The Brief Addiction Science Information Source (BASIS)

Op-Ed/Editorials - No More Floating Poker Games in Mississippi

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, J.D. Professor, Whittier Law School Costa Mesa, CA BASIS, editorial board member Some of the hardest hit victims of Hurricane Katrina were Gulfport and Biloxi’s casino barges. The real tragedy is that most of the damage could have been avoided with a little common sense. Nothing could stop the high winds. But the storm also sent a roaring wall of water 30 feet high from the Gulf of... Read more →

Addiction and the Humanities, Volume 1(15) - SPECIAL SERIES: COMORBIDITY ACROSS THE COUNTRY: Frey Picks up the Pieces with Oprah

SPECIAL SERIES: COMORBIDITY ACROSS THE COUNTRY This review is the fourth in a series of five issues of the BASIS featuring research and perspectives on comorbidity among psychiatric and addictive disorders. In the past three weeks, The WAGER, The DRAM, and ASHES have discussed findings from the National Epidemiological Survey on Alcohol and Related Disorders (NESARC) and the National Comorbidity Survey (NCS) and its replication (NCS-R) about psychiatric and personality disorders comorbid with pathological gambling, alcohol use disorders, and smoking. This week, Addiction and the Humanities discusses issues of comorbidity in James Frey’s memoir, A Million Little Pieces. Frey Picks... Read more →

Op-Ed/Editorials - Celebrity Poker and Taxes

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, J.D. Professor, Whittier Law School Costa Mesa, CA BASIS, editorial board member Successful actors, writers and others in the entertainment industry share some advantages with professional gamblers when they play poker. With success often comes self-confidence, or at least the ability to project an image of being a winner, in control. Celebrities are often rich. They can think of poker chips as poker chips, and not as the... Read more →

ASHES Vol. 1(11) - Is Daily Smoking a Predictor of the Onset of Other Psychiatric Disorders?

SPECIAL SERIES: COMORBIDITY ACROSS THE COUNTRY This review is the third in a series of five issues of the BASIS featuring the most recent research on comorbidity among psychiatric and addictive disorders. In the past two weeks, The WAGER and The DRAM have discussed findings from the National Epidemiological Survey on Alcohol and Related Disorders and the National Comorbidity Survey Replication about psychiatric and personality disorders comorbid with pathological gambling and alcohol use disorders. This week, ASHES discusses findings from the original National Comorbidity Survey on the relationship between of smoking and psychiatric disorders. Smoking often co-occurs with mood and... Read more →

Op-Ed/Editorials - Playing Internet Poker

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 Is it legal to play poker on the Internet? There are an estimated 1,840,100 active real money online poker players, according to PokerPulse.com. So, you would think that someone could tell you whether you were committing a crime when you bet, raise or fold online. It actually is possible to know whether you are breaking the... Read more →

The DRAM Vol. 1(11) - Alcohol Use Disorders and Psychiatric Comorbidity

SPECIAL SERIES: COMORBIDITY ACROSS THE COUNTRY This review is the second in a series of five issues of the BASIS featuring the most recent research on comorbidity among psychiatric and addictive disorders. Last week, WAGER 10(12) discussed findings from the National Epidemiological Survey on Alcohol and Related Disorders about pathological gambling and comorbid psychiatric and personality disorders. This week, The DRAM discusses findings from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication on the comorbidity of alcohol use disorders and other psychiatric disorders. Alcohol Use Disorders and Psychiatric Comorbidity The comorbidity of alcohol disorders with other psychiatric disorders can pose difficult challenges to... Read more →

Op-Ed/Editorials - When Is Poker Legal?

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 When, exactly, is it legal to run a poker game? Opening a card room without a license is obviously illegal. But what if the operator doesn’t rent seats or rake the pot? Enforcement actions are beginning against bar-owners and others who have set up poker tables like this. For example, the Louisiana Office of Alcohol and... Read more →

The WAGER Vol. 10(12) - Disordered Gambling and Psychiatric Comorbidity

SPECIAL SERIES: COMORBIDITY ACROSS THE COUNTRY The next five issues of the BASIS will feature the most recent research on comorbidity among psychiatric and addictive disorders. These issues will highlight national general population surveys that map comorbidity trends across the United States population. Disordered gambling (DG) is associated with a variety of problems that have the potential to disrupt the life of the gambler, as well as the lives of his or her friends and family members. DG is also associated with elevated rates of certain mental health disorders (Cunningham-Williams, Cottler, Compton, & Spitznagel, 1998), the presence of which can... Read more →

Op-Ed/Editorials - Stay the Course or Throw in the Towel: Is There Something In-between Value-guided Science and Valueless Science?

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. Debi LaPlante, Ph.D. Division on Addictions The BASIS is supported, in part, by funding from individuals and companies associated with the gaming industry. Occasionally, we receive letters questioning our acceptance of this support and our ability to remain scientifically objective. Some of those letters argue that the gaming industry is inherently harmful to society and any financial support that we receive from anyone associated with the gaming industry is tainted. Though... Read more →