The Brief Addiction Science Information Source (BASIS)

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 →

Addiction, trauma, and resilience in LGBTQ people’s lives: My experience as an Integrated Behavioral Health Services Provider

This op-ed was written by Frank Busconi, LICSW, LADC, Manager of Integrated Behavioral Health Services at Fenway Health, as part of our month-long Special Series on Addiction in the LGBTQ Community. Read more →

Introduction to Special Series on Addiction in the LGBTQ Community

Today, we launch the 2018 Special Series on Addiction in the LGBTQ Community, in recognition of LGBT Pride Month--one of the most loving and jubilant times of the year. Read more →

The Fifth Annual Gambling Disorder Screening Day is March 13, 2018

People and organizations from our hometown of Boston to Hong Kong have participated in Gambling Disorder Screening Day by providing promotional support, recruiting others to host screenings, and hosting screening events themselves. Each year, more organizations support Gambling Disorder Screening Day, and we are grateful for their involvement. It’s hard to believe that this event is turning five, but we are so pleased that so many have embraced its importance. Read more →

Introduction to the Special Series on Gambling Disorder

This spring, voters in my state will head to the polls to make decisions affecting our towns. Along with the usual questions—Who should represent us? Should we invest in a new school? Should we adjust our property taxes?— many of us will be faced with a new question: Should we allow a new form of gambling in our town? In New Hampshire, cities and towns are deciding whether to allow keno, an electronic gambling game, in bars and restaurants. I imagine that many of us will try to make this decision by weighing the pros and cons of gambling expansion.... 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 →

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 →

The BASIS top 10 most read posts of 2017

Today, we reflect on our efforts to share addiction science during the past year. We hope that you’ve benefited from the material we’ve posted this year, from our weekly reviews of scientific studies of smoking, gambling, drinking, and other kinds of substance use to our editorials from researchers, treatment providers, and those who have personally experienced addiction. We’d love to learn more about how you’ve used The BASIS in your own life, what posts you have personally enjoyed, and any topics you would be interested in hearing about moving into the new year! Please share your experiences by emailing us... Read more →

Can vaping help smokers quit? The real story from a real story

Editor's Note: This op-ed comes from Dr. William G. Shadel, Associate Director, Population Health Program and Senior Behavioral Scientist at RAND Corporation. A couple of years ago, my son’s coach approached me after practice and asked, “Can this thing really help me quit smoking?” He was holding a large, black box in his hand – a sort of stylized plastic straw jutted out from one side of the box and four green and red lighted buttons littered the other side. I recognized this as a “vape mod,” a more complicated and some would say, advanced version of the typical electronic... Read more →

Rites of passage: Changing engagement in youth risk behaviours

Editor’s Note: This op-ed comes from Dr. Heather Wardle, Assistant Professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. It is part of our Special Series on Youth Risky Behavior. I remember the first time I gambled. I was eight and at my dad’s golf club. Whilst the adults chatted, I wandered off and found this amazing machine with bright lights, fruity symbols and fun music that gave me money when I put my coppers into it. Pressing buttons randomly, not knowing what to do, I was amazed when more money than I put in appeared in the dispenser... Read more →