Increases in alcohol and other drug articles during 15 years.

There has been a dramatic increase during the last 20 years in psychologists' interest and research productivity in the area of alcohol and other drugs that is usually traced to the establishment of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and the National Institute on Drug Abuse during the early 1970s. In order to have an index of this increase, we undertook to determine how the frequency with which psychologists have published articles on the topics of alcohol and other drugs in the journals of the American Psychological Association (APA) has changed during a 15-year period. For each of the 17 APA journals that publishes authors' original research, we tabulated the number of alcohol and other drug articles that was published during the period 1970-1984. If an article was related to both alcohol and another psychoactive drug, that article was assigned a value of one-half for alcohol and one-half for other drugs. Finally, across all 17 journals and for each year in the period under question, we determined (a) the percentage of total articles published that were related to alcohol and (b) the percentage of total articles published that were related to other drugs. Results suggest a steady increase in the percentage of both alcohol and other drug articles. Pearson product-moment correlations computed between year of publication and percentage of alcohol and other drug articles published yielded significant coefficients for both alcohol articles and other drug articles: r = 78, p     

Introduction to the special series.

Problems of alcohol and drug abuse among children and adolescents are drawing unprecedented attention from researchers, policymakers, and the lay public. Clearly warranted, that attention focuses on vexing questions about the nature and prevention of substance abuse among youth. The most common questions include these: Are substance rates among youth on the rise? Why do young people use alcohol and drugs? How can we prevent substance abuse among youth? What works in the fight against alcohol and drug abuse? Do we need special programs to prevent substance abuse among youths from different backgrounds? Where should we put our resources to exert a maximum impact on the demand for drugs and alcohol among youth? By answering these and other questions, the 10 articles in this special series lay a foundation for future practice, policy, and research on alcohol and drug abuse among youth. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Alcohol problems in women.

Reviews the book, Alcohol problems in women edited by Sharon C. Wilsnack and Linda J. Beckman (1984). This book is a compilation of fourteen articles which review the research on women alcoholics. The contents are organized into four sections, all focusing on literature relating to women and covering the areas of patterns of alcohol use, biological and psychosexual aspects of alcohol use, antecedents and consequences of alcohol problems, and treatment and prevention of alcohol problems. The overall impression derived from the articles is that although many studies have been reported, certain areas are still undeveloped, and others suffer from significant methodological flaws. A summary of these issues would be helpful in providing an overview of how much our knowledge has actually developed since 1970. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Understanding America's drinking problem: How to combat the hazards of alcohol.

Reviews the book, Understanding America's drinking problem: How to combat the hazards of alcohol by Don Cahalan (see record 1987-98459-000). This book is a systems level analysis of alcohol use and alcohol-related problems, with much of the focus on governmental and private efforts to control alcohol and those of the alcohol beverage industry to increase consumption and avoid regulation. A major theme of the book is that this industry, through lobbying, campaign contributions, and other tactics, has thwarted attempts to impose regulations on the marketing, advertising, and use of alcohol. The book provides an overview of important issues and some thought-provoking suggestions. It is, however, the person who has not been exposed to systems analysis, primary prevention, public policy development, and the role of political factors in the fight against alcohol-related problems who might gain the most from the book. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Alcohol and substance abuse in adolescence.

Reviews the book, Alcohol and substance abuse in adolescence edited by J. S. Brock, D. J. Lettieri, D. W. Brook, and Barry Stimmell (1985). The introductory "editorial" in this volume sets three goals which sound more like a handbook: elucidate the reasons why youth turn to drugs, how to manage those afflicted and how to educate for prevention. The papers focus largely on the first, and leave the latter two for the readers to infer. Most of the usual themes of adolescent drug use are covered: the influence of peer groups, the influence (or lack thereof) of parents, psychological development of identity and individuation. Drug use is discussed in relation to social influences, personality dynamics and adolescent development and maturation. However, the authors seem to equate any adolescent drug use (particularly marijuana) with excessive involvement. Surely it is important to examine the variations in why and how various drugs are used by that age group. It remains for others to explore the boundaries between drug use and abuse, to identify high risk patterns and to develop strategies to promote normal, healthy maturation of adolescents in a drug-drenched society. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Predicting positive attitudes about quitting drug and alcohol use among homeless women.

