Addictions

Promoting shocking campaigns is really the best way to change the risky behavior of citizens? According to the Belgian Institute for Road Safety seems yes. In order to discourage young people from driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, friends and parents can make them die. Of course, to [...]

One out of four Belgian student gets drunk at least once a week. Moreover one out of eight get drunk at least four times a week. These are the figures that emerge from some parallel investigations conducted at the Université catholique de Louvain(UCL).

Belgian drivers placed last in Europe for alcohol and cannabis consumption. This is what raised from the Druid report (Driving Under the Influence of Drugs, alcohol and medicines) funded by the European Commission. Whereby, in the reign of Albert II occur every year the highest percentage of road accidents caused by the abuse of drugs [...]

Bye-bye old gray cloud. From now on, the cigarette smoke will come out blue. A fantasy film? No, the latest idea of a tobacco company who wants turning turquoise fumes in a new trend and attract younger people. This was announced by the Crioc concerned about the possibility of increased [...]

In 2010, in Belgium, more than 12.5 billion cigarettes has been sold. According to the Crioc report, this figure, the highest since 2001, represents also an increase of 8% compared to 2009.

In the opposite direction as regard of the most part of European countries which especially in past years have intensify struggle against tobacco, Netherland takes a step back. Actually, the government decides to lighten the provision, came into effect in 2008, that ban smoke in workplaces, restaurants, bars, cafes, nightclubs. [...]

The winner of the video competition held by WHO/Europe, the World Health Organization, in preparation of the World No Tobacco Day, next 31 March, is Kate, a Russian teen-ager in her final-year high-school. Her video “Do you want to live?”, thanks to direct and straight graphic shows the impact of [...]

Tourists from all over the world who flock to Amsterdam for years in search of strong sensations with hashish, marijuana and hallucinogenic mushrooms should explore new shores. The Netherlands is no longer the paradise of anti-prohibition. After the closing of coffee shops, the Dutch government, in fact, decided to ban [...]

The first European congress of French speaking countries held on November 20 leaded to a sharp controversy between France and Luxembourg. The two-day Congress was held in Nancy (France) and gathered a number of experts coming from France, Switzerland, Belgium and Luxembourg. During the meeting, a bitter debate ensued between [...]

Smoking, you know, seriously undermines health. Few know, however, that in the European Union, each year, cigarettes cause over 11,000 fires and 500 deaths for burns. Clearly, for the neglect of consumers. However, the European Commission has decided to attack the problem from another angle. Forcing tobacco manufacturers to produce [...]

As a matter of fact the use of drug is more diffused among unemployed. Despite of this evidence, also employed take drug. The hypothesis has been corroborated by a French research made by the Institut national de prévention et d’education pour la santé (Inpes). The study classifies the different  jobs [...]

In the collective imagination to have an over-active sex life is often a source of pride. Frequently, however, it is underestimated how thin the line is between lust and disease. They know it well in France, where as many as 6% of the population are sex addicts. Rather than Don [...]

In France the "hallucinogenic mushrooms mania" has literally exploded. Regardless of the fact that who uses it faces up to one year in prison, in 2010 alone, 1.5 million French well have tried them at least once. On the other hand, to obtain what is a real heavy drug [...]

The skyrocketing prices do not discourage tobacco aficionados. The confirmation comes from France. Where in the face of a rise for the third consecutive year of 6% of the cigarettes it has not registered any drop in sales. And as much as 30% of French citizens continue to declare themselves [...]

Its smell inebriates, excites and makes euphoric, its distribution in sex shops has made it affordable for everyone. But in France,  the poppers, a chemist drug, would be at the end of his days. According to the annual barometer of the health, the consumption of this inhalant substance would increased [...]

Unlike what is often reported, the use by young people of so-called "smart drugs", drugs that would help to improve cognitive skills, is very limited. At least in Germany. As the findings of recent research by Hochshul-Informatios-System. If it is true that a large number of students surveyed said they [...]

In Germany, the imminent arrival of the electronic cigarette market is already accompanied by controversy. According to the Ministry of Health, in fact, it is simply a red herring. To get away from the blonde for smokers will continue to be a mirage. Not only because this product, which is [...]

Internet has definitely buried the prohibition as a strategy to combat drugs. The boom in so-called "legal high" is just another confirmation. It is unusual blends based on unsuspecting herbs, including lavender and orange peel extract, that of traditional drugs have all but one detail: the illegality. Not only because [...]

In Germany, in 2011, the sale of pipe tobacco has increased by 31.5%. According to data provided by the Federal office of statistics, total spending in the sector, for the third quarter of 2011, has touched the staggering figure of € 6.5 billion. An increase of 6.5% over the last [...]

In Germany the number of alcohol poisoning incidents jumped by 112 percent between 2000 and 2009, rising 194 percent among people aged 20 to 25. The figures have been made public by the German Centre for Addiction Issues whose annual report reveals that at least 1 in 5 Germans have [...]

In Ireland, in 2009, there have been 472 new cases of tuberculosis, an increase over the 2008 figures. The report from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre showed 40.5% of those infected were foreign-born. According to WHO, a remarkable resurgence of this disease has been registered in recent years across Europe.

Almost 80 per cent of smokers in Ireland are keen to quit the habit, according to recent research. It seems that the Irish are more eager to quit than most of their European cousins with the percentage of Irish smokers who want to quit far higher than the European average [...]

100,000 children across Ireland are enduring neglect as a direct result of their parents’ alcohol troubles. Moreover, according  to Alcohol Action Ireland (AAI),  one in very six cases of child abuse could be attributed to alcohol.

In Italy, to set off the aggravating factor of possession of huge amount of drugs you do not need to exceed the limit. If the judge notice a serious danger for public health due to the high number of doses, it will be enough. In this case [...]

In the framework of the anti-smoking campaign, launched by the Veronesi Foundation, in collaboration with the Pfizer Foundation, the new application "No Smoking Be hAPPy" for iPhone and iPad has been launched. The purpose is to provide all relevant information on the initiatives dedicated to smokers in order to help [...]

In Italy, the decree of the Ministry of Health, which updates the tables of the law on discipline of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, has been published in the Official Gazette. In particular, new molecules belonging to the category of synthetic drugs have been added.

Italians like gambling. It is estimated that, in Italy, over 800,000 citizens suffer of game addiction. The most regular gamblers are those who do not have a job. But even students and pensioners often try their luck. One of the most striking findings emerging from the national research by the [...]

The Department of Health of the Lazio Region has published a booklet with the aim of promoting the adoption of company policies of self-control regarding the consumption of alcohol in the workplace. The publication, in addition to setting out the risks of alcohol abuse during the work, also analyzes the [...]

61.5% of Spanish and Italian students enrolled in a Degree of Physical Activity and Sports said that the main reason to consider the usage of steroids and doping would be the increase in sport performance. While for a bit more than 30% of them the motivation would be having a [...]

In Spain, since 2004, the number of adolescents who smoke has fallen by almost 50%. They were 21.5% and today they are 12.3%. According to the latest Encuesta Estatal sobre Uso de Drogas en Estudiantes de Enseñanzas Secundarias the consumption of cocaine and cannabis among those from 14 to 18 [...]

Despite what you may think compulsive shopping is not the preserve of the fairer sex. At least in Spain. Where more than 40% of the population is affected and even as much as 17% need to get in therapy for detoxification from what is a real disease as soon [...]

In Spain, 9 young people of 10 when step out during the weekend always have a sober friend driving the car. These are the figures released by the Federación Española de Bebidas Espirituosas which also states that it is doubled the number of boys and girls who do not drink [...]

In Spain, the last year, the sale of rolling tobacco increased by 60%. Accomplice is the economic crisis. Rolling tobacco, in fact, costs less than the traditional "blondes". However, the Sociedad Española de Neumología y Cirugía Torácica warns they are more harmful. Because they contain higher amounts of additives, carcinogens, [...]

The Sentencing Council for England and Wales published its new guideline on drug offences which reduce sentence lengths for drug mules. The Council provides judges and magistrates with guidelines in order to have a more consistent sentencing and ensure there is clear information for victims, offenders and public. This guideline [...]

Against depression just a diet of magic mushrooms. It's not a joke by some nostalgic of this drugs so fashionable in the Seventies, but the result of two English influential research. Scholars have, in fact, noted that "psilocybin", the magic mushrooms active ingredient, has positive effects on mood in addition [...]

Have you lived through the Sixties and Seventies between marijuana, LSD and hallucinogenic mushrooms? Do not worry, your memory was not affected by the vices of youth. This is shown by a recent study by a team of researchers from King's College London. Who have undergone over 9 thousand  English [...]

Thinking that bending the elbow is only a vice of youth is a fake myth. At least in United Kingdom. Where in the last decade there has been a steady increase of the number of the over 65 years old people hospitalized with problems linked to alcohol. To the point [...]

You have a habit of boozing? Avoid attending local music at high volume. It appears that the high decibels of a song can affect the actual perception of what you drink. To the point of leading to shred a super alcoholic content as if it was a glass of water. [...]

The winner of the video competition held by WHO/Europe, the World Health Organization, in preparation of the World No Tobacco Day, next 31 March, is Kate, a Russian teen-ager in her final-year high-school. Her video “Do you want to live?”, thanks to direct and straight graphic shows the impact of [...]

Europe confirms the worldwide leadership in the production of synthetic drugs. To the point that in 2009 alone, the police have identified and seizured more than 400 chemical laboratories throughout the Union. 50% of these were placed in Poland and the Netherlands. Not surprisingly, then, that this special category of drugs is at the top of the preferences of European consumers just behind the cannabis. A phenomenon that, according to the report for 2011 of the UN Drug Control and Crime Prevention (UNDC), is due to [...]

Women who enjoy an alcoholic drink in the evening tend to be healthier as they move into old age than than heavier drinkers or complete abstainers. This nightcap could be a pint of beer, a glass of wine or a single measure of spirit. According to the British Heart Foundation [...]

“If Jerry Ford can't control his own wife, how can he run the country?”. The fellow party members of the 38th President of the US were not so wrong. Elisabeth Ann Bloomer, who is better known as Betty Ford, passed away last Friday at the age of 93. In her [...]

Few days ago at the White House a Memorandum of Intent between Italy and the United States of America on the fight against drug addiction was signed. The goal of this agreement is to provide a foundation for increased collaboration, cooperation, and partnership between the Parties in the fields of [...]