bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Heterosexual anal intercourse, health risks and drug use: a review with special attention to drug users
Authors: POWIS BEVERLY , GRIFFITHS PAUL , GOSSOP MICHAEL , STRANG JOHN 
Published: October 2005

AbstractResearch studying HIV risk‐taking behaviour has tended to focus on specific populations who are characterized by particular behaviours. Such practices include the extent of unprotected anal intercourse among homosexual men, the sharing of injecting equipment among drug users and unprotected vaginal intercourse among female sex workers. There is often a failure among both researchers and practitioners to address specific risk behaviours outside of the defined risk group. Reviewed here are studies of heterosexual anal intercourse, with special attention to drug users and female sex workers.Among the general population, the reporting of heterosexual anal intercourse varies greatly across time and cultural groups. However, a body of recent research suggests that, despite some geographical differences, rates in most countries are relatively high. Many studies have also found that associated condom usage is low. Although unprotected anal intercourse is known to be an efficient method for the transmission of HIV and other viral infections, it has rarely been addressed outside cohorts of men who have sex with men. Of particular concern is the interaction of risk behaviours among drug users and women engaging in prostitution, many studies having found high levels of unprotected anal intercourse among these groups. Harm reduction interventions must address all the health risk behaviours their target groups are engaging in, if the challenge of reducing the transmission of HIV and other viral infections is to be met. [Powis B, Griffiths P, Gossop M, Strang J. Heterosexual anal intercourse, health risks and drug use: a review with special attention to drug users. Drug Alcohol Rev 1995; 14:223–229].
Harm reduction: what it is and is not
Authors: ERICKSON PATRICIA G. 
Published: October 2005

AbstractThe meaning of the term “harm reduction” has changed over the decades of its existence but it is now increasingly being aligned with public health approaches. An agreed meaning for the term would be helpful and should be sought. Antecedents are easy to find. Emphasis on small achievable steps is an important element; neither inherently supportive of prohibition nor of legalization, harm reduction is essentially pragmatic and tends to favour regulatory approaches. HIV has focused attention on harm reduction but even in the illicit drug field, a strong tradition of research and policy with an identical philosophical framework can be traced back well before the AIDS era. Harm reduction primary prevention educational approaches are more open, honest and respectful of responsible decision making processes. With current illicit drug users, harm reduction emphasizes the need to understand existing individual control mechanisms. The concept can be well understood if contrasted with prevailing approaches to drugs which generally emphasize punishment, lack of regulation and often augment harm.
Trends in hotel patronage and drink driving in Hobart, Tasmania
Authors: McLEAN STUART , WOOD LES J. , MONTGOMERY IAIN M. , DAVIDSON JODIE , JONES MICHAEL E. 
Published: October 2005

AbstractFrom 1990 to 1991 in the Hobart region there was a marked fall in both hotel patronage and the proportion of patrons subsequently driving with their blood alcohol concentration above the legal limit. This was associated with smaller falls in the number of drink drivers charged and alcohol‐related road accidents, which continued in the following year. It appears that the pattern of drinking and driving is changing, presumably in response to random breath testing and tougher penalties for offences.
Effects of brief counselling among male heavy drinkers identified on general hospital wards*
Authors: HEATHER NICK , ROLLNICK STEPHEN , BELL ALISON , RICHMOND ROBYN 
Published: October 2005

AbstractAlthough the prevalence of heavy alcohol consumption among patients of general hospitals is well documented, no study has yet reported an effect of counselling on the ward in reducing the level of consumption among such patients after discharge. This study was designed to evaluate brief counselling to reduce alcohol consumption among male heavy drinkers identified on general hospital wards. Male patients were screened on wards of four teaching hospitals in Sydney, Australia. Identified heavy drinkers (n=174) showing predominantly low levels of alcohol dependence were allocated to one of two forms of brief counselling (skills‐based counselling or brief motivational interviewing) or to a non‐intervention control group. Blind follow‐up for 123 patients (71%) was carried out approximately 6 months after discharge from hospital and self‐reports of alcohol consumption were compared with collateral sources of information. Patients who received counselling showed a significantly greater mean reduction in a quantity‐frequency measure of weekly alcohol consumption than controls but there were no significant differences in reduced consumption between the two intervention groups. However, patients who were deemed “not ready to change” showed greater reductions if they had received brief motivational interviewing than if they had received skills‐based counselling. The implications of these findings for counselling male in‐patients to reduce alcohol consumption are discussed.
Drinking and gambling: a comparison with implications for theories of addiction
Authors: ORFORD JIM , MORISON VICTORIA , SOMERS MARCIA 
Published: October 2005

