Incorporating Comorbidity E-News

ADF Resource Centre Alert

Tue, 25/09/2012 - 8:39am
in

Posted to ENEWS on behalf of the ADF

Welcome to the latest DrugInfo Resource Centre alert.
We are starting to collect podcasts in our library collection that we feel may be useful to our community, and here are the first few we have found so far. Feel free to contact us and suggest more.

Clough B. Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) (12 August 2012) Chewing betel nut,
 Brent Clough learns how to chew betel nut at the Koki Market in Port Moresby, PNG via ABC Radio National 360documentaries. 

King B. Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) (19 August 2012) A deadly wait,
 Heroin addicts wanting to kick the habit have been thwarted by insufferably long waiting lists to join methadone programs…and in Newcastle lives may already have been lost via ABC Radio National Background Briefing

Martin D. Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) (26 August 2012) The big binge,
More pubs and more bars, open for more hours, more extreme binge drinking, more extreme violence and more hospital admissions! What is being done to stem the alcohol tide via ABC Radio National Background Briefing.

Mitchell N; Shields J. Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) (19 September 2012) Smoking among prisoners and the mentally ill,
 Smoking rates among prisoners and those with a mental illness are far higher than in the general community. How can health campaigns target smoking among disadvantaged populations? Via ABC Radio National Lifematters.

SwetsWise online journals

Here are the most frequently downloaded articles in the last fortnight. If you are a library member and haven't got access to DrugInfo online journals - just contact us. Otherwise you can access these directly through Swetswise.
 
Ferguson B (2012) A note on the treatment of culture in alcohol research, Substance Use & Misuse 47:11, pp. 1194-1195.
 
Fitzpatrick BG, Scribner R, Ackleh AS, Rasul J, Jacquez G, Simonsen N, Rommel R (2012) Forecasting the effect of the Amethyst Initiative on college drinking, Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research 36:9, pp. 1608-1613.
 
McClean JM, Anspikian A, Tsuang JW (2012) Bath salt use: A case report and review of the literature, Journal of Dual Diagnosis 8:3, pp. 250-256
 
 New in the library - a selection
The following are a sample of what has recently arrived in the library. Note that some links require library membership for access through SwetsWise, and that other requests for articles may incur a charge. For more resources, search the library catalogue.
 
Alcohol
 
Berends L Ferris J Laslett AM 2012: A problematic drinker in the family : variations in the level of negative impact experience by sex, relationship and living status, Addiction Research and Theory 20:4, pp.300-306
A national survey on harms experienced from others' drinking was administered by telephone to 2649 randomly selected adults (18-98 years) in Australia. This article is about responses from participants concerning the family member whose drinking had the most negative impact on them (referred to as the problematic drinker).
 
Callinan S Ferris J 2012: What do Australians drink? Analyses by demographic and social characteristics, Canberra: Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education (FARE)
 
This study uses the 2012 National Drug Strategy Household Survey (NDSHS) to gain current information on the demographics of those who identify with different types of alcoholic beverage. This information is based on a question in the 2010 NDSHS that asks participants what their 'main' drink is and what other types of alcohol they usually drink. Furthermore, they were also asked to note if they had changed their main drink in the previous 12 months, and if so what they had changed from. [Introduction, ed]
 
Teunissen HA Spijkerman R Prinstein MJ Cohen GL Engles RCME Scholte RHJ 2012: Adolescents' conformity to their peers' pro-alcohol and anti-alcohol norms : the power of popularity, Alcoholism : Clinical and Experimental Research 36:7, pp.1257-1267
Background: Research on adolescent development suggests that peer influence may play a key role in explaining adolescents’ willingness to drink, an important predictor of drinking initiation. However, experiments that thoroughly examine these peer influence effects are scarce. This study experimentally examined whether adolescents adapted their willingness to drink when confronted with the pro-alcohol and anti-alcohol norms of peers in a chat room session and whether these effects were moderated by the social status of peers. [Journal abstract, ed]
 
Toomey, TL Erickson DJ Carlin BP Lenk KM Quick HS Jones A 2012: The association between density of alcohol establishments and violent crime within urban neighbourhoods, Alcoholism : Clinical and Experimental Research 36:8, pp.1468-1473
Numerous studies have found that areas with higher alcohol establishment density are more likely to have higher violent crime rates, but many of these studies did not assess the differential effects of type of establishments or the effects on multiple categories of crime. In this study, we assess whether alcohol establishment density is associated with 4 categories of violent crime and whether the strength of the associations varies by type of violent crime and by on-premise establishments (e.g., bars, restaurants) versus off-premise establishments (e.g., liquor and convenience stores). [Journal abstract, ed]
 
