Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly最新文献

Sometimes people can seem drunk after eating — but not drinking. Researchers have called this “auto-brewery syndrome” due to fermenting carbohydrates in the gut, but in a 2019 paper, and then a study of patients published this month in Nature Biology, there may be treatments for the syndrome that involve changing alcohol metabolism in the patients' gut. “This disease is terrible on families,” says gastroenterologist and researcher Dr. Bernd Schnabl of the University of California San Diego, who led the new study. He says that “patients are not believed”— even by their doctors — when they insist they aren't drinking. The condition can be confirmed by administering glucose followed by a breathalyzer or blood alcohol test under strict supervision.

The 36th annual national leadership forum of CADCA will be held February 2-5, 2026 in National Harbor, Maryland. For more information, go to https://www.cadca.org/signature-events/

Two symptoms — anxiety and insomnia — during pregnancy have increased over the years, and so has benzodiazepine use. Because benzodiazepines can cross the placenta, affecting fetal growth and neurodevelopment, researchers wanted to find out whether it carries risks for miscarriage, stillbirth, preterm birth, and/or small for gestational age.

In dietary guidelines released by the federal Department of Health and Human Services last week, for the first time since the inaugural year of the guidelines in 1980, there were no limits proposed for alcohol consumption. All the guidelines say is this: “Consume less alcohol for better overall health. People who should completely avoid alcohol include pregnant women, people who are recovering from alcohol use disorder or are unable to control the amount they drink, and people taking medications or with medical conditions that can interact with alcohol. For those with a family history of alcoholism, be mindful of alcohol consumption and associated addictive behaviors.” Next week, we will have an analysis and commentary on this change. The guidelines take effect for five years.

A study published in JAMA Network Open this month has found that medications for alcohol use disorder (MAUD) are underused in substance use disorder (SUD) treatment facilities. While MAUD increased from 2017 to 2021, growth since then has plateaued, according to the study, “Medication Availability for Alcohol Use Disorder in Substance Use Disorder Treatment Facilities” by Yuji Mizushima, Ph.D., and colleagues. The researchers urge expanding MAUD-providing facilities, especially in underserved counties.

The fentanyl trade had a “supply shock” that led to a dramatic decrease in overdose deaths during the last years of the Biden Administration, according to a January 8 study published in Science. “Did the illicit fentanyl trade experience a supply shock?” was based partly on Reddit comments, and written by experts in the field, including Keith Humphreys, Ph.D., and senior author Peter Reuter. Lead author is Kasey Vangelov.

In a move that its CEO characterizes as a vehicle for “broadening our banner,” the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation has entered into a partnership that will make some of its intensive outpatient program (IOP) services available to a group of Medicaid plan members.

Last week, over the course of less than 24 hours, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) terminated without any advance notice effective immediately – and then, after what Democrat lawmakers called an “intervention” – reinstated them. The cuts were not “announced” but sent in individual letters on the evening of January 13. Then on the evening of January 14, Democrats announced that the cuts were reinstated.

Amid the news about buprenorphine and methadone (see page 1 both leads), it's important to remember that for more than a decade, at-home inductions of buprenorphine have been recommended by the federal government. It only makes sense. Patients must be in a period of withdrawal before they can take buprenorphine if it's the combination product, which it most likely is. The naloxone would precipitate severe withdrawal symptoms otherwise. Because it's difficult to schedule something like this — complications with doctor schedules, not to mention patient discomfort and likelihood of being dissuaded from actually following up — patients are given the prescription and told to administer it at home when withdrawal symptoms begin. Not a big deal.

“The only totally safe drug is a new drug” — Anonymous Recovering Pharmacist