Two separate path models for alcohol and drugs were tested in which psychosocial, environmental, and sociodemographic variables predicted behavioral and substance abuse related factors as well as the key outcome of positive attitudes about quitting drugs (N = 620) or alcohol (N = 526) in a sample of 709 homeless women. A positive attitude about quitting alcohol was predicted by more Addiction Symptoms, fewer Positive Effects from using alcohol, and not having a partner who uses alcohol. A positive attitude about quitting drugs was predicted by more Drug Problems, greater Drug Use in the Past 6 Months, more Active Coping, more education, less Emotional Distress, not having a partner who uses drugs, and fewer Addiction Symptoms. Implications of the results for drug and alcohol interventions are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Families and alcoholism: Developments in practice, research, and theory.

Reviews the books, Alcoholism treatment: An integrative family and individual approach by D. I. Davis (see record 1988-97811-000); Substance abuse and family therapy by E. Kaufman (1985); and The alcoholic family by P. Steinglass, L. A. Bennett, S. J. Wolin, and D. Reiss (see record 1987-98538-000). The book by Davis and Kaufman primarily address marital and family therapy (MFT) methods. The Steinglass et al. book presents a long-term, systematic program of theory development and research aimed at understanding the family system dynamics of alcoholic families. Davis provides excellent chapters on strategies for use in identifying and confronting alcohol problems and in getting a commitment from the family to work toward elimination of the problem drinking. The Davis book is an excellent resource; however, family and other therapists reading this book will need other resources for dealing with severe alcoholics, for moving rapidly to attain abstinence, and for dealing with long-term recovery. Kaufman's book is an excellent resource for family therapists wanting to learn more about dealing with alcoholism and other forms of substance abuse and for substance abuse therapists to learn about family therapy. The alcoholic family is an excellent book that will become a classic on this topic. We would recommend it for the serious clinician who wants a theoretical framework to guide decisions about therapeutic approaches with alcoholic families. We recommend all three books quite highly to practicing clinicians. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of AIDS and alcohol/drug abuse: Psychosocial research.

Reviews the book, AIDS and alcohol/drug abuse: Psychosocial research, edited by Dennis G. Fisher (1991). Substance use, primarily intravenous drug use, accounts for an increasingly large proportion of new acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) cases. As such, psychosocial research in the addictions plays an important role in evaluating strategies for reaching out to and educating those at risk for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and in developing effective prevention and risk-reduction strategies for this special population. This book is thus a timely contribution to the field. The seven brief chapters in this volume cover an extremely broad range of topics related to the relationship between AIDS and substance abuse. On the whole, however, the chapters in this volume are strikingly uneven in their sophistication and degree of relevance to the general psychologist working in addictive behaviors. Whereas some of the chapters are too brief to fully explore the implications of some of the issues they raise, the brevity of others is appropriate. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Alcoholism: A bio-psycho-social approach.

Reviews the book, Alcoholism: A bio-psycho-social approach by Jerome David Levin (1990). This small volume sets its task as providing counseling students with a comprehensive knowledge base "summarizing biochemical, pharmacological, physiological, anthropological, sociological, epidemiological, historical, and psychological findings on alcohol and its use and abuse" (Preface, p. xi). It treats each of these, in varying degrees of depth, in seven chapters. Perhaps the greatest strength of the book is its thorough presentation of the medical consequences of alcoholism, the mechanisms involved, and the interplay between biological and psychological factors. Unfortunately, this volume does not provide sufficient coverage of treatment-related issues. It may serve as an introductory overview of the alcoholism field for undergraduate or graduate students, or professionals from other fields. It is too advanced, however, in its use of concepts and language, for paraprofessional students. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Psychoanalytic approaches to addiction.

Reviews the book, Psychoanalytic approaches to addiction edited by Angela Smaldino (see record 1991-98128-000). Contrary to what one might read into its title, the book is only partially about alcohol and other drugs AOD addiction. Three of its seven chapters address other types of addiction: destructive relationships, love, and food. The implication is that similarities among the various addictions will serve to illustrate a common unconscious motivation of "the addictive personality" revealed by psychoanalysis. Nowhere in the book, however, is this explicitly stated. The chapters are as the beads of an unlinked chain. They are as a series of associations in a patient's stream of consciousness, each one rich in detail, captivating, and insightful, but as yet without the analyst's interpretation as to how they are linked. The daunting task of that interpretation is left to the reader. This book is a valiant effort to move the psychoanalytic field in the direction of accommodating to the needs of an important patient population. It is not a primer to be taken as a directive, but a useful tool that the more sophisticated reader may employ as an impetus to stimulate further thinking. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Did lifetime rates of alcohol use disorders increase by 67% in 10 years? A comparison of NLAES and NESARC.

