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.
A new study claims hobbies reduce substance misuse in adolescents, but are we mistaking correlation for causation? Before we start fiddling with interventions, this blog explores the risks of jumping to conclusions.
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Vaping is helping millions quit smoking, but concerns about teen uptake remain. A new blog explores whether the ‘gateway hypothesis’ stands up to scrutiny in the latest umbrella review of vaping harms in young people.
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Effective treatment for mental health disorders remains the exception rather than the rule. A new 21-country study reveals where in the treatment cascade people are most likely to drop out and which factors improve the odds of getting the care they need.
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Ian Hamilton unpacks a new study revealing how teenage substance use can pave the way to serious mental health struggles later in life. A clear warning: early use today could mean bigger problems tomorrow.
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KCL MSc student Geetika Sharma reviews a study that looks at the contribution of cannabis use to the increased psychosis risk among minority ethnic groups in Europe.
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Gemma Taylor discusses new research on the effects of smoking cessation treatment options for people with past or current major depressive disorder.
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What happens to psychosis risk when cannabis becomes easier to access? According to this Canadian study, the risk goes up. Shuichi Suetani explores what we can learn from one of the countries leading the way in drug policy reform.
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Clare Gerada and Ruby Wiltshire summarise a new scoping review of UK-based research on the treatment of harmful gambling, which finds a complete lack of high quality intervention studies to support decision making.
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Marissa Kube-Clare summarises a retrospective cohort study exploring the relationship between alcohol consumption and risk of dementia.
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Laura Hemming reflects on the findings of a recent Australian study, which looks at personal language use around suicide, mental health concerns and alcohol and other drug use, and seeks to find consensus on how we speak to each other about these issues.
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