Articles

Suspension of the National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices: the importance of adhering to the evidence

Recently the United States Assistant Secretary of Mental Health and Substance Use disclosed having suspended the National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices, stating it was so deficient in both ...

Authors: Sharon Green-Hennessy

Perceived driving safety and estimated blood alcohol concentration (BAC) the morning after drinking amongst young Australians attending a music festival: a cross-sectional survey

Alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes remain a significant and costly public health issue globally. Particularly young people are over-represented in these incidents. This study set out to explore the factors ...

Authors: Mario Fernando, Johanna Buckland, Prashina Melwani, Vanessa Tent, Philip Preston and Sabrina Winona Pit

Family management risk and protective factors for adolescent substance use in South Africa

An increasingly recognised prevention approach for substance use entails a reduction in risk factors, and the enhancement of promotive, or protective factors in individuals and the environment surrounding them...

Authors: Beatrice Wamuyu Muchiri and Monika M. L. dos Santos

Principles for managing OUD related to chronic pain in the Nordic countries based on a structured assessment of current practice

Long-term use of opioid analgesics (OA) for chronic pain may result in opioid use disorder (OUD). This is associated with adverse outcomes for individuals, families and society. Treatment needs of people with ...

Authors: Johan Kakko, Charlotte Gedeon, Mikael Sandell, Henrik Grelz, Inge Birkemose, Thomas Clausen, Valgerður Rúnarsdóttir, Kaarlo Simojoki, Richard Littlewood, Hannu Alho and Fred Nyberg

“Freshman’s week”: characteristics associated with participation and experiencing adverse effects

“Freshman’s week” (FW) is a Norwegian initiation ritual to higher education. Previous research has suggested that FW-participation is associated with better social adjustment to the student setting, as well as...

Authors: E. K. Erevik, S. Pallesen, Ø. Vedaa, C. S. Andreassen and T. Torsheim

Drug checking: a potential solution to the opioid overdose epidemic?

North America is experiencing an overdose epidemic driven in part by the proliferation of illicitly-manufactured fentanyl and related analogues. In response, communities are scaling up novel overdose preventio...

Authors: Geoff Bardwell and Thomas Kerr

Financial hardship and drug use among men who have sex with men

Little is known about the role of financial hardship as it relates to drug use, especially among men who have sex with men (MSM). As such, this study aimed to investigate potential associations between financi...

Authors: Su Hyun Park, Yazan Al-Ajlouni, Joseph J. Palamar, William C. Goedel, Anthony Estreet, Brian Elbel, Scott E. Sherman and Dustin T. Duncan

Activism and scientific research: 20 years of community action by the Vancouver area network of drug users

Over the past several decades, there have been numerous peer-reviewed articles written about people who use drugs (PWUDs) from the Downtown Eastside neighborhood of Vancouver, Canada. While individual research...

Authors: Ehsan Jozaghi, Alissa M. Greer, Hugh Lampkin and Jane A. Buxton

Pain clinic definitions in the medical literature and U.S. state laws: an integrative systematic review and comparison

In response to widespread opioid misuse, ten U.S. states have implemented regulations for facilities that primarily manage and treat chronic pain, called “pain clinics.” Whether a clinic falls into a state’s p...

Authors: Barbara Andraka-Christou, Joshua B. Rager, Brittany Brown-Podgorski, Ross D. Silverman and Dennis P. Watson

Reasons for betel quid chewing amongst dependent and non-dependent betel quid chewing adolescents: a school-based cross-sectional survey

Betel quid (BQ) chewing in children is initiated in their adolescence. It is pivotal to understand adolescents’ reasons behind chewing BQ. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the reasons for BQ chewing amongst...

Authors: Azmina Hussain, Sidra Zaheer and Kashif Shafique

Cannabis and Kratom online information in Thailand: Facebook trends 2015–2016

Our study aims to evaluate the trends in online information about cannabis and kratom on Facebook in Thailand, where there is current discussion regarding legalizing these drugs.

