The Brief Addiction Science Information Source (BASIS)

Addiction and the Humanities, Volume 1(6) - The Lure of a Life Less Ordinary: "Lifestyle" Magazines and the Attraction of Risky Behaviors

Gambling, golf, fine cigars and aged liquor traditionally have been luxuries enjoyed by the very privileged, and consequently, have been associated with a life less ordinary. Before one has a chance to notice the contents of either Cigar Aficionado or Player, the thick glossy pages and beautiful production tacitly introduce the exclusive lifestyle illustrated by the magazine. Each of these magazines focuses content on distinct pleasures: the articles and product advertisements reflect and illustrate these themes. Essentially, these magazines provide readers with examples of how to create a particular personal image and way of life, based on an activity of... Read more →

ASHES Vol. 1(2) - Mommy Mayhem? Preventing Smoking Relapse Among New Mothers

Smoking increases a person’s risk for lung cancer as well as a variety of oral and other cancers. Smoking doubles a person’s risk for stroke and coronary heart disease, and it increases a person’s risk for respiratory diseases (Center for Disease Control, 2004a). Because of these and other life-impairing and life-threatening consequences, it is recommended that all current smokers quit smoking. Arguably, it is even more important to encourage pregnant women to cease smoking: mothers and mothers-to-be impair not only their own health, but the health of their child. For example, smoking during pregnancy is associated with low birth-weight, and... Read more →

Op-Ed/Editorials: Lay Epidemiology and Smoking Rates in Social Classes

Researchers and the public have observed the relationship between social class and likelihood of smoking; for example, professionals are less likely to smoke than unskilled laborers (Petersen, Mockford, & Rayner, 1999; Wald, Kiryluk, Darby, Doll, Pike, & Peto, 1988). In a recent commentary, Lawlor, Frankel, Shaw, Ebrahim, and Smith (2003) claim that lay perceptions of quality of life disparities between social classes best explain differential rates in smoking. They argue that poor housing conditions, occupational hazards, and other environmental dangers all pose a more immediate threat to health than smoking. As a result, for the poor, smoking becomes a rational... Read more →

The Dram Vol. 1(2) - Finding Common Ground: Shared Etiological Factors for Problem Drinking and Problem Eating

Recent research on chemical and behavioral addiction (e.g., alcoholism and gambling) suggests that such seemingly disparate problems might be related. Neuroimaging studies (fMRI) have revealed that the neurological reward pathways associated with psychoactive substance use (e.g., cocaine) overlap with reward pathways associated with non-drug related experiences (e.g., appreciation of beauty or monetary expectations) (Aharon, Etcoff, Ariely, Chabris, O'Connor, & Breiter, 2001; Breiter, Aharon, Kahneman, Dale, & Shizgal, 2001). Increasingly, researchers are turning their attention to eating disorders, such as binge eating, to see whether these reward system similarities also apply to this area of excess. Recognizing the frequent co-occurrence of... Read more →

Op-Ed/Editorials - The road to responsible alcohol use: Physicians address drunk driving

Doctors and physicians are beginning to address the problem of drunk driving. In an attempt to raise awareness about this issue, Howie Forman, a student at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, started an organization called Doctors For Designated Driving (DFDD) (2005b). This organization intends to involve those in the medical field in the struggle against drunk driving. Forman’s group has also called on businesses to encourage designated driving by recognizing restaurants such as “the Brown Jug” that offers free responsible drinking guides to all customers and “Tosca” that offers free non-alcoholic beverages to designated drivers. Through their actions, DFDD is... Read more →

The WAGER Vol. 10(2) - Shades of Gray: Neurological evidence of addiction and impulse control disorder among problem gamblers

Researchers and clinicians have debated where pathological gambling fits among substance use and impulse control disorders. Although pathological gambling falls under the impulse disorder category, it shares many similarities with the conditions of substance abuse and dependence according to DSM-IV-TR (American Psychiatric Association, 2000). Neurological evidence suggests that individuals diagnosed with certain substance use disorders show deficiencies in both reward activation and impulse control pathways of the brain’s reward system. (For reward system articles: WAGER 8(31), WAGER 8(33)). This week’s WAGER reviews a new study that suggests pathological gambling might share some characteristics of both substance use disorders and impulse... Read more →