There is no "magic potion" or vaccine to prevent youth from using alcohol or other drugs. Adolescent substance abuse prevention programs have been largely ineffective because the messaging is taken for granted. Efforts based on theories of growth and development patterns, and are inclusive of strategies beyond the classroom and home,…

In this 15-year longitudinal study the authors investigated individual and contextual factors that predispose adolescents from a disadvantaged urban area to drug dependence in adulthood. Adolescents were recruited from schools serving East Harlem in New York City. Of the 838 participants followed to adulthood, 59% were women, 55% were African…

The authors examined the effectiveness of motivational interviewing (MI) on club drug use and risky sex in non-treatment-seeking men who have sex with men (MSM). MSM (N = 150) were assessed and randomly assigned to 4 sessions of MI or an educational control intervention. Follow-up occurred at quarterly intervals for 1 year. Primary outcomes were…

This study developed a Drug Involvement Classification for a general population. The classification took into consideration the following: type of drug used, legality, frequency and recency of drug use, number and combinations of drug used. The classification was developed from a New York State survey conducted in 1970. (Author)

This bulletin is adapted from the second panel of three at a Manhattan Institute conference. The focus of this paper is on the explosion of prison population and the inevitability of people reentering society from prison. Clarence Page believes this has a particularly brutal impact on the African-American community, and raises questions about how…

The accomplishments of The Health and Mental Hygiene Facilities Improvement Corporation during the past years in creating needed hospitals and health centers for the mentally disabled is documented. The new facilities show awareness of architectural trends and new objectives in design in order to better serve the needs of the patient. Pictures and…

Most impoverished crack-abusing women are usually without a regular place to live, but most are not homeless because they find alternative living arrangements. Describes the common living arrangements for these women. Draws from a rich descriptive repository of field notes, field diaries, and transcribed tape-recorded interviews from two…

The purpose of the study was to investigate three separate aspects of the process by which ex-addicts-in-treatment are prepared for, enter into, and function in the world of work. These aspects were the actual labor market conditions in two different urban settings--New York City and the greater Boston area; the specific institutional supports…

This questionnaire assesses neighborhood drug problem concern, drug use practices, knowledge of drugs and agencies dealing with drugs, and views on drug education in persons aged 13 or older. The questionnaire has 31 items (multiple-choice or free response), most with several parts. The items deal with demographic and personal data, problems in…

This paper reviews issues in the provision of services to individuals who are mentally ill chemical abusers and addicted (MICAA). Introductory material defines this population and notes that these people are frequently ineligible for services aimed at either mental illness or chemical abuse alone. Service provisions within the psychiatric/mental…

During 1972, in the southern tier of New York State, three surveys involving students, teachers, and parents from six communities were conducted to gather data on the incidence of drug usage among students, their knowledge about drugs, and towards specific drugs and their effects. These data were obtained primarily to provide baseline data which…

The New York State Narcotic Addiction Control Commission undertook a survey of the state to gather information on community attitudes and knowledge of drugs and drug abuse. An extensive questionnaire (see TM 001 085) was administered to a sample of 6105 persons, representative of the state, who were 13 years old or older. The research findings and…