The Brief Addiction Science Information Source (BASIS)

Op-Ed/Editorials - Deadline Extended for Lifetime Achievement Award Nominations and November Giveaway Recipients

Deadline Extended: December 14, 2012 The Division on Addiction seeks nominations for its 2012 Lifetime Achievement Award. Nominations are welcome from any interested party and nominees can reside anywhere in the world. The Lifetime Achievement Award is given to individuals who have made sustained, outstanding, and unusually significant contributions to the study and treatment of addiction throughout a career. Please send nominations in writing to Tasha Chandler (Head of Research and Academic Operations, Division on Addiction, 101 Station Landing, Suite 2100, Medford, MA 02155; [email protected]) by December 14, 2012. Nominations should include the nominee’s CV and a letter clearly identifying... Read more →

Addiction & the Humanities, Vol. 8(10) - The Main Event: ESPN covers recovery and redemption

On October 31, 24-year old Greg Merson won the Main Event of the 2012 World Series of Poker. As a part of their coverage of the biggest live poker tournament in the world (6598 entrants, 7 days of play during the summer, two days of play during October), ESPN and other poker media covered his struggles with addiction, from his past with marijuana and cocaine to his current efforts and strategies for staying clean. Today's Addiction & the Humanities explores this coverage. ESPN’s coverage of Days 1 through 7 During the summer, teams at ESPN edited hours of footage from... Read more →

Op-Ed/Editorials - November Giveaway & Accepting Nominations for Lifetime Achievement Award

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 Anne Fletcher's forthcoming book, Inside Rehab: The Surprising Truth about Addiction Treatment - and How to Get Help that Works. There is one week left to enter. To be eligible to receive a copy of this new book, tell us how you use the BASIS at [email protected] by November 29. On November 30, we will post a list of 20 recipients who email us the best uses of The BASIS... Read more →

ASHES, Vol. 8(10) - What do Mom and Dad think? Perceptions of parental smoking attitudes and youth smoking intentions

Many people worry that the media negatively influences the youth of today. Movies and television frequently bombard us with content that includes violence, drug use, promiscuity, and other risky behaviors. Although to some, tobacco and cigarette smoking might seem like less dramatic issues, their frequent portrayal in TV shows and movies as, stylish, tough, sexy, and cool is worth attention. This week ASHES reviews a study by McCool, Cameron, and Robinson (2011) that analyzes the association between adolescents’ perception of parental attitudes and the way they respond to themes and images of smoking/tobacco in the media. Methods Researchers presented a... Read more →

Op-Ed/Editorials - November Giveaway & Accepting Nominations for Lifetime Achievement Award

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 Anne Fletcher's forthcoming book, Inside Rehab: The Surprising Truth about Addiction Treatment - and How to Get Help that Works. There are two weeks left to enter. To be eligible to receive a copy of this new book, tell us how you use the BASIS at [email protected] by November 29. On November 30, we will post a list of 20 recipients who email us the best uses of The BASIS... Read more →

The DRAM, Vol. 8(10) - The more you drink, the more you (think you can) drive? The effects of objective and subjective intoxication on DUI behavior in college students

The majority of research on predictors of DUI behavior focuses on individual-level factors, such as personality, sensation seeking, and comorbid psychiatric disorders (Nelson & Tao, 2012). This research, however, does not take into account event-specific factors that occur immediately before DUI behavior. This week’s DRAM reviews a study that investigates some of these situational factors. In this study, Quinn and Fromme (2012) examine how objective intoxication (i.e., BAC), and subjective intoxication affect the probability of DUI behavior among a sample of college students. In particular, researchers were interested in whether the disinhibiting effects of alcohol increased the probability of DUI... Read more →

Op-Ed/Editorials - November Giveaway & Accepting Nominations for Lifetime Achievement Award

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 Anne Fletcher's forthcoming book, Inside Rehab: The Surprising Truth about Addiction Treatment - and How to Get Help that Works. To be eligible to receive a copy of this new book, tell us how you use the BASIS at [email protected] by November 29. On November 30, we will post a list of 20 recipients who email us the best uses of The BASIS or Division website/research. -- The Division on... Read more →

The WAGER, Vol. 17(9) - Full tilt: Poker experience and reactive betting

Tilting is a poker term used to describe the choice of sub-optimal and risky betting strategies due to frustration, anger and other reactions to gambling outcomes. Previous studies have shown that skills necessary to control tilting (e.g., regulating negative emotions) might be acquired with experience (Palomaki, Laakasuo, & Salmela, 2012a). However, no study has directly investigated the phenomenon of tilting. This week’s WAGER reviews a study that examined if poker experience and emotional sensitivity are associated with “tilting” betting behavior (Palomaki, Laakasuo, & Salmela, 2012b). Method Four hundred seventeen poker players recruited from Finnish online poker communities completed an online... Read more →