MAINTENANCE OF NONSMOKING FOLLOWING SELF-INITIATED CESSATION

The process of trying to maintain abstinence from cigarettes was assessed in a longitudinal, descriptive study of self-initiated quitters. Participants completed: (1) a preliminary questionnaire; (2) six follow-up questionnaire packets mailed to them monthly; and (3) a final questionnaire sent with the sixth follow-up packet. Abstainers and relapsers differed in the following ways: (1) Relapsers more often indicated cessation goals which left open the possibility of future smoking; (2) Although both groups began their participation with relatively high levels of commitment to quit, abstainers\u27 levels were slightly higher than relapsers\u27. At the conclusion of their participation, relapsers\u27 commitment to quit had dropped significantly; (3) Both groups began with relatively high success expectations, although abstainers\u27 expectations were slightly higher. At the conclusion of their participation, relapsers\u27 expectations for success at remaining abstinent had dropped significantly; (4) