Deaths from prescription painkillers and opioids in the United States have reached epidemic proportions in recent years. Stanford pain psychologist Beth Darnall, PhD, has seen …
Category: Addiction
Homeward bound: An addiction specialist travels home to help
Few things tug at the heart quite like the thought of home. Whether it’s our birthplace, current address, or just somewhere we love, home is …
It’s a no-brainer: Neuroscience should influence policy on psychoactive substances
Non-smoking campaigns that tell teenage boys that they'll get lung cancer in 30 years if they don’t stop smoking just don’t work. “But prevention programs that …
Opioid abuse among seniors: Stanford pain expert testifies on issue before U.S. Senate
Sean Mackey, MD, PhD, a Stanford professor and expert in pain management, got a last-minute request to fly to Washington D.C. late last week to testify before …
Stanford scientists uncover new approach to reduce opiate withdrawal
Opiates produce a sense of euphoria that is highly addictive. If addicts stop taking the drugs, they are faced with opiate withdrawal, which can feel like …
For some African Americans, light smokers may not have lower lung cancer risk than heavy ones
Although the relationship between smoking and lung cancer has been established beyond any doubt, it's still difficult to know how a patient's ethnicity might play …
Brain connection influences gambling decisions
Let’s say you had $10 and could place a bet with even odds to win or lose $3. Would you take it? What if you …
Overprescribing of opioids is not just limited to a few bad apples
More Americans are now dying of drug overdose each year than car accidents. And the biggest killer among those accidental deaths is prescribed opioids, according …
Is a proposed ban on smoking in public housing fair?
Cigarette smoking kills nearly half a million Americans each year, making it the leading preventable cause of death in the United States. So the …
Decisions, decisions: How evolution shaped our decision-making
Research in neuroscience, psychology, business and economics tells us that a plethora of influences can alter the decisions we make. The author explored some of these …
The devil you know: Experts discuss the public-health consequences of e-cigarettes
How do we reduce health risk in the face of harm that can’t be eradicated completely? That's the question that the medical school’s dean, Lloyd …
Stanford addiction expert: “The country needs to spring into action” on heroin epidemic
What's underlying today's heroin epidemic and what can be done about it? That was the focus of the opening hour of KQED's Forum yesterday morning, and …
Found: a novel assembly line in brain whose product may prevent alcoholism
High-functioning binge drinkers can seem charming and stylish. The ultimate case in point: Nick and Nora of the famed Thirties/Forties "Thin Man" film series (you …
“People are looking for better answers”: A conversation about chronic pain
Chronic pain limits the lives of an estimated 100 million people in one way or another and costs our country half a trillion dollars per …
Heroin: The national epidemic
When I think of New England, I don't naturally conjure up an image of heroin. Yet today, many cities and towns in the bucolic northeast …
“24/7 Sobriety” program may offer a simple fix for drunken driving
Every now and then I read a story that takes what I think I know about a certain topic and turns it upside down. Today, …