The Brief Addiction Science Information Source (BASIS)

In two weeks: Addiction Medicine Continuing Education Course

If you’re a health professional who sees clients who have addictive disorders, consider joining us October 10-11 at the 2014 Addiction Medicine Continuing Education course, to be held at the Revere Hotel in Boston. Whether you treat these clients’ addictive behavior yourself, or just want to know how co-occurring addictive behavior will affect your treatment plans, Addiction Medicine is for you. This year’s course highlights the interconnected nature of physical and psychological health conditions, including multiple expressions of addiction. Michael Botticelli, recently nominated to be director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, will provide the Keynote... Read more →

Introduction to the Special Series on Addiction and College Students

It’s that time of year again –the days are shorter, the air is cooler, and students are heading back to school. Students beginning college will face new challenges and decisions as they adjust to living with peers instead of parents. Research indicates that college students and other emerging adults are at high risk, compared to other age groups, for a variety of expressions of addiction. To shed more light on this research, we are dedicating the month of September to issues of addiction among college students. First, ASHES reviewed a study suggesting that designated on-campus smoking areas might have some... Read more →

The DRAM, Vol. 10(10) - Doubling down: Changing drinking behavior in college students who drink and smoke

Today we continue our Special Series on Addiction and College Students. Some research suggests that college students who smoke drink more heavily and frequently than nonsmokers (Weitzman & Chen, 2005). This combination presents health problems. Computer-assisted and mobile phone-based interventions hold promise for people in the college population, who increasingly interact with and rely upon mobile electronic devices in their daily lives. This week’s DRAM reviews the success of a brief mobile intervention that targets both heavy drinking and smoking in a group of college students (Witkiewitz, Desai, Bowen, Leigh, Kirouac, & Larimer, 2014). Methods 94 college students were recruited... Read more →

The WAGER, Vol. 19(10) - Can outcome expectancies predict gambling problems in student-athletes?

In a previous BASIS article, we described how people tend to drink more when they have positive expectations about the outcomes of their drinking . Although researchers have developed a better understanding of gambling behavior in adolescents and college students (LaBrie et al. 2003, Wickwire et al. 2007), researchers know little about the role of outcome expectancies in gambling behavior among collegiate students-athletes. Today, as part of our Special Series on Addiction and College Students, The WAGER reviews a recent study that investigates how gambling outcome expectations might predict problem gambling in college student-athletes (St-Pierre et al., 2014). Method The... Read more →

Register now: Addiction Medicine Continuing Education Course

We invite clinicians, practitioners, and allied health professionals who treat clients with addictive disorders to attend the 2014 Addiction Medicine Continuing Education course, to be held October 10-11 at the Revere Hotel in Boston. Michael Botticelli, recently nominated to be director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, will provide the Keynote Address: A Drug Policy for the 21st Century.† The primary focus of the 2014 course is "A Case-based Approach to the Integrated Treatment of Addictive Disorders and Other Mental and Medical Conditions." Our expert faculty provides a forum for dialogue and participant interaction through lectures,... Read more →

STASH, Vol. 10(10) - College student reports of driving under the influence

Driving under the influence (DUI) of intoxicants is an ongoing public health issue. Although most attention focuses on alcohol-related DUI, public health stakeholders recently have directed more attention toward DUI of other drugs. Reports suggest that cannabis use, for example, doubles one’s risk for a motor vehicle crash (Asbridge et al., 2012). This week, as part of our Special Series on Addiction and College Students, STASH reports on a recent study of college student cannabis- and alcohol-related DUI (Whitehill et al., 2014). Method Participants were 315 college students (56% female, ages 18-20 years) participating in an ongoing longitudinal study that... Read more →

College students are vulnerable to addiction: Can we do anything to help?

Editor's Note: This editorial was written by Ryan J. Martin, Ph.D. Dr. Martin is an assistant professor in the Department of Health Education and Promotion at East Carolina University. This editorial is part of September's Special Series on Addiction and College Students. Movies and television shows often portray college students as heavy partiers who use and abuse a variety of substances, including alcohol and other drugs. However, we know that stereotypes are not always consistent with reality. This BASIS editorial explores the important addiction-related risks that college students actually experience and considers the implications for those with an interest in... Read more →

ASHES, Vol. 10(9) - College lab rats: Literally

Many college campuses allow smoking only in specific areas on campus. The intent of such policies is to (1) reduce second-hand smoke exposure among non-smokers and (2) limit smoking opportunities among college students who do smoke. However, these practices might have unintended consequences. Animal model studies suggest that social interaction can reinforce the rewards obtained from nicotine; pairing the two together appears to make both more rewarding (see Thiel, Sanabria, & Neiswander, 2009). Today, as part of our Special Series on Addiction and College Students, the ASHES reviews a study that applies these animal models to college smoking, testing whether... Read more →