The Brief Addiction Science Information Source (BASIS)

ASHES Vol. 2 (6) - Influence of parents on adolescent smoking

According to the syndrome model of addiction (see The WAGER 10(1) ), each person has a unique combination of three primary types of influences and risk factors for the development of addiction: biological, psychological, and environmental. Researchers have learned about biological influences, such as genetics (see WAGERS 3(30), 3(34), 11(2), and DRAM 1(3) among others), as well as psychological influences (see WAGERs 8(2), 8(23), and DRAMs 2(4) and 2(5), among others). Researchers are also exploring the influences of social setting on the development of addiction. For example, this week ASHES reviews a recent study by Peterson, Leroux, Bricker, Kealey, Marek,... Read more →

The Dram, Volume 2(6) - Off the Sidelines: Women and Drinking Games

Previous research showed that undergraduate men were more likely to binge drink (i.e., four drinks in a row for females and five drinks in a row for males) and participate in drinking games than undergraduate women (Wechsler, Lee, Kuo, & Lee, 2000; Johnson & Sheets, 2004). However, recent research indicates that female undergraduates have binge drinking rates approaching those of men (Wechsler et al., 2002). This increase in risky drinking among undergraduate women is worthy of more attention. A recent study by Pedersen and LaBrie (2006) examined the association between drinking-related problems among undergraduate women and their participation in binge... Read more →

The WAGER Vol. 11(6) - Natural and Treated Recovery from Pathological Gambling

Though pathological gambling (PG) is characterized in DSM-IV as a disorder that is chronic and persisting, evidence shows that the course of this disorder is more variable than expected. Previously, The WAGER has reviewed studies which suggest that natural recovery is a successful way to overcome PG (WAGER 8(48)), and that PG disorders are not always progressive (WAGER 8(50)). A recent article by Wendy Slutske (2006) compares the findings of two large, nationally representative, US studies that examine the rates of recovery and treatment seeking among pathological gamblers. The examination of pathological gamblers within those samples supports the idea that... Read more →

STASH Vol. 2(6) - Marijuana Use Among Latino Youth in the US

Although drug use among American youth has decreased during recent years, studies show that drug use among Latino adolescents remains disturbingly high (Johnston, O'Malley, & Bachman, 2002, 2003). This trend is particularly concerning given demographic patterns among the general population. According to the US Census, Latinos will represent a quarter of the total population by the year 2050 (U.S. Census Bureau). Given that Latinos are the largest racial and ethnic minority in the United States, it is imperative to expand research about drug use in this population (U. S. Census Bureau). This week’s STASH discusses the University of Michigan’s Monitoring... Read more →