AbstractThere is current concern about the level of excessive gambling in a number of countries, but problem gambling still occupies an uncertain place in the addictions field. The present paper presents results from a pilot study comparing 16 problem gamblers and 16 problem drinkers. Results from a new Attachment Questionnaire suggested that gamblers were just as strongly attached to gambling as drinkers to drinking, although they were significantly less likely to experience withdrawal symptoms. Interviews with the problem gamblers suggested that excessive attachment to gambling was maintained by cyclical processes involving strong, negative feelings associated with gambling losses, shortage of money and the need to keep the extent of gambling secret. It is proposed that these ‘secondary’ processes, along with primary incentive motivation and the tertiary effects of losses associated with excessive behaviour, are sufficient to explain addiction. It is further suggested that neuroadaptation, tolerance and withdrawal, often thought to be central to the process of addiction, may in fact be of comparatively little importance.
Correlates of the perceived health risks of marijuana use among Australian adults
Authors: HALL WAYNE , NELSON JOAN 
Published: October 2005

AbstractA quota sample of 3272 people from the Australian population was surveyed by telephone about the health risks of marijuana use. Three‐fifths of the sample (62%) believed that there were health problems caused by marijuana use and one in four (27%) were uncertain. The most commonly cited health effects were: lung cancer, mental problems, memory loss and respiratory disease. The health risks of marijuana use were perceived to increase with increasing frequency of use, and to be greater when the user was a teenager rather than an adult. The perceived health risks of marijuana increased with age, were higher among women than men, decreased with increasing education and frequency and quantity of alcohol and were substantially lower among those who had used marijuana, and those who knew someone who had used marijuana.
What have population surveys revealed about substance use disorders and their co‐morbidity with other mental disorders?
Authors: HALL WAYNE 
Published: October 2005

AbstractThis paper reviews the epidemiology of alcohol and drug abuse and dependence as revealed in recent US general population surveys of the prevalence and correlates of mental disorders, the Epidemiologic Catchment Area (ECA) studies, and the National Comorbidity Study (NCS). These surveys indicate that mental disorders affect between a third and a half of people at some time in their lives, and around one in four in any year. Among the most common forms of mental disorder are phobias, alcohol use disorders, affective disorders and drug use disorders. There are marked gender differences in the prevalence of these disorders: substance use disorders and anti‐social personality disorders predominate in men while affective and anxiety disorders predominate in women. The co‐occurrence of substance use and other mental disorders is less common in the community than in the clinic because the presence of other mental disorders increases the chances of people with substance use disorders receiving specialist treatment. Only a minority of those with substance use and other mental disorders in the community are treated, with the more severe cases with multiple co‐morbid mental disorders and manifest distress the most likely to be treated.
Patterns of family responses to alcohol and tobacco problems
Authors: ROOM ROBIN 
Published: October 2005

AbstractPatterns of family response to drinking and smoking were studied in a sample of 1034 adults in Ontario in 1993. Concerning tobacco smoking, 69% of respondents reported having said something to a relative and 82% to a friend; concerning drinking, 46% had said something to a relative and 65% to a friend. Having said something did not vary much with the respondent's age, educational level and smoking or drinking status, except that current smokers were less likely than others to have said something to a friend or acquaintance, while heavier drinkers were more likely to have said something to a friend or acquaintance, and ex‐drinkers were more likely to have said something to a relative. About half of all who had ever smoked reported a family member (57%) or a friend (47%) had said something to them about their smoking, compared with much smaller proportions of ever‐drinkers who reported that a family member (14%) or a friend (8%) had ever said anything about their drinking. Both drinking and smoking are recognized by many respondents as imposing burdens on the family. Family members often comment on drinking and smoking, and make suggestions about cutting down or quitting.
Hepatitis B
Authors: BATE R. G. , BOLLIPO S. J. 
Published: October 2005

AbstractHepatitis B remains a major public health problem around the world. The discovery of the hepatitis C virus has diverted interest from hepatitis B to this new virus and the epidemic associated with it, but hepatitis B remains a significant pathogen for millions of people worldwide. The World Health Organization has suggested that universal vaccination of children against hepatitis B should be implemented in an attempt to reduce the enormous morbidity and mortality associated with infection of this virus group. The review seeks to identify all the newer discoveries relating to hepatitis B that have been made in the past decade. Reference is made to the appearance of hepatitis B mutants which are able to infect patients previously infected with the wild strain of the virus. The implications of mutants on vaccination programmes is raised, as are issues relating to treatment of hepatitis B infection.
Dope busts in the West: minor cannabis offences in the Western Australian criminal justice system
Authors: LENTON SIMON , FERRANTE ANNA , LOH NINI 
Published: October 2005

