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Mental Health Awareness Month was established in 1949 to increase awareness of the importance of mental health and wellness in Americans’ lives and to celebrate recovery from mental illness. For the past 20 years, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has recognized Mental Health Awareness Month (MHAM) every May to increase awareness …

May Is Mental Health Awareness Month Read More »

What is alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS)? Alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS) is the name for the symptoms that occur when a heavy drinker suddenly stops or significantly reduces their alcohol intake. With AWS, you may experience a combination of physical and emotional symptoms, from mild anxiety and fatigue to nausea. Some symptoms of AWS are as …

Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome: Symptoms, Causes, Treatment, and More Read More »

The following is a summary of “Mandatory prescription drug monitoring programs and overlapping prescriptions of opioids and benzodiazepines: Evidence from Kentucky,” published in the February 2023 issue of Drug and Alcohol Dependence by Nguyen et al. As a result of the opioid epidemic, numerous states have established mandates necessitating healthcare providers to verify prescription drug …

Tracking the Trail of Opioids and Benzodiazepines Read More »

Benzodiazepines were discovered serendipitously in the 1950s and later marketed as safer alternatives to barbiturates, leading to increased popularity over subsequent decades. Though touted as safe treatments for anxiety and insomnia, problems with benzodiazepines became more apparent by the 1980s, especially risks of physiological dependence, misuse, and addiction. Although clinicians’ enthusiasm for benzodiazepines has waned, …

Complex Persistent Benzodiazepine Dependence When Benzodiazepine Deprescribing Goes Awry Read More »

The sedatives — benzodiazepines — are considered an underrecognized contributor to public health crisis of drug overdoses. Millions of Americans suffering from anxiety and insomnia are prescribed a class of sedatives known as benzodiazepines. Known under the popular trade names Xanax, Valium and Ativan, these medications have been widely prescribed beginning in the 1970s. However, …

Dependence on Xanax, similar sedatives lead OHSU physicians to coin new diagnosis Read More »

This Alcohol Awareness Month is a great opportunity to update your knowledge about alcohol, alcohol use disorder, and their impacts on health and society. Alcohol-related problems continue to exact an immense toll on individuals, families, and communities. In the United States, more than 140,000 people per year die from alcohol misuse, making it one of …

April is Alcohol Awareness Month Read More »

London CNN — There is no such thing as a “safe” level of drinking, with increased consumption of alcohol associated with poorer brain health, according to a new study. The researchers noted that drinking had an effect on the brain’s gray matter – regions in the brain that make up “important bits where information is …

Drinking any amount of alcohol causes damage to the brain, study finds Read More »

In a public safety alert issued this week, the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) said it observed a sharp increase in the trafficking of fentanyl mixed with xylazine, a sedative also known as “Tranq” that has been approved by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) for veterinary use. “Xylazine is making the deadliest drug threat …

DEA Issues Alert on Rise of Fentanyl Mixed With Xylazine Read More »

In 2021, 46.3 million people aged 12 or older in the US—about 16.5% of the nation’s population—met the applicable DSM-5 criteria for having a substance use disorder. Of those, 94% did not receive any treatment. The findings come from the 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), which was released this week by …

46.3 Million in US Met Criteria for SUD Diagnosis in 2021 Read More »