to get immediate, localized insights, spot emerging trends, and even measure the effects of interventions. “Online user-generated data are fluid and nimble — ... Read More about A nimbler way to track alcohol use: mining Twitter and Google searches
High numbers of youth report using prescription opioids in the past year
A new analysis of data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health finds a surprisingly high prevalence of prescription opioid use among youth. As recently as 2015–2016, 21 percent of adolescents and 32 percent of young adults said they had used these drugs in the past year. Nearly 4 percent and 8 percent, ... Read More about High numbers of youth report using prescription opioids in the past year
What you need to know about vaping to keep children safe
Could your child be vaping? A growing number of middle and high school students today are using vaping products, also called e-cigarettes, JUULs, or dabs (used for vaping marijuana) among other names. Signs and symptoms of vaping can be difficult for parents to notice, but talking with your kids about vaping and monitoring for concerning signs ... Read More about What you need to know about vaping to keep children safe
Online data mining adds to the picture of vaping-related lung disease
Severe lung disease related to vaping has been surging across the U.S., with the eighth death confirmed last week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A brief report in The New England Journal of Medicine suggests that online data-mining tools can supplement traditional public health surveillance and help officials stay ahead of this sudden epidemic. ... Read More about Online data mining adds to the picture of vaping-related lung disease
A vaccine to prevent opioid overdose?
Sharon Levy, MD, MPH, who directs the Adolescent Substance Use and Addiction Program (ASAP) at Boston Children’s Hospital, was getting her youngest son ready for school, when her husband Ofer, an infectious disease physician at the same hospital, came to her with an offer. The NIH was soliciting proposals to develop an opioid vaccine. Would ... Read More about A vaccine to prevent opioid overdose?