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Studies are conducted on bipolar alcoholic patients with comorbid marijuana abuse using randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled trial tests and the impact of marijuana abuse on alcohol and mood outcome are examined. Results reveal that patients with bipolar alcoholism with comorbid marijuana abuse are younger and less educated than those without marijuana abuse and are more likely to be involved in psychiatric comorbidity.

The association between attachment style and illicit substance use within a sample of adoptees is studied. Logistic regression analyses showed higher prevalence of illicit substance use among both insecure attachment groups as compared to the secure group.

The authors examine the validity of two commonly used questionnaires used in research of addiction to opiates. Topics include self measuring of heroin cravings, measuring desire and control efforts, and reliability of tests.

A study of 60 smokers with anxiety sensitivity currently attending a smoking cessation program showed that high anxiety sensitivity scores correlated with an increased risk of backsliding. The participants had all experienced major depressive symptoms in the past. High anxiety sensitivity scores also correlated with patients who smoked to prevent the return of negative feelings.

A study is described that shows that there is an association between anxiety sensitivity, anxiety symptoms and drinking of alcohol. The study was done on 82 alcoholic patients undergoing treatment. Patients with anxiety sensitivity fear anxiety symptoms so when they are present, they may use alcohol to make them go away.

A study of patients with reoccurring headache and anxiety sensitivity shows that anxiety sensitivity does not contribute to pain medication abuse, either prescription or nonprescription. In fact, anxiety sensitivity heightened the fear of the consequences of overuse. Opiate pain relievers were not included in this study and they might show different results.

A study of teenagers' motivations for smoking cigarettes, drinking alcohol or smoking marijuana show a strong correlation between anxiety sensitivity and sensation seeking and substance abuse. The authors suggest that intervention in cases of anxiety or thrill seeking could prevent some adolescent substance abuse.

Past research into the relation between anxiety sensitivity and substance abuse is examined. People who have anxiety sensitivity are afraid of their bodies' natural reactions to stress and anxiety and these may cause them to overuse prescription drugs or abuse other addictive substances to curb the physiological symptoms that they fear.

The impact of parental substance abuse problems on the creative achievement of 163 undergraduates was investigated. Analysis indicated that parental alcohol and drug problems do not have a significant effect on students' creative achievement. However, significant interaction of gender and family history provided limited evidence that gender may affect the impact of parental substance abuse on creativity.

The Drug-Taking Confidence Questionnaire (DTCQ) is a 50-item self-report questionnaire designed to evaluate situation-specific coping self-efficacy for utilization of a specific substance. Findings from exploratory and confirmatory factor applications of the DTCQ on 713 addiction patients indicated a situation-specificity of efficacy beliefs. All eight subscales of the DTCQ were found to have good reliability.

Improvement in emotional well-being, cognitive functioning, and relationships plays a mediating role in the positive treatment outcomes of crack cocaine users. In an intensive treatment program involving cognitive behavioral model, improved relations had the strongest impact on reducing cocaine usage. Improvement in emotional well-being failed to effect cocaine usage behavior, and improvement in cognitive functioning was only moderately associated with reduced drug usage. The length of treatment is directly related to improvements in these psychosocial domains.

The Self-Examination Therapy (SET) is a successful auxiliary technique in treating substance abusers afflicted with symptoms of depression. A study of 28 substance abusers reveals that SET reduces depression admirably compared to the Current Events technique. This characteristic can make this therapy more useful in relapse cases and also in relapse prevention. Patients can use this technique by themselves and it is useful even after the discharge from the clinic.

An evaluation of the vigilance in patients recovering from the addiction of cocaine and alcohol revealed the lack of any significant difference among patients of both categories with regard to the rate of vigilance or electroencephalogram arousal decrement. The only significant difference was in the time taken for reaction by the cocaine dependent group, who had a slower response in comparison with that of the alcohol dependent group.

A study to analyze the relation of club drugs and sexual orientation of females is presented.

A cross-sectional survey of 372 regular drug users was carried out to examine the benefits and risks perceived to be associated with the use of party drugs. The perceived risks like physical and psychological harms were consistent with current harm reduction messages.

The five-year prospective prediction of marijuana use cessation among young adults at continuation high schools is studied using three hundred and thirty-nine teenage users who had earlier quit marijuana. The prevalence of quit attempts can be increased due to the need to reduce psychological dependence on marijuana and increase in the social unacceptability of marijuana use.

Inspection time (IT) task was used for comparing 22 heavy cannabis users and 22 noncannabis-using controls for determining the effects of cannabis use on information processing speed. The subacute cannabis users as compared to the noncannabis using controls showed slow information processing speed, which may be explained as withdrawal effects or tolerance development due to long-term use of cannabis.

A study was conducted to determine the incidence and prevalence of hard-core drug (HCD) use and to explore the predictors of HCD use in a three-wave longitudinal study of women ages 18-35 living in urban areas of high traffic Puerto Rico. Prevention programs for HCD must consider strategies to promote social mobility and empowerment and to mitigate violence against women.

The impact of marijuana use on an individual's personal achievement goals is examined. Conflicts between use and goals were linked to use frequency in men more strongly than women.

Research reveals that adolescents respond to interpersonal conflicts by way of resorting to substance use. Physical aggression is associated with a higher risk of cigarette, alcohol, marijuana, and other drug use, while nonphysical aggression is associaed with cigarette and alcohol use. The nonaggressive conflicts are associated with a lower risk of cigarette use.

An assessment of severity of opioid dependence, and performance on two successive runs of the Wisconsin Card Sorting test (WCST) is made in methadone patients. It was observed that patients with higher severity of opiate dependence questionnaire (SODQ) scores made comparatively more preservative responses (PRs) and errors (PEs) and that opioid dependence is associated with disruption of executive cognitive function.