The Brief Addiction Science Information Source (BASIS)

The WAGER Vol. 12(6): E-GOAAAAALLL! Sports Gambling on the Internet

Internet gambling has gained increasing public scrutiny during the past decade (see WAGER (12(4) and this week’s editorial), affecting policy, regulations, and public concern about its safety. There is little peer-reviewed research on Internet gambling, and the available research relies on retrospective self-report. This week, The WAGER presents the first ever research study of the actual betting behavior of a large cohort of Internet sports gamblers. LaBrie and colleagues (in press) analyzed the actual betting behavior of the 40,499 sports gamblers who subscribed to the European Internet betting service, bwin Interactive Entertainment AG, during February 2005. Daily records of the... Read more →

Op-Ed/Editorials - The State of Public Health Research on Internet Gambling

Debi A. LaPlante, Ph.D. Instructor of Psychology Division on Addictions, Cambridge Health Alliance Richard A. LaBrie, Ed.D. Associate Director of Research and Data Analysis Division on Addictions, Cambridge Health Alliance Sarah E. Nelson, Ph.D. Instructor of Psychology Division on Addictions, Cambridge Health Alliance Anja Schumann, Ph.D. Research Associate Division on Addictions, Cambridge Health Alliance Howard J. Shaffer, Ph.D., C.A.S. Director Division on Addictions, Cambridge Health Alliance Scientific medical research advances in progressive stages and at a deliberate pace. This approach to knowledge development requires several stages of inquiry, analysis, and review before advocacy and action can occur. Although this structure... Read more →

STASH Vol. 3(5) - Internet Based Home-Drug Tests: Parents Use Questionable Means to Test Their Teens

The Internet is an unregulated marketplace for drugs and drug-testing products. In the last issues of STASH 3(3), 3(4), we reviewed studies examining Internet accessibility of illicit drugs (e.g., opioids, ecstasy), and Internet information about these illicit drugs. Internet sites also make available products that claim to test illicit drug use. This week’s STASH reports a study that examined whether Internet based home-drug testing sites provide complete and accurate information for parents who decide to test their teenagers’ for drug use (Levy, Van Hook, & Knight, 2004). Levy, Van Hook, and Knight (2004) conducted Internet searches for home drug-testing and... Read more →

Addiction & the Humanities Vol. 3(5) - Celebrity Spokesperson: A perfect match or a "cause célèbre"?

For many years celebrities have worked to bring attention to issues such as, underage alcohol use, drug addiction, and smoking; however, researchers have not systematically examined whether this provides benefits to such causes. Although celebrity sponsorship undoubtedly brings needed attention to addiction-related problems, such attention also could create unwanted complications. Celebrities are, and always will be, under close scrutiny by the public and the media. For this reason, deciding to seek the public support of celebrities for important causes should be done after weighing a number of pros and cons for both the cause and the celebrity. Celebrities can help... Read more →

ASHES Vol. 3(5) - Online Smoking Cessation Treatment

Websites designed to help smokers quit are a relatively new treatment alternative. Treatment is complex and those who subscribe to online help sites deserve to know whether the approach is effective. This week’s ASHES reviews a study evaluating the online smoking cessation website http://www.quitnet.com/ The quitnet.com website offers a variety of resources, including diagnostic tools, information about medication options, social support through forums, chat rooms, and email. At registration, users provide information about their smoking frequency and motivation to quit. Cobb, Graham, Bock, Papandonatos, and Abrams (2004) invited consecutive registrants during a fourteen day window to complete a follow-up survey... Read more →