addiction

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Gene Tied to Impulsivity May Drive Cannabis Use
Your Cannabis Use Might
Be Down to Your Genes
NEW STUDY
Oct 14, 2025 8:09 AM CDT

Your Cannabis Use Might Be Down to Your Genes

Study flags genes associated with impulsivity, schizophrenia, obesity

(Newser) - New genetic research is uncovering surprising links between marijuana use, impulsivity, and mental health traits that could one day help shape addiction treatments. Researchers at the University of California, San Diego, analyzed the genetic makeup of nearly 132,000 people, finding links between cannabis use and genes already associated...

Retirement Wasn't Easy on Bjorn Borg

'I was close to dying many times,' tennis legend writes in new memoir

(Newser) - Swedish tennis legend Björn Borg is opening up about major life challenges, starting with a bout of "extremely aggressive" prostate cancer. The 11-time Grand Slam champion, who dominated the sport before retiring at just 25, reveals his diagnosis in the final chapter of his upcoming autobiography, Heartbeats,...

After Her Son's Fatal Overdose She Wanted Someone Punished

A grieving parent searches for justice after fentanyl kills her 25-year-old

(Newser) - Serena Fallon's son Connor died of a fentanyl overdose in her Brooklyn basement in April 2022. Police and a medical examiner came to the home, and six hours later, Connor was wheeled out in a body bag. As Serena put it, "My son and the baby in...

Olympic Swimmer Announces Rehab Stint, Sobriety

Ryan Lochte shares about 'really dark year' plagued by addiction, divorce proceedings

(Newser) - Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte is opening up about his latest battle with substance abuse. In a video posted Friday to Instagram , Lochte, 41, revealed he'd completed a rehab program and is now 54 days sober. The swimmer said his road to recovery began after a 2023 car accident...

Outcry Follows Town's Proposed Phone Use Limit

Residents in Toyoake, Japan, object to 2-hour daily cap designed to address health concerns

(Newser) - In a bold bid to combat online addiction and sleepless nights, one Japanese town is urging its residents to limit leisurely smartphone use to just two hours a day. Toyoake, a city in the Aichi prefecture, is floating the proposal that would apply to everyone—kids, teens, and parents...

South Korea Outlaws Phone Use During Class

New ban will kick in this coming March

(Newser) - South Korea is taking a firm stance on smartphone use in schools—or non-use, more specifically. The country on Wednesday passed a nationwide ban on mobile devices during class that will be effective in March 2026. The bill, which cleared the country's National Assembly with a strong majority,...

Revenge Is Like an Addiction
Essay: Revenge
Is Like an Addiction
OPINION
Jun 6, 2025 8:45 AM CDT

Essay: Revenge Is Like an Addiction

WSJ columnist talks about addiction to revenge, how forgiveness can serve as a detox of sorts

(Newser) - If you've ever wanted to go the Count of Monte Cristo route and take vengeance on all of your enemies, your ego may revel, but your brain may not thank you. That's because "your brain on revenge looks very much like your brain on drugs," according...

In US, 1 in 4 Kids Has Parent Struggling With Addiction

New study links parental addiction to higher risks for children

(Newser) - A new study in JAMA Pediatrics finds that nearly 19 million US children under the age of 18—about 1 in 4—live with at least one parent with a substance use disorder, a figure notably higher than earlier estimates that relied on older diagnostic criteria. This study used...

Fentanyl's Hold on Portland Eased. Then Meth Arrived

The New York Times looks at the Maine town's current drug woe

(Newser) - When patients started missing appointments at one Maine addiction clinic, staffers braced themselves for a wave of opioid relapses—only to discover a different drug was taking over the city's streets. As Jan Hoffman reports in a lengthy piece for the New York Times , "cheap and plentiful"...

A Growing Problem With OnlyFans: Addiction
A Growing Problem
With OnlyFans: Addiction
longform
Apr 12, 2025 4:30 PM CDT

A Growing Problem With OnlyFans: Addiction

The Cut looks at the 'increasingly worrisome' issue among mostly male subscribers

(Newser) - Addiction to pornography has been studied for years now, but Carly Lewis writes about a relatively new facet of the problem—one embodied at OnlyFans—for the Cut . Her interviews with sex therapists suggest that addiction to the platform "has become increasingly worrisome." The issue isn't straight-up...

