Addiction
-
This paper reviews available literature regarding the effectiveness, safety and utility of intranasal (i.n.) naloxone for the treatment of heroin overdose. ⋯ Currently there is not enough evidence to support i.n. naloxone as first-line intervention by paramedics for treatment of heroin overdose in the pre-hospital setting. Further research is required to confirm its clinical effectiveness, safety and utility. If proved effective, the i.n. route may be useful for drug administration in community settings (including peer-based administration), as it reduces risk of needlestick injury in a population at higher risk of blood-borne viruses. Problematically, naloxone is not manufactured currently in an ideal form for i.n. administration.
-
Previous studies have shown inconsistent findings with regard to the association between amount of spending money and adolescent smoking. Drinking alcohol may be a mediator of the association between spending money and adolescent smoking. However, no studies have examined this potential role. The objective of this study was to investigate the association between amount of spending money and adolescent smoking and the potential mediation role of alcohol use in this association. ⋯ Amount of spending money was associated significantly and positively with smoking among adolescents, and alcohol use mediated this association. Integrated tobacco prevention programs may be more effective, and increasing taxes on cigarettes and alcohol would increase price sensitivity among youth and protect against adolescent smoking.
-
Multicenter Study
Changes in volume of drinking after changes in alcohol taxes and travellers' allowances: results from a panel study.
The aim of this paper is to study short-term changes in alcohol consumption by subgroups of the population in Denmark, Finland and southern Sweden following large-scale decreases in alcohol taxation in Denmark and Finland and large increases in travellers' allowances in Finland and Sweden. ⋯ The results did not confirm expectations: an increase in consumption larger than that in the control site could not be shown in any of the countries or subgroups of the population. If there has been an effect -- as shown in aggregate data in Finland -- it seems to have been stronger among the old than the young and, in Finland and southern Sweden, among women rather than men.
-
Gender differences exist regarding alcohol and illicit drug use disorders in the United States. Little is known about the gender-related factors associated with non-medical use of prescription opioids. ⋯ For both women and men, illicit drug use is associated with the non-medical use of prescription opioids. Additionally, certain factors associated with the non-medical use of prescription opioids are notably gender-specific. Clinicians should recognize that patients with a history of illicit substance use or misuse of other prescription medications are at increased risk for non-medical use of prescription opioids, and that gender-specific factors can help to identify individuals at greatest risk.
-
To determine the contribution of heroin, prescription opioids, cocaine and alcohol/drug combinations to the total overdose death rate and identify changes in drug overdose patterns among New Mexico subpopulations. ⋯ Interventions to prevent drug overdose death should be targeted according to use patterns among at-risk subpopulations. A comprehensive approach addressing both illicit and prescription drug users, and people who use these drugs concurrently, is needed to reduce overdose death.