Drug and alcohol dependence
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Drug Alcohol Depend · Jul 2011
Randomized Controlled TrialAcute effects of waterpipe tobacco smoking: a double-blind, placebo-control study.
Waterpipe tobacco smoking usually involves heating flavored tobacco with charcoal and inhaling the resulting smoke after it has passed through water. Waterpipe tobacco smoking increases heart rate and produces subjective effects similar to those reported by cigarette smokers. These responses are thought to be nicotine-mediated, though no placebo-control studies exist. Accordingly, this double-blind, placebo-control study compared the acute physiological and subjective effects of waterpipe tobacco smoking to those produced when participants used a waterpipe to smoke a flavor-matched, tobacco-free preparation. ⋯ These results from the first placebo-control study of waterpipe tobacco smoking demonstrate that waterpipe-induced heart rate increases are almost certainly mediated by nicotine though the subjective effects observed in these occasional smokers were not.
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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 · 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
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 · Apr 2011
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative StudyStopping smoking during first year of substance use treatment predicted 9-year alcohol and drug treatment outcomes.
This study examined the association between stopping smoking at 1 year after substance use treatment intake and long-term substance use outcomes. Nine years of prospective data from 1185 adults (39% female) in substance use treatment at a private health care setting were analyzed by multivariate logistic generalized estimating equation models. At 1 year, 14.1% of 716 participants who smoked cigarettes at intake reported stopping smoking, and 10.7% of the 469 non-smokers at intake reported smoking. ⋯ We found no association between past-year alcohol abstinence and change in smoking status at 1 year for those with alcohol dependence or other substance use diagnoses when controlling for alcohol use status at 1 year. Stopping smoking during the first year after substance use treatment intake predicted better long-term substance use outcomes through 9 years after intake. Findings support promoting smoking cessation among smoking clients in substance use treatment.