The Brief Addiction Science Information Source (BASIS)

STASH, Vol. 4(10): Let’s Try Something New: Vaccines to Treat Addiction

Conventional treatments for substance abuse can have limited success for some and be ineffective for others. In an attempt to expand the available treatment options, researchers are developing vaccines for addiction. Orson et al. review the current status of vaccines to treat nicotine, cocaine, phenylcyclidine (PCP), methamphetamine, heroin, and morphine for which conventional inpatient and outpatient treatment programs have shown limited success(Orson et al., 2008). In this review, we discuss only the status of vaccines currently undergoing clinical trials with humans. Methods The authors provide a critical review of current clinical vaccines and animal studies that focus on reactions to... Read more →

Op-Ed/Editorials:Gambling and the Law®: Not Your Grandmother's Bingo

One of the biggest fights in the often strange world of legal gaming is -- What is bingo? This has been fought in court for more than a decade. One case almost made it to the U.S. Supreme Court. But then-Chief Justice Rehnquist refused to hear the appeal, because he did not want to become the butt of jokes on late-night talk shows. But bingo is no laughing matter. At least as many people play bingo as play poker. And bingo halls make money. Leading industry analyst Eugene Martin Christiansen estimates the nation's commercial, charity and tribal bingo games have... Read more →

Addiction & the Humanities, Vol. 4(8) - “What I look like when I’m drinking:” The production of self-portraits during art therapy for substance abuse

Relapse is a major issue in substance abuse treatment: the majority of those struggling with chemical dependence return to use within the first 6 months after treatment (Brown, D'Amico, McCarthy, & Tapert, 2001). The intractability of addiction likely stems, at least in part, from its complex, multi-faceted nature. As a result, for most individuals the best course of treatment is a combination of biochemical and psychotherapeutic interventions. One psychotherapeutic intervention that shows promise in treating addiction is expressive art therapy. This week’s Addiction and the Humanities reviews recent case examples of the spontaneous production of self-portraits during art therapy for... Read more →

Op-Ed/Editorials: Gambling and the Law®: Foreign Operators Don’t Have To Pay U.S. Wagering Taxes

A federal magistrate has just ruled that foreign internet gambling companies are not required to pay U.S. excise taxes on wagers, if the companies have been set up correctly. The decision is by no means final. But if upheld, it will eventually save internet operators billions of dollars, for bets taken from Americans. Not that any of those companies are actually sending checks to the IRS. But their executives who made the mistake, say, of changing planes in Dallas, have been arrested and charged with tax evasion. A conviction means years in prison, and millions owed to the IRS. The... Read more →

ASHES Vol. 4 (11) – Cannabis and Tobacco Use: More than the sum of the smoke

The substances adolescents use correlates with unhealthy psychosocial functioning (e.g., Kirby, 2002). Information about the possible added effect of multiple substance use would help to clarify the association. This week’s ASHES reports a study that compared the prevalence of unhealthy psychosocial functioning markers among adolescents who use only cannabis to the prevalence among adolescents who use both cannabis and tobacco. Method A Swedish national survey (Suris, Akre, Berchtold, Jeannin, & Michaud, 2007) queried 7548 students aged 16-20 about their substance use behavior and markers of psychosocial functioning, such as their academic performance. Researchers excluded from analyses: former tobacco smokers (n=342);... Read more →

The DRAM Vol. 4 (9) – College Students’ Alcohol Use: Do Parents Still Matter?

Alcohol abuse is a major problem on American college campuses (Knight et al., 2002). Researchers have suggested that peer influence might outweigh parental influence as adolescents develop into adulthood (Wood et al., 2001). This week’s DRAM reviews a study of how parents might indirectly shape college students’ alcohol use and abuse by influencing their children’s selection of peers (Abar & Turrisi, 2008). Participants • Participants were 392 prospective college freshmen (57% female, 90% Caucasian, mean age = 18) who were part of a larger study examining college student drinking (Turrisi et al., 2001). • Researchers randomly selected participants from all... Read more →