The Brief Addiction Science Information Source (BASIS)

STASH, Vol. 6(2) - Incentives for abstinence: The beneficial effects of contingency management for individuals recovering from substance use disorders

High dropout rates plague traditional outpatient treatment programs for substance use disorders (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2008). This week’s STASH reviews a new study that evaluated the effectiveness of two adjunctive services aimed at improving outcomes among individuals who have begun treatment for cocaine dependence (McKay et al., 2010). The adjunctive services were contingency management (CM), which provides incentives for abstinence; and relapse prevention (RP), which teaches skills for avoiding and coping with “high-risk” situations. Methods Participants were 100 adults with current diagnoses of cocaine dependence who had been engaged in an intensive outpatient program (IOP) for... Read more →

Addiction & The Humanities, Vol. 6(2) – Can Movement Speak Louder Than Words? Understanding Addiction through Contemporary Dance

Dance is a powerful expression of the human condition. People often find a dance piece particularly poignant and thought-provoking when it successfully casts a light upon hidden parts of us: our hopes, fears, joys, and afflictions. Because dance can reveal the concealed, it holds the potential to change the way people think about problems that people often attempt to hide, such as mental health disorders. Previous issues of Addiction and the Humanities have mentioned the recent surge in portrayals of addiction on popular television reality shows. To reflect on this trend, this week’s issue of Addiction and the Humanities discusses... Read more →

ASHES Vol. 6(2) – Casting a World Wide Web: A Meta-analysis of Interactive Internet Interventions for Smoking Cessation.

Online interventions have potential to help people suffering with addiction. The Internet can reach large, dispersed, and reluctant populations in ways that are impossible for face-to-face interventions. It is possible that interactive features, such as providing immediate personalized feedback, will enhance the effectiveness of online interventions. In this week’s ASHES, we review a meta-analysis of the published literature that compared interactive smoking cessation interventions to minimal, non-interactive, untailored interventions or waitlist controls (Shahab & McEwen, 2009). Methods During December 2008, researchers conducted a systematic search of multiple online databases (e.g., PubMed, PsychINFO, CINHAL Plus) for relevant studies of online support... Read more →

The DRAM Vol. 6(1) – Drosophila study shows you have to be handsome to stay sober

Animal models help scientists to understand human behavior and develop new drugs to treat pathologies. This week’s DRAM reviews a study that examines an animal model of drinking behavior. Devineni and Hebertein (2009) sought to determine if the drinking behavior of drosophila flies resembles human drinking behavior and if genetic mutations modify this behavior. Method Investigators gave flies the opportunity to choose between ethanol-containing and nonethanol-containing food. Researchers calculated a preference index (PI) as (ethanol consumption – nonethanol consumption) / total consumption. The index ranged from -1 to 1, with positive numbers indicating preference for ethanol. Researchers measured the following:... Read more →