AbstractProponents of cannabis law reform argue that many people who are convicted for minor cannabis offences have no prior criminal conviction and are otherwise law‐abiding citizens. This study of criminal justice system data in a strict prohibition jurisdiction (Western Australia) found that over 10% of all charges and 85% of all drug charges were for cannabis. Approximately 90% of these were for minor offences. Over 40% of those charged with cannabis possession/use as their most serious offence had never been arrested for any prior offence. Almost half of those first arrested for cannabis possession/use had not been arrested up to 10 years later. Younger first‐time arrested cannabis users were more likely to be re‐arrested than older offenders. Almost all adult cannabis offenders who went to court were convicted and fined. Nearly 95% of those imprisoned for possession/use of cannabis were gaoled for fine default. The findings accord with earlier research showing that the vast majority of these offenders are, in all respects apart from their cannabis use, a non‐criminal section of the community.
Economic and other views of addiction: implications for the choice of alcohol, tobacco and drug policies
Authors: BUCK DAVID , GODFREY CHRISTINE , SUTTON MATTHEW 
Published: October 2005

AbstractIt is the aim of this paper to provide an overview of developments in implicit and explicit economic views of addiction, to contrast these perceptions with the views of other disciplines and discuss the implications for policy. Addictive behaviours have received considerable attention from disciplines other than economics. The nature of addiction and the contribution of psychological, physiological and social factors have been strongly debated within the addictions field for many years. The views of economists are becoming increasingly important because economic studies of consumption, and tax revenue in the case of licit drugs, are one factor when framing policy. It is therefore crucial to know how economists have treated addiction. Have they neglected it and what are the implications if they have? This paper attempts to answer this question by reviewing and discussing the literature in depth and drawing out the implications for policy.
Programmes for tobacco and alcohol users in Australian work‐places
Authors: RICHMOND ROBYN , HEATHER NICK , HOLT PHOEBE 
Published: October 2005

AbstractThis article presents findings from a survey of programmes available for tobacco and alcohol users working in 455 of Australia's top 600 companies. Companies were twice as likely to have programmes for smokers (43%) as for problem drinkers (24%) and these programmes were more apparent in large companies. The majority of programmes for smoking were delivered within a health promotion context which included other life‐style issues, such as nutrition, exercise, weight management and stress management. Although Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) were the most commonly available type of work‐place programme for excessive drinkers and other drug users, followed by Alcoholics Anonymous and local hospital clinics, only 6% had an EAP for alcohol. Only 21% of programmes for smokers and 12% for excessive alcohol users were evaluated. Around one‐quarter of companies knew the costs of smoking programmes, and 9% reported costs of conducting programmes for excessive alcohol consumers.
Opioid detoxification using naloxone
Authors: MERRILL JOHN , MARSHALL RUTH 
Published: October 2005

AbstractA method of brief inpatient opioid detoxification using naloxone is described. Daily injections of naloxone were administered to 20 patients who were dependent on opioids until no physical withdrawal reaction occurred. A reducing regime of clonidine and diazepam was used to treat withdrawal symptoms. Seventy‐five percent of patients successfully completed detoxification within 6 days. Withdrawal symptoms were minimal and rapidly declined during treatment. Unlike other techniques using opioid antagonists detoxification with daily naloxone injections requires minimal medical supervision, enables full participation in a daily relapse prevention programme and results in discharge from hospital without medication for symptomatic relief.
Injection drug use in Calcutta: a potential focus for an explosive HIV epidemic
Authors: PANDA S. , CHATTERJEE A. , SARKAR S. , JALAN K. N. , MAITRA T. , MUKHERJEE S. , MUKHERJEE B. , DEB B. C. , ABDUL‐QUADER ABU S. 
Published: October 2005

AbstractOur objective was to assess HIV risk perceptions, risk behaviours and factors that may facilitate an increase in injection drug use in Calcutta. Focus group discussions and in‐depth interviews were conducted with a selected group of drug users to delineate drug use patterns, languages used to express addictive and related experiences and acceptance of harm minimization messages. Results from these were used to develop a semi‐structured interview instrument which was used to interview 111 drug users (76 IDUs and 35 non‐IDUs) recruited from jails and detoxification centres. Secondary data of narcotic seizures for the last 5 years were collected from the Calcutta police department. Data on percentage of IDUs admitted to large detox facility in the city was also collected. Findings show that HIV/AIDS knowledge and risk perceptions were low; sharing of injection equipment was reported by 66% of the injectors; and condom use was insignificant. Non‐availability, rising cost and increasing tolerance to heroin were cited as factors contributing to switch to injection. Ecological association was found between intensified police activity and an increase in: the amount of smokable heroin seized; increased injection of buprenorphine; and admission to detoxification centres. In addition to HIV, IDUs were also found to be prone to hepatitis B and C. The findings suggest an urgent need for developing and implementing community‐based HIV prevention interventions targeting drug users in Calcutta.
Drug abuse in pregnancy: obstetric and neonatal problems. Ten years' experience
Authors: DAWKINS JUDITH L. , TYLDEN ELIZABETH , COLLEY NIGEL , EVANS CHRIS 
Published: October 2005

