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As OxyContin Abuse Drops, Heroin Use Increases

Oxy A new study finds that OxyContin abuse has decreased now that the painkiller has been reformulated to make it more difficult to misuse.

Many people who abused the drug have switched to heroin, the researchers report in the New England Journal of Medicine. The study included more than 2,500 people who were dependent on opioids, who were followed between July 2009 and March 2012. During that time, there was a 17 percent decrease in OxyContin abuse. In 2010, the company that makes OxyContin introduced a new version of the drug that is more difficult to inhale or inject.

Methadone is Culpable for 30 Percent of Painkiller Overdoses

Pills The prescription drug methadone has contributed significantly to the rise in prescription painkiller overdoses over the last decade, according to a report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently.

While the drug accounted for 2 percent of painkiller prescriptions in the United States in 2009, it was involved in more than 30 percent of prescription painkiller overdose deaths. Six times as many people died of methadone overdoses in 2009 than in 1999.

CDC researchers analyzed national data from 1999-2010, as well as 2009 data from 13 states who were part of the Drug Abuse Warning Network, a surveillance system for drug-related deaths run by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

You May Already Be an Alcoholic! Alcoholism definition may be broadened by psychiatrists

woman with glass The danger presented by alcoholism is widely recognized, but many people still overindulge. Now, the doctors charged with defining addiction may label many more of them as alcoholics.

The American Psychiatric Association is in the late stages of revising their influential rulebook: the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual. There are indications that the standards used to differentiate partying from actual addiction will be changed to the point where many college revelers, sports fans who imbibe, and weekend pub denizens will now have a medical diagnosis.

40 Million Americans Addicted to Cigarettes, Alcohol or Drugs

Smoking About 40 million Americans are addicted to cigarettes, alcohol or drugs, new research finds.

That represents about 16 percent of the U.S. population aged 12 and older.

Another 80 million people -- 32 percent of the population -- are "risky" substance users, defined as using substances in a way that threatens health and safety.

Sex, Alcohol Use on Overnight College Visits

Girl on escalator A recent survey conducted by the Center for Adolescent Research and Education (CARE) about sex and alcohol use on overnight college visits for high school student applicants found that roughly one in six surveyed teens (16 percent) who had been on an overnight college admissions visit reported drinking alcohol during the visit.

Teens also reported engaging in sex or other intimate sexual behavior (17 percent), using drugs other than alcohol (5 percent), or driving while impaired (2 percent) during their overnight college visit.

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