The Brief Addiction Science Information Source (BASIS)

The WAGER, Vol. 25(2) - From recreational gambler to Gambling Disorder: Understanding the Pathways Model of problem gambling

This week, The WAGER reviews recent research on the Pathways Model of Problem Gambling, originally proposed by Blaszczynski & Nower in 2002, that describes the progression from first gamble to problem gambling based on different predisposing variables. Read more →

Models and Theories: How We Understand Responsible Gambling

Editor’s note: This op-ed about the application of models and theories to our understanding of responsible gambling, was written by Howard Shaffer, Morris E. Chafetz Associate Professor of Psychiatry in the Field of Behavioral Sciences at Harvard Medical School and Distinguished Faculty at the Division on Addiction at Cambridge Health Alliance, Robert Ladouceur, Professor Emeritus in the School of Psychology at the Université Laval, and Alex Blaszczynski, Professorial Research Fellow & Co-Director or the Gambling Treatment & Research Clinic, Brain and Mind Centre, at the University of Sydney, as part of this month’s Special Series on Theories of Addiction. Read more →

Recognizing Stigma Embedded in Diagnostic Criteria for Substance Use Disorders

Editor’s note: This op-ed about the enduring consequences of the moral model of addiction, was written by Tanya Freedland, MPS, LADC, a Clinical Trainer and Research Associate at the Center for Practice Transformation, and Robert Krueger, PhD, Distinguished McKnight University Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Minnesota, is part of this month’s Special Series on Theories of Addiction. Read more →

STASH, Vol. 16(2) - Who, what, where, and when? Examining adolescent substance use with routine activity theory

This week, as part of our Special Series on Theories of Addiction, STASH reviews a study by Molly Block and colleagues that examines adolescent substance use with an approach informed by routine activity theory. Read more →

ASHES, Vol. 16(2) - E-cigarettes: Revisiting the Gateway Hypothesis

This week, as part of our Special Series on Theories of Addiction, ASHES explores the history of the gateway hypothesis of substance use and addiction, and its application to current e-cigarette trends. Read more →

A Paradigm Shift

Editor’s note: This op-ed was written by Elda Chan, PhD, the Director of St. John’s Cathedral Counselling Service and the Clinical and Research Consultant for the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals’ Integrated Center for Addiction Prevention and Treatment in Hong Kong, as part of this month’s Special Series on Theories of Addiction. Read more →

The DRAM, Vol. 16(2) - Super Bowl swigs: Applying social practice theory to alcohol consumption

This week, as part of our Special Series on Theories of Addiction, The DRAM reviews a paper by Petra Meier and colleagues that advocates for approaching alcohol research through a social practice theory lens, with a focus on (1) the current state of the research and (2) what social practice theory has to offer. Read more →

Introduction to the Special Series on Theories of Addiction

More than 30 years ago, Dr. Howard Shaffer, then Director of the Division on Addiction, warned about “conceptual crises” in the field of addiction. In that paper, he noted that the field was characterized by many “mini-theories,” a “lack of integration between research, theory, and practice,” and a general lack of agreement on the key components of addiction. Though the field has made immense progress in the past three decades, it still struggles with the absence of a single integrated theory of addiction and the presence of multiple definitions and models. But why does it matter? Why do we need... Read more →