The Brief Addiction Science Information Source (BASIS)

How the Pandemic Affected Me

Editor’s note: This op-ed was written by Christopher Johnson as part of our Special Series on Managing Addiction during COVID-19. Read more →

Sobriety as an Act of Resistance for Black Womxn

Editor’s note: This op-ed was prepared by Khadi A. Oluwatoyin, founder of Sober Black Girls Club, as part of our Special Series on Managing Addiction during COVID-19. Read more →

Getting sober

Editor's Note: Today's op-ed comes from a woman who describes her experiences with addiction, trauma, coming out, and a supportive same-sex relationship. We thank her for generously sharing her story with our readers. We hope that readers with the same kinds of experiences will feel less alone after reading this piece. This piece includes explicit descriptions of sexual violence, as well as drug use and its psychoactive effects, and readers who might struggle with cravings, especially for opioids or stimulants, should use their best judgement in reading this story. The 2018 Special Series on Addiction in the LGBTQ Community is... Read more →

Gloria's Story

Editor’s Note: Today’s op-ed comes from a woman named Gloria who describes her experiences with gambling disorder. We thank Gloria for sharing her story with BASIS readers, because we believe that stories such as hers help raise awareness, reduce stigma, and, ultimately, improve lives. This op-ed is part of our Special Series on Gambling Disorder. My name is Gloria. I am 71 years old, a wife, a mother, a grandmother and I have a major gambling problem. Nine years ago my life fell apart. I got in trouble because of my gambling. When it all came out, my family was... Read more →

Challenging addiction treatment: The intersection of policy, practice, & science

Editor’s Note: Anjali Talcherkar authored this op-ed while completing the Division on Addiction’s Summer Research Mentorship. Anjali is working on a PhD in Mind Body Medicine and Integrative Mental Health from Saybrook University. You can learn more about her here. For more on Anjali Talcherkar's story, look for her soon-to-be-published book. Every year, about 27 million people worldwide misuse illicit drugs in a manner that puts them at risk for adverse health problems and even death. Too often we hear reports of famous people who suffer and die from substance misuse. On the local level, addiction can rip apart communities... 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 →

RB's Story

Editor’s note: This article was written by “RB,” a student at at William J. Ostiguy High School, a recovery high school in Boston, Massachusetts. RB 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 RB’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. The Day That Never Comes April 4, 2014… The day that I decided to change... Read more →

Hope Sick

Editor’s note: This article was written by “JG,” a student at William J. Ostiguy High School, a recovery high school in Boston, Massachusetts. JG 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 JG’s article with some details from the scientific literature; please see the Footnotes. Please be aware that this article includes descriptions of substance use and its consequences. Just another chapter in the pathetic story of a heroin addict.[1] The sun creeps through my... Read more →

Introducing First Person: Personal Narratives of Addiction

For the past two decades, we have been proud to use The BASIS to introduce readers to the latest advances in the scientific study of addiction. Each week, we describe a recent study that adds to our understanding of how people relate to gambling, alcohol, tobacco, or other substances and activities. The studies we summarize take a nomothetic approach. Researchers using a nomothetic approach assemble samples of people who share similar characteristics. They collect data from these samples and try to generalize their findings to the populations from which the samples were drawn. Because of nomothetic research, we know, for... Read more →

There’s always hope: My 38 years in recovery from gambling disorder

Editor's note: This story was written by Ed Talbot, Executive Director of the New Hampshire Council on Problem Gambling. We appreciate Mr. Talbot's contribution to our Special Series on Gambling and Addiction. November 30, 1977 was the final night of racing at the Taunton (Ma.) dog track. I gathered what little money I had left and wagered it on a greyhound named Perfect Treasure in the last race. The starting box opened and the 8 dogs began pursuit of the mechanical rabbit and symbolically Perfect Treasure tumbled to the turf. My dream world had crashed as well. The bet would... Read more →