The Brief Addiction Science Information Source (BASIS)

The WAGER Vol. 10(11) - Addictive Personality: Rekindling the Debate

As far as public health is concerned, the age range between 18 and 21 is a particularly important period. In the United States, people are not allowed to purchase cigarettes legally before they are 18 years old; are not allowed to purchase or drink alcoholic beverages legally before age 21; and have few legal gambling options before age 18. Beginning at their 18th birthday, young adults increasingly are exposed to opportunities to engage in addictive behaviors such as gambling, alcohol and tobacco use. When young adults have the opportunity to begin gambling and using substances, what determines who will develop... Read more →

Op-Ed/Editorials - What IGRA Left Out

The views expressed in the Op-Ed/Editorials page are solely the views of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the BASIS, its sponsors, or affiliated organizations. I. Nelson Rose, Ph.D. Professor, Whittier Law School Costa Mesa, CA BASIS, editorial board member The federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, which everyone involved in tribal gaming calls "IGRA," has turned into one of the most unusual laws ever enacted. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled it unconstitutional. It leaves many important questions unanswered. Still, it has worked remarkably well, mainly because everyone is ignoring its intent, and sometimes, its actual... Read more →

Op-Ed/Editorials - Welcome to STASH!

The views expressed in the Op-Ed/Editorials page are solely the views of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the BASIS, its sponsors, or affiliated organizations. Almost one year ago, in its tenth year of continuous publication, The WAGER evolved into The BASIS. At that time, we expanded our focus from reviewing the science of gambling and disordered gambling to include reviews of research on alcohol and tobacco, and explorations of the cultural context in which addictive behavior develops. This expansion stemmed from a recognition that disordered gambling often is associated with other addictive behavior, such as... Read more →

STASH Vol. 1(1) - Substance use in adolescence and midlife: does history repeat itself?

According to the syndrome model of addiction (Shaffer et al., 2004; see also The WAGER 10(1)), addiction to any substance or behavior is the result of interactions among several factors: neurobiological (e.g., genetic), psychological, and social risk factors; in addition, exposure to and (repeated) interaction with a particular object that shifts subjective states in a desirable direction influence the likelihood of addiction. To date, the BASIS has focused its publications and resources on just a few substances and activities with potential for addiction: alcohol, tobacco and gambling. However, there are a variety of substances commonly linked to addictive behavior not... Read more →

Addiction and the Humanities, Volume 1(13) - Is addiction-related behavior involuntary? Go ask Alice

It seems inarguable that the excessive behavior of people suffering with addiction is not voluntary in the usual sense. Normally we expect that people perform behaviors they believe will fulfill their desires. For example, if one desires to be with a friend she will drive to her house or take whatever steps necessary to fulfill that desire. Yet people with addiction keep performing the same actions that have resulted in increasingly negative consequences. It is difficult to imagine that people who perform these behaviors actually desire the consequences that reliably ensue. On the other hand, addictive behavior does not seem... Read more →

Op-Ed/Editorials - Internet Gaming: U.S. Beats Antigua In WTO

The views expressed in the Op-Ed/Editorials page are solely the views of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the BASIS, its sponsors, or affiliated organizations. I. Nelson Rose, Ph.D. Professor, Whittier Law School Costa Mesa, CA BASIS, editorial board member In 2003, Antigua filed a formal complaint against the United States with the World Trade Organization (WTO) over the issue of Internet gaming. In 2004, after many briefs and hearings, a WTO panel ruled in favor of Antigua, igniting worldwide speculation that the U.S. would soon have to let Americans bet with foreign online operators. In... Read more →

ASHES Vol. 1(9) - Nico-teens: Do adolescent smokers differ from non-smokers in their estimates of smoking-related consequences?

The vast majority of adult smokers began smoking as adolescents. Thus, many researchers and health specialists argue that intervention efforts to reduce the prevalence of smoking and smoking-related health problems should emphasize preventing adolescents from starting to smoke. Identifying the factors that put adolescents at higher risk to smoke is critical to the development of effective prevention programs. This ASHES reviews a study designed to identify potential risk factors by studying differences between adolescent smokers and non-smokers in their beliefs about the likelihood of smoking-related consequences. Halpern-Felsher and colleagues (2004) surveyed 395 ninth-grade 12- to 15-year-old adolescents (average = 14... Read more →

Op-Ed/Editorials - Poker Tournaments in Bars, Clubs, Online ... Everywhere

The views expressed in the Op-Ed/Editorials page are solely the views of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the BASIS, its sponsors, or affiliated organizations. I. Nelson Rose, Ph.D. Professor, Whittier Law School Costa Mesa, CA BASIS, editorial board member "Nothing succeeds like success." -- Alexandre Dumas The astounding success of poker on television and the Internet has created a poker phenomenon in the United States. And everyone wants a piece of the action. Toys 'R' Us ran out of poker gift sets at Christmas, and so did Nordstrom. Run a search for "poker' at BarnesandNoble.com... Read more →