addiction

Amid the United States’ ongoing opioid crisis, government agencies are documenting the rise of another highly addictive drug: methamphetamine.

While the nation’s ongoing opioid epidemic is often discussed as a white issue, new research indicates that prescription opioid use in black adults is just as high.

Alcohol-related disorders in the United States cut across gender, race and other demographic lines, according to the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. In the United States, 17.6 million people (about one in every 12 adults) abuse alcohol or are alcohol dependent.

According to U.S. government research on drug abuse, the number of people seeking treatment for painkiller addiction increased 400% from 1998 to 2008, and fatalities from prescription and illegal drug abuse now outnumber vehicle-related deaths in 17 states. Increases in certain crimes are also linked with prescription drug abuse, including theft, home invasions and assaults.

Substance among women has been shown to have high costs, yet intervention efforts continue to lag behind needs. To address this gap, researchers at Yale University and Washington University of St Louis conducted a randomized controlled trial of various types of health care interventions.

Research on the gambling industry has increased in recent years as more states have considered or enacted plans to permit the building of casinos or to allow other forms of gambling. Still, there has been relatively little on-site research chronicling gambling behavior at casinos themselves.