The Brief Addiction Science Information Source (BASIS)

ASHES Vol. 12(9) - What’s stalling reductions in tobacco use among US high school students?

From 2000 to 2009 current tobacco use among US high school students dropped from 34.5% to 23.9%. Since about 2010, there has not been any significant change in overall tobacco use among youth despite continued investment in tobacco use prevention by the federal and state governments. Understanding the underlying patterns of youth tobacco consumption can help us understand this stagnation and guide tobacco prevention efforts. In this week’s ASHES, we review a study by Tushar Singh and his colleagues that examined patterns of tobacco use among high school students in the US. What is the research question? What is the... Read more →

The DRAM Vol. 12(9) – “To drink or not to drink?” Abstinence and quality of life among recovering people

Members of the treatment community disagree about whether abstinence is required to recover from addiction. Many individuals who still consume alcohol consider themselves “in recovery.” This week, The DRAM reviews a study by Meenakshi Sabina Subbaraman and Jane Witbrodt that examined whether quality of life differs between abstinent and non-abstinent individuals who self-identify as “in recovery.” What was the research question? How do abstinent and non-abstinent people in recovery differ, and how does abstinence relate to quality of life? What did the researchers do? Over 5,000 individuals 18 years or older self-identifying as “in recovery” from alcohol and/or drugs were... Read more →

The WAGER Vol. 21(9) – Are veterans’ military experiences associated with problem gambling?

Since the fall of 2001, almost 2 million US soldiers have served in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. Those who have served in combat are at increased risk for psychological and cognitive problems, sometimes referred to as the “invisible wounds of war.” It should come as no surprise, then, that military veterans who have served in combat also are at an elevated risk for problem gambling. This week, The WAGER reviews a study by Seth Whiting and his colleagues which examined if veterans’ military experiences are associated with problem gambling. What was the research question? Are the stress, mental health... Read more →

STASH Vol. 12(8) – Using substances to treat chronic pain

Editor’s Note: We’re proud to announce that Dr. Daniel Alford will speak on the topic of “Best Practices in Treating Opioid Use Disorders with Medications” 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. Alford and his colleagues at the Clinical Addiction Research and Education (CARE) Unit at the Boston University School of Medicine. People who struggle with chronic pain often experience daily difficulties, such as depression and anxiety symptoms, sleep disturbance, substance use, and increased use of healthcare systems. Because chronic... Read more →

MM's Story

Editor’s note: This article was written by “MM,” a student at William J. Ostiguy High School, a recovery high school in Boston, Massachusetts. MM 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 MM’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. Woke up feeling like... Fell asleep looking like…. Went to school acting like…. Came home at... Read more →

ASHES, Vol. 12(8) – How did we get here? Trajectories of tobacco use

No two smokers have precisely the same history with cigarettes. People start smoking at different times in their lives, and some escalate to consistent smoking faster than others. Studying these patterns of use over time—or trajectories—helps us identify times to intervene. In this week’s ASHES, we review a multi-decade longitudinal study by Jonathan Macy and his colleagues that followed both smokers and smokeless tobacco users and tracked their trajectories. What is the research question? What are the most common trajectories for smoking behavior and smokeless tobacco use? What did the researchers do? Macy and his colleagues drew from the Indiana... Read more →