All articles tagged with #addiction and treatment
Research summarized by The Washington Post suggests that even low levels of alcohol can harm the brain, but quitting or cutting back can allow the brain to recover to some extent, with potential cognitive improvements and a lower dementia risk over time.
A Washington Post piece reports that cannabis can suppress REM sleep, potentially altering memory, emotion and dream life. The story follows a smoker who quit and begins experiencing vivid dreams again, illustrating cannabis’s impact on overnight brain activity. Scientists note that THC and CBD may affect sleep differently and that the long-term consequences for brain health are still being explored, highlighting the complexity of cannabis’s effects on sleep and dreaming.
A Washington Post health article highlights seven unexpected takeaways from recent cannabis-brain research, including potential cognitive effects of high-potency cannabis, how use and risks may differ when started in adolescence versus midlife or older age, and the important role of public health education as legalization and stronger products become more common.
Research suggests cannabis can impair short-term memory and, if started in adolescence, may reduce brain volume; older adults are increasingly using it for medical reasons, though evidence of neuroprotection is inconclusive; there’s no proven link to dementia yet, but federal research barriers and concerns about cannabis use disorder persist, especially among youth.