The Brown University Digest of Addiction Theory and Application articles from March 2002

The Brown University Digest of Addiction Theory and Application archives from March 2002

Acupuncture ineffective for treating cocaine addiction. (Alternative Treatment).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association raises doubts about the effectiveness of acupuncture as a treatment for cocaine addiction, despite its growing popularity. Researcher Arthur Margolin, Ph.D., and...

Study finds psychotherapy tools useful in disseminating SA treatment. (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy).(substance abuse)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Front-line substance abuse counselors can be trained to successfully use cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and few of them feel it conflicts ideologically with more traditional 12-Step methods, according to an article published in the...

Binge drinkers more likely to abuse additional substances. (College Drinking).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Many recent studies have shown that binge drinking is a significant problem among college students. Now, a study published in the Journal of American College Health has found that students who binge are also likely to abuse other substances....

Heroin use leads to premature mortality among servicemen. (Opiates).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... U.S. servicemen who abused heroin while serving in Vietnam are at high risk for premature mortality, even if they stopped using the drug after they returned from service, according to an article published in the journal Drug and Alcohol...

Behavioral disorders may predict teen substance abuse. (Teen Substance Use).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Almost three-quarters of alcohol-dependent adolescents have disruptive behavior disorder diagnoses, and there is an apparent progression of drug use from alcohol or tobacco use to marijuana and other drugs, according to a study published in...

Graduated driver's licenses reduce motor vehicle crashes. (Drinking & Driving).
March 1, 2002... A program of graduated driver licensing instituted in the state of Michigan has significantly reduced motor vehicle accidents among teenagers, according to an article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The...

Advertising liquor on TV: what purpose does it serve? (Commentary).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... The American Medical Association (AMA) was vociferous in its condemnation of NBC's decision to air television commercials for liquor. All the television networks have upheld a voluntary ban in place since 1948, a ban observed by the distilled...

Social rank may affect susceptibility to drugs. (Addiction Research Roundup).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Environmental changes may affect the brain and the success or failure of addiction treatment, researchers reported in the online edition of Nature Neuroscience. Michael Nader of Wake Forest University and colleagues found that monkeys who...

Clonidine and naltrexone-induced withdrawal. (Addiction Research Roundup).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Using morphine-treated animal models, researchers from Australia examined the effects of clonidine on naltrexone-induced withdrawal symptoms. Clonidine, an alpha2-adrenoceptor agonist, is currently used in clinical practice to reduce opioid...

Indian offspring evaluated for psychiatric disorders. (Addiction Research Roundup).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... The Indian children of alcoholic parents are not necessarily at an increased risk for psychiatric disorders, according to a recent study. Researchers examined 117 Mission Indian Children to determine whether the children of alcoholics (N=92)...

Qigong therapy evaluated for detoxification. (Addiction Research Roundup).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... New research suggests that qigong therapy may be a helpful alternative for heroin detoxification. Qigong therapy is a Chinese health practice thought to have healing and recovery power. Chinese researchers randomly assigned 86 male heroin...

"On-the-street" youth at risk for alcohol misuse. (Addiction Research Roundup).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Homeless youth may be at an especially high risk for misusing alcohol, according to new research. To investigate risk factors associated with alcohol use in this population, researcher Barbara J McMorris, Ph.D., and colleagues examined 536...

Incentives do not increase smoking cessation. (Addiction Research Roundup).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Incentives that increased participation in worksite smoking-cessation programs did not appear to increase cessation rates, according to findings published in the American Journal of Public Health. Researchers found that smokers in worksites...

Alcohol use linked to spontaneous abortion. (Addiction Research Roundup).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Women who use alcohol during their first trimester of pregnancy are at increased risk for miscarriage, according to the results of a study investigating the link between alcohol use in pregnancy and the risk for spontaneous abortion. ...