Drug and alcohol dependence
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Drug Alcohol Depend · Jun 2011
Randomized Controlled TrialBehavioral drug and HIV risk reduction counseling (BDRC) in MMT programs in Wuhan, China: a pilot randomized clinical trial.
This pilot clinical trial evaluated whether the efficacy of methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) provided with limited psychosocial services is improved by the addition of manual-guided behavioral drug and HIV risk reduction counseling (BDRC). Heroin dependent individuals (n=37) enrolling in two MMT clinics in Wuhan, China, received standard MMT services, consisting of daily medication at the clinics and infrequent additional services on demand, and were randomly assigned to MMT only (n=17) or MMT with weekly individual BDRC (n=20) for 3 months. Participants were followed for six months from the time of enrollment (3 months active counseling phase and 3 months follow-up while treated with standard MMT). ⋯ Participants were 81% male; mean (SD) age 36.7 (7.2) years; there were no significant baseline differences between the two groups. Participants in MMT+BDRC achieved both greater reductions of HIV risk behaviors (p<0.01), as indicated by the scores on a short version of the AIDS Risk Inventory, and of illicit opiate use, as indicated by the proportions of opiate negative test results during the active phase of the study and the follow-up (p<0.001). 83.3% in the MMT+BDRC group and 76.2% in the standard MMT group were still actively participating in MMT at 6 months. Manual-guided behavioral drug and HIV risk reduction counseling is feasible to deliver by the trained MMT nursing personnel and appears to be a promising approach for improving the efficacy of standard MMT services in China.
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Drug Alcohol Depend · Jun 2011
Epidemiologic trends and geographic patterns of fatal opioid intoxications in Connecticut, USA: 1997-2007.
The leading cause of injury death among adults in Connecticut (CT), USA is drug poisonings. We analyzed the epidemiology and geographic distribution of opioid-involved accidental drug-involved intoxication deaths ("overdoses") in CT over an 11-year period. ⋯ The epidemiology of fatal opioid overdose in CT exhibits distinct longitudinal, risk factor, and geographic differences by opioid type. Each of these trends has implications for public health and prevention efforts.
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Drug Alcohol Depend · May 2011
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative StudyEnjoyment of smoking and urges to smoke as predictors of attempts and success of attempts to stop smoking: a longitudinal study.
'Enjoyment' and 'addiction' have been proposed as opposing reasons why people continue to smoke despite the manifest dangers. This study examined the roles of these as barriers to smoking cessation. ⋯ Both enjoyment of smoking and strength of urges to smoke are important in the smoking cessation process, but in different ways. Interventions to promote cessation need to address both in order to maximise the rate of quit attempts and their chances of success.
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Drug Alcohol Depend · May 2011
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative StudyPrevalence and correlates of waterpipe tobacco smoking by college students in North Carolina.
Known most commonly in the U.S. as "hookah," waterpipe tobacco smoking appears to be growing among college students. Despite beliefs that waterpipe use is safer than cigarette smoking, research to date (albeit limited) has found health risks of waterpipe smoking are similar to those associated with cigarette smoking, including lung cancer, respiratory illness, and periodontal disease. The goals of this study were to estimate the prevalence of use among a large, multi-institution sample of college students and identify correlates of waterpipe use, including other health-risk behaviors (i.e., cigarette smoking, alcohol, marijuana, and other illicit drug use) and availability of commercial waterpipe tobacco smoking venues. ⋯ The results highlight the popularity of waterpipe tobacco smoking among college students and underscore the need for more research to assess the public health implications of this growing trend.
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Drug Alcohol Depend · May 2011
Comparative StudyMeasuring pain medication expectancies in adults treated for substance use disorders.
The U.S. prevalence of misuse of prescription opioid analgesics has increased substantially over the past decade but research on the factors influencing misuse of these medications remains preliminary. In the literature on alcohol, marijuana and stimulants, substance-related expectancies have been found to predict level of substance use. A similar line of research is needed to better understand reasons for misusing pain medications. ⋯ This new measure of pain medication expectancies had sound psychometric properties and the resulting factors were associated with other clinically important aspects of patient functioning. The results highlight the need to assess for and address perceptions related to pain medication use in patients presenting to addictions treatment.