addiction news stories on Newser

First-Ever Jail Opens Just for Veterans

Neal Colgrass — Mon, 07 May 2012 15:03:05 CDT

In one Georgia county jail, military veterans will receive a special kind of treatment. The sheriff of Muscogee County says he's opening the first-ever jail dorm exclusively for veterans, where programs are designed to keep them from breaking the law once they're out, Fox News reports. "When they transition back...

Inside the Sex Addiction Crisis

Neal Colgrass — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 17:37:00 CST

With the Tiger Woods scandal officially behind us, the Daily Beast looks into our nation's sex addiction epidemic—which now afflicts more than 9 million people and employs some 1,500 sex therapists. “Where it used to be 40- to 50-year-old men seeking treatment, now there are more females, adolescents,...

Gamers' Brains Have Bigger 'Reward Hub'

Rob Quinn — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 05:10:00 CST

This is your brain on videogames: The brains of hardcore gamers are wired differently than those who rarely play video games, according to a new study. Researchers who scanned the brains of more than 150 14-year-olds found that the brain's "reward hub"—which plays a role in addiction—was bigger...

5 Habits That Are Really Addictions

Neal Colgrass — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 16:56:49 CDT

Drugs, sex, alcohol—such addictions belong to other people, right? Not so, says Cracked , which lists five everyday addictions: Pop music. Scientists have predicted pop hits by performing MRI scans on people listening to unreleased tunes. Future hits lit up pleasure centers in the brain; dopamine was released when melodies...

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...

For Some, Political Giving Nears Addiction

Matt Cantor — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 16:24:34 CDT

When it’s as easy as pushing a button on your smartphone, donating to candidates can become an itch that needs constant scratching. Thousands of Americans give to their favorite politicians over and over again in what the Washington Post likens to an addiction. The newspaper counts 1,300 people who...

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...

Matthew Perry 'Going Away' to Rehab

Mary Papenfuss — Fri, 13 May 2011 02:21:49 CDT

Actor Matthew Perry has announced plans to "go away" for a month to focus on sobriety and his ongoing battle with substance abuse. Perry hasn't suffered a relapse, but is taking the step as a proactive measure, sources tell TMZ . Perry said in a statement that his time away will...

Philip Morris CEO: Smoking Not Hard to Quit

Sarah Whitmire — Wed, 11 May 2011 12:36:26 CDT

Sure, cigarettes are bad for you and addictive, but they're really not that hard to quit—in the rose-colored world that belongs to Philip Morris CEO Louis Camilleri, who was responding to anti-tobacco comments at the cigarette maker's annual shareholder meeting. Camilleri was in 2009 characterized as a "longtime smoker...