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Published: 05 September 2025

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New research reveals that four specific personality traits can predict who will develop addiction problems – and more importantly, how targeted addiction prevention strategies can stop substance abuse before it begins. A groundbreaking Canadian programme demonstrates that personalised intervention works far better than traditional warning-based approaches.

The PreVenture Breakthrough

Canadian clinical psychologist Patricia Conrod has developed addiction prevention strategies that focus on personality rather than substances. Her PreVenture programme, implemented across Canadian classrooms, teaches students about their own psychological traits instead of simply warning about drug dangers.

“When you intervene around these traits and help people learn new cognitive behavioural strategies to manage these traits, you are able to reduce their substance use,” said Conrod, professor at the Université de Montréal.

This personalised approach to substance abuse prevention represents a fundamental shift from reactive to predictive intervention, targeting vulnerability before addiction develops.

Four Critical Risk Traits

PreVenture identifies four personality traits that predict addiction risk with remarkable specificity. These traits don’t just indicate general vulnerability – they reveal exactly which substances individuals gravitate towards, enabling precise addiction prevention strategies.

Anxiety sensitivity affects people who feel overwhelmed by physical symptoms like racing hearts or dizziness. This trait typically leads to alcohol, benzodiazepines, or opioid use as individuals seek to calm their bodies.

Sensation seeking characterises those craving excitement and novel experiences. These individuals often turn to cannabis, MDMA, psilocybin, or other hallucinogens. “Cannabis alters their perceptual experiences, and so makes things feel more novel,” Conrod explained. This trait also correlates with binge drinking and stimulant use.

Impulsivity involves difficulty controlling urges and delaying gratification. People with this trait struggle with response inhibition, making substance abuse prevention particularly crucial. “Young people with attentional problems and a core difficulty with response inhibition have a hard time putting a stop on a behaviour once they’ve initiated it,” noted Conrod.

Hopelessness reflects pessimistic, self-critical thinking patterns. Individuals with this trait expect rejection and assume hostility from others, often using alcohol or opioids to numb emotional pain. Conrod describes this as “negative attributional style” – believing the world is hostile and requiring protection.

Targeted Intervention Approaches

Unlike generic drug education programmes, effective addiction prevention strategies must address individual personality profiles. PreVenture uses brief personality assessments to identify dominant traits, then delivers specific cognitive-behavioural techniques.

Students learn how their traits influence automatic thinking patterns and develop healthier responses. Those with hopelessness learn to challenge depressive thoughts, whilst sensation seekers explore safer stimulation methods. Anxiety sensitivity receives calming techniques, and impulsivity training focuses on pausing before acting.

Crucially, successful substance abuse prevention acknowledges trait strengths alongside risks. “We try to present traits in a more positive way, not just a negative way,” said Sherry Stewart, clinical psychologist at Dalhousie University. “Your personality gets you into trouble – certainly, we discuss that – but also, what are the strengths of your personality?”

Genetic Foundations

Research increasingly reveals genetic underpinnings for addiction vulnerability, supporting personality-based addiction prevention strategies. Catherine Brownstein, Harvard Medical School professor and geneticist, explains that personality traits have substantial genetic components.

Her research identified 47 DNA locations affecting brain development and personality traits. Whilst genetic addiction prediction remains impossible, certain variants link to psychiatric disorders often co-occurring with substance abuse, including ADHD and schizophrenia.

Genetic variations also influence pain perception, with some variants increasing sensitivity whilst others eliminate it entirely. The SCN9A gene may make individuals more likely to seek opioid relief. “If you’re in pain all the time, you want it to stop, and opioids are effective,” Brownstein noted.

Future substance abuse prevention may combine genetic screening with psychological profiling for even more personalised interventions.

Proven Effectiveness

Evidence strongly supports personality-targeted addiction prevention strategies. A five-year study published in January showed students participating in PreVenture workshops were 23 to 80 per cent less likely to develop substance use disorders by Grade 11.