Two nationally representative epidemiological samples (the National Longitudinal Alcohol Epidemiological Survey and the National Epidemiological Survey of Alcohol and Related Conditions) have been used to track changes in the prevalence of alcohol use disorders (AUDs) between 1992 and 2002 in the United States. Strikingly, estimates from these two data sets suggest that the lifetime prevalence of AUD increased by approximately 67% (from 18.2% to 30.3%) during this time frame. This article explores potential reasons for these discrepant estimates. Analyses indicated that a vast majority of change in lifetime AUD occurred with respect to alcohol abuse and not alcohol dependence. Most of this increase in abuse was attributable to self-reported changes in hazardous use that did not track with other archival measures of outcomes related to hazardous use in the population. Key methodological differences regarding the frequency requirements for prior-to-past-year alcohol abuse appeared to explain most of the discrepancy in lifetime AUD estimates. These findings, in conjunction with the relative lack of differences in the 12-month prevalence of AUDs, suggest that the discrepant lifetime estimates are likely due to methodological differences between the two surveys. These findings have important implications for substance use and other psychiatric surveillance and epidemiology where meaningful cross-temporal comparisons are desired. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Substance use diagnosis within a community sample of adults: Distinction, comorbidity, and progression over time.

Practicing psychologists conceptualize, assess, and treat clients who use substances in different ways. Using longitudinal data from a multiethnic community sample of 470 adults, the authors examine patterns of abuse and dependence on alcohol, marijuana, and cocaine. Men were significantly more abusive, dependent, and polysubstance dependent on all drugs than women. A large percentage of drug abusers, and over 1/3 with drug dependence, remitted without formal treatment. However, early severe problems with cocaine increased later alcohol problems. Traditional disease progression and drug use acquisition models are not supported. Psychologists should incorporate the natural course of substance use into treatment and prevention efforts. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A genetic association with the development of alcohol and other substance use behavior in Asian Americans.

Studies of Asian adults have found that alcohol use and alcohol dependence are related to variation in the aldehyde, dehydrogenase (ALDH2) gene. To investigate the association of ALDH2 with the development of drug involvement, the authors analyzed retrospective information about the onset and regular use of alcohol and other substances as reported by 180 Asian American college students. Possession of an ALDH2*2 allele was not related to initiation of alcohol use or having ever been intoxicated, but individuals with ALDH2*2 alleles were less likely to be regular drinkers, were less likely to have engaged in a binge-drinking episode, reported a lower number of maximum drinks consumed in a 24-hr period, and were less likely to have used tobacco regularly than those without this genetic variant. These findings suggest that ALDH2 is associated with the development of not only alcohol-related behavior but other substance use behavior as well. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Treatment and prevention of alcohol problems: A resource manual.

Reviews the book, Treatment and prevention of alcohol problems: A resource manual edited by W. Miles Cox (see record 1987-97300-000). A resource manual on alcohol problems that captures the state of the art in therapeutic and preventive techniques and in their underlying theoretical bases and empirical foundations is an extremely ambitious but much needed effort. This is precisely what Miles Cox has set out to do in the present volume. The volume consists of four sections: initiating treatment with chapters on beginning treatment, assessment, and medical aspects; specific treatment techniques, with chapters on behavioral treatment, building self-control, imagery and logotherapy, self-help groups, and craving for alcohol; associated problems and special populations with chapters on marital and family therapy, sexual problems, and culture-specific treatment; and early intervention and prevention including chapters on cognitive approaches to secondary prevention and prevention of alcohol problems. On the whole, the book lives up to its intentions. Although there are some gaps which prevent this book from being truly comprehensive, this volume will serve as a useful text in graduate courses for social workers, counselors, and psychologists. What is commendable about this book is that Cox has made a largely successful attempt, by pulling together many diverse literatures, to bridge the gulf that exists between service providers and research communities on the proper ways of helping people who are troubled by, or threaten to be troubled by, alcohol. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Take control of your drinking? and you may not need to quit.

Reviews the book, Take control of your drinking? and you may not need to quit by Michael S. Levy (see record 2007-12140-000). This book is a self-help book explicitly designed for drinkers in the general population. It is written in a conversational, second-person style, and throughout the conversation, Levy encourages readers to be honest with themselves about how alcohol fits into their lives. In return, he adopts a nonjudgmental mentoring role throughout the text. As suggested by the title, Levy's approach includes options for reducing alcohol consumption (moderation) or quitting alcohol use altogether. Although allowing that moderation is a legitimate goal for treatment and/or self-help is still quite controversial in some quarters, the effectiveness of adopting this option for some drinkers is supported by research, some of which is cited in the notes that accompany each chapter. I suspect that the even-handed way that moderation or abstinence goals are treated in the book, along with its plain-spoken writing style and awareness that alcohol problems often exist in a context of other mental health issues, will appeal to any drinker who is curious about their own alcohol use and whether to reduce or quit drinking. Those who choose to engage with the material in the book will be using techniques that are, in general, well-supported by intervention research with problem drinkers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of A history of alcoholism.

