Quitting smoking requires a lot of motivation—something our patients don’t always have. Since money is a great motivator, various programs that pay patients to quit have been tried over the years. But how well does this technique work?

Chances are good that we under-medicate alcoholics. According to one estimate, only 10% of alcoholics receive medications as part of their treatment (Jonas DE et al, JAMA 2014;311(18):1889–1900). That’s too bad, because these medications work. In this article, we focus strictly on medications that appear to be effective, both those approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and those that are commonly used off-label.

Learn about the ways positive psychology techniques can be used to help patients with addictions, in an interview with researcher Amy R. Krentzman, MSW, PhD, assistant professor at the University of Minnesota School of Social Work in St. Paul.

Opioid overdoses have reached epidemic proportions. While the best solution would be to prevent opioid overdoses in the first place, an important piece in the effort to reduce these fatalities is to have a good way of preventing overdoses from leading to death. That’s where the opioid antagonist naloxone (Narcan) comes in.

David A. Frenz, MD discusses inpatient detox for alcohol, and the approaches used for determining the right therapies.

It’s often assumed that most excessive drinkers are alcohol dependent, but this is not necessarily the case.

Adolescents are commonly prescribed anti-anxiety or sleep medications, which is often reasonable, given the efficacy of these agents. We often worry about abuse potential, but we’ve had little data to tell how much we should worry, until now. It turns out that we may be prodding some of these teens down the road toward addiction.

A new study provides strong evidence that chronic marijuana use during adolescence can lead to significant social and psychiatric issues later in life.

Addiction and violence are often linked. Despite this, few studies have looked at whether substance abuse treatment reduces aggressive behavior.

Today’s conversation about “smart drugs” is fundamentally different and refers to the use of medications by people without psychiatric disorders who seek a boost or cognitive edge.