For your listening pleasure this afternoon, another conversation with Stanford psychiatrist Elias Aboujaoude, MD, has been posted online. Aboujaoude, who recently spoke with my colleague …
Category: Addiction
Anti-anxiety circuit found in unlikely brain region
A generally useful rule in hide-and-go-seek: Always hide where nobody will even think of looking for you. The last place a neuroscientist would think of …
Florida's prescription-drug problem
Florida's serious prescription drug abuse problem was the focus of an NPR segment today. Reporter Greg Allen notes that physicians there "prescribe 10 times more …
Stanford psychiatrist explores how people's online personas affect their real-world lives
In case you missed it over the holiday weekend, the San Jose Mercury News ran a feature on Virtually You: The Dangerous Powers of the …
The Florida Governor's questionable actions on drugs
A few weeks ago I moderated a panel about methamphetamine and its disastrous effects on Middle America. It was clear from the discussion with Nick …
How to combat prescription-drug abuse
Long-acting prescription opioids (e.g., Oxycodone, Hydrocodone) are powerful clinical tools in some cases but a curse in others. As prescriptions for these medications have increased …
Former NFL players susceptible to painkiller abuse
While football fans across the country (particularly in my home state) are gearing up for next week's Super Bowl, new research in the journal Drug …
Stanford Magazine examines the social and psychological consequences of the digital revolution
Computer scientists at Stanford played a prominent role in the rise of the digital age and continue to be a driving force in developing the …
The frightening rise of drugged driving
As if the thought of drivers who are drunk or texting isn't enough to make you anxiously tighten your grip on the steering wheel, two …
TV characters' drinking problems: Not that funny
I've never been a huge fan of the popular TV show Two and a Half Men - I'll tune in occasionally - but in recent …
FDA's warning over alcoholic energy drinks is progress, but not perfection
There have been dramatic public policy developments surrounding caffeinated alcohol beverages since Michelle Brandt wrote about them here less than a month ago. Half a …
Do people really get addicted to marijuana?
Last week, the Los Angeles Times profiled a woman who was addicted to marijuana for 19 years, during which she used marijuana compulsively several times …
Love blocks pain, Stanford study shows
Intense, passionate feelings of love can block pain in ways similar to painkillers or illicit drugs like cocaine, according to a Stanford study published online …
Pediatrics group calls for stricter limits on tobacco advertising
Armed with data showing that advertising has a powerful effect on adolescents' decision to smoke, the American Academy of Pediatrics yesterday called on the government …
A response to reader comments about Proposition 19
On Tuesday, Paul Costello posted an entry discussing our recent interview about Proposition 19, and a number of readers left comments. I wanted to respond …
Yea or nay on California's prop to legalize weed?
Personally, I've been wavering on how I'll vote in November on the California proposition that legalizes marijuana. I hear the proponents of Proposition 19 with …