The Brief Addiction Science Information Source (BASIS)

Addiction & the Humanities Vol. 3(9) - Holidays: A Time to Celebrate, a Reason to Drink, or a Time to Celebrate Drinking?

Growing up, many people think of Halloween as a time for costumes and candy. Birthdays provide a reason to have cake and receive presents. Thanksgiving is a chance to see family and watch football. But research suggests that college students view holidays in a more limited way: as opportunities to engage in heavy drinking. This week’s Addiction and the Humanities examines college students’ celebratory drinking habits. Previous studies of the American general population found that certain holidays (e.g., Christmas, New Year’s Eve) correlate with greater alcohol consumption (Poikolainen, Leppanen, & Vuori, 2002; Weir, 2003). Considering the large body of research... Read more →

ASHES Vol. 3(9): Varenicline vs. Bupropion SR - Two pharmacotherapy options for smoking cessation go head to head in a clinical trial

Most everyone in the developed world knows the health effects of tobacco smoke and more than 70% of smokers report that they want to quit (Schroeder & Cox, 2006). Those wishing to quit have a variety of tools to choose from, including, Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) (see ASHES Vol. 3(6)), smoking cessation treatment programs (see ASHES Vol. 3(5), ASHES Vol. 3(4), and ASHES Vol. 2(9)), and drug therapy, which until recently was limited to bupropion SR (ALA, 2006). This week ASHES reviews a clinical trial that studied the safety and efficacy of varenicline, a drug treatment option recently approved by... Read more →

Op-Ed/Editorials: Toward a Balanced Discussion of Exposure to Gambling: The Importance of Social Context

Discussions about gambling expansion, actual and virtual, are often emotion laden. Rarely do such conversations take place within a public health approach to the issue, which requires a consideration of both benefits and harms. Rather, advocates on both sides tend to gravitate toward evidence that supports only their position. For example, anti-gambling advocates might highlight instances of increased crime, and pro-gambling advocates might highlight instances of improved economics. Alternatively, considering both the pros and cons of such situations has the potential to expand the discussion to include existing theories and models of behavior related to gambling. When this happens, a... Read more →

The DRAM Vol. 3(9) - How Protective are Protective Factors: The Complexity of Risky Drinking Behavior

For young people, the use and abuse of alcohol is alarming because of their still developing neuroanatomy, and the ease with which they can develop a dependency to alcohol (Molina, 2007; Padget, 2006). Using scientific studies to understand what leads adolescents toward future problematic alcoholic use can facilitate the development of more effective public health initiatives targeting underage alcohol consumption. This week, The DRAM discusses research that examines how adverse childhood experiences and the age of onset for first alcohol use contribute to young adults’ current use of alcohol. Young, Hansen, Gibson, and Ryan (2006) surveyed 18-20 year old Marine... Read more →

The WAGER 12(9) : The Pleasure of Gambling: Is it in the Winning and the Losing?

Research indicates that the dopaminergic reward system is one of the key mechanisms in learning and reinforcement of adaptive behaviors. Upon receipt of a reward, dopamine is released in the brain, which leads to pleasurable feelings and reinforces behavior. However, dopamine also reinforces maladaptive behaviors, such as substance-induced and behavioral addictions (Reuter, Raedler, & Rose, 2005; Zack & Poulos, 2007). In this edition of the WAGER, we review research by Fiorillo, Tobler & Schultz (2003) that examines the role of dopamine in uncertain situations. Fiorillo and colleagues presented 2 primates with visual stimuli associated with a 0%, 25%, 50%, 75%,... Read more →

Op-Ed/Editorials: World Series Proves Poker Game Of Skill

The final table of the World Series of Poker’s main event shows, once again, that poker tournaments are games of skill. Courts have developed tests over the last couple of hundred years to determine whether a particular game is predominantly chance or skill. If courts and prosecutors were honest in applying these tests, at least No Limit Texas Hold 'em tournaments would have to be considered skill contests and not gambling. Let’s take a look at the most common tests and what happened on July 18, 2007. 1) A skillful player will win more than an unskillful one. The tournament... Read more →

STASH Vol. 3(8) - Does Homelessness contribute to Drug Use? Analyzing the Social Adaptation Model

Research shows higher lifetime and six month prevalence of substance use disorders among the homeless than found among non-homeless populations (Fischer, Shapiro, Breakey, Anthony, & Kramer, 1986; Koegel, Burnam, & Farr, 1988). The social adaptation model (Stark, 1987) suggests that homelessness might be a risk factor for substance use. This week’s STASH reviews a study that examines the relationship between homelessness and substance use. Using a multistage probability design, trained interviewers from the University of Illinois at Chicago Survey Research Laboratory surveyed English speaking adults between the ages of 18 and 40 living in the city of Chicago between June... Read more →