As a nationwide opioid epidemic raged, DEA investigators went after companies distributing millions of highly addictive pills. Then, their cases ground to a halt.

A woman who stole 300 pieces of mail to get money for her meth habit dodged a prison sentence in court today.

Methamphetamine addicts are flooding New Zealand's rehab services, with some reporting an 80 per cent surge in demand for services in the last six months.

A doctor used the names of six people to get prescription drugs for herself.

This may look like the personal account of a French model, but there's more to these images than you think.

WATCH: Successful New Zealand fashion designer, Kharl WiRepa from Rotorua opens up about his life before and after his addiction to meth.

Successful New Zealand fashion designer, Kharl WiRepa from Rotorua opens up about his life before and after his addiction to meth. Made with funding from NZ on Air

A 45-year-old Bay of Plenty man who first tried P aged 26 says the Bay scene is "the worst its ever been", with meth "easier to score than cannabis.

Maori Party co-leader and Waiariki MP Te Ururoa Flavell says he is sick and tired of attending tangi of Maori who have died as a result

Four alcoholic patients fitted with brain microchips as part of NZ research into addiction have seen their cravings for alcohol dramatically reduce.

A Dunedin-based neurosurgeon is investigating whether tiny devices implanted in the brain can stop alcoholics' cravings.

More people seek help for problem drinking in the three months following Dry July, the Salvation Army says. Dry July is a campaign

A man whose alcohol addiction had "overwhelmed him" since the death of his wife, fell asleep drunk in the back of the Greymouth District Court

COMMENT: Smoking is the filthy-rich, tax dodging, environment-trashing capitalist pig of vices, writes Paul Thomas.

Psychological research on persuasion and self-control suggests some strategies to help you resist insidious pull of online distractions.

A simple jab could stop cravings for alcohol, cigarettes and junk food, say scientists.

The country's worst drink driver has undergone a lengthy prison rehabilitation programme aimed at stopping him offending again upon his release next month.

A new consumer behaviour survey backs other research that there is a growth of "digital dependency" in New Zealand, according to a leading academic.

Internal Affairs has abandoned an investigation into alleged irregular payments for a thoroughbred racehorse made by Sir Owen Glenn's charity.

From eating ice to picking scabs, people can become addicted to all sorts. Here are six of the strangest addictions we've come across.

'Getting stuck on a benefit is like crack cocaine,' deputy Prime Minister Bill English told a Tauranga crowd yesterday - and beneficiary advocates aren't impressed.

Robin Williams' death today followed a troubled past with cocaine and alcohol, and in July this year he checked into rehab again.

The offending of a former Department of Internal Affairs worker left one of his victims worried that his family's citizenship bid was in danger.

A man caught drink driving twice within two hours - both times at more than triple the legal limit - was described as a "danger to the community" during sentencing today.

A young mother helped stop her former partner - 'psychotic' on synthetic cannabis - from driving her and her child into Otago Harbour.

We're more connected to our cellphones than we thought, scientists say.

The wife of TVNZ's political editor Corin Dann will front the network's Sunday programme tonight to talk about her battle with alcoholism.

Gambling products are only harmful when people consume too much of them. Gambling is like alcohol: occasional use is generally safe, this expert explains.

An office worker who stole $1.1 million from a Canterbury family firm to fund a spiralling gambling addiction has lost an appeal against her jail sentence.