The programme has expanded across age groups. PreVenture targets middle and high school students, UniVenture addresses university students, and OpiVenture helps adults in opioid treatment. Implementation spans schools across the US and Canada, including British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador.

Current Challenges

Despite proven effectiveness, personality-based substance abuse prevention remains underutilised. Canada’s flagship youth prevention strategy still follows the 1990s Icelandic Prevention Model, focusing on environmental factors rather than individual psychology.

Whilst the Icelandic model showed success in Iceland, it lacks mental health components, doesn’t address opioid use specifically, and demonstrates mixed gender results. Traditional addiction prevention strategies often default to ineffective generic approaches like one-off guest speakers.

Conrod cites staffing shortages, school burnout, and insufficient mental health services as implementation barriers. However, momentum builds as British Columbia aligns prevention services with PreVenture principles, and organisations like Foundry BC and Youth Wellness Hubs Ontario expand programme reach.

The Personal Connection

The programme’s power lies in helping young people feel understood rather than lectured. Effective addiction prevention strategies create space for individuals to recognise their unique traits and understand they’re not alone.

“It’s really important that a young person is provided with the space and focus to recognise what’s unique about their particular trait,” Conrod emphasised. “Recognise that there are other people in the world that also think this way – you’re not going crazy.”

This understanding transforms substance abuse prevention from fear-based messaging to empowering self-awareness, offering young people tools to manage their psychological vulnerabilities before they become dependencies. (Source: WRD News)

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Published: 13 August 2025

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The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime’s World Drug Report 2025 delivers a The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime’s World Drug Report 2025 delivers a sobering wake-up call for Australia’s drug prevention crisis. Meanwhile, whilst policymakers debate harm reduction strategies and law enforcement approaches, the nation is haemorrhaging lives and resources to preventable drug-related harm. Moreover, the data reveals we’re not just losing the war on drugs – we’re actively retreating from the battlefield where victory is most achievable: prevention and recovery.

Furthermore, Australia’s drug prevention crisis has reached critical levels, with our position as a global outlier in drug consumption alarming every parent, educator, and community leader. However, this isn’t just about statistics – it’s about the devastating reality that our current approach is failing the very people we’re meant to protect.

Australia: A Global Leader in Drug Consumption

The World Drug Report 2025 places Australia in an uncomfortable spotlight as a world leader in several disturbing categories. Specifically, against a global backdrop of 316 million people using drugs in 2023 – with cannabis dominating at 244 million users, followed by opioids (61 million), amphetamines (31 million), cocaine (25 million), and “ecstasy” (21 million) – Australia’s consumption rates are alarmingly disproportionate.

Cocaine Crisis: First, Australia holds the unwelcome distinction of having the highest past-year cocaine use globally in the Australia and New Zealand subregion. Nevertheless, the report notes that whilst consumption based on wastewater analysis is “clearly lower than in other parts of the world,” suggesting most users are occasional rather than regular consumers, this pattern actually masks a more insidious problem – widespread experimentation that can rapidly escalate to dependency.

“Ecstasy” Epidemic: Even more concerning is Australia’s status as having “by far the highest” global prevalence of “ecstasy” use worldwide. Indeed, this statistic exemplifies the Australia drug prevention crisis – it represents hundreds of thousands of Australians, many of them young people, exposing themselves to substances with unpredictable purity and potentially fatal consequences.

Cannabis Concerns: Similarly, cannabis use remains “significantly higher than the global average, with prevalence of use exceeding 12 per cent” in Australia and New Zealand. Particularly troubling, amongst school students aged 15-16, the prevalence sits at 13 per cent, compared to the global average of just 4.4 per cent. Additionally, this occurs in a global context where cannabis accounts for 244 million users worldwide – making it the most widely used illicit substance globally.

The Treatment Gap: A System in Crisis

Perhaps most damning is the treatment data. Globally, only 64 million people with drug use disorders received treatment in 2023 – a mere 8.1% of the population needing help, with stark gender disparities (1 in 18 women versus 1 in 7 men accessing treatment). Consequently, against this global treatment crisis, Australia’s specific failures become even more stark.

