The Brief Addiction Science Information Source (BASIS)

The DRAM, Vol. 12(8) – Follow my lead: Benefits of 12-step sponsor relationship for recovery

Editor’s Note: We’re proud to announce that Dr. John Kelly will speak on the topic of “12-Step Recovery: Looking 20 Years Back and 20 Years Ahead” at this fall’s Addiction Medicine continuing medical education course, presented by the Division on Addiction through Harvard Medical School. In today’s article, we review research from Dr. Kelly and his colleagues at the Recovery Research Institute at Massachusetts General Hospital. An individual’s pathway to recovery from a substance use disorder might include self-help, spiritual guidance, 12-step mutual help organization (12-step), professional help or some combination of each. For those who seek professional help, “therapeutic... Read more →

The WAGER, Vol. 21(8) –Understanding factors associated with problem gambling in a clinical sample

During treatment for gambling problems, it is common for a counselor to encourage the client to change his or her thoughts and feelings about gambling. However, most of the research about the role of gambling thoughts and feelings comes from community samples, not clinical samples. Therefore, understanding how these and other factors predict problem gambling severity among clinical populations might be useful in developing effective treatment options. This week, The WAGER reviews a study by Tian Po Oei and Namrata Raylu, which examined how cognitive and psychosocial variables, including alcohol use/misuse, relate to gambling problems in a clinical population. What... Read more →

STASH, Vol. 12(7) – Drug-attributable deaths in the Boston-area homeless population

Editor’s Note: We’re proud to announce that Dr. Jim O’Connell will speak on the topic of “Treating Addiction with Humility and Respect: Lessons Learned Providing Care at the Edge of Society” at this fall’s Addiction Medicine continuing medical education course, presented by the Division on Addiction through Harvard Medical School. In today’s article, we review research from Dr. O’Connell and his colleagues at the Boston Health Care for the Homeless program. People experiencing homelessness are more likely to die than people of the same age, and even income status, who have stable housing. Some of this mortality gap might be... Read more →

RB's Story

Editor’s note: This article was written by “RB,” a student at at William J. Ostiguy High School, a recovery high school in Boston, Massachusetts. RB shares his experiences with a substance use disorder and other challenges. We are grateful that he has chosen to share his story with readers of The BASIS. In some places, we have supplemented RB’s article with further details from the scientific literature; please see the Footnotes. Please be aware that this article includes descriptions of substance use and its consequences. The Day That Never Comes April 4, 2014… The day that I decided to change... Read more →

ASHES, Vol. 12(7) – Does opportunity influence cigarette cravings?

Almost everyone has experienced some sort of craving in their lifetime. In the world of research, cravings are frequently studied in relation to addictive behavior like drug use; however, it is still unclear how cravings emerge. This week, ASHES reviews a study by Michael Sayette and John Dimoff that looked at whether people experience smoking cues differently depending on whether they are trying to quit and whether they think they will be allowed to smoke. What is the research question? Do participants who expect to smoke soon find smoking stimuli more attractive than those who are not expecting to smoke?... Read more →