The Brief Addiction Science Information Source (BASIS)

ASHES, Vol. 13(9) – Does contingency management help smokers with alcohol dependence quit smoking?

Individuals with alcohol dependence have much higher rates of tobacco use than the general population. Clinical practice guidelines suggest that smokers receiving treatment for other substance use be offered evidence-based treatment for smoking cessation. One such treatment is contingency management, where patients receive positive reinforcement for engaging in behaviors that lead to abstinence or reduced smoking. This week, ASHES reviews a study done by Judith Conney and her colleagues that evaluates contingency management as an intervention for smoking cessation among patients receiving treatment for alcohol use problems. What was the research question? Does contingency management help veterans in treatment for... Read more →

The DRAM, Vol. 13(9) – Bottoms up: Changes in alcohol use and misuse across a decade

Many substance use studies focus either on specific subpopulations or specific programs for reducing harms. To examine trends in the greater population, including trends that indicate increasing or decreasing prevalence of substance use disorders, researchers conduct large, population-wide studies. This week, The DRAM reviews a comparison of findings from two waves of a seminal study of alcohol use in the US by Bridget F. Grant and her colleagues. What was the research question? How have the prevalence rates for past-year alcohol consumption, high-risk drinking, and alcohol use disorder changed from 2001-2002 to 2012-2013? What did the researchers do? Grant and... Read more →

The WAGER, Vol. 22(9): The chicken or the egg? Gambling fallacies and gambling problems

Gambling fallacies (i.e., mistaken beliefs about how gambling works, such as the belief that certain items may be “lucky”) predict and maintain gambling-related problems. Several treatment and prevention measures for gambling-related problems therefore focus on correcting gambling fallacies. However, most studies supporting the link between gambling fallacies and gambling-related problems have been cross-sectional, making it impossible to determine whether the gambling fallacies precede the gambling-related problems. Meanwhile, other research has identified additional factors that are strong predictors of gambling-related problems, including aspects of gambling involvement such as gambling frequency and number of games played. In a 2016 paper, Carrie Leonard... Read more →

ASHES, Vol. 13(8) – Daughters of mothers who smoke: Are they more likely to smoke during their own pregnancies?

Editor's note: Ms. Julia Peterson, an undergraduate student at Oberlin College, wrote the following research review. Ms. Peterson is completing the Division on Addiction's Summer Research Mentorship program. Children of mothers who smoke during pregnancy are at risk for a variety of adverse health outcomes, and are more likely than others to smoke and become dependent on nicotine as adults. However, as of 2013, an estimated 9% of women in the United States still smoked during pregnancy. When studying the population of mothers who smoke during pregnancy, it is important to consider intergenerational effects – that is, are daughters of... Read more →

STASH, Vol. 13 (8) - Understanding the facets of addiction stigma

Here at the BASIS, we are guided by our mission to increase awareness, to reduce stigma, and ultimately, to improve lives. More than 10 years ago, in an op-ed for The BASIS, we highlighted the dehumanization of patients with addiction that persists in our society, and the consequent challenges to recovery that it poses. In the decade since the publication of the op-ed, has there been sufficient progress in reducing stigma? Sadly, despite educational efforts, a knee-jerk reaction to a patient with addiction still is not uncommon. Too often, we are quick to associate addiction with some sort of moral... Read more →