The Brief Addiction Science Information Source (BASIS)

Leading a Public Health Response to the Expansion of Gambling in Massachusetts: Engagement, Equity, and Empowerment

This month's Special Series on Community Approaches to Addiction focuses on ways to bring addiction prevention and recovery beyond medical settings and into communities. Today, we feature the fourth in a series of interviews and op-eds with inspiring people who have led efforts to reduce the impact of addiction on their own communities. The Office of Problem Gambling Services, within the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, aims to prevent problem gambling and mitigate gambling-related harms across the Commonwealth. In this op-ed, Victor Ortiz, MSW, LADC I, CADC II, discusses the unique public health response this organization has taken to address problem gambling, informed by the principles of engagement, equity, and empowerment. Read more →

The WAGER, Vol. 25(3) - What is preventing treatment providers from conducting regular screens for problem gambling? Let's ask them!

This week, as part of our Special Series on Community Approaches to Addiction, the WAGER reviews an article by Sara Guilcher and her colleagues that used concept mapping to assess what resources and support treatment providers need in order to make screening for problem gambling regular practice. Read more →

A History of the Massachusetts Council on Compulsive Gambling

This month’s Special Series on Community Approaches to Addiction focuses on ways to bring addiction prevention and recovery beyond medical settings and into communities. Today, we feature the third in a series of interviews and op-eds with inspiring people who have led efforts to reduce the impact of addiction on their own communities. Founded in 1983, The Massachusetts Council on Compulsive Gambling aims to reduce the impacts of gambling disorder by providing education and resources, as well as advocating for responsible gambling practices. In this op-ed, Dr. Howard Shaffer and Kathleen Scanlan reflect on the history of this organization, driven by Tom Cummings’ vision of establishing statewide gambling-related services. Read more →

STASH, Vol. 16(3) - Can volunteers with lived experience fill the treatment gap for parents of people with substance use disorder?

This week, as part of our Special Series on Community Approaches to Addiction, STASH reviews a study that evaluated a telephone intervention administered by trained volunteers for parents of individuals suffering from substance use disorder. Read more →

Learning to cope, together: How my son's experience with addiction inspired me to launch a family support network

This month’s Special Series on Community Approaches to Addiction focuses on ways to bring addiction prevention and recovery beyond medical settings and into communities. Today, we feature the second in a series of interviews with inspiring people who have led efforts to reduce the impact of addiction on their own communities. In 2004, Joanne Peterson founded Learn to Cope, a non-profit support network that offers “education, resources, peer support and hope” for family members coping with a loved one’s addiction. Learn to Cope, which includes over 11,000 members, is a nationally recognized model for peer support and prevention programming. Here, Ms. Peterson discusses her efforts to launch and sustain Learn to Cope with Heather Gray, Senior Editor of The BASIS. Read more →

ASHES, Vol. 16(3) - Videogames and vaping: Can one popular phenomenon be used to prevent another?

This week, as part of our Special Series on Community Approaches to Addiction, ASHES reviews a study that investigates the effectiveness of a web-based videogame prevention intervention on adolescents’ beliefs and knowledge of e-cigarette use and vaping. Read more →

Building bridges to problem gambling solutions: Our experience leading the New Hampshire Council on Problem Gambling

This month’s Special Series on Community Approaches to Addiction focuses on ways to bring addiction prevention and recovery beyond medical settings and into communities. Today, we feature the first in a series of interviews with inspiring people who have led efforts to reduce the impact of addiction on their communities. Ed Talbot and Dot Duda serve as Executive Director and President, respectively, of the New Hampshire Council on Problem Gambling (NHCPG), which was first incorporated in 1997. The NHCPG became inactive for a number of years, but Mr. Talbot, Ms. Duda, and others brought it back to life. In the following, Mr. Talbot and Ms. Duda discuss their work with Heather Gray, Senior Editor of The BASIS and former member of the NHCPG Board of Directors. Read more →

The DRAM, Vol. 16(3) - Can this evidence-based intervention help reduce alcohol use in rural African-American youth? Let’s find out.

This week, as part of our Special Series on Community Approaches to Addiction, The DRAM reviews an investigation into the effectiveness of the Strong African-American Families intervention in reducing drinking frequency in rural African-American youth. Read more →

Introduction to the Special Series on Community Approaches to Addiction

Adam O’Malley was at a pub in the northern English city of Leeds when something caught his attention: a coaster that read, “Is there a mate missing around this table? Reach out to him.” O’Malley flipped the coaster over to find another message: “If your mate’s acting differently, it could be a sign of a mental health problem: Reach out to him, be yourself, do what you love together.” Surprised and impressed by this approach to promoting men’s mental health, O’Malley posted photos of the coasters on Twitter, where they went viral. It turns out the coasters are part of... Read more →