More and more smokers are trying out electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) in the hopes of quitting smoking. Is this an effective tool for smoking cessation and should you be recommending it to patients?

Learn about the benefits of toxicology screening in psychiatry in an interview with Alex Stalcup, MD, medical director of New Leaf Treatment Center in Layfayette, CA.

A powdered alcohol product that users will mix with water or other liquids has been approved for sale in the US. The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, part of the US Treasury Department, approved labels for the powdered alcohol, called Palcohol. The powdered product would be mixed like an instant tea or lemonade.

The anti-smoking drug Chantix (varenicline) may affect how people respond to alcohol, according to an FDA warning.

After reading these articles, you should be able to…

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.

A recent study out of London found that users of high potency cannabis (also known as “skunk” weed) are three times more likely to experience a psychotic episode than those who never use cannabis; and those who use it daily are at a fivefold increased risk.

Drinking too much alcohol in a short period of time is proving deadly for many Americans.

After reading these articles, you should be able to…