Importantly, the report reveals that over 40 per cent of those in drug-related treatment in Australia and New Zealand are being treated for methamphetamine use disorder – the highest proportion globally. Furthermore, adding to this concerning picture, Oceania leads the world with 35% of people in drug treatment being women, compared to just 32% in the Americas, 20% in Europe, 13% in Africa, and only 8% in Asia. Therefore, this statistic exposes two critical failures:

1. Prevention Failure: Clearly, the sheer volume of people requiring methamphetamine treatment indicates our prevention efforts have been woefully inadequate.
2. Recovery Gap: Meanwhile, whilst we’re treating people after they’ve developed severe dependencies, we’re missing countless opportunities for early intervention and prevention.

Subsequently, the report notes that people in drug-related treatment in Australia and New Zealand are “relatively young, in particular in Australia, where 55 per cent are under the age of 35.” Consequently, this demographic should be our biggest red flag – the Australia drug prevention crisis is losing an entire generation to preventable drug harm. Significantly, Australia and New Zealand rank amongst the highest for young people in treatment at 25%, exceeded only by regions facing severe socioeconomic crises like South America (50%) and conflict-affected areas such as the Near and Middle East (35%).

The Methamphetamine Reality Check

The World Drug Report provides a stark assessment of Australia’s methamphetamine situation:

• Whilst “annual methamphetamine use has been decreasing in the general population,” conversely, amongst people who inject drugs, “consumption has become more intensive, causing greater harm.”
• Similarly, New Zealand monitoring programmes have detected “sharply increasing levels of methamphetamine in wastewater, especially in the second half of 2024.”

Ultimately, this data reveals the hollowness of celebrating reduced overall usage when the most vulnerable populations are experiencing intensified harm. Indeed, it’s like celebrating fewer house fires whilst watching the remaining blazes burn hotter and more destructively.

The Pacific Gateway Problem

Australia’s geographic position has made it a magnet for international trafficking networks operating in a global context of unprecedented drug production. Specifically, with global cocaine manufacture reaching a record high of 3,708 tons of pure cocaine in 2023 – a staggering 34% increase from the previous year – Australia has become a prime destination market.

Additionally, the report notes that “the Pacific islands are increasingly targeted as transit points for cocaine and methamphetamine primarily destined for Australia and New Zealand.” Consequently, this means our drug problems aren’t just domestic – we’re becoming a destination market that’s corrupting entire regional trafficking networks, whilst global drug seizures show cocaine (2,275 tons), cannabis herb (5,749 tons), and methamphetamine (482 tons) flooding international markets.

The Criminal Justice Reality

Australia’s drug prevention crisis extends into our criminal justice system, where we’re following global patterns that prioritise punishment over prevention. Specifically, worldwide, 6.1 million people had formal contact with police for drug-related criminal offences in 2023, with approximately two-thirds (66%) involving drug possession or use rather than trafficking.

Furthermore, in Oceania specifically, 73% of people in formal contact with police were there for drug possession/use offences – amongst the highest globally and significantly above the trafficking-focused patterns seen in regions like Africa (32% possession) or Asia (33% possession). Therefore, this data reinforces that our criminal justice response continues to target users rather than addressing the underlying prevention failures that create demand in the first place.

Where We’re Dropping the Ball in Australia’s Drug Prevention Crisis

1. Prevention Investment

Obviously, the Australia drug prevention crisis is fundamentally a resource allocation problem. Although the report doesn’t provide specific prevention spending data for Australia, the treatment statistics tell the story. Clearly, with over 40% of people in treatment dealing with methamphetamine disorders and such high prevalence rates for cocaine and “ecstasy,” our prevention efforts are clearly insufficient.

2. Early Intervention

Similarly, the high percentage of young people in treatment (55% under 35) indicates we’re missing critical intervention windows. Unfortunately, by the time someone enters treatment, prevention has already failed.

