The Brief Addiction Science Information Source (BASIS)

STASH Vol. 3(7) - How Marijuana use among American Indian Youth Stacks Up

In a previous issue of STASH 2(6), we reported University of Michigan’s Monitoring the Future (MTF) study showing an elevated rate of marijuana use among Latino adolescents compared to non-Latino adolescents in the United States (US). This week we will compare US trends in marijuana use among American Indian (AI) adolescents with non-AI adolescents. Beauvais, Jumper-Thurman, Helm, Plested, and Burnside (2004) report on an annual survey of 7th-12th grade AI youth living on or near a reservation from 1975 to 2000. During school, researchers surveyed between 1,500 and 2,500 adolescents annually about lifetime marijuana use. Beauvais et al. used MTF... Read more →

Addiction & the Humanities Vol. 3(7) - Higher education: Does obtaining an advanced degree help protect against risky behavior?

Many societies regard higher education as a protectorate against addiction. Such culturally developed beliefs can create biases that preclude opportunities for early detection of problems and consequently early intervention. In this issue of Addiction and the Humanities, we review evidence of substance-related problems among the highly educated. Although education tends to decrease the likelihood of substance-related addiction (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2005), the highly educated are not immune to developing substance use problems. Researchers surveyed a highly educated workforce (Matano, Wanat, Westrup, Koopman, & Whistsell, 2002) to investigate the prevalence of risky substance use behaviors among a... Read more →

ASHES Vol. 3(7) - Are Psychiatry Residents Prepared to Work with Patients Who Use Nicotine?

Nicotine dependence is the most common substance use disorder among people with mental illness (Lesser, Boyd et al. 2000; Grant, Hasin et al. 2004). Mentally ill patients who use tobacco are not only at great risk for developing tobacco-related diseases, but tobacco dependence also can disrupt psychiatric treatment (Hurt, Offord et al. 1996) . Nevertheless, on average, psychiatrists offer advice about smoking cessation during only 12% of patient visits (Himelhoch and Daumit 2003). This week’s ASHES reviews a national study that surveyed directors of psychiatry residency programs in the United States about nicotine dependence training in their programs. Prochaska, Fromont,... Read more →

The DRAM Vol. 3(7) - Thirsty Thursdays: A Problematic Drinking Phenomenon among College Students?

Researchers have well-documented problematic alcohol use on college campuses (e.g., Presley & Cashin, 1996; Wechsler et al., 2000; Johnston et al., 2004). Consequently, understanding the etiology of problem drinking on college campuses is important to college administrators, health professionals, and alcohol researchers. This week’s DRAM reviews an investigation of ‘Thirsty Thursdays’: the prevalence of excessive drinking on Thursdays, and its relation to class time on Fridays. Wood and Rutledge (2007) surveyed 3,720 first-time college students at a large Midwestern university. Each semester for four years, the participants completed a web-based survey and self-reported their drinking behavior during the past seven... Read more →

The WAGER Vol. 12(7) - Changes in gambling problems across the lifetime: Calling “chronic” and “progressive” into question

The disease model of addiction assumes that addiction is chronic and progressive in nature. Current research suggests that addiction might not be as chronic or progressive as the model assumes. In this WAGER we examine a recent attempt by Sartor et al. (2007) to examine the course of pathological gambling over the lifetime using a gambling history measure modeled after the Lifetime Drinking History measure. As part of a larger study of gambling behavior, researchers completed telephone interviews with 1,675 male twins from the Vietnam Era Twin Registry, 70% of those targeted. This study focuses on the 1,343 participants who... Read more →

Op-Ed/Editorials - A Surge In The War (Of Intimidation)

The latest news in the United States Department of Justice’s war against Internet gambling is not good news for online poker players. Up until 2006, most of the attacks by law enforcement were against sports betting sites. The DOJ has publicly taken the position that the Wire Act, the main federal anti-gambling law that might apply to the Internet, outlaws all forms of gambling. However, a couple of courts have ruled the Wire Act is limited to bets on sports events and races. The DOJ does not want to lose its power of intimidation by losing a case, so it... Read more →

The Division on Addictions is proud to present Your First Step to Change: Smoking

Many people are able to change their excessive behavior patterns without entering formal treatment. The Division on Addictions, Cambridge Health Alliance has created a series of self-change toolkits. We are proud to launch the next edition in The First Step series, Your First Step to Change: Smoking. Read more →