The Brief Addiction Science Information Source (BASIS)

STASH, Vol. 6(3) - Skittish rats: Anxiety behavior during early withdrawal from cocaine exposure

Recovery from addictive behavior is difficult to maintain and susceptible to many factors. For instance, the symptoms of physical and psychological withdrawal that people experience when they eliminate or just reduce some pattern of addictive behavior can create a significant risk for relapse. This week, STASH examines such consequences of withdrawal in a review of a recent animal model study of the development of anxiety-like symptoms during early withdrawal from cocaine exposure (Santucci & Rosario, 2010). Methods Researchers randomly assigned 26 adolescent (30-38 days old) male Long-Evans hooded rats to one of three experimental conditions: (1) daily injections of saline;... Read more →

Addiction & the Humanities, Vol. 6(3) - Movies, Urges, and Smoking Cues

The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) administers a well-known movie ratings system based, in part, on movie characters’ smoking behavior. Specifically, the MPAA’s rating system currently considers three primary questions for movies that contain smoking: (1) Is the smoking pervasive; (2) Does the film glamorize smoking; and (3) Is there an historic or other mitigating context? Movies with affirmative answers to the first two questions, but not the third, receive a higher warning rating than other movies. Do smoking cues in movies warrant higher warnings? This week, Addiction and the Humanities reviews recent research examining how static and dynamic... Read more →

ASHES, Vol. 6(3) - Marking Risk for Relapse: Objective Markers of Ability to Maintain Smoking Cessation

Like most addictive behaviors, relapse is common among individuals who attempt to quit smoking (Shaffer et al., 2004). However, the identification of markers for high risk of smoking relapse could facilitate lasting, or longer, periods of smoking cessation by creating opportunities to intervene (e.g., improve treatment, emphasize relapse prevention). This week, ASHES reviews a recent study, which examined whether pre-cessation reactivity to smoking-related images and words could mark increased risk for smoking relapse (Janes et al., 2010). Methods 21 women who met DSM-IV criteria for current nicotine dependence, smoked at least 10 cigarettes per day during the previous 6 months,... Read more →

Op-ed/Editorials: Will Data-Proof Decision Making Prevail in New York City?

Since 2006, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has been distributing a science-based guide to safer injection drug use. Take Charge, Take Care: 10 Tips for Safer Use repeatedly urges readers to get help to stop using injection drugs. However, for people who have not yet stopped using, the guide also includes tips on injecting more safely. As a result, critics claim the guide reflects an implicit endorsement of intravenous drug use by a government-funded health agency. One of the guide’s most vocal critics is New York City council member Peter Vallone Jr. Vallone calls the... Read more →

The DRAM Vol. 6(2) - Drinking Gone Wild? Freshman Spring Break Drinking and Negative Consequences

Research indicates that special events (e.g., 21st birthdays, holidays, etc.) are times of increased alcohol consumption and alcohol-related negative consequences for college students (Lewis, Lindgren, Fossos, Neighbors, & Oster-Aaland, 2009; Perkins, 2002). This week’s DRAM reviews a study that examined the association between alcohol intake and negative consequences among freshman college students during Spring Break (SB) (Lee, Lewis, & Neighbors, 2009). Methods Participants (n=726) were freshman college students who participated in a longitudinal web-based survey regarding alcohol intake; these students qualified as heavy drinkers (i.e., one or more incidents of heavy drinking in the past month; 4+ drinks for women,... Read more →

The WAGER, Vol. 15(2) - March Madness

It’s that time of the year again…March Madness. Next to the Super Bowl, this event stimulates the most sports wagering in the U.S. During 2004, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) conducted a national survey of gambling and other high risk behaviors among college athletes, which is described in a number of publications or reports (Ellenbogen, Jacobs, Derevensky, Gupta, & Paskus, 2008; Huang, Jacobs, Derevensky, Gupta, & Paskus, 2007a, 2007b; Petr, Paskus, & Dunkle, 2004). This survey revealed that college athletes (especially males) evidenced sports betting despite the NCAA rules prohibiting student-athletes from wagering on college or professional sports. In... Read more →