New drug research suggests that teens may get addicted and relapse more easily than adults because developing brains are more powerfully motivated by drug-related cues. This conclusion has been reached by researchers who found that adolescent rats given cocaine – a powerfully addicting stimulant – were more likely than adults to prefer the place where they got it.

Simple environmental enrichment and increased social stress can both affect the level of individual drug use, according to new monkey research at Wake Forest University School of Medicine.

Disgraced former AFL star Wayne Carey says he is not using his drug and alcohol abuse as an excuse for bad behaviour.

Troubled former AFL legend Wayne Carey has admitted to drinking alcohol after every game during his career.

The latest trends on drug use in Australia show that people are turning away from taking up the use of crystal amphetamine, more commonly known as ice.

High-risk teenagers who participate in peer-led substance abuse prevention programs reduce their drug use by approximately 15 percent versus traditional curricula, suggests a study led by researchers at the University of Southern California (USC). The study will appear in the journal Addiction, and is now available online.

A Superior Court Commissioner has ordered Britney Spears to undergo random drug testing and hire a parenting coach to help her raise her children with ex-husband Kevin Federline, court papers show.

Thousands of young Australians dealing with the dual problems of substance abuse and mental illness may be being denied help. A conference in Melbourne has heard that many services are not handling the joint issues properly and are simply passing young, vulnerable clients on to other services.

The Mental Health Council of Australia says up to 500,000 Australians are facing the dual challenge of substance use and mental illness.

Public health officials may soon be able to flush out more accurate estimates on illegal drug use in communities across the country thanks to screening test described here today at the 234th national meeting of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society.

If you think the big cities of Toronto and Montreal have the highest rate of alcohol and drug use problems, think again.

Substance abuse increases among recent Hispanic immigrants as they replace their traditional cultural beliefs with those of white Americans, according to new research presented today by Oregon State University assistant professor Scott Akins at the American Sociological Association’s Annual Meeting in New York.