The Brief Addiction Science Information Source (BASIS)

Addiction and the Humanities, Volume 2 (6) - Alcohol and Illicit Drug Use Depicted in G-Rated Animated Films

Parents and youth advocates have raised concerns about media messages that depict substance use targeted to children. Bolstering this concern, research has shown a causal relationship between tobacco campaigns targeted to youth (e.g., the cartoon character Joe Camel) and increased tobacco consumption among youth (Fischer, Schwartz, Richards, Goldstein, & Rojas, 1991; Pierce et al., 1991). Media influence on children also might be associated with movie industry campaigns. Although many children routinely watch G-rated animated films, few studies have investigated whether these films convey messages about substance use. This week, Addiction and Humanities reviews a study investigating the depiction of substance... Read more →

ASHES 2(5) - Controlling Tobacco Use by Controlling Conventional Wisdom

Tobacco use continues to be a looming public health threat despite numerous tobacco control policies and programs. A recent empirically-grounded commentary by Frieden & Blakeman (2005) speculated that one reason that tobacco use persists is that there are a number of widely know myths pertaining to tobacco use that weaken efforts to expand tobacco control. In that commentary the authors review those common myths and empirical literature rebutting those myths. This week ASHES reviews their evidence and conclusions (see Table 1). Table 1: Myths and Rebuttals Identified by Frieden & Blakeman (2005) Myth Rebuttal: Evidence from the Empirical Literature People... Read more →

Op-Ed/Editorials: Washington State Makes It a Felony To Play Poker Online

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 As of June 7, it is now a felony in the state of Washington to play poker on the Internet. The bill, S.S.B. No. 6613, has stirred up great anxiety in poker forums. Many feel, correctly, that they have been blind-sided. I searched the databases of Washington newspapers and could find almost nothing written about... Read more →

The Dram, Volume 2(5) - Impact of workplace stressors on drinking habits after retirement among men and women

The workplace can produce a variety of stressors that can relate to the tasks and responsibilities at hand. Though employees might try to avoid such stress by leaving their place of work, it is possible that stressors encountered at work carry over to the home and beyond. A recent study by Richman, Zlatoper, Zackula Ehmke, and Rospenda (2006) examines the relationship between workplace stressors, specifically sexual harassment (SH), generalized workplace abuse (GWA), and psychological workload (PWL), and the impact of these stressors on drinking behavior during retirement. For this study, researchers used data from a cohort of university employees. The... Read more →

The WAGER Vol. 11(5) - High Stakes for Antisocial Gamblers

Researchers have examined the relationship between co-occurring psychopathology and gambling. However, relatively few studies focus on personality disorders and pathological gambling. Blaszczynski & Steel (1998) found that an overwhelming majority (93%) of pathological gamblers exhibited personality disorder(s). Additionally, pathological gamblers with antisocial personality disorder (29%) had more severe gambling-related problems. The prevalence of antisocial personality disorder among pathological gamblers is as high as forty percent in some studies (e.g., Bland, Newman, Orn, & Stebelsky, 1993). This week’s WAGER reports on a recent study that closely examined antisocial personality disorder among treatment-seeking pathological gamblers and its impact on their mental and... Read more →