3. School-Based Prevention

Particularly concerning, with 13% of Australian school students aged 15-16 using cannabis (triple the global average), our school-based drug education and prevention programmes are demonstrably inadequate. Undoubtedly, this educational failure sits at the heart of Australia’s drug prevention crisis.

4. Community-Based Prevention

Furthermore, the casual acceptance of “ecstasy” use (evidenced by our world-leading consumption rates) suggests community-wide normalisation of drug use that effective prevention programmes should be addressing. Notably, in a global context where only 21 million people used “ecstasy”-type substances in 2023, Australia’s disproportionate consumption indicates a fundamental cultural shift that prevention efforts have failed to address.

The Path Forward: Solving Australia’s Drug Prevention Crisis

Fortunately, the World Drug Report 2025 offers crucial guidance that Australia must heed to address this drug prevention crisis:

Evidence-Based Prevention: Importantly, the report emphasises that “evidence-based prevention programmes at the policy and legislative levels are effective in preventing drug use, as well as many other risky behaviours.” Consequently, to overcome Australia’s drug prevention crisis, the nation needs to dramatically increase investment in these programmes.

Youth-Focused Approaches: Additionally, prevention systems should “support the healthy and safe development of children and youth through family skills, socio-emotional learning and opportunities to lead healthy lifestyles.”

Integrated Healthcare: Furthermore, the report recommends “integrating drug use disorder treatment and care into existing healthcare systems” to improve quality, effectiveness, and efficiency.

Recovery Support: Finally, long-term recovery must be supported through measures that address not just addiction but the underlying social and economic factors that contribute to drug use.

The Cost of Inaction

Undoubtedly, every day we delay implementing comprehensive prevention and recovery programmes, more young Australians will join the statistics in the next World Drug Report. Indeed, the current approach – reactive treatment after severe dependency has developed – is not just more expensive but fundamentally less effective than prevention.

Ultimately, the report’s data on treatment demographics should serve as a final wake-up call: when 55% of people in treatment are under 35, and when we lead the world in “ecstasy” use and rank amongst the highest for cocaine use, we’re not dealing with a fringe problem affecting a small minority. Therefore, Australia’s drug prevention crisis demands mainstream solutions for what has become a mainstream problem.

A Call to Action

Clearly, Australia stands at a crossroads. Essentially, we can continue our current trajectory – leading the world in drug consumption whilst playing catch-up with treatment services – or we can pivot towards the prevention and recovery approaches that the evidence shows actually work.

Obviously, the choice is clear, and the time for action is now. Ultimately, our young people, our communities, and our future depend on getting this right. Moreover, the World Drug Report 2025 has shown us where we stand globally. Therefore, the question is: what are we going to do about it?

Finally, the data doesn’t lie, and neither should we about the urgency of addressing Australia’s drug prevention crisis. Consequently, prevention and recovery aren’t just policy options – they’re moral imperatives for a nation that claims to care about its future. (Source: UNODC) 

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Published: 30 July 2025

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Chronic pain conditions like fibromyalgia, migraines, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) present with complex symptoms, often involving both physical sensations and intense emotional suffering. Recent neuroscience advances, particularly a July 2025 study from the Salk Institute, have identified a key brain circuit that gives pain its emotional tone, transforming our understanding of pain and paving the way for innovative management techniques. Evidence-based brain training aims to reshape neural pathways, empowering people to reduce and manage pain—even when traditional drugs fall short.

Key New Findings: The Affective Pain Circuit

A pivotal study published in July 2025 reveals that:

• A specific group of neurons in the thalamus, identified by their expression of CGRP (calcitonin gene-related peptide), forms a direct link between the sensory detection of pain and its emotional impact.
• This CGRP spinothalamic pathway relays pain signals from the spinal cord to a region of the thalamus connected to the amygdala, the brain’s emotion center.
• Silencing these neurons in mice eliminates the emotional suffering associated with pain—mice perceive the pain, but do not experience distress or learn to avoid it.
• Overactivation of this pathway may be a cause of chronic pain disorders (like fibromyalgia and migraine) and affective disorders (like PTSD), making the brain overreact to normal sensory inputs.

