The Brief Addiction Science Information Source (BASIS)

The WAGER, Vol. 23(1) - Gambling problems: The power of parenting

This week, the WAGER reviews a study by Nicki Dowling and colleagues that explores how gambling expectations might influence the relationship between parent and child gambling behaviors. Read more →

STASH, Vol. 14(1) - Substance use: Housing First or treatment as usual?

This week, as part of our Special Series on Addiction and Homelessness, STASH reviews a study by Karen Urbanoski and her colleagues that explores how substance use disorder relates to the effectiveness of Housing First Programs. Read more →

What patients have taught me about addiction, homelessness, and society’s obligation to those living in the shadows

Dr. James O'Connell, President of Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program, has delivered free health care to individuals experiencing homelessness in Boston for more than 30 years. In an op-ed today, he shares his journey to becoming Boston's "street doctor" and the role that addiction has played in the lives of his patients, who live on the edge of society. Read more →

ASHES, Vol. 14(1) - Housing status and tobacco cessation among high-risk US veterans

As part of our Special Series on Addiction and Homelessness, ASHES reviews a study examining the relationship between housing status and use of tobacco cessation counseling services among US veterans with PTSD. Read more →

The DRAM, Vol.14(1) - A new treatment program for recently incarcerated homeless women

As part of our Special Series on Addiction and Homelessness, The DRAM reviews a study examining the efficacy of a DBT treatment program designed for to help this subpopulation of women abstain from alcohol and drug use. Read more →

The WAGER, Vol. 22(14) - Homelessness or gambling problems: Which comes first?

People experiencing homelessness have significantly higher rates of sub-clinical and disordered gambling-related problems than people in the general population. Many report gambling as a cause for their homelessness. This week, as part of our Special Series on Addiction and Homelessness, the WAGER reviews a study by Steve Sharman and his colleagues that explores how gambling-related problems relate to homelessness. What is the research question? How are gambling-related problems related to negative life events, including homelessness? Do gambling-related problems tend to come before or in response to homelessness? What did the researchers do? The researchers recruited 72 participants from homeless shelters,... Read more →

Introduction to the Special Series on Addiction and Homelessness

Throughout the U.S. and the world, people who experience homelessness are stigmatized to the extreme, ranging from criminalization (i.e., hostile architecture) to cruel attitudes and unspeakable hate crimes. When it comes to people who experience mental illness and homelessness—even among our cherished veterans—their combined stigma has sustained generations of blame, humiliation and casual devaluation. For the tens of thousands of Americans who experience addiction and homelessness, the stigma is virtually inescapable. Nearly 50 years after the deinstitutionalization of patients from state mental hospitals, the state of mental illness and homelessness in the U.S. remains in crisis. This is largely attributed... Read more →