The Brief Addiction Science Information Source (BASIS)

STASH, Vol. 4(3) - OxyContin Use: Prescribed or Recreational?

OxyContin is an opioid agonist. Opioids are among the most potent analgesics; medical doctors prescribe analgesics to reduce or relieve pain (see STASH 1(2) for more information). Like other opioids (both natural and synthetic), the Drug Enforcement Agency classifies OxyContin as a Schedule II substance (Drug Enforcement Agency, 2008). Although doctors prescribe OxyContin, evidence suggests illicit use could be widespread among some populations (i.e., Davis and Johnson, 2008). This week’s BASIS reviews a study by Carise, Leggett, Dugosh, et al. (2007), which explored rates of OxyContin use among a large sample of people seeking addiction treatment. The data also provide... Read more →

Addiction & the Humanities Vol.4 (3) –The Buzz: Taking a closer look at addiction in pop culture.

Approximately one year ago, HBO launched The Addiction Project in partnership with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the National Institute of Drug Abuse, and the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (Leis, 2007). Mental health advocates lauded the film and education project as “groundbreaking” and hoped it would educate the public about addiction (Leis, 2007) and create a new dialogue about addiction. Fast forward one year and addiction is still in the headlines. Now, the very same organizations that praised The Addiction Project for its honest portrayal of addiction are upset by “Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew” on VH1... Read more →

ASHES Vol.4(3) - Bet You Can't Have Just One

During the 1970s, Russell (1971) made the claim that smoking more than 20 cigarettes a day would result in a nicotine addiction and associated withdrawal symptoms. In 2000, the Dependence and Assessment of Nicotine Dependence in Youth (DANDY) study challenged Russell’s claim and reported that withdrawal symptoms could appear from smoking as few as 5 cigarettes a day (J. DiFranza, Savageau, & Fletcher, 2002). In this week’s ASHES, we review DiFranza et al’s 2007 article examining how quickly nicotine dependence symptoms appeared among an adolescent population. Researchers recruited 1,246 sixth graders from Massachusetts public schools and used a trained interviewer... Read more →

The DRAM Vol. 4(2) - Gender and Drinking – Maybe We Aren’t so Different After All

Researchers have found men to be at greater risk for developing alcohol use disorders than women (Grant, 1997; Warner, Kessler, Hughes, Anthony, & Nelson, 1995); however, with the shift away from traditional gender roles in the United States (e.g., an increased proportion of women working outside the home, a decreased proportion of women bearing children; Thronton & Freedman, 1983), some have observed a trend toward convergence of male and female drinking patterns (Greenfield & Room, 1997). This week’s DRAM reviews a national study about the changes in drinking customs and the prevalence of alcohol disorders among men and women in... Read more →