The Brief Addiction Science Information Source (BASIS)

The DRAM, Vol. 9(9) - Brew for two: The reciprocal effects of alcohol expectancies and drinking with one’s spouse

Alcohol misuse can certainly tarnish a romance. But for many couples, research suggests that drinking together is associated with building intimacy and relationship satisfaction (Homish & Leonard, 2005; Levitt & Cooper, 2010). This research suggests the existence of a motivational feedback loop: couples might expect to experience positive effects from drinking together, and so drink together. Then, drinking together might reinforce beliefs about alcohol and relationship intimacy. This week’s DRAM reviews a study that tested the motivational feedback loop hypothesis by studying couples over their first 9 years of marriage (Levitt & Leonard, 2012). Methods The present study analyzed a... Read more →

The WAGER, Vol. 18(9) - Strong odds: The comorbidity of gambling disorders with alcohol and depression among college students

Among the general population, those with gambling disorders often suffer from a variety of co-occurring disorders (e.g., anxiety, depression, substance abuse; Kessler et al., 2008; Lorains, Cowlishaw, & Thomas, 2011). College students also are at increased risk for gambling disorders, drinking problems, anxiety, and mood disorders (American College Health Association, 2013; Hingson, Zha, & Weitzman, 2009; Shaffer & Hall, 2001), but few studies have studied how risk for experiencing co-occurring conditions varies by disorder. This week’s WAGER reviews a study that examined gambling disorders and co-occurring psychiatric disorders among college students (Martin, Usdan, Cremeens, & Vail-Smith, 2013). Methods During the... Read more →

STASH, Vol. 9(9) - Words with friends: Linguistic acculturation, self-control and peer drug use among Hispanic adolescents

Some studies have found that acculturation—the process by which immigrants adapt to a host culture—can predict risky drug use behavior. For example, greater English language (i.e., linguistic acculturation) use has been associated with more cigarette, alcohol, and illicit drug use among Hispanic adolescents (Unger et al., 2009; Myers et al., 2009). However, research has yet to determine the mechanisms through which acculturation leads to drug use behavior. In this week’s STASH, we review a study by Pokhrel and colleagues (2013), which examined whether social self-control, peer substance use, and personal substance use mediate the relationship between the acculturation of Hispanic... Read more →

ASHES, Vol. 9(8) - When dramatic becomes dangerous: The relationship between smoking in movies and adolescent smoking

Lacking a stable identity and searching outside of the self for acceptance is a combination that makes adolescents an especially impressionable age group often influenced by the messages within their environment. Substantial evidence suggests that exposure to smoking in movies is causally related to the initiation of smoking among U.S. adolescents. However, European youth have more access to movies that feature smoking, as many European countries have less strict regulations for smoking imagery in film (Morgenstern et al., 2013). This week’s ASHES reviews the first longitudinal study to examine the relationship between exposure to smoking imagery in movies and smoking... Read more →