Many students, and the public in general, believe that drinking alcohol is a normal part of the college experience. Unfortunately, students' efforts to "be sociable" or "fit in" can escalate into substance use behavior that puts their health and well-being at risk: One in four full-time college students have experienced past year alcohol abuse or…

In May of 2010, President Obama released the Administration's inaugural "National Drug Control Strategy", a comprehensive approach to combat the public health and safety consequences posed by drug use. Now, a year later, the Administration is releasing its update building upon that initial "Strategy". The "Strategy" establishes ambitious goals to…

Drugs, including alcohol, that are abused function as powerful reinforcers. Effective drug and alcohol addiction treatments decrease the reinforcing efficacy of the abused substance. Reinforcing efficacy arises from a variety of sources, documentation of which may aid in designing treatment and prevention interventions. Understanding the origin…

In May of 2010, President Obama released the Administration's inaugural "National Drug Control Strategy". Based on the premise that drug use and its consequences pose a threat not just to public safety, but also to public health, the 2010 "Strategy" represented the first comprehensive rebalancing of Federal drug control policy in the nearly 40…

Reports on use of transition groups to improve linkages between inpatient and outpatient alcoholism treatment. Notes that clients who had access to transition group had more favorable outcomes than did clients who had no access to the group. Sees group as especially useful for inpatients who had encounters with outpatient clinic before their…

Case studies illustrate how a restorative approach to substance abuse can bring about the recognition of profound community injustices and how confronting injustices can help tackle substance abuse. Outlines the research and development needed to test the hypothesis that criminalization of the harm caused by substance abuse (e.g., burglary) may be…

This paper describes the Gerontology Alcohol Project (GAP), which was established by the National Institute of Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse as a pilot treatment/research project for late life drinkers, those who begin abusing alcohol after age 50. Two strategies developed by GAP for identifying elderly alcohol abusers are described including…

The discipline policy at Xenia (Ohio) High School deals unequivocally with student drug and alcohol users. Chemically dependent students are forced to get help. (Author/JM)

Discusses steps that professional sports organizations are taking to identify athletes with drinking problems and help them reach full recovery. Many teams are taking preventive steps such as offering information about the dangers of alcohol, issuing new policies dealing with players' rights and providing for employee assistance programs. (SM)

Articles in this monograph examine key issues in combined drug and alcohol use. The first chapter discusses clinical and research evidence about the physical and psychological effects of various drug and alcohol combinations. Chapter Two presents findings about usage patterns of alcohol and drugs. The impact of alcohol use in a treatment setting…

Alcoholism is a problem of immense proportions. Views about alcoholism range from consideration of the problem as a moral weakness to the disease concept approach. Since the effects of alcoholic intake can be benevolent as well as toxic, the dilemma centers around alcohol usage. Various theories have been formulated, experimented with, and…