Authors: Kanittha Thaikla, Kanokporn Pinyopornpanish, Wichuda Jiraporncharoen and Chaisiri Angkurawaranon

Challenges in implementing opioid agonist therapy in Lebanon: a qualitative study from a user’s perspective

Opioid agonist therapy (OAT) has been implemented for the treatment of individuals with opioid use disorders in Lebanon since 2011, but has not been evaluated yet. The aim of the study is to describe the imple...

Authors: Ali Ghaddar, Sanaa Khandaqji and Zeinab Abbass

Substance use and associated factors among Debre Berhan University students, Central Ethiopia

Being a global burden of youths, substances use is unhealthy behavior that exposes youths to health and social problems. Knowledge of the prevalence and predictors of substance use behavior among university st...

Authors: Tesfay Birhane Gebremariam, Kalayu Birhane Mruts and Tedla Kutaye Neway

A comparative analysis of pharmacists’ perspectives on codeine use and misuse – a three country survey

The misuse of codeine is of increasing concern in a number of countries, particularly as this relates to over -the-counter pain and cough relief medication, and is also supplied as a prescription medicine. The...

Authors: Tara Carney, John Wells, Charles D. H. Parry, Padraig McGuinness, Richard Harris and Marie Claire Van Hout

Preventing sensationalistic science and fake news about substance use

Authors: Stephan Arndt and De Shauna Jones

Effects of substance use disorder on treatment process and outcome in a ten-session psychiatric treatment for borderline personality disorder

Dual diagnosis is common in Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), one of the most common being Substance Use Disorder (SUD). Previous studies have shown that general psychiatric management (GPM) was effective...

Authors: Louise Penzenstadler, Stéphane Kolly, Stéphane Rothen, Yasser Khazaal and Ueli Kramer

Weaved into the cultural fabric: a qualitative exploration of alcohol consumption during pregnancy among tribal women in Odisha, India

Evidence-based research has documented the association between alcohol intake during pregnancy and increased risk of miscarriage, stillbirth and congenital birth defects. Alcohol consumption is a complex behav...

Authors: Sanghamitra Pati, Abhimanyu Singh Chauhan, Pranab Mahapatra, Devraj Hansdah, Krushna Chandra Sahoo and Sandipana Pati

Psychometric properties of the medical outcomes study: social support survey among methadone maintenance patients in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam: a validation study

Social support plays a crucial role in the treatment and recovery process of patients engaging in methadone maintenance treatment (MMT). However, there is a paucity of research about social support among MMT p...

Authors: Long Quynh Khuong, Tuong-Vi Thi Vu, Van-Anh Ngoc Huynh and Truc Thanh Thai

Crack cocaine users views regarding treatment with contingency management in Brazil

Contingency management (CM) has recently shown efficacy in promoting abstinence and retention in treatment among crack cocaine users in Brazil. However, partially because of unawareness and resistance among he...

Authors: André Q. C. Miguel, Clarice S. Madruga, Viviane Simões, Rodolfo Yamauchi, Claudio J. da Silva, Renata R. Abdalla, Michael McDonell, Sterling McPherson, John M. Roll, Jair J. Mari and Ronaldo R. Laranjeira

Evaluation of the psychometric properties of self-reported measures of alcohol consumption: a COSMIN systematic review

To review studies about the reliability and validity of self-reported alcohol consumption measures among adults, an area which needs updating to reflect current research.

Authors: Hannah McKenna, Charlene Treanor, Dermot O’Reilly and Michael Donnelly

Psychometric properties of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) and prevalence of alcohol use among Iranian psychiatric outpatients

Iran is a developing and Islamic country where the consumption of alcoholic beverages is banned. However, psychiatric disorders and alcohol use disorders are often co-occurring. We used the Alcohol Use Disorde...

Authors: Simasadat Noorbakhsh, Jamal Shams, Mohamadmahdi Faghihimohamadi, Hanieh Zahiroddin, Mats Hallgren and Hakan Kallmen

Patient perspectives of transitioning from prescription opioids to heroin and the role of route of administration

As the availability of prescription opioids decreases and the availability of heroin increases, some prescription opioid users are transitioning to heroin. This study seeks to explore factors associated with r...

