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Aims The publication of the Journal of Inebriety (1876–1914) chronicled the rise and fall of the first era of organized addiction medicine in the United States. Methods Findings from historical research, a content analysis of the Journal's 35 volumes and 141 issues and images from the Journal illustrate visually the medical treatment of addiction in the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Results Under the editorial direction of Dr T. D. Crothers, the Journal of Inebriety published papers and reviews focused primarily on the medical treatment of alcohol and opiate addiction within a growing international network of inebriate homes and asylums. Conclusions The history of the Journal of Inebriety mirrors efforts in America to forge a legitimized field of addiction medicine amid conflicting conceptualizations of the nature of severe alcohol and other drug problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background This paper reviews the early work of Griffith Edwards and his colleagues on alcohol in the criminal justice system and outlines the direction of research in this area in the Addiction Research Unit in the 1960s and 1970s. The paper outlines the link between that work and work undertaken in the more recent past in this area. Methods The key papers of the authors are reviewed and the impact of this work on policy and practice is discussed. Conclusions There is a rich seam of work on deprived and incarcerated populations that has been under way at the Addiction Research Unit and subsequently the National Addiction Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, London. Griffith Edwards initiated this work that explores the risks and problems experienced by people moving between the health and criminal justice system, and demonstrated the need for better care and continuity across this system [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper traces the modern history of alcohol and drug policy research through a series of four monographs that were written collaboratively by international groups of career scientists. The books promoted the view, supported by a considerable amount of evidence, that alcohol and drug problems can be reduced, if not prevented, through organized policy action by governments and public health organizations. The books used a problem-focused integrative approach to align research more effectively with public policy. A common thread that runs throughout the monographs is the influence of Professor Griffith Edwards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article the author discusses his insights on the paper by psychiatrist Doug Sellman on the facts about addiction. He states several facts expressed by Sellman at his paper that he fully agrees including the neuropsychological processes, addiction trends, and treatment alliance relevance. Furthermore, he questions the possibility of creating a list of things known about addiction by Sellman.

Aims Research on cannabis dependence is used to comment on the similarities and differences among the substance dependence disorders, and to address the issue of whether specific versus generic substance dependence diagnostic criteria might offer the most fruitful approach to diagnosis. If cannabis dependence can be diagnosed and characterized adequately using the extant generic Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition (DSM-IV) dependence criteria, then one could argue that these diagnostic guidelines are valid and of high utility for substances with more well-accepted dependence syndromes. Method A brief, selective critical review of research on cannabis withdrawal and on the validity and internal consistency of cannabis dependence as assessed via DSM criteria for cannabis dependence was performed. Results Findings from these reports indicate that cannabis dependence is much more similar to than different from other types of substance dependence, even with regard to withdrawal. The generic DSM-IV dependence criteria can be applied fairly well to cannabis, and yield findings similar to that observed with other substance dependence disorders. However, across substances, the generic criteria may not discriminate cases in a manner consistent with the underlying constructs of abuse and dependence, and cross-substance differences probably exist in the general dependence severity level and specific symptom profiles. Conclusions The use of generic DSM-IV criteria appears to work as well for cannabis dependence as for other substances, yet the more important question might be as to whether we can do better by developing more sophisticated generic criteria or by using substance specific criteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims To systematically investigate the effectiveness of voucher-based reinforcement therapy for the treatment of substance use disorders. Methods Effect sizes and 95% confidence intervals were calculated for studies published between January 1991 and March 2004 that utilized voucher-based reinforcement therapy (VBRT) or related monetary-based incentives to treat substance use disorders (SUDs). Findings Thirty studies involved interventions targeting abstinence from drug use using experimental designs where effects on treatment outcome could be attributed to the VBRT intervention. The estimated average effect size (r) for those studies was 0.32 (95% CI 0.26–0.38). Analyses of variables thought to moderate VBRT effect sizes revealed that more immediate voucher delivery and greater monetary value of the voucher were associated with larger effect sizes. Additional studies were identified wherein VBRT was used to target clinic attendance ( n = 6) or medication compliance ( n = 4). VBRT studies targeting attendance produced average effect sizes of 0.15 (95% CI 0.02–0.28), while those that targeted medication compliance produced an average effect of 0.32 (95% CI 0.15–0.47). No significant moderators were identified for these 10 studies. Conclusions Overall, VBRT generated significantly better outcomes than did control treatments. These results further support the efficacy of VBRT, quantify the magnitude of its effects, identify significant moderators and suggest potential directions for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports developments related to the study of addiction. Suboxone has been added to the Pharmaceutical Benefit Scheme which subsidizes the cost of drug for medical treatment. Robin Room has been appointed as professor of Social Alcohol Research. The 9th European Conference on Drug and Infections Prevention in Prison will be held in October 9-11, 2006 in Helsinki, Finland.

The article reports global developments related to drug abuse. The Fifth Center for Addiction Research and Education National Conference will be held on May 19, 2006 in Scotland. DrugScope, an independent center of expertise on drugs, has developed the DrugData Update, a Web site that is offered to public in order to provide latest news on illegal drugs in Great Britain.