AbstractDrug abuse is an increasing problem and approximately 80% of female drug abusers are of childbearing age. This retrospective case note study reviews 10 years' experience of the management of pregnant drug abusers (n = 57) in the obstetric hospital of a London teaching hospital. Surprisingly, in view of other reports of high morbidity, no significantly increased rates of obstetric and neonatal problems were found when this group was compared with case‐matched controls. Thirty‐nine per cent of drug abusers managed to reduce and stop their drug use. However, 56% of the infants of drug abusers had withdrawal symptoms. Concern for her unborn child can motivate the pregnant drug abuser to comply with treatment and thus improve the outcome of pregnancy.
Public perceptions of drugs causing most deaths in Australia 1986–93
Authors: BORLAND RON , DONAGHUE NGAIRE , HILL DAVID 
Published: October 2005

AbstractDrug use is a major cause of preventable mortality and morbidity in Australia. Tobacco is by far the largest cause of drug‐related deaths. This paper reports changes in public awareness of the relative morbidity risks of different drugs between 1986 and 1993, a period of considerable activity for drug education and control. Broadly representative samples of Australians were surveyed in the two years using the same methods. Results indicate a significant increase in identification of tobacco as the largest cause of death, from a list of six drugs, although only a minority of respondents were correct in 1993. Alcohol was the second most identified drug, consistent with it being responsible for most drug deaths not attributable to tobacco. These results are discussed in the context of other studies. It is concluded that while improvement in knowledge has occurred, it is unlikely to be sufficiently strong to motivate action.
Acute effects of kava, alone or in combination with alcohol, on subjective measures of impairment and intoxication and on cognitive performance
Authors: Foo H. , LEMON J. 
Published: October 2005

AbstractKava (Piper methysticum) and alcohol were administered either separately or in combination to human subjects. Self‐reports of their levels of impairment and intoxication were collected, and performance skills on a number of cognitive and visuomotor tests were determined, before and three times after consumption of the experimental drink. Kava alone had no effect on reported condition. In contrast, alcohol produced marked changes in each of the five subjective measures, all of which were in the direction of lowered ability. The combination of these two substances produced even larger negative changes on these measures. In the cognitive tests, kava produced a decrement in performance on Digit Symbol Coding. Alcohol produced a significant decrease in performance on a divided attention test, which was almost entirely on the peripheral, discontinuous component of the test. The combination of kava and alcohol produced an even greater decrease in performance on this test, and in the same component. The present findings suggest that kava alone has little effect on reported condition and cognitive performance, but appears to potentiate both perceived and measured impairment when combined with alcohol.
Australia's public health response to HIV and HCV: a role for ‘affected’ communities
Authors: HULSE GARY K. 
Published: October 2005

AbstractThis paper identifies a number of the key elements that underpinned the success of Australia's public health response to minimizing the spread of HIV. It is argued that one major factor was the high level of collaboration between health care professionals and “affected” communities, such as injecting drug users, sex industry workers and gay men. This collaboration allowed for the negotiation, development and implementation of the range of innovative HIV initiatives that were ultimately responsible for keeping HIV in the injecting drug use and sex industry to low levels. Despite the central role played by injecting drug users and their peer based organizations, the significance of their activities has gone largely unacknowledged by senior health bureaucrats and politicians. As a consequence, advice from injecting drug users and their peer‐based organizations on the current hepatitis C epidemic has been largely ignored. Instead of learning from Australia's HIV experience and involving these groups in consultation and advisory roles, the Federal Government has reverted to accepting advice from only established mainstream organizations. It is argued that the success of infection control outside mainstream communities, such as among injecting drug users, can most effectively be achieved through the involvement of these “affected” communities. There is a need at the local, national and international levels to ensure both the involvement of “affected” communities and that recognition is given to them for the significant and essential role they play in infection control.
Heroin in the United Kingdom: different forms, different origins, and the relationship to different routes of administration
Authors: STRANG JOHN , GRIFFITHS PAUL , GOSSOP MICHAEL 
Published: October 2005

AbstractHeroin exists in the United Kingdom in several different forms, which vary not only in their country of origin and purity, but also in their suitability for use by either injecting or by ‘chasing the dragon’. The availability of these different forms of heroin has varied considerably over time. A review of the characteristics and availability of these various forms of heroin in recent years is presented, accompanied by consideration of their probable intended use by injection or by ‘chasing the dragon’. Samples of black market heroin in the salt form are usually used by injection, whereas the base form is usually taken by ‘chasing the dragon’. The heroin yield to the drug user from samples of heroin taken by ‘chasing the dragon’ varies according to its base or salt format and according to the presence of other drugs in the sample. Heroin samples from different countries of production mostly conform to either base or salt form. Novel approaches at the macro level to prevention and control of heroin‐related problems through influence upon this complex heroin market‐place should now be considered.