Authors: Laura B. Monico and Shannon Gwin Mitchell

Major depressive disorder and access to health services among people who use illicit drugs in Vancouver, Canada

People who use illicit drugs (PWUD) are commonly diagnosed with major depressive disorder (MDD). However, little is known about whether PWUD living with MDD experience additional barriers to accessing health s...

Authors: Tara Beaulieu, Lianping Ti, M.-J. Milloy, Ekaterina Nosova, Evan Wood and Kanna Hayashi

Evaluation of the effects of a designated program on illegal drug cessation among adolescents who experiment with drugs

Studies indicate that adolescent-onset drug users experience a greater likelihood of dependence that continues into adulthood. The importance of early intervention was evident in treating adolescents before th...

Authors: Chiu-Ching Chang, Jung-Yu Liao, Chiu-Mieh Huang, Hsiao-Pei Hsu, Chih-Che Chen and Jong-Long Guo

Strategies to control HIV and HCV in methadone maintenance treatment in Guangdong Province, China: a system dynamic modeling study

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections among methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) participants remain high. Optimized HIV and HCV prevention strategies for MMT clinics in re...

Authors: Xia Zou, Yong Xu, Wen Chen, Yinghua Xia, Yin Liu, Cheng Gong and Li Ling

Quality measurers of therapeutic communities for substance dependence: an international collaborative study survey in Latin America

In Latin America, substance related disorders are highly prevalent and one of the treatment strategies is the Therapeutic Communities (TCs), however, in Latin America there is scarce data about this treatment ...

Authors: Carlos Gómez-Restrepo, Patricia Maldonado, Nelcy Rodríguez, Rafael Ruiz-Gaviria, Miguel Ángel Escalante, Raúl Ángel Gómez, Marcelo Ribeiro de Araujo, Ana Carolina Schmidt de Oliveira, Joel Salvador Chávez Rivera, Jorge Alberto Godínez García, Marina Piazza Ferrand and Dora Blitchtein-Winicki

Influences of perfectionism and motivational climate on attitudes towards doping among Korean national athletes: a cross sectional study

The motives for elite athletes to dope are related primarily to maintaining and improving their physical performance. Especially, elite athletes training to compete in the Olympics may feel unique situational ...

Authors: Moonjung Bae, Jungjoong Yoon, Hyunyong Kang and Taegyu Kim

Case report: surgical removal of a migrated needle in right ventricle of an intravenous drug user

Illicit drug use has become an increasing public health and social concern in the past decades worldwide. Intravenous injection has an elevated risk of infection. Needle embolism is a rare complication of intr...

Authors: Xianming Fu, Kai Chen, Xiaobo Liao and Kangjun Shen

Socioeconomic factors associated with cessation of injection drug use among street-involved youth

Although the initiation of injection drug use has been well characterized among at-risk youth, factors that support or impede cessation of injection drug use have received less attention. We sought to identify...

Authors: Derek C. Chang, Scott E. Hadland, Ekaterina Nosova, Evan Wood, Thomas Kerr and Kora DeBeck

“I just feel comfortable out here, there’s something about the place”: staff and client perceptions of a remote Australian Aboriginal drug and alcohol rehabilitation service

The need for effective, culturally safe residential rehabilitation services for Aboriginal people is widely acknowledged, however the combination of treatment components that is optimally effective, is not wel...

Authors: Alice Munro, Julaine Allan, Anthony Shakeshaft and Courtney Breen

Neuropsychological function is improved among opioid dependent adults who adhere to opiate agonist treatment with buprenorphine-naloxone: a preliminary study

Among persons with opioid use disorder (OUD), neuropsychological dysfunction is associated with depression, and better neuropsychological function is associated with opioid abstinence. However, it is unknown w...

Authors: Travis M. Scott, Monica Rivera Mindt, Chinazo O. Cunningham, Franchesca Arias, Kelly Coulehan, Aprille Mangalonzo, Pat Olsen and Julia H. Arnsten

Problematic khat use as a possible risk factor for harmful use of other psychoactive substances: a mixed method study in Ethiopia

Substance use disorders along with neuropsychiatric disorders contributed about 14% of the global burden of disease. Harmful alcohol use, is a known contributor for many harms (accidents, suicide, violence, an...

Authors: Awoke Mihretu, Solomon Teferra and Abebaw Fekadu

Willingness to receive intravenous buprenorphine treatment in opioid-dependent people refractory to oral opioid maintenance treatment: results from a community-based survey in France

Injectable opioids are an interesting option for people who inject drugs (PWID) that do not respond to oral Opioid Maintenance Treatment (OMT). To date, intravenous (IV) buprenorphine - a safer drug than full-...

Authors: Perrine Roux, Daniela Rojas Castro, Khadim Ndiaye, Laélia Briand Madrid, Virginie Laporte, Marion Mora, Gwenaelle Maradan, Stéphane Morel, Bruno Spire and Patrizia Carrieri

The opioid crisis: past, present and future policy climate in Ontario, Canada

Addressing opioid use disorder has become a priority in Ontario, Canada, because of its high economic, social and health burden. There continues to be stigma and criticism relating to opioid use disorder and t...

Authors: Kristen A. Morin, Joseph K. Eibl, Alexandra M. Franklyn and David C. Marsh

Licit and illicit substance use patterns among university students in Germany using cluster analysis

The use of multiple licit and illicit substances plays an important role in many university students’ lives. Previous research on multiple substance use patterns of university students, however, often fails to...

Authors: Laura Schilling, Hajo Zeeb, Claudia Pischke, Stefanie Helmer, Andrea Schmidt-Pokrzywniak, Ralf Reintjes, Ulla Walter, Maria Girbig, Alexander Krämer, Andrea Icks and Sven Schneider

Lead poisoning among opium users in Iran: an emerging health hazard

Lead (Pb) poisoning among people using opium has been an increasing problem in Iran. The present study highlights the clinical effects of lead toxicity associated with opium use in Iran, Kerman province.

Authors: Mohammad Mahdi Hayatbakhsh, Zohreh Oghabian, Elvira Conlon, Samaneh Nakhaee, Ali Reza Amirabadizadeh, Mohammad Javad Zahedi, Sodief Darvish Moghadam, Bighan Ahmadi, Somayeh Soroush, Jan Aaseth and Omid Mehrpour

History of medication-assisted treatment and its association with initiating others into injection drug use in San Diego, CA

Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) remains the gold standard for the treatment of opioid use disorder. MAT also reduces the frequency of injecting among people who inject drugs (PWID). Relatedly, data suggest...

Authors: Maria Luisa Mittal, Devesh Vashishtha, Shelly Sun, Sonia Jain, Jazmine Cuevas-Mota, Richard Garfein, Steffanie A. Strathdee and Dan Werb

Is there room for resilience? A scoping review and critique of substance use literature and its utilization of the concept of resilience

Research in the area of illicit substance use remains preoccupied with describing and analyzing the risks of people who use drugs (PWUD), however more recently there has been a drive to use a strengths-based o...

Authors: Katherine Rudzinski, Peggy McDonough, Rosemary Gartner and Carol Strike

Zonnic®: a new player in an old field

The tobacco industry is continually evolving to adapt to increasing tobacco control pressure and regulation, and to cater to consumer preferences. Recently, RJ Reynolds rolled-out a nicotine-containing gum, Zo...

Authors: Min Gong, Michael S. Dunbar, Claude Setodji and William G. Shadel

Sexual behaviors among methadone maintenance patients in a mountainous area in northern Vietnam

Methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) improves patients’ ability to access HIV-related services and reduces needle sharing and other risky HIV-related behaviors. However, patients may continue to engage in ris...

Authors: Victoria L. Boggiano, Huong Lan Thi Nguyen, Long Hoang Nguyen, Tho Dinh Tran, Hung Van Nguyen, Huong Thi Le, Hai Quan Le, Canh Dinh Hoang, Cuong Tat Nguyen, Bach Xuan Tran, Carl A. Latkin, Nabil Zary and Thuc Minh Thi Vu

The impact of subsidized low aromatic fuel (LAF) on petrol (gasoline) sniffing in remote Australian indigenous communities

Since 2005, the Australian Government has subsidized the production and distribution of Low Aromatic Fuel (LAF) as a deterrent against petrol (gasoline) sniffing in remote Indigenous communities. LAF is used i...

Authors: Peter d’Abbs, Gillian Shaw and Emma Field

A mixed methods study of HIV-related services in buprenorphine treatment

Opioid use disorder (OUD) is a major risk factor in the acquisition and transmission of HIV. Clinical practice guidelines call for the integration of HIV services in OUD treatment. This mixed methods study des...

Authors: Hannah K. Knudsen, Jennifer Cook, Michelle R. Lofwall, Sharon L. Walsh, Jamie L. Studts and Jennifer R. Havens

Chronic pain and opioid misuse: a review of reviews

The crisis of prescription opioid (PO) related harms has focused attention toward identifying and treating high-risk populations. This review aims to synthesize systematic reviews on the epidemiology and clini...

Authors: Pauline Voon, Mohammad Karamouzian and Thomas Kerr

Barriers to accessing and using health insurance cards among methadone maintenance treatment patients in northern Vietnam

Methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) patients face unique costs associated with their healthcare expenditures. As such, it is important that these patients have access to health insurance (HI) to help them pa...

Authors: Bach Xuan Tran, Victoria L. Boggiano, Cuong Tat Nguyen, Long Hoang Nguyen, Anh Tuan Le Nguyen and Carl A. Latkin

Functional beliefs and risk minimizing beliefs among Thai healthcare workers in Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai hospital: its association with intention to quit tobacco and alcohol

Individual health beliefs are likely to play a key role in how people respond to knowledge and information about the potential harm from smoking and alcohol abuse. The objectives of the study were to 1) explor...

Authors: Surin Jiraniramai, Wichuda Jiraporncharoen, Kanokporn Pinyopornpanish, Nalinee Jakkaew, Tinakon Wongpakaran and Chaisiri Angkurawaranon

Relationships between received and perceived social support and health-related quality of life among patients receiving methadone maintenance treatment in Mainland China

Social support has been considered one of the most important factors of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) evaluations among different populations; however, few studies have explored the relationships of b...

Authors: Kaina Zhou, Hengxin Li, Xiaoli Wei, Juan Yin, Peifeng Liang, Hongmei Zhang, Lingling Kou, Mengmeng Hao, Lijuan You, Xiaomei Li and Guihua Zhuang

Health and behavioral factors associated with binge drinking among university students in nine ASEAN countries

Heavy drinking among university students has been globally recognized as a major public health burden. In the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region, studies on this issue have been scant, count...

Authors: Siyan Yi, Chanrith Ngin, Karl Peltzer and Supa Pengpid

Adherence to methadone maintenance treatment and associated factors among patients in Vietnamese mountainside areas

Medication adherence is essential to achieve successful methadone maintenance treatment (MMT). However, treatment adherence among MMT patients in the mountainous setting in Vietnam has not been yet investigate...

Authors: Long Hoang Nguyen, Huong Thu Thi Nguyen, Huong Lan Thi Nguyen, Bach Xuan Tran and Carl A. Latkin

The validity and reliability of the Mandarin Chinese version of the drug abuse screening test among adolescents in Taiwan

This study aimed to investigate the validity and reliability of the Mandarin Chinese version of the Drug Abuse Screening Test (DAST-20) among adolescents, as well as examining the test’s predictability with re...

Authors: Jung-Yu Liao, Hsueh-Yun Chi, Jong-Long Guo, Chiu-Mieh Huang and Shu-Fang Shih

Gender differences in discharge dispositions of emergency department visits involving drug misuse and abuse—2004-2011

Drug use-related visits to the emergency department (ED) can undermine discharge planning and lead to recurrent use of acute services. Yet, little is known about where patients go post discharge. We explored t...

Authors: Jennifer I. Manuel and Jane Lee