Alcohol advertising
Dobson C 2012: Alcohol marketing and young people : time for a new policy agenda, Canberra : Australian Medical Association (AMA)
Alcohol marketing has a powerful effect on young people in Australia. Amid a background of rising community concerns about the effects of excessive alcohol consumption, young people in Australia are being exposed to an unprecedented level of alcohol marketing. This report surveys the key features of contemporary alcohol marketing, reviews the research literature investigating the effects of this marketing on young people, and considers the need for new policy responses. [Website]
 
Lin EY Caswell S You RQ Huckle T 2012: Engagement with alcohol marketing and early brand allegiance in relation to early years of drinking, Addiction Research and Theory 20:4, pp.329-338
This study aimed to examine the relationship between measures of awareness to marketing and drinking among a sample of young people in New Zealand. The sample consisted of 1302 males and 1236 females predominantly aged between 13 and 14 years and drawn from a number of schools in a metropolitan city. They were surveyed using a computer assisted telephone interview. Regression analyses examined relationships between marketing (awareness of and engagement with a range of alcohol marketing channels) and reports of brand allegiance and drinking status, drinking frequency and quantity and future drinking intentions. [Journal abstract]
 
Towns AJ Parker C Chase P 2012: Construction of masculinity in alcohol advertising : implications for the prevention of domestic violence, Addiction Research and Theory 20:5, pp.389-401
In this article, we investigate the literature on alcohol advertising to determine the constructions of masculinity that are portrayed in advertisements particularly those targeting young men. We identify those constructions of masculinity and gender relations that are problematic for healthy, egalitarian, intimate heterosexual relationships and that are therefore problematic for the prevention of domestic violence. [Journal abstract]
 
 
Alcohol and Drug Treatment
The Minister for Mental Health, Mary Wooldridge has released New directions for alcohol and drug treatment services: A roadmap to guide the reform of Victoria’s alcohol and drug treatment services. Victoria’s alcohol and drug workforce is passionate, dedicated and committed to making a difference for their clients, but they are working within a fragmented system that hinders rather than facilitates their work. The alcohol and drug treatment system needs to be transformed from providing complex and episodic services to one that supports people to make positive changes in their lives when they decide to seek help for an alcohol or drug problem. The needs of people with alcohol and drug issues and their families have been central to the development of this reform framework. [Website, ed]
 
 
According to the Co-occurring Centre for Excellence in the United States, a principle is “a basic generalization that is accepted as true and that can be used as a basis for reasoning or conduct”. Principles serve to guide the design of systems and the implementation of service interventions, and inform the over-arching expectations of the workforce. For the alcohol and drug treatment sector and the health sector more broadly, a set of evidence-based treatment principles help to inform service system improvement. [Introduction, ed]
 
Amphetamines/methamphetamines
Ciketic S Hayatbakhsh MR Doran CM Najman JM McKetin R 2012: A review of psychological and pharmacological treatment options for methamphetamine dependence, Journal of Substance Use 17:4, pp.363-383
Methamphetamine (MA) is a public health problem both in Australia and internationally and very little is known about the most cost-effective treatment options. This study is a review of recent studies and an assessment of current treatment options for MA dependence. [Journal abstract]
 
Cannabis
Seeking help for cannabis use problems : your rights as a client, Sydney: National Cannabis Prevention and Information Centre (NCPIC)
NCPIC has released a new factsheet designed for those seeking help for cannabis use problems. It covers a range of issues that clients need to be aware of, such as knowing their rights in regards to confidentiality and giving consent, as well as the responsibilities of their health professional. We hope this will assist people in making informed decisions about their care. [NCPIC website]
 
Agrawal A Budney AJ Lynskey MT 2012: The co-occurring use and misuse of cannabis and tobacco: a review, Addiction 107:7, pp.1221-1233
Aims: Cannabis and tobacco use and misuse frequently co-occur. This review examines the epidemiological evidence supporting the lifetime co-occurrence of cannabis and tobacco use and outlines the mechanisms that link these drugs to each other. Mechanisms include (i) shared genetic factors; (ii) shared environmental influences, including (iii) route of administration (via smoking), (iv) co-administration and (v) models of co-use. We also discuss respiratory harms associated with co-use of cannabis and tobacco, overlapping withdrawal syndromes and outline treatment implications for co-occurring use. Methods: Selective review of published studies. [Abstract, ed]
 
The present study provides a comparison of patterns of cannabis use and self-reported cannabis market indicators from detainees surveyed in 2010 through the DUMA and ADAM II programs. The data include urinalysis results from respondents in both programs as well as self-reported information about drug market participation. Data from the United States ADAM II program were obtained from the 2010 Annual Report (ONDCP 2011). [Introduction, ed]
 
