Drugs & Alcohol

Australia’s daily alcohol toll: 15 deaths and 430 hospitalisations

Chronic disease and injury caused by alcohol has significantly increased over a decade, causing 15 deaths and 430 hospitalisations each day in Australia, according to a new report. The VicHealth and Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education’s Alcohol’s burden of disease in Australia report, released today, shows the number of alcohol-attributed hospitalisations and deaths has increased by [...]

The Perfect Storm: Alcohol, Drugs, And Depression

Robin Williams’ death earlier this week has unleashed an outpouring of grief. It’s undeniable that Williams brought much joy and laughter to the world, but he also talked openly about his depression and problems with alcohol and cocaine. Depression, alcohol and drug dependence are killers – and they’re indiscriminate killers. It doesn’t matter how wealthy, [...]

Time To Warn Drinkers About The Risk Of Cancer

Australians have become accustomed to labels on cigarettes warning about the risk of smoking causing cancer and other diseases. And our research, published in the latest edition of BMC Public Health, shows similar labels could help consumers better understand the harms of drinking alcohol. Alcohol is estimated to cost the Australian economy A$36 billion a year in preventable [...]

Teen Alcohol Use

Despite what the media might tell us, it appears that our teens may not be as out-of-control as some of us believe - or at least not in the ways we think they are. Try Googling “teens out of control.” At the time of writing that search query returned 58,200,000 results (in 0.29 seconds if [...]

Ibuprofen relieves women’s hurt feelings, not men’s

For years, researchers have known that physical pain relievers such as ibuprofen can also help ease emotional pain, but new research suggests that ibuprofen has contrasting effects on men and women: Men who take the drug report harsher feelings of rejection, and women report feeling better. - Laura Byerley via Ibuprofen relieves women's hurt feelings, not [...]

Australia’s daily alcohol toll: 15 deaths and 430 hospitalisations

Prof Moodie said is was important to challenge the alcohol industry’s claims that Australia does not have an alcohol problem. “I would like to see sensible restrictions on alcohol advertising, promotions and sponsorship,” he said. - Alexandra Miller via Australia's daily alcohol toll: 15 deaths and 430 hospitalisations.

Women who smoke while pregnant could alter their children’s genes

The largest study of its kind has shown that smoking during pregnancy could cause epigenetic changes in the fetus, resulting in birth defects and health problems later in life. Christina Markunas of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and her colleagues have found that newborn children of mothers who smoked while pregnant are more [...]

The Controversial Gadget That Lets You INHALE Alcohol At Home

A controversial way to inhale alcohol has been released in a new home version. The vapshot machine boasts it can turn any alcohol into a vapour, which is then inhaled with a straw. 'It hits you instantly and kick starts your buzz!' the firm boasts of its $700 Vapshot mini machine. However, health experts have [...]

They Know More Than Me

“They know more about drugs than I do …”  Paul Dillon Drug and Alcohol Research and Training Australia (DARTA) One of the most common fears for anyone who works with young people is they believe the adolescents they have contact with know more about illicit drugs than they do. The catch-cry is usually something like [...]

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