Psychedelics may be a powerful treatment for alcoholism

It's been difficult to research the illicit drugs, but we're slowly building a better understanding of their potential.

Flickr user Denis Pavlyuk
  • A survey supplied to 343 individuals showed that psychedelic drugs such as LSD or psilocybin may have serious benefits when it comes to treating alcoholism.
  • The majority of the participants reported having severe alcoholism, but 83% of these individuals significantly reduced their drinking to more manageable levels after taking a psychedelic.
  • This research underscores the potential that currently illegal drugs may have in as methods of treatment, but more research is needed to say so for certain.
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Surprising Science

In U.S. first, drug company faces criminal charges for distributing opioids

It marks a major shift in the government's battle against the opioid crisis.

George Frey/Bloomberg via Getty Images
  • The nation's sixth-largest drug distributor is facing criminal charges related to failing to report suspicious drug orders, among other things.
  • It marks the first time a drug company has faced criminal charges for distributing opioids.
  • Since 1997, nearly 222,000 Americans have died from prescription opioids, partly thanks to unethical doctors who abuse the system.
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Politics & Current Affairs

Where you live in America determines when you’ll die

Two maps show two very different takes on the huge discrepancies in U.S. life expectancy

Image: Titlemax
  • These maps show strong links between location and life expectancy.
  • Hawaiians live longest, Mississippians die earliest.
  • County-level ranking shows short-life hotspots in Kentucky, long-life ones in Colorado.
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Strange Maps

The culprit of increased depression among teens? Smartphones, new research suggests.

A new study, led by psychologist Jean Twenge, points to the screen as the problem.

A teenager eyes her smartphone as people enjoy a warm day on the day of silence, one day prior to the presidential elections, when candidates and political parties are not allowed to voice their political meaning on April 14, 2018 in Kotor, Montenegro. Citizens from Montenegro, the youngest NATO member, will vote for a new president on Sunday 15 2018. (Photo by Pierre Crom/Getty Images)
  • In a new study, adolescents and young adults are experiencing increased rates of depression and suicide attempts.
  • The data cover the years 2005–2017, tracking perfectly with the introduction of the iPhone and widespread dissemination of smartphones.
  • Interestingly, the highest increase in depressive incidents was among individuals in the top income bracket.
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Surprising Science

20% of gamblers attempt suicide — why don't we take the addiction more seriously?

Americans lost $116.9 billion gambling in 2016.

Patrons test their luck with a card game slot machine at the renovated Gulfstream Park Racing & Casino November 15, 2006 in Hallandale Beach, Florida. The slot machines are the state of Florida's first Las Vegas-style slot machines. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
  • Gambling addiction has been shown to have the same pharmacological effects as opiates.
  • Eighty-five percent of all gambling revenue comes from slot machines.
  • Casinos are designed to disorient and confuse patrons, from the lighting and carpeting to the key of machine sounds.
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Culture & Religion