Eli Lilly to Test Weight-Loss Drugs on Addiction

Company's CEO indicates they'll start testing Zepbound for other forms of treatment in 2025

(Newser) - Earlier this week, Eli Lilly announced it was teaming up with telehealth provider Ro to boost access to Zepbound, one of its weight-loss medications. Now, the pharmaceuticals giant is revealing more plans for its blockbuster drug, noting it wants to start testing Zepbound in 2025 as a treatment not only...

Mom Discovers Phone Rules for Child Apply to Her, Too

Slate's Molly Mulshine doesn't let her toddler use devices, but her own use was becoming an issue

(Newser) - Molly Mulshine tries hard to limit the screen time her 1-year-old baby is getting, citing various studies that indicate how bad too much time on phones, iPads, and other electronic devices are for kids and teens. But in her new essay for Slate , Mulshine reveals that she was the one...

TikTok Docs Show Fast Addiction, Stripping Teens: Reports

Latest reveals come out of redacted sections of Kentucky complaint seen by NPR, KPR

(Newser) - Last week, more than a dozen states and the District of Columbia sued TikTok , claiming the social media platform is addictive for children. Now, a deeper dive into the "TikTok documents," which show just how much TikTok knew about the app's effects on kids and teens, revealed...

States Sue TikTok, Claiming It's Addictive for Kids

More than a dozen AGs go after social media platform, saying it's damaging to mental health

(Newser) - More than a dozen states and the District of Columbia filed lawsuits against TikTok on Tuesday, alleging the popular short-form video app is harming youth mental health by designing its platform to be addictive to kids. The lawsuits stem from a national investigation into TikTok, launched in March 2022 by...

For Some, the Psychedelic Trip Is a 'Gamble Worth Taking'
He Gambled His Life
on Ibogaine, and Lost
longform
Aug 18, 2024 9:30 AM CDT

He Gambled His Life on Ibogaine, and Lost

The psychedelic drug can help people get over their addictions without withdrawal symptoms

(Newser) - For some, ibogaine is a wonder drug, a psychedelic that can help cure addiction and eliminate any symptoms of withdrawal in one dose. It's also illegal in the US, and can be deadly, as detailed by Mattha Busby in a lengthy piece for Rolling Stone . His story revolves around...

Supreme Court Tosses Controversial Opioid Settlement

5-4 ruling blocks nationwide deal with Purdue Pharma over opioid epidemic

(Newser) - The Supreme Court on Thursday rejected a nationwide settlement with OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma that would have shielded members of the Sackler family who own the company from civil lawsuits over the toll of opioids but also would have provided billions of dollars to combat the opioid epidemic. After deliberating...

Trump Has Some Thoughts on Hunter Biden

Former president tells Fox that drug addiction is 'a very tough thing' for families to contend with

(Newser) - Donald Trump weighed in on Hunter Biden on Thursday in the wake of the latter's conviction this week on felony gun charges—appearing to be sympathetic to President Biden's son and his struggles with drug addiction. "I understand it pretty well, because I've had it with...

One Woman's Controversial Mission to Help Drug Addicts

Louise Vincent focuses on 'harm reduction' approach instead of abstinence

(Newser) - One way to help addicts off of drugs is to get them to quit cold turkey, an approach favored by many US politicians as they push for legislation and tougher prison sentences to combat the emergence of such drugs as fentanyl and xylazine (aka "tranq," or "zombie...

3 Boys 'Paid the Ultimate Price' for Mom's Addiction

Leticia Gonzales of Michigan to serve up to 5 years for DUI crash that killed her young sons

(Newser) - A western Michigan woman was sentenced to up to five years in prison Monday for a crash in which her three young sons drowned after her SUV plunged into an ice-covered pond, per the AP . Leticia Gonzales, 31, had pleaded no contest in August to operating while intoxicated causing serious...

Drugs Like Ozempic May Help People Stop Drinking

Researchers looking into anecdotal reports of curbed drinking, other addictive habits

(Newser) - The popular diabetes and obesity drug Ozempic appears to have an intriguing and welcome side effect in some people: It helps them curb drinking, reports NPR . In fact, researchers are looking into the possibility that this class of drug (GLP-1) might also reduce cravings for cigarettes and opioids as well—...

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