Addiction and Substance Abuse
Smaller Plates, Smaller Portions? Not Always
It may have become conventional wisdom that you can trick yourself into eating less if you use a smaller plate. But a UConn Health study finds that trick doesn’t work for everyone, particularly overweight teens.
Jury Still out on Opiod Drugs for Chronic Pain
Dr. David Steffens, UConn Health psychiatry chair, joins “Mornings With Ray Dunaway” on WTIC NewsTalk 1080 to discuss findings from an NIH panel he was on that studied the use of opioid drugs for chronic pain. (Aired Jan. 14, 2015, www.wtic.com)
Study Reveals Lack of Data on Opioid Drugs
A National Institutes of Health white paper that was released today finds little to no evidence for the effectiveness of opioid drugs in the treatment of long-term chronic pain, despite the explosive recent growth in the use of the drugs.
Legalizing Medical Marijuana – Is Recreational Use Next?
Dr. Yifrah Kaminer is a child and adolescent psychiatrist at UConn Health who focuses on adolescent high-risk behaviors. He is a prolific author and renowned researcher on youth substance use disorders, and is frequently asked to speak on the topic to school and community groups. UConn Today asked Kaminer about the impact of marijuana on adolescents, and his views on legalization.
Patients, Doctors Lining Up for Medical Marijuana Certification
Doctors are signing up on a daily basis to be certified for prescribing medical marijuana under the state’s new law. Patients are signing up too, but they may have to investigate a little to find a doctor because the state is not planning to release its list of marijuana-certified physicians.
Alcohol Research Center Battles Addiction with Science
The University of Connecticut Alcohol Research Center achieved a milestone recently when the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism renewed the center’s funding for another five years. Founded in 1978, the Center was already the longest-funded center, both at UConn and within the NIH/NIAAA structure. The new grant funds the ARC through late 2017, when it will mark its 40th anniversary. Longevity isn’t the ARC’s sole claim to fame, however. Its research into the causes and treatment of alcohol disorders has led to groundbreaking advances and a worldwide reputation.