The Brief Addiction Science Information Source (BASIS)

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

The Division on Addiction is pleased to announce the following people will receive a signed photographic print from Dr. Howard Shaffer's Expressions of Addiction Public Awareness and Education Project - Tracie Afifi, Carlise Downie, Nanciellen Poulin, Stephen Whiting, and sixteen others. Thank you for celebrating our 20th anniversary with us! Read more →

The WAGER, Vol. 17(7) - You’re cut off! Can casinos identify problem gamblers?

“Hey buddy, I think you’ve had too much. Let me call you a cab.” We are all familiar with this bar scene. The bartender decides when a drinker should be cut off, based on how many drinks he has had and how he is acting. But, unless a gambler is suspected of cheating, we might not see similar behavior from a dealer in a casino. Why not? Unlike problem drinking or drugging, problem gambling does not produce specific, easily observable, and predictable behavior. This week, the WAGER reviews a study that tested whether casino employees could use their knowledge of... Read more →

Op-Ed/Editorials: Celebrating 20 Years with Monthly Giveaways - August 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 a signed Expressions of Addiction photographic print. Check out EXPRESSIONSOFADDICTION.COM to see the gallery of prints by Dr. Howard Shaffer. There is one week left to enter. To be eligible to receive a signed print, tell us what print you want and why at basis@divisiononaddictions.org by August 30th. On August 31st, we will post a list of 20 print recipients. Thanks for celebrating with us! Read more →

STASH, Vol. 8(7) - In the moment: Proximal antecedents of marijuana use

The Addiction Syndrome (Shaffer, LaPlante, & Nelson, 2012a; Shaffer et al., 2012b) model suggests that addictive behavior develops, in part, over time as a consequence of specific distal and proximal antecedents -- factors that create longer-term and shorter-term risk, respectively. Although researchers have given a great deal of scientific attention to longer-term risk factors, they have paid less attention to the proximal antecedents of addictive behavior (Najavits, 2012). This week’s STASH reviews analyses of ecological momentary assessments from marijuana users to identify common proximal events for marijuana use (Buckner, Crosby, Silgado, Wonderlich, & Schmidt, 2012). Methods Researchers recruited 49 18-22... Read more →

Op-Ed/Editorials: Celebrating 20 Years with Monthly Giveaways - August 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 a signed Expressions of Addiction photographic print. Check out EXPRESSIONSOFADDICTION.COM to see the gallery of prints by Dr. Howard Shaffer. There are two weeks left to enter. To be eligible to receive a signed print, tell us what print you want and why at basis@divisiononaddictions.org by August 30th. On August 31st, we will post a list of 20 print recipients. Thanks for celebrating with us! Read more →

Addiction & the Humanities, Vol. 8(7) - Just Do It? Selling exercise and addiction in Nike campaigns

This week, we continue a series focusing on addiction and advertising. In this series, we explore the relationship between advertisements, drug use, and public perceptions of addiction. In the last Addiction & the Humanities, we analyzed messages about drug use in pharmaceutical advertisements. Just like pharmaceutical companies, major commercial brands sometimes use popular notions about drugs to sell their products. This week’s Addiction & the Humanities examines a recent advertising campaign in which Nike used expressions of drug addiction to sell shoes. Nike hired Saatchi & Saatchi, an international marketing firm, to run the advertising campaign in Brazil. The first... Read more →

Op-Ed/Editorials: Celebrating 20 Years with Monthly Giveaways - August 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 a signed Expressions of Addiction photographic print. Check out EXPRESSIONSOFADDICTION.COM to see the gallery of prints by Dr. Howard Shaffer. To be eligible to receive a signed print, tell us what print you want and why at basis@divisiononaddictions.org by August 30th. On August 31st, we will post a list of 20 print recipients. Thanks for celebrating with us! Read more →

ASHES, Vol. 8(7) - Anything you encode, I encode better: Gender differences in the effects of tobacco abstinence on memory

Among frequent smokers, withdrawal from smoking can be complicated by impaired memory (Heishman, Kleykamp, & Singleton. 2010). Although gender also affects memory (Krueger & Salthouse, 2010), researchers have not typically considered how gender and smoking status might interact to influence memory. This issue of ASHES reviews a pilot study by Merritt, Cobb and Cook (2012), which explored the possibility that abstinence from smoking affects men and women’s memories differently. Methods Researchers recruited twenty-five moderate to heavy smokers (12 male, 13 female; ages 18-35) to participate in a study of memory and smoking status. Each participant took part in two experimental... Read more →

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

2012 is the 20th anniversary of the Division on Addiction #DOA20th. To celebrate, each month we will host one anniversary event. During July, we gave 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? This month we are giving away 20 copies of a signed Expressions of Addiction photographic print. Check out EXPRESSIONSOFADDICTION.COM to see the gallery of prints by Dr. Howard Shaffer. To be eligible to receive a signed print, tell us what print you want and why at basis@divisiononaddictions.org... Read more →

The DRAM, Vol. 8(7) - Coping motives for drinking: The link between Social Anxiety Disorder and alcohol problems

People suffering from anxiety disorders often drink to cope with that anxiety (Carrigan & Randall, 2003; Kushner, Abrams, & Borchardt, 2000). Those who have Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) might be particularly prone to this type of self-medication behavior because social situations and alcohol tend to go together. It follows that for those with SAD, drinking motives might mediate the relationship between SAD and alcohol problems. This week, the DRAM reviews a recent study that examined the specific relationship between SAD and coping motives for drinking (Windle & Windle, 2012). Methods The sample consisted of a subgroup of 717 individuals from... Read more →