»Ê¹ÚÍøÖ·

In the latest attempt to stem an epidemic of opioid painkiller overdoses, the FDA tightened prescribing guidelines. The drugs should only be used for patients with severe pain when other treatments have failed, the agency says, not for moderate pain.

Disability and illness caused by opioids, amphetamines, cocaine and cannabis increased by more than 50 percent over the two decades prior to 2010. Opioid dependence in particular has become much more common.

People who had taken LSD, psilocybin or mescaline at any time in their lives were no more likely than those who hadn't to wind up in mental health treatment or to have symptoms of mental illness, a Norwegian study finds.

The drug war was in full swing in the '80s, and cocaine was practically everywhere. But use of the drug has fallen by almost half since 2006, and production is also down significantly. How did the U.S. kick the habit? Experts say cocaine has lost its luster — oh and policy may have made a difference, too.

The words people use to describe their drinking behavior can say a lot about how they perceive drinking, a perception that may not match reality, researchers say. And the language may also reveal risks that may not be obvious to the drinkers themselves.

A new study shows women are dying from overdoses of prescription painkillers at a much higher rate than ever before. Men still suffer more overdoses but women are catching up, fast. Since 2007, more women have died from drug overdoses than from motor vehicle crashes.

A conflict over alcohol is escalating in the tiny town of Whiteclay, Neb., which sells millions of cans of beer annually to residents of the nearby Pine Ridge Reservation. While protesters are trying to block beer deliveries to the town, some tribal leaders are considering legalizing alcohol at Pine Ridge.

Dwight Gooden, blessed with a blazing fastball and knee-buckling curve, was the king of New York by the time he was 21 years old. Everyone expected the Mets phenom to be one of the best pitchers in baseball history.

People with ADHD in childhood are more likely to have problems with drugs and alcohol later. Studies have disagreed on whether treatment with stimulant drugs like Ritalin makes that abuse more likely, or protects against it. The biggest review yet says stimulant treatment neither helps nor hurts.