The Brief Addiction Science Information Source (BASIS)

STASH Vol. 12(2) – More mental illness, less treatment: Female veterans in the justice system

Substance use and mental health disorders are serious concerns for veterans in the criminal justice system. Women in the criminal justice setting have a higher prevalence of drug use and mental health disorders than men. Unfortunately, due to a lack of research, it is unclear if this holds true for female veterans[1]. Recently, Andrea Finlay and her colleagues filled this knowledge gap by examining health records from the Veteran Health Association[2]. What was the research question? What is the prevalence of mental health and substance use disorders for female veterans in the criminal justice system? What did the researchers do?... Read more →

ASHES Vol. 12(2) – Does the habit stay dead? The effectiveness of high school smoking intervention

The health problems associated with smoking tobacco are well known and continue to threaten public health. High school age smokers are especially at risk for continuing to smoke into adulthood and having health complications later in life. What happens when young smokers complete interventions? Recently, researchers led by Arthur Peterson Jr. studied the long term effectiveness of high school smoking interventions[1]. This week, ASHES reviews their study. What was the research question? Do the positive effects from teen smoking interventions continue into young adulthood? What did the researchers do? The researchers studied 2,151 smokers recruited from 50 different high schools.... Read more →

The DRAM, Vol. 12(2) – Reasons for change: Alcohol use among veterans after deployment

Service members who experience combat are at heightened risk for heavy drinking after deployment.[1] Depending on their past history and their experiences during and after deployment, some veterans may be more at risk for drinking problems after deployment than others. This week, The DRAM reviews a study[2] by Trautmann and his colleagues that examined the drinking habits of German soldiers[3] both before and after deployment to Afghanistan. What is the research question? Are there factors (like previous traumatic life experience) that predict increased or decreased alcohol use after returning from deployment? What did the researchers do? Trautmann and his colleagues... Read more →

The tipping point in addiction

Editor’s Note: This op-ed/editorial was written by Lance Dodes, MD, Training and Supervising Analyst Emeritus of the Boston Psychoanalytic Society and Institute and former Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the Harvard Medical School. We’re grateful to Dr. Dodes for sharing his perspectives. A "tipping point" is a moment when there is a sudden change in a system, caused by an event that itself may be small. A recent example was the abrupt shift in attitude toward the comedian Bill Cosby. After years of allegations that were mostly ignored by the mainstream press and the public because of Cosby's upstanding... Read more →

The WAGER, Vol. 21(2) – Problem gambling has more to do with how you gamble than where you do it.

Does gambling on the internet predispose people to gambling-related problems? Some early research suggested that people who gamble online are more likely than other gamblers to have gambling-related problems.[1] More recent evidence suggests that gambling involvement— either gambling more frequently or playing lots of different types of games—is associated with gambling problems.[2] This week, The WAGER reviews research by Sally Gainsbury and colleagues that explored the relationship between how people gamble and the problems they experience. What was the research question? Do people who gamble both at gambling facilities and online experience more gambling-related problems than those who gamble only... Read more →