The Brief Addiction Science Information Source (BASIS)

Introduction to the Special Series on Alcohol Awareness Month

This month, in recognition of Alcohol Awareness Month, The BASIS begins a four-part series focusing on responsible drinking practices, policies, and interventions. Earlier, The DRAM reviewed a study that investigated how local alcohol policies and drinking environment influence adolescent and adult drinking behaviors. ASHES examined the association between higher cigarette taxes and drinking behavior. Last week's STASH examined the combined effects of alcohol and marijuana upon driving. This week, The WAGER looks at differences in alcohol use and general health outcomes for recreational gamblers. On Friday, April 25, The BASIS presented a Guest Editorial written by Judge J. Michael Kavanaugh,... Read more →

The WAGER, Vol. 19(5) - Variety is the spice of life? Negative health outcomes and risky alcohol use for people who gamble recreationally in multiple venues

With casino gambling expansion occurring around the world, researchers continue to monitor the relationship between gambling and health outcomes. Some studies have suggested that different gambling venues relate to adverse health outcomes. For example, some studies have found that gambling that occurs outside of casinos (i.e., card-playing) is strongly associated with drug and alcohol use and gambling problems, while others have linked casino gambling with gambling problems (Welte et al., 2007; Goudriaan et al., 2009). As part of our Special Series for Alcohol Awareness Month, The WAGER reviews a study that looks at differences in alcohol use and general health... Read more →

DWI Courts are no longer a promising experiment—THEY WORK!

Editor's Note: This Guest Editorial was written by Judge J. Michael Kavanaugh, Senior Director of the National Center for DWI Courts, as part of our Special Series on Alcohol Awareness Month. DWI Courts were among the earliest progeny of the drug court movement which began in Miami-Dade County , Florida in 1989, 25 years ago. Although the first stand-alone DWI Court launched in Las Cruces, New Mexico, in 1994, it wasn’t until 1997 that the second program began accepting DWI repeat offenders in Albuquerque, New Mexico’s Metropolitan Court. This DWI Court would serve as a model and mentor court for... Read more →

STASH, Vol. 10(5) - Double Trouble: The impact of alcohol and marijuana on driving among regular and non-regular users

An increased call for the legalization of marijuana has led some public health experts to consider a diversity of potential impacts. For instance, in the United States, the Office of National Drug Control Policy has established one of its goals as reducing drugged driving by 10% by 2015. Likewise, an international panel of researchers has developed guidelines for research on drugged driving. With alcohol intoxication continuing to create a public health threat, it is important to consider the potential effects of both substances on driving safety. This week, as part of our Special Series on Alcohol Awareness Month, we describe... Read more →

ASHES, Vol. 10(4) - Tax Time: Increased cigarette taxes are associated with reductions in alcohol consumption

Cigarette taxes are effective in reducing smoking (Chaloupka, Yurekli, & Fong, 2012; Wilson & Thomson, 2005). Other smoking reduction policies, such as smoking bans, are associated with reductions in alcohol consumption(Kasza, McKee, Rivard et al., 2012), perhaps because smoking and drinking often go hand-in-hand. This week, in this second installment of our Special Series on Alcohol Awareness Month, ASHES reviews a longitudinal study that examines whether higher cigarette taxes are associated with reduced drinking behavior (Young-Wolff, Kasza, Hyland et al., 2014). Methods Researchers used data from Waves I and II of the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions... Read more →

The DRAM, Vol. 10(4) - Bar none: Local drinking environment linked to adolescent drinking behaviors

Alcohol policies are often set at the national or state level. However, enforcement of these policies, and establishment of regulations to guide alcohol service and accessibility, occur at the local level. As a result, communities within a single state can vary widely in their drinking environment. This week, The DRAM reviews a study by Paschall and colleagues (2014) examining how (1) the local alcohol environment and (2) adolescent alcohol perceptions jointly influence adolescent drinking behaviors. This review is part of our Special Series on Alcohol Awareness Month. Methods Participants were adolescents from 1,543 households (50.4% of recruited households) spread across... Read more →

White Whales and April Fools

Editor's Note: Nancy Costikyan, MSW, LICSW, Director of the Office of Work/Life at Harvard University and Lecturer on Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, contributed this piece. “Better sleep with a sober cannibal than a drunken Christian.” ~ Moby Dick Many of those who enter the field of addiction treatment and research do so with great visions of large-scale change: we hope to eliminate the stigma of addiction; break down the barriers to treatment; or educate an ill-informed public. Whatever personal white whale we seek to vanquish, addiction treatment providers often learn over time to chart a more modest course: to... Read more →

The WAGER, Vol. 19(4) - Betting on bad health: Harmful health behaviors among problem gamblers

Problem gambling has many costs. Costs can include personal, financial, and even legal trouble. But, fallout from gambling isn’t just social and emotional. Research shows that problem gambling also is linked with physical health problems (Black et al., 20102). Today The WAGER reviews research that links problem gambling with a number of harmful health behaviors, including lack of physical activity and obesity (Algren et al., 2014). Methods Participants were 19,673 Danish citizens (46% male, 54% female) who completed the Danish Health and Morbidity Survey during 2005 or 2010, which included the two-item lie/bet gambling questionnaire:1 Participants who responded “Yes, in... Read more →