Sandberg S 2012: Is cannabis use normalized, celebrated or neutralized? Analysing talk as action, Addiction Research and Theory 20:5, pp.372-381
In qualitative interviews with 100 cannabis users in Norway, three discursive repertoires were particularly frequent. The first emphasized how users were 'normal' with statements, such as 'everyone smokes cannabis' or 'cannabis users are not different from others'. The second discursive repertoire emphasized the fascinating difference of both users and the drug. Many cannabis users, stated that cannabis was used by 'free-thinking, open people' and triggered creativity. The third discursive repertoire was different techniques of risk denial, arguing that cannabis 'is just a plant' or that cannabis use did not have any harmful consequences.
 
Comorbidity
O'Hare T Shen C 2012: Substance use motives and severe mental illness, Journal of Dual Diagnosis 8:3, pp.171-179
The purpose of this study was to validate the construct validity of the Drinking Motives Questionnaire-Revised (DMQ-R) and to test the hypothesis that coping motives for using substances will vary directly with alcohol use, drug use, and substance use problems when controlling for psychiatric symptoms of severe mental illness. Results suggest that although coping motives appear to be associated with more problematic substance use overall, coping and personal enhancement motives could be associated with the use of different substances. Future research should emphasize links among psychiatric symptoms, motives, and specific substances in order to identify potential links that might inform assessment and intervention with people who have severe mental illnesses. Limitations of the study include the lack of a structured diagnostic interview and modest cross-sectional sample size. [Journal abstract, ed]
 
Decriminalisation
In response to the Global Commission report, Australia21, in January 2012, convened a meeting of 24 former senior Australian politicians and experts on drug policy, to explore the principles and recommendations that were enunciated by the Global Commission. The group also included two young student leaders, a former senior prosecutor, a former head of the Australian Federal Police, representatives of Families and Friends for Drug Law Reform and a leading businessman. [Executive Summary]
 
This report follows from a Roundtable discussion held in July 2012 to consider new approaches to public policy about illicit drugs in Australia. An earlier Australia21 report launched in April 2012 had concluded that attempts to control drug use through the criminal justice system have clearly failed. They have also caused the needless and damaging criminalisation of too many young people, often with adverse life-changing consequences, including premature death from overdose. Australia’s illicit drug markets continue to thrive. Young people are being encouraged to experiment because huge profits are made from drug markets controlled by powerful criminal networks. Australia’s reported rates of cannabis and ecstasy (MDMA) use are among the highest in the world. Every year, new drug types appear in Australia. But the criminal justice system is unable to stamp out psychoactive drug use. [Executive Summary, ed]
 
Driving and substance use
The Victorian Government is calling on the community to help develop Victoria’s new road safety strategy. ‘Victoria’s Road Safety Strategy – Have Your Say’ is a key step in developing this strategy. We encourage everyone in the state to contribute. [Website blurb]
 
The primary purpose of the Transport Legislation Amendment (Marine Drug and Alcohol Standards Modernisation and Other Matters) Bill 2012 is to change the Marine (Drug, Alcohol and Pollution Control) Act 1988 to modernise Victorian marine drug and alcohol standards. The Bill achieves this by: broadly aligning marine drug and alcohol standards and controls with those applying to Victoria's road safety scheme, including by introducing a number of new offences, which are explained in detail in the clause notes to the Bill; providing for appropriate testing regimes; supporting the standards and controls with appropriate evidentiary provisions; and ensuring that police officers and transport safety officers have adequate powers to enforce those standards. [Introduction]
 
Taussig I Jones C 2012: Penalties and reconviction risk among offenders convicted of drug driving, Sydney: NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOSCAR)
About a third (35.3%) of those convicted of drug driving offences are reconvicted (but not necessarily of drug driving) within 24 months, according to new research released today by the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research. The research was based on 3,770 offenders, 45.8 per cent of whom had a proven offence under s11B1 of the Road Transport (Safety and Traffic Management) Act, while the remaining 54.2 per cent had a proven offence under s122 of the Act. [Abstract]
 
Environmental design
These guidelines have been developed to establish and maintain a safe and secure environment in all licensed premises. The guidelines should assist those involved in the design, development and refurbishment of licensed premises, as well as those wishing to implement their principles in existing premises. [Abstract]
 
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders
The Australian Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Action Plan 2013-2016, Canberra: Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education (FARE)
The country’s leading Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) experts have endorsed a proposed national plan to reduce the incidence of the most common preventable cause of developmental disability in Australia. An Australian FASD Action Plan is now needed to begin to address the extensive gaps in the prevention, early intervention and management of FASD in Australia. [Plan overview, ed]
 
Girls and substance use
Leve LD Harold GT Van Ryzin MJ Elam K Chamberlain P 2012: Girls tobacco and alcohol use during early adolescence : prediction from trajectories of depressive symptoms across two studies, Journal of Child and Adolescent Substance Abuse 21:3, pp.254-272
Associations between trajectories of depressive symptoms and subsequent tobacco and alcohol use were examined in two samples of girls assessed at age 11.5 (T1), 12.5 (T2), and 13.5 (T3). [Journal abstract]
 
Indigenous communities
Cairney S Fitz J Thompson S Currie J Chenoweth C Dillon P 2012: The Gunja Brain Story Flipchart, Sydney: National Cannabis Prevention and Information Centre (NCPIC)
This prevention-focused resource has been designed for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people and adults. It aims to raise awareness about the harms associated with gunja (cannabis) use and covers topics such as how a healthy brain works, the impact of gunja on the brain, short and long-term changes to the body and brain from gunja use, dependence, getting off the gunja, mental health issues, relationship and social problems and how gunja harms the spirit and community. [Publisher abstract]
 
Other substances
Gunderson EW Haughey HM Ait-Daoud N Joshi AS Hart CL 2012: "Spice" and "K2" herbal highs : a case series and systematic review of the clinical effects and biopsychosocial implications of synthetic cannabinoid use in humans, American Journal on Addictions 21:4, pp.320-326
Cannabis, the most commonly used illicit substance, exerts its primary psychoactive effect via delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol ( 9-THC) agonism of cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB1). Some users develop a cannabis use disorder and physical dependence manifested by withdrawal symptoms during abstinence. Hence, there is growing public health concern about increasing use of a new generation of synthetic cannabinoid (SC) agonists (eg, JWH-018, CP 47,497) marketed as natural herbal incense mixtures under brand names such as “Spice” and “K2.” [Journal abstract]
 
McClean JM Anspikian A Tsuang JW 2012: Bath salt use : a case report and review of the literature, Journal of Dual Diagnosis 8:3, pp.250-256
The new recreational designer drugs known as bath salts are synthetic cathinones (e.g., mephedrone, 3,4-methylenedioxypyrovalerone, methylone) that are being abused as stimulants. Bath salts have similar effects as amphetamine, cocaine, and MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, also known as ecstasy). Cathinone is a naturally occurring phenylalkylamine alkaloid present in the khat plant that has been used for centuries, but in Western countries, they are primary used by young clubbers. In this review, the pharmacology and neurotoxicity of bath salts will be discussed and the prevalence and pattern of bath salt use will be presented. [Journal abstract]
 
Secondary Supply
Wagoner KG Francisco VT Sparks M Wyrick D Nichols T Wolfson M 2012: A review of social host policies focused on underage drinking parties : suggestions for future research, Journal of Drug Education 42:1, pp.99-117
Underage drinking continues to be a public health concern, partially due to the ease in which adolescents obtain alcohol and consume it in private locations. States and municipalities have implemented strategies to counter-act this, including adopting public policies called social host policies, despite limited evidence of effectiveness. Traditionally, these laws have held adults accountable for furnishing alcohol to underage drinkers. However, states and communities are using another policy, also called social host, to deter underage drinking parties where easy access to alcohol and high-risk use occurs. [Journal abstract]
 
Sport
Crundall I 2012: Alcohol management in community sports clubs; impact on viability and participation, Health Promotion Journal of Australia 23:2, pp.97-100
Whether improved alcohol management delivers additional benefits to clubs in the form of financial viability, expanded membership, increased spectators and greater capacity for competition. [Journal abstract, ed]
 
Statistics
Multiple causes of death data are useful for describing the role of all diseases involved in deaths. This bulletin is the first comprehensive application of multiple causes of death statistics to natural causes of death and specific chronic diseases of public health importance in Australia. It may be useful for guiding and improving policy for reducing deaths from these chronic diseases and for targeting future investment in health prevention. When describing patterns of causes of death using only the underlying cause, important cause information is overlooked. Analyses using multiple cause data complement routine descriptions of mortality that use only the underlying cause and offer broader insight into the disease processes occurring at the end of life.
 
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) 2012 Risk factor trends : Age patterns in key health risks over time Canberra: AIHW
This report presents comparisons over time for different age groups for key health risk factors, including overweight and obesity, physical inactivity, poor diet, smoking and excessive alcohol consumption. The good news is that smoking rates have declined, particularly among younger people. However, overweight/obesity rates have increased for virtually all age groups, especially females aged 12 to 44. [Website blurb]
  
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