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Hey readers!

We’ve just passed the 6000 visitor mark and our reasership is growing steadily. I want to thank everyone who regularly check the site and welcome those of you who are here for the first time.

I’m in DC right now, attending the annual meeting of the Society For Neuroscience (sfn.org). I have been learning about new exciting developments related to addiction for the past 4 days and can’t wait to share them with you.

Watch out for some great new stuff!!!

Contributing co-author: Andrew Chen

When a pregnant mother smokes cigarettes, nicotine and carbon monoxide pass across the placental barrier. This disrupts the normal transfer of oxygen and nutrients to the developing fetus, harming its development.

It’s been estimated that nearly 1 in 10 American women smoke cigarettes while pregnant (1). This is an alarming statistic considering that studies have repeatedly shown maternal smoking to be associated with adverse birth outcomes such… Continue reading

Contributing co-author: Jamie Felzer

Celebrities get their fair share of flack for inappropriate behavior on screen. Only recently, research regarding the effects of onscreen violence, even in cartoons, making youngsters act more aggressively made some serious noise.

So what about smoking? If kids see their favorite stars smoking cigarettes in films, would they be more inclined to light up as well?

A recent study revealed that adolescents in 4th to 9th grade… Continue reading

I’ve mentioned before that I believe medications can be a very helpful tool in early recovery, especially for specific individuals who need help getting over the initial, most difficult, period (look here).

If you take a look at my first post about meth and its effects on the brain, you’ll read that meth use can seriously negatively affect… Continue reading | 2 Comments

Contributing co-author: Andrew Chen

A number of questions from readers, as well as some of the searches that have landed users on this site (yes, we get to see that) have made me realize that many of you are wondering about the effects of drugs and alcohol on pregnancies. Obviously, I think this is an important topic that deserves attention; for this reason, I’m going to dedicate a few posts to… Continue reading

I’ve already written about one reason why cravings make quitting difficult (find it here). However, cravings and triggers are not just abstract concepts; they are well known, important players in addiction research and I think they deserve some more attention.

What are triggers?

A trigger can be thought of as anything that brings back thoughts, feelings, and memories that have to do with addiction… Continue reading

Well, it seems that David Duchovny completed his month log rehab stint for sex addiction. In this story, no further details are given regarding his reasons for entering the center in the first place. But I’m sure we all wish him well, hoping that he’s been given some tools to deal with his problems.