This has further insights and implications for Brain Training and Therapy practices, continuing to reduce the need for either pharmaceuticals or self-medication with non-pharmaceutical grade substances.

• Pain is not just about detection—it’s about how much the brain decides that pain matters emotionally.
• These findings confirm that targeting the affective (emotional) aspect of pain, not just the physical sensation, is crucial.
• Treatments that modulate this CGRP-affective circuit may offer new hope for conditions where pain’s emotional burden is a primary driver of disability.

Types of Evidence-Based Brain Training Interventions

1. Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT)

• Teaches the brain to “unlearn” chronic pain by reframing pain as non-threatening and teaching safety.
• Could help quiet overactive affective circuits by changing the emotional meaning of pain.

2. Neurofeedback and Brainwave Training

• Uses real-time EEG feedback to help regulate brain rhythms associated with pain and emotional distress.
• May reduce the overactivity seen in the thalamus-amygdala circuit.

3. Sensory Relearning

• Retrains the brain’s response to sensory input, helping distinguish safe from threatening sensations and minimizing overreaction.

4. Cognitive Flexibility Training

• Engages tasks that enhance cognitive control, potentially reducing learned pain-related distress and disrupt habitual threat responses.

5. Pain Neuroscience Education (PNE)

• Helps patients understand the difference between pain sensation and pain suffering, reducing fear and emotional threat estimation. Now with new neuroscience backing regarding distinct brain circuits.

6. Emotional Regulation and Mind-Body Therapies

The July 2025 research underlines the value of approaches that reduce affective pain:

• Mindfulness, cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT), and emotion regulation techniques may help downregulate CGRP pathway activity by promoting detachment from pain’s emotional tone.
• Newer therapies (e.g., emotion-focused groups) could target the “alarm” element of pain directly.
  
  (Complete Report: WRD News Special Report)

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Published: 11 July 2025

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New research exposes alarming connections between social media teen substance use patterns and dangerous dual addiction risks

BREAKING: A comprehensive new study published in JAMA Network Open has revealed disturbing evidence about social media teen substance use. The research shows that e-cigarette and cannabis content exposure is actively fuelling substance use among young people. Platforms like TikTok are significantly driving substance use initiation among American teenagers.

The longitudinal research tracked over 7,600 California high school students. It provides the most comprehensive evidence to date about how social media teen substance use develops. The study found alarming statistics about exposure risks. Teens frequently exposed to cannabis-related social media posts were 83% more likely to start using e-cigarettes alone. They were 60% more likely to begin using cannabis. Most concerning, they were 71% more likely to become dual users of both substances within just one year.

TikTok Emerges as Major Culprit

Perhaps most concerning for understanding social media teen substance use patterns, the study identified TikTok as a particularly dangerous platform for driving substance use among youth. Teens with frequent exposure to e-cigarette content on TikTok showed a 74% increased risk of cannabis use initiation and a 78% increased risk of becoming dual users of both e-cigarettes and cannabis.

“What we’re seeing is that social media teen substance use isn’t just happening randomly—exposure to e-cigarette content on TikTok is creating a pathway to cannabis use and dangerous dual substance use,” said researchers in their findings. This cross-substance influence represents a new and deeply troubling development in youth substance abuse patterns.

The Influencer Problem: Micro influencers Driving Cannabis Use

The research exposed a particularly insidious marketing strategy targeting teens through seemingly authentic social media personalities. Students exposed to e-cigarette posts from micro influencers—social media personalities with 10,000-100,000 followers—showed a 167% increased risk of cannabis use in the past month.

This finding aligns with growing regulatory concerns about influencer marketing in the cannabis and vaping industries. As documented in recent Australian regulatory actions, companies like Alternaleaf have faced millions in penalties for unlawful advertising of medicinal cannabis, with authorities noting that influencer partnerships create perceived authenticity that traditional advertising cannot match.

