4. Canadian Journal gives addiction insights

By Tom O'Connell

A review of The Journal published by the Addiction Research Foundation in Toronto reveals interesting and thought-provoking insights:

* Smoke breaks lead to heavy puffing--Employees who leave their work stations to smoke outside inhale their cigarettes harder than people smoking in social settings.... Assuming that increased puffing raises exposure to smoke constituents, questions arise about whether harder smoking may have negative healthy consequences...(Addiction).

* Long-term effects of sexual abuse confirmed--The first U.S. general population survey on childhood sexual abuse and adult substance misuse has found that abused women are more likely than non-abused women to both use and have problems with alcohol. The survey of 1,099 women found that 21 percent of women reported childhood sexual abuse. These histories were strongly related to recent alcohol consumption, intoxication, drinking-related problems, and alcohol dependence symptoms (Journal of Studies on Alcohol).

* Marijuana the norm for teens, study finds--Because many high school students think it's acceptable to use marijuana socially, they don't listen to anti-cannabis messages from adults....In Ontario, a 1993 survey found that almost one in four students from grades 7 to 12 had tried marijuana in the past year, nearly double the number from a 1991 survey (Addiction Research Foundation).

* Focus on cigars--In the U.S., cigar sales rose by 18 percent in the past year and the U.S. Center for Disease Control reported that 27 percent of teens have tried cigars (Wall Street Journal).

* Music videos glamorize smoking, drinking, study finds--Music videos are a steady source of positive images of alcohol and tobacco...Rock and rap videos stood out for their portrayals of substance use....The study also found that videos with substance use often showed the behavior repeatedly (American Journal of Public Health).

* "Crack" a misleading term-- Cocaine users often think crack, the most common media term for smokable cocaine, is different than the cocaine they smoke...Out of 208 cocaine users in Anchorage, Alaska, 50 percent called smoke cocaine "rock," while 20 percent called it crack....Users may incorrectly believe the cocaine they smoke is less dangerous...making them more willing to try the drug (Contemporary Drug Problems).

* Daytime gambling junkets draw seniors by the busload--Daytime gambling junkets, organized by tour and seniors' groups, have become increasingly popular. More and more Ontario residents 60 years of age and older are spending time and their retirement nest eggs on gambling (Addiction Research Foundation).

* Abusing solvents--Inhalant use is now recognized as part of the mainstream.... No longer are we talking about reservations, barrios and projects, but now schools and neighborhoods...at least 25 percent of school-age children will experiment with this type of substance abuse starting at age eight, or even younger....Potential long-term damage can occur to almost every system of the human body including "sudden sniffing death." (National Inhalant Prevention Coalition).

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