drug addiction news stories on Newser

Thomas Kinkade Died of Booze, Valium OD: Coroner

Mary Papenfuss — Tue, 08 May 2012 05:16:00 CDT

Painter Thomas Kinkade died of an accidental overdose of alcohol and Valium , according to a California coroner's report. "Mr. Kinkade died of respiratory depression as a result of a high concentration of ethanol combined with benzodiazepine use," the Santa Clara County Coroner's Office determined in a report released by NBC...

Number of Opiate-Addicted Newborns Triples

Rob Quinn — Tue, 01 May 2012 06:00:00 CDT

The number of pregnant women abusing prescription drugs has soared, and babies addicted to opiates are now being born at the rate of one every hour in the US, a new study warns. Researchers found that the newborn addiction rate has tripled over the last decade, and the newborns spent...

Drug Prohibition Not Working, Brand Testifies

Rob Quinn — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 02:22:14 CDT

Drug addiction should be treated as a health issue, not a criminal one, Russell Brand told lawmakers in Britain yesterday. The flamboyant actor, wearing a torn vest top, testified before a parliamentary committee, saying he had beaten his own addiction to heroin but had been arrested around a dozen times...

Vaccine Could Cut Heroin Addiction

John Johnson — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 14:01:13 CST

Scientists in Mexico are making progress on a front sure to displease the cartels: a heroin vaccine. It seems to have worked in mice, and now researchers are preparing tests on humans, reports the Guardian . The idea behind the vaccine is to make the body immune to the effects of...

Probe Launched Into Whitney's Prescriptions, Doctors

Mary Papenfuss — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 03:46:00 CST

The investigation into Whitney Houston's death is now turning to her doctors and pharmacies. Investigators are expected in the next few days to serve subpoenas on the singer's physicians and the pharmacies where Houston obtained multiple prescription drugs, reports the Los Angeles Times . Officials aim to determine whether the drugs...

Brain Scans of Addicts' Siblings Offer a Clue

Dustin Lushing — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:46:09 CST

New hope in the treatment of addiction? A study shows that people hooked on drugs or alcohol have abnormalities in the brain that make them more susceptible. Researchers were able to determine that the abnormalities existed before the addiction set in because they found the same abnormalities in the brains...

Addiction Now Officially a 'Brain Disorder'

Mark Russell — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 07:34:36 CDT

After four years of work involving 80 experts, the American Society of Addiction Medicine is redefining addiction—to alcohol, drugs, sex, gambling, and more—as a brain disorder, updating its former classification as a behavioral problem, reports Live Science . Addiction is also now considered a primary and chronic disorder, meaning...

8 Celebs Whose Addictions Shocked Us

Evann Gastaldo — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 12:16:46 CDT

Raise your hand if you were shocked to read that Harry Potter—er, Daniel Radcliffe— had a drinking problem . Well, you weren't the only one. The Frisky rounds up seven more celebs whose addictions surprised the world: Demi Moore : She was addicted to cocaine in the '80s, but cleaned up...

Infant Killed by Morphine in Mom's Breast Milk: Cops

Mark Russell — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 02:00:00 CDT

A South Carolina mother has been charged with killing her 6-week-old baby with drug-tainted breast milk. Stephanie Greene, 37, allegedly had so much morphine in her system that her daughter overdosed, reports the New York Daily News . Greene began using Fentanyl and Hydrocodon in 2009, cops say, and had moved...