The Brief Addiction Science Information Source (BASIS)

The Natural History of My Research on the Natural History of Gambling Disorder

In an op-ed today, Dr. Wendy Slutske describes how she came to study self-directed change among people with Gambling Disorder as well as the results of some of these studies. Read more →

Introduction to the Special Series on Self-Directed Recovery

Today, we launch the Special Series on Self-Directed Recovery, to celebrate the many pathways to recovery. Read more →

Problematic online behaviours are not all the same: Cyberaddictions are distinct disorders

Analysis of self-report measures from a large community sample of Swiss males indicates that problematic online gaming and cybersex represent distinct disorders. Internet addiction represents an “umbrella concept” or vector mediating various cyberaddictions. It is essential for research, practice, and policies to recognize and treat Internet- and technology-mediated addictive behaviours such as online problematic gaming, gambling, and sexual activity as specific disorders. by Sally Gainsbury, Ph.D. Internet and smartphone use has become a worldwide phenomenon with many positive applications. Yet, in the last two decades there has been a growing recognition of an association between problematic use of emerging technologies... 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 →

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 →