Assessed self-reported and observer-rated signs and symptoms of nicotine withdrawal precessation and 2, 7, 14, 30, 90, and 180 days postcessation in smokers who quit on their own for 30 days. Anxiety, difficulty concentrating, hunger, irritability, restlessness, and weight gain increased; heart rate decreased postcessation. Postcessation…

By picking up this guide, you have already taken an important step towards continuing your education. Going back to school will require hard work and dedication. The process will be both challenging and frustrating. But if you stick with it, continuing your education can bring you tremendous rewards. Earning a General Education Development…

To examine the effect of reinforcer density in prize-based abstinence reinforcement, heroin/cocaine users (N = 116) in methadone maintenance (100 mg/day) were randomly assigned to a noncontingent control group (NonC) or to 1 of 3 groups that earned prize draws for abstinence: manual drawing with standard prize density (MS) or computerized drawing…

Anxiety sensitivity (AS) recently has been identified as a potential cognitive vulnerability underlying substance use problems, with some evidence specifically indicating its relevance to heroin. Focusing on the potential utility of interventions centered on increasing willingness to have anxiety-related sensations reduce vulnerability for relapse…

We evaluated the Starting Early Starting Smart (SESS) national initiative to integrate behavioral health services (parenting, mental health, and drug treatment) into the pediatric health care setting for families with young children. Data are presented from five pediatric care (PC) sites, drawing from families at risk due to demographic and…

This document is a self-help booklet designed to help individuals quit smoking. Information, as well as inspiration, is provided in the form of pointers under these topics: (1) preparing yourself for quitting; (2) knowing what to expect; (3) involving someone else; (4) ways of quitting, including switching brands, cutting down on the number of…

Recently, the media have issued numerous reports about the apparent increase in OxyContin abuse and addiction. OxyContin has been heralded as a miracle drug that allows patients with chronic pain to resume a normal life. It has also been called pharmaceutical heroin and is thought to have been responsible for a number of deaths and robberies in…

Included in this document are selections of topic-specific articles on heroin research reprinted from the National Institute on Drug Abuses (NIDA) research newsletter, NIDA Notes. Titles include: Buprenorphine Taken Three Times Per Week Is as Effective as Daily Doses in Treating Heroin Addiction; 33-Year Study Finds Lifelong, Lethal Consequences…

Using a nationwide sample of drug treatment programs, reports the results of an analysis that differentiates programs providing Hepatitis C virus (HCV) education to all of their patients versus programs that do not. Fifty-four percent of the programs provide HCV education to all of their patients. Findings indicate a need to increase HCV…

Conducted prospective examination of factors associated with smoking relapse. Findings from 618 subjects revealed that, at year 1, signal detection analysis (SDA) produced one subgroup with 25 percent nonrelapse rate and another with 9 percent nonrelapse rate. At year two, SDA produced one subgroup with 19 percent nonrelapse rate and another with…

Examined the two-year test-retest reliability of the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (R. Hare, 1991)(PCL-R) in 200 men and 25 women methadone patients. Stability of the PCL-R was generally good, but the measure was somewhat more reliable as a continuous measure than a dichotomous measure. (SLD)

Four successive randomized clinical trials studying contingency management (CM), involving various treatment arms of drug-abstinent housing and work therapy and day treatment (DT) with a behavioral component, were compared on common drug abstinence outcomes at 2 treatment completion points (2 and 6 months). The clinical trials were conducted from…

Although some consider the 12-step method of Alcoholics Anonymous to be the treatment of choice for people struggling with substance abuse, differing approaches have been developed within the area of addictions. Motivational interviewing (Miller & Rollnick, 2002), enacted within a stages-of change model (DiClemente & Velasquez, 2002), seeks to…

Suggests that pathological denial in alcoholics may be a reaction to stress from past traumatic events, the sequelae of alcoholism, or even the treatment process itself. A case is presented that illustrates this conceptualization, and relevant treatment nuances are discussed. (Author/JAC)

Examined pre- and posttreatment scores on the State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-Y) for 107 veterans in an alcoholic treatment program. Significant differences between pre- and posttreatment scores suggested that the STAI (Form Y) is appropriate for assessing changes in anxiety with alcoholic patients. (JAC)