Reviews the book, A history of alcoholism by Jean-Charles Sournia (1990). This book was first published in French in 1986, and this English translation was published in 1990. The book consists of 12 chapters divided into 3 parts. The first 3 chapters cover a period of 19 centuries, ending at approximately 1850. Included in these 3 chapters are materials pertaining to alcohol use and drunkenness in antiquity and drinking throughout Europe and in the United States during the 1700s and into the mid-1800s. The second part of the book, composed of 5 chapters, covers the following 100 years. It includes chapters on the Swedish physician Magnus Huss, the evolution of drinking patterns in several European countries (with a particular focus on France), alcohol and medicine, and the development and activities of temperance societies. The third and final part includes 4 chapters and covers the years since 1950, a period that has witnessed many advances in research on alcohol effects, risk markers, treatment, and prevention. The strongest section of the book is the first part, which provides an overview on the history of alcoholism. This section also provides a variety of interesting notions about alcohol use from the Ancient Greek world, in which wine played an important role. The book starts out strong and provides an interesting and readable perspective on the history of drunkenness and alcoholism. The last third of the book loses steam, direction, and focus, though. However, for the reader interested in a historical overview, the first two thirds of this volume are enjoyable and recommended. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Drug use and misuse.

Reviews the book, Drug use and misuse by Stephen A. Maisto, Mark Galizio, and Gerard J. Connors (see record 1990-98923-000). Maisto, Galizio, and Connors have written a comprehensive, 16-chapter volume that discusses the use and abuse of historically important drugs as well as the most recently developed psychoactive drugs. Most of the chapters contain thorough and up-to-date discussions of drug issues and recent research concerning drug effects. The presentation of information is orderly and logical. Discussions later in the book build from information presented earlier, and students should have no trouble in following the text and using it effectively. On occasion, there are recent developments that probably deserve expanded coverage beyond that provided by the text. However, this is a well-produced book that should prove useful to students and benefit introductory courses in substance use and abuse. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

It's the algorithm! Why differential rates of chronicity and comorbidity are not evidence for the validity of the abuse–dependence distinction.

The validity of the abuse–dependence distinction within alcohol use disorders (AUDs) has been increasingly questioned on psychometric and conceptual grounds. Two types of findings are often cited as support for the validity of this distinction: (a) Dependence is more persistent than abuse, and (b) dependence is more highly comorbid with other Axis I and Axis II disorders than is abuse. Using data from the National Epidemiologic Survey of Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC), we examined the extent to which the current diagnostic algorithm (3 of 7 dependence criteria for a diagnosis of dependence; 1 of 4 abuse criteria for a diagnosis of abuse if dependence criteria are not met) produces this pattern of findings independent of item set. Analyses in which all 330 permutations of the 11 AUD criteria were partitioned into a 4-item abuse set and a 7-item dependence set were conducted to examine the relevance of the criteria sets to estimates of persistence and comorbidity independent of criteria. Regardless of the criteria used, the dependence set (i.e., 3/7 criteria) always and substantially outperformed the abuse set (1/4) with respect to both persistence and comorbidity. These data indicate that chronicity and comorbidity are flawed indicators for the abuse–dependence distinction (and likely other conditions in which hierarchical decision rules are used). In addition, our analyses show that the current set of criteria defining alcohol dependence and abuse are not optimal. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Cocaine: A clinician's handbook.

Reviews the book, Cocaine: A clinician's handbook edited by Arnold M. Washton and Mark S. Gold (see record 1987-98183-000). Washton and Gold point out that the goal of this text is to provide "clinicians with information that is directly relevant to the treatment of cocaine abusers." I feel they accomplished their goal, by concentrating on various aspects of theory, research, and treatment of cocaine abuse. The book is divided into three major sections: Basic and Biomedical Issues, Treatment Approaches, and Special Topics. Overall, this text examines a range of topics. This book can be extremely valuable to physicians, psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, counselors in the drug and alcohol fields, and students. The book is comprehensive in what it covers and well organized. Even experienced professionals in this field will be hard pressed to find flaws with this resource. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)