The Brief Addiction Science Information Source (BASIS)

ASHES, Vol. 11(10) – Smoking among college students with trauma exposure: The mediating role of PTSD symptoms

Anti-smoking efforts on college campuses commonly highlight the negative health effects associated with smoking and the need to reject social pressures to smoke. College students experiencing PTSD symptoms might need special attention, because people who have experienced trauma tend to be more likely to smoke (Roberts et al., 2008). In this week’s ASHES, we review a study that explores whether PTSD symptoms mediate the relationship between trauma exposure and smoking among college students (Gabert-Quilen et al., 2014). Methods The researchers recruited college students attending psychology courses at a single University to complete a questionnaire for course credit. Three hundred and... Read more →

The DRAM, Vol. 11(10) – Energy drinks mixed with alcohol: Are students motivated to drink more?

Editor’s Note: This post was written by Luke Downey, PhD, Senior Research Fellow in the Centre for Human Psychopharmacology, Swinburne University of Technology. Dr. Downey recently completed the Division on Addiction Visiting Scholars Program. Whilst energy drinks improve aspects of mental performance and feelings of alertness, recent articles suggest that energy drink consumption combined with alcohol may reduce perception of alcohol intoxication, or lead to increased alcohol or drug use (e.g., Marczinski & Fillmore, 2014). This issue of the DRAM explores students’ motives for consuming energy drinks, and how those motives relate to their levels of alcohol consumption (Verster, Benson... Read more →

The WAGER, Vol. 20(10) – Feeling better without losing: Decreasing disordered gambling and improving people’s moods

Many researchers have observed an association between disordered gambling and negative mood (e.g., Hodgins et al., 2005, Lorains et al., 2011). It stands to reason that addressing and reducing gamblers’ disordered behaviors might also improve their mood and outlook on life. This week The WAGER reviews a study that compares the effects of two brief interventions for disordered gambling on gamblers’ negative moods (Geisner et al., 2015). Methods The researchers randomly sampled 6,457 college students at a large university on the West Coast of the United States. A total of 139 students met the criteria for inclusion in this study,... Read more →

STASH Vol. 11(9) – Sharing isn’t caring: Troubling substance use among those who illegally obtain medical marijuana

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 23 states have legalized the medicinal use of marijuana. With the increased legal access to marijuana comes the potential for unintended consequences, such as drugged driving. This week’s STASH reviews a recent study by Boyd and colleagues (2015) which examined whether teens who use medical marijuana -- prescribed to them or someone else -- report riskier substance use than those who use illicit marijuana. Methods Researchers using a cross-sectional study design conducted secondary data analysis of the Monitoring the Future (MTF) data from 2012 and 2013 (Johnston, O’Malley, Bachman, & Schulenberg, 2013).... Read more →

ASHES, Vol. 11(9) – Vape it or leave it: Former smokers report less dependence on e-cigarettes than regular cigarettes

Many people use e-cigarettes because they view them as a relatively healthy alternative to cigarettes (Chapman & Wu, 2014). Previously, we have described e-cigarette use patterns (ASHES 10(3)) and associated health changes (ASHES 11(7)). However, it is unclear whether e-cigarettes have the potential to create physical or psychological dependence to the same extent as cigarettes. This week, we review a study that compared smoking behavior and dependence potential for cigarettes and e-cigarettes (Foulds et al., 2014). Methods The researchers developed a 10-item questionnaire (The Penn State Electronic Cigarette Dependence Index) to assess participants’ use of, and dependency on, both cigarettes... Read more →