A Crisis Hidden in Plain Sight

The study’s cross-sectional analysis of 3,380 teens revealed the scope of exposure:

• 18.1% of teens reported seeing e-cigarette content from unknown sources
• 12.0% were exposed to direct brand advertising for e-cigarettes
• 5.8% saw content from micro influencers promoting vaping products
• 4.5% were exposed through their own social media friends

Dr. [Study Author] emphasized the gravity of these findings: “We’re not just talking about kids seeing an occasional post. We’re documenting systematic exposure that’s fundamentally changing how young people perceive and ultimately use these dangerous substances.”

The Dual Use Danger

One of the most alarming aspects of the research is its documentation of dual use—teens using both e-cigarettes and cannabis products. The study found that teens exposed to cannabis posts from friends were 246% more likely to engage in dual use, while exposure to e-cigarette posts from friends increased dual use risk by 153%.

Medical experts warn that dual use presents compounded health risks, including:

• Accelerated brain development impacts during critical adolescent years
• Increased addiction potential from multiple substance dependencies
• Higher risks of depression and mental health complications
• Greater likelihood of progression to other dangerous substances

Regulatory Gaps Enabling the Crisis

The research comes as regulatory bodies worldwide struggle to address social media marketing of controlled substances. In Australia, the Therapeutic Goods Administration has issued over 165 infringement notices totalling $2.3 million in penalties for unlawful cannabis advertising, yet enforcement remains challenging in the borderless digital environment.

“The lack of federal regulations restricting cannabis marketing and online sales to youth in the US is creating a perfect storm,” noted substance abuse policy experts. “While some states have adopted youth-targeted advertising restrictions, enforcement on social media platforms remains virtually non-existent.”

Platform Policies Prove Inadequate

Despite existing platform policies prohibiting substance-related advertising to minors, violations persist across major social media sites:

• TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook theoretically prohibit influencer tobacco marketing, yet the study documents widespread exposure
• YouTube and Instagram have actually eased cannabis marketing restrictions in recent years
• User-generated content remains largely unregulated, creating massive loopholes for substance promotion

The Peer Amplification Effect

Perhaps most troubling, the research documented how social media marketing amplifies real-world peer influence. Previous studies have shown that friends are the most common source of first vaping experiences for adolescents, and this new research reveals that exposure to vaping advertisements on social media doubles the odds that friends will be the source of a teen’s first substance use experience.

This creates a multiplier effect where marketing not only directly influences teens but also weaponizes their social networks to spread substance use behaviours.

A Public Health Emergency in the Making

The study’s authors conclude with an urgent call for action: “Exposure to e-cigarette and cannabis content on social media has a more consistent association with cannabis use and dual use than with solo e-cigarette use, suggesting we’re facing a new and more complex substance abuse crisis.”

Current usage statistics underscore the urgency:

• 7.8% of high school students currently use e-cigarettes
• 29% of 12th graders used cannabis in the past year
• The belief that cannabis use is “not harmful” continues to grow among teens, particularly in states with recreational legalization

What Parents and Policymakers Must Do Now

Experts are calling for immediate action on multiple fronts:

1. Enhanced Platform Enforcement: Social media companies must implement AI-powered detection systems to identify and remove substance-related content targeting minors
2. Stricter Influencer Regulations: Federal oversight of paid partnerships between influencers and substance companies, with severe penalties for violations
3. Parent Education: Families need tools to understand and monitor their teens’ social media exposure to substance-related content
4. School-Based Prevention: Educational programs must address not just traditional substance abuse but the specific risks of social media-driven experimentation

The Bottom Line

This research provides the clearest evidence yet that social media is not just reflecting youth substance use trends—it’s actively creating them. With teens spending hours daily on platforms where they’re systematically exposed to content promoting dangerous substances, the time for regulatory half-measures has passed.

As one study author warned: “We’re not just documenting a correlation. We’re seeing social media platforms actively contributing to a public health crisis that will impact an entire generation of young Americans.”

The question now is whether policymakers, parents, and platform companies will act with the urgency this crisis demands—or whether another generation of teens will pay the price for regulatory inaction in the digital age. (Source: JAMA)