12. Canadian Journal provides insights into addictive behavior

By Tom O'Connell

Browsing through back issues of The Journal published by Addiction Research Foundation (ARF), Toronto, I found the following bits of interesting information:

Drugs impair criminals' judgment: "According to Boston District Attorney Kevin Burke, the quality of the city's crooks is declining because of drug use: 'The shocking thing for me is the amount of personal drug use among these guys. They are not bright to begin with, but the drugs absolutely cloud their judgment.'" --Wayne Howell, ARF

Users'  families visit doctors more: "Individuals with a substance-dependent family member used health care services more often....were more likely to report mental disorders, stress, digestive problems, complications in pregnancy and childbirth, and poorly defined problems....In nine out of 10 cases, the family member with the substance problem was male." --Canadian Family physician.

Cannabis has residual effects: "In a study conducted  on Boston-area college students, researchers found that frequent marijuana use may have a residual effect on mental functioning. After a period of supervised abstinence, 65 heavy marijuana users displayed significantly greater impairment on tests of attention, performance, and ability to learn from mistakes." --The Journal of the American Medical Association.

Elderly smoking and thinking: "Current smokers made 20 percent more errors on tests than people who had never smoked...." --American Journal of Epidemiology

Chance of relapse drops after 5 years: "A Boston study suggests that alcoholics who have stayed away from drinking for five years are basically out of danger of relapsing. The 50-year study involved 456 residents of inner-city Boston and 268 Harvard University students, recruited in the 1930s and 1940s."--Associated Press

"Virtual intoxication" possible: "According to Dr. Barry Jones of the University of Glasgow, people can experience slurred speech and foolish behavior before they even start to drink: the 'virtual intoxication' occurs because the person's brain is anticipating its own intoxication." --Wayne Howell, ARF

Occasional indulging: "According to a survey of 4,000 people in eight countries conducted by ARISE, the Associates for Research Into the Science of Enjoyment,... people who occasionally indulge in alcohol, cigarettes and high-fat foods on the theory that moderate indulgence reduces stress, often feel so badly about the indiscretion the benefits are completely outweighed by feelings of guilt." --Wayne Howell, ARF

Downsizing increases substance abuse: "There is a direct correlation between downsizing and an increase in disability claims...according to a survey released by the American Management Association (AMA). Of 1,441 large and mid-sized companies that eliminated jobs between 1990 and 1995, 32 percent reported an increase in stress-related disabilities related to substance abuse and mental health problems. There was no such increase in companies that did not eliminate jobs."

Alcohol and fatal bicycle crashes: "Cyclists killed in accidents were almost twice as likely to have a positive blood alcohol content (BAC) than cyclists who were injured, a Maryland study found...only six percent of impaired cyclists wore helmets while 31 percent of sober cyclists did so." --Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.

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