The Brief Addiction Science Information Source (BASIS)

Op-Ed/Editorials: List of selected recipients for July giveaway

The Division on Addiction is pleased to announce the following people will receive a copy of Harvard Health Publications' new book, Almost a Psychopath: Do I (or Does Someone I know) Have a Problem with Manipulation and Lack of Empathy? - Tracie Afifi, Farah Ahmad, Susan Azul, George Dominiak, Carlise Downie, Joanne Fendell, Jeanne Holbrook, Stephen Merritt, Linda Norton, Lindsay Passarello, Nanciellen Poulin, Glen Rampton, Andrea Ryan, Stephen Whiting Trish Wright, and five others. Read more →

Op-Ed/Editorials - Celebrating 20 Years with Monthly Giveaways: July Reminder

2012 is the 20th anniversary of the Division on Addiction #DOA20th. To celebrate, each month we will host one anniversary event. This month, we are giving away 20 copies of Harvard Health Publications' new book, Almost a Psychopath: Do I (or Does Someone I know) Have a Problem with Manipulation and Lack of Empathy? There are a few days left to enter. For more information about this highly discussed book, you can visit the following sites: The Almost Effect, ABC News - Almost Psychopaths Chronically Lie, Manipulate, but Fall Short of a Diagnosis, or The New York Times - Shades... Read more →

The WAGER, Vol. 17(6) - Fun with Friends: The influence of social networks on gambling problems

Researchers increasingly have become interested to investigate the environmental and social factors surrounding those with addiction. One of the tools used in this investigation is social network analysis (SNA). Fundamentally, SNA rests upon the assumption that the people a person interacts with regularly can influence that person’s behaviors and attitudes. SNA has been applied extensively to alcohol use and smoking (e.g., Christakis & Fowler, 2008), but it has not been applied to gambling behavior until now. This week’s WAGER reviews the first attempt to apply SNA to gambling behavior and related problems (Fortune, MacKillop, Miller, Campbell, Clifton & Goodie, 2012).... Read more →

Op-Ed/Editorials: Celebrating 20 Years with Monthly Giveaways - July Reminder

2012 is the 20th anniversary of the Division on Addiction #DOA20th. To celebrate, each month we will host one anniversary event. This month, we are giving away 20 copies of Harvard Health Publications' new book, Almost a Psychopath: Do I (or Does Someone I know) Have a Problem with Manipulation and Lack of Empathy? There is about a week left to enter. For more information about this highly discussed book, you can visit the following sites: The Almost Effect, ABC News - Almost Psychopaths Chronically Lie, Manipulate, but Fall Short of a Diagnosis, or The New York Times - Shades... Read more →

STASH, Vol. 8(6) - Something to cry about: Harsh physical punishment and future risk for drug and alcohol use disorders

Children who experience corporal punishment are at higher risk for later aggression, delinquency, and overall poor mental health, including substance abuse/dependence (e.g., Gershoff, 2002; MacMillan, Boyle, Wong, Duku, Fleming & Walsh, 1999). However, due to measurement issues, it is unclear whether these associations are found outside the context of extreme childhood maltreatment (Baumrind, Larzelere, & Cowan, 2002). This week’s STASH reviews a nationally representative survey investigating the associations between childhood physical punishment in the absence of extreme maltreatment and a range of adult mental health conditions, including drug and alcohol use disorders (Afifi, Mota, Dasiewicz, MacMillan & Sareen, 2012). Method... Read more →

Op-Ed/Editorials: Celebrating 20 Years with Monthly Giveaways - July

2012 is the 20th anniversary of the Division on Addiction #DOA20th. To celebrate, each month we will host one anniversary event. During June, we gave away 20 copies of Overcoming Addiction: Paths toward Recovery, A Harvard Medical School Special Health Report. This month, we are giving away 20 copies of Harvard Health Publications' new book, Almost a Psychopath: Do I (or Does Someone I know) Have a Problem with Manipulation and Lack of Empathy? For more information about this highly discussed book, you can visit the following sites: The Almost Effect, ABC News - Almost Psychopaths Chronically Lie, Manipulate, but... Read more →

Addiction & the Humanities, Vol. 8(6)—Help, I’m alive: The pathologizing of everyday life in direct pharmaceutical advertising

This week, we begin a series focusing on addiction and advertising. The next three issues of Addiction & the Humanities will explore the relationship between advertisements, drug use and public perceptions of addiction. The use of psychotropic medications, including anti-depressants, stimulants, and anti-psychotics, is strong and growing among Americans. The total number of Americans taking antidepressants doubled between 1996 and 2005 (Olfson, 2009),and American children are approximately three times more likely to be prescribed psychotropic medication than children in some European countries (Zito, 2008). Some researchers (e.g., Zito, 2008) suggest that pharmaceutical advertising plays a role in these trends by... Read more →

ASHES Vol. 8(6) – Brush, Floss, and Quit: Can Your Dentist Help You Stop Smoking?

In addition to respiratory and cardiovascular damage, tobacco use has severe adverse oral health effects including, cancer, oral disease, tooth decay, and diminished taste. Although dentists might be in a unique position to aid patients in achieving tobacco cessation, only 40% report such activities (Tomar, 2001). This issue of ASHES reviews a study by Carr and Ebbert (2012) that examined whether cessation interventions administered by oral health professionals in both dental and community settings are more effective than usual care regarding tobacco use. Methods Researchers compiled data from fourteen randomized clinical trial studies. Each trial met the qualifications that the... Read more →