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Researchers studied 26 (21 male, 5 female) problem drinkers and 38 (26 male, 12 female) social drinkers. During three consecutive days, all participant s were exposed to three personalized five-minute imaging sessions that represented stressful (S), relaxing (R), and alcohol cues (C), followed by an "alcohol taste test" (ATT) to measure alcohol motivation and intake. Additional measures were obtained at baseline, post-imagery, and at alcohol-cue presentation during ATT. The study showed that problem drinkers who are at risk for AD had a dampened biological response at baseline -- specifically, suppressed pro- and anti-inflammatory markers -- compared to social drinkers. The immunologic changes seen in problem drinkers were associated with elevated levels of stress and cue-induced alcohol craving and anxiety. The changes also predicted alcohol craving, the motivation to drink, alcohol intake and the severity of problem drinking. Based on these findings, the authors conc...

Now, in a government-funded study for which Johns Hopkins investigators recruited a small number of otherwise healthy regular cocaine users through advertisements and word of mouth, results point to "impatience" as a clear barrier to condom use in those who are sexually aroused because of the drug. The research team knew that people who regularly use cocaine are more likely to have HIV or other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and the study authors say their findings, published Jan. 18 in  Psychopharmacology , suggest "sexual impatience" as a likely explanation for the increased risk. "Our study affirms and may help explain why people who regularly use cocaine are more willing to partake in risky sex when under the influence of cocaine, and underscores why public health officials and physicians should be ensuring that cocaine users are supplied with condoms to prevent the spread of sexually transmitted disease," says Matthew Johnson, Ph.D.,...