Monthly Archives: August 2008

“Erasing” drug-associated memories may prevent recovering drug abusers from relapsing, researchers have discovered. The team was able to reduce drug-seeking behaviors in rats by blocking a brain chemical receptor important to learning and memory during the recall of drug-associated memories. Continue reading →

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has released a new toolkit, “Sustaining Grassroots Community-Based Programs: A Toolkit for Community- and Faith-Based Service Providers.” Grassroots community- and faith-based treatment and recovery providers are concerned about continuing critical services for people affected by substance abuse and mental health disorders. This toolkit is designed to help these organizations plan for long-term survival.

Date Added: 08/12/08
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The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Data Archive (SAMHDA) is traveling this summer! We will be at:

• The National Center for Health Statistics Data Users Conference August 11-13 in Washington, D.C.
• The American Psychological Association Conference August 14-17 in Boston, MA. Booth 637

Date Added: 08/08/08
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In 2006, about 2% of Americans used alcohol on a daily or nearly daily basis, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). The same survey showed that these alcohol users were more likely than other Americans to be alcohol dependent in the past year.

Date Added: 08/05/08
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In a joint effort to support returning veterans, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), with the Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs, is holding a national conference and policy academy built around enhancing mental health and substance abuse services for veterans and their families.

Date Added: 08/04/08
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New research has uncovered a fundamental cellular mechanism that may drive pathological drug-seeking behavior. Rats that voluntarily use cocaine show a persistent cellular memory in the brain’s reward center even after several months of abstinence from the drug, while their involuntary counterparts had no such memory, according to a new study. Continue reading →

High levels of alcohol and drug consumption by young people in Europe is leading to an increase in unsafe sexual practices and a consequent rise in sexually-transmitted disease infections, according to a recently published study by the European Institute of Studies on Prevention (IREFREA). Continue reading →