The Brief Addiction Science Information Source (BASIS)

Op-Ed/Editorials: Funding Addiction Prevention Programs: Do Not Throw Out the Baby with the Bathwater

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. Allyson Peller is the incoming editor of the online journal, STASH. Allyson received her training in public health. She has written numerous articles for the WAGER, ASHES, the DRAM, Addictions and the Humanities, and STASH during the last year. She is a welcome addition to our editorial team. -- Debi LaPlante Senior Editor, BASIS Allyson Peller, M.P.H. Incoming Editor, STASH Prevention programs are the foundation of public health promotion. For chronic... Read more →

STASH Vol. 2(5) - ATLAS: Anabolic Steroid Prevention for Teen Athletes

Although participation in school sports provides teenagers many benefits, participation in school sports also might be a risk factor for the use of anabolic steroids and other illicit substances (Bahrke, Yesalis, Kopstein, & Stephens, 2000). As discussed in the video Steroids: True Stories Hosted by Curt Schilling, anabolic steroid use can lead to dangerous consequences (e.g., violent behavior, depression, stunted growth, liver tumors). Prevalence rates of anabolic steroid use are higher for high school athletes (4% to 12% ) (Bahrke et al., 2000) than for the general teenage population (2% to 4%) (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2002). According to... Read more →

Addiction and the Humanities, Volume 2(5) - “Thank You for Smoking” raises questions about the effect of smoking in movies on audiences

The satire Thank You for Smoking raises several important questions about tobacco and film; it also provides an inside look at the incentives behind product placement in movies. The film, based on Christopher Buckley’s novel, stars Aaron Eckhart as Nick Naylor, a deft and persuasive lobbyist who represents the fictional research institute The Academy of Tobacco Studies, aptly nicknamed, Big Tobacco. The Academy of Tobacco Studies does its part to increase profits for the smoking industry by marketing studies that denounce the link between smoking and cancer based on experiments conducted by a dubious looking European scientist with questionable credentials... Read more →

Op-Ed/Editorials: National Indian Gaming Commission Cannot Regulate Class III Gaming

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. Prof. I. Nelson Rose, J.D. Professor, Whittier Law School, Costa Mesa, CA BASIS, editorial board member Most people, including those in the gaming industry, who have heard of the National Indian Gaming Commission (“NIGC”), assume that it regulates Indian Gaming. Even some of the Commissioners themselves believe they have this power. They are wrong. The misunderstanding arises from the way the modern law of Indian gaming was created. First came court... Read more →

ASHES Vol. 2 (4) - Smoking cessation ‘Down Under’: Australians go ‘Cold Turkey’

Cigarette smoking continues to be a major health problem in Australia. Approximately one fifth of Australians over the age of 14 smoke daily (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2002). Further, smoking related health problems contribute to about one tenth of all illness in Australia (Mathers, Vos, Stevenson, & Begg, 2001), and thus creates a large financial burden. To reduce smoking rates, and the related health problems and associated expenses that emerge as a consequence (i.e. health care costs), it is necessary to determine which smoking cessation methods are most effective. A recent study by Doran, Valenti, Robinson, Britt, and... Read more →

Tha Dram, Volume 2(4) - Alcohol and Trauma: The case of 9/11

From natural disasters like Katrina, to sexual violence, to the death of a loved one, trauma comes in many forms and impacts people in different ways. People who have experienced trauma might place themselves at higher risk for addiction by using alcohol or other drugs to cope with the stress of trauma (Boscarino, Adams et al. 2006). For example, evidence suggests that for sexual assault victims, traumatic life events are a risk factor for drinking problems as well as PTSD (Ullman, Filipas et al. 2006). Similarly, people who cope poorly with minor physical trauma are significantly at risk for developing... Read more →

The WAGER Vol. 11(4) - Using an Educational Video to Protect Students from Problem Gambling

Studies show that young people enjoy gambling. Between 70% and 90% of youths currently in school gamble; further, between 15% and 40% of them gamble regularly (Poulin, 2000; Shaffer & Hall, 1996; Vitaro, Ladouceur, & Bujold, 1996). It is necessary to find ways to prevent students from becoming excessive gamblers. In addition, it is very important to identify interventions that will limit young people who already gamble from developing the negative consequences associated with pathological gambling. Researchers previously have examined the effect of educational videos on viewers’ attitudes and knowledge about substance-related problems. LaPlante, Kidman, Donato, LaBrie, Shaffer, & Blake... Read more →