Addiction/Substance abuse News

Drunk drivers really off the hook?

Alcotest, a widely-used breathalyser, hit headlines following a decision to suspend its use in Gauteng. Can these devices render reliable results?

Tik worse than booze in pregnancy

Children whose mothers use methamphetamine during pregnancy may suffer more severe brain damage than children exposed to alcohol in the womb, a new study suggests.

Drug use drives HIV spread

More than 90 percent of the world's 16 million injecting drug users are offered no help to avoid contracting AIDS, and governments that ignore them risk a spiraling public health crisis.

Date rape drug use on rise

Date-rape drugs and abuse of prescription medicine are on the rise, drugs monitoring agency INCB warned , while pointing to an increasing number of illegal Internet pharmacies.

The more bars, the more fights

The more bars, restaurants and other alcohol sales sites in a neighbourhood, the higher its level of violence, say researchers.

Cocaine use up on smuggling routes

West Africans are consuming more of the drugs trafficked between South America and Europe, raising the spectre of rising crime and health problems in already unstable states, experts said.

Don't mix energy drinks, booze

Mixing caffeine-laden energy drinks and alcohol is popular among students, but it can lead to higher rates of drunkenness and impaired driving, a new study suggests.

Heroin anthrax alert issued in UK

British health authorities issued an alert to drug users after a drug injecting heroin user in London tested positive for anthrax infection.

Booze kills more Brits

Alcohol-related deaths in Britain have more than doubled over the past 16 years, with those in managerial and professional jobs regularly drinking more than manual workers.

Stress hormone key to alcoholism?

Researchers are linking a stress hormone to alcoholism in animals, and they report that blocking it could become a strategy to help stop the addiction in people.

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