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…

Effective clinical faculty are essential for disseminating substance abuse screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT). The authors developed an 8-hour SBIRT training for internal medicine faculty preceptors. Trainers conducted SBIRT lectures and small-group communication practice sessions. The authors assessed participants'…

Objective: The study tested whether adding up to 18 months of telephone continuing care, either as monitoring and feedback (TM) or longer contacts that included counseling (TMC), to intensive outpatient programs (IOPs) improved outcomes for alcohol-dependent patients. Method: Participants (N = 252) who completed 3 weeks of IOP were randomized to…

The purpose of this paper is to show how "realist synthesis" methodology (Pawson, 2002) was adapted to review a large sample of community based projects addressing alcohol and drug use problems. Our study drew on a highly varied sample of 127 projects receiving funding from a national non-government organisation in Australia between 2002…

Background: The maximum number of alcoholic drinks consumed in a single 24-hr period is an alcoholism-related phenotype with both face and empirical validity. It has been associated with severity of withdrawal symptoms and sensitivity to alcohol, genes implicated in alcohol metabolism, and amplitude of a measure of brain activity associated with…

Substance use is highly prevalent among homeless, street-involved young people. Societal estrangement is often associated with substance use, particularly among this population. The current study sought to identify four domains of social estrangement (disaffiliation, human capital, identification with homeless culture, and psychological…

This study describes the prevalence of alcohol and drug use, abuse, and dependence among adults on the Texas-Mexico border in 2002-2003. The findings are based on survey responses from a random sample of 1,200 adults living in households in three communities: El Paso, a densely populated city in west Texas; the less dense urbanized areas of the…

This document is one of seven publications contained in a series of materials for physicians on recognizing, intervening with, and treating adolescent alcoholism. The materials in this unit of study are intended to provide a framework for physicians' awareness, to present selected facts and information, to outline current thinking regarding…

A DWI prevention program for driving schools was developed and evaluated. Two hundred and eight driving school students followed the program. Research found that knowledge improved, attitudes and behavior intentions were already positive at pretest, DWI was equally reported by both control and study groups, and there was a positive effect on…

Interviews Berenson on his distinctive approach to therapy with families and couples affected by addiction and provides references. Considers background and theoretical influences, and changes over time. Discusses the use of "phasing," collaboration with Twelve Step programs, and integration of a spiritual perspective into family and…

Most research uses a family systems level approach to examine the long range impact of parental substance abuse on the family. In this article, a micro-level approach is used to examine the immediate impact of parental substance use on adolescent adjustment. (Contains 1 figure.)

This report provides an update of the costs of alcohol and drug abuse for 1997. The 1997 costs were estimated by multiplying the percent changes in various socioeconomic factors from 1989 to 1997 by the cost estimates. The adverse health and social consequences of substance abuse extensively increased costs to the state. The total economic costs…

Examines whether an abuser of alcohol can eventually learn to safely manage his or her own intake. Bridging the gap between two perspectives may empower therapists to explore the use of both abstinence and controlled use as a possible means to increase overall success of alcohol treatment. (JBJ)

Surveyed eleventh-grade students (n=262) to compare two measures of parental drinking problems. Students who were distressed or discomforted by their parents' drinking did not differ from other youth on measured outcomes. Students who said their parents had been treated for alcohol and drug problems differed on several variables, including…

A brief history of Substance Use Disorders in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders is presented, and the symptoms of substance dependence are presented. Substance dependence is distinguished from substance abuse. Assessment instruments, including laboratory tests and interviews for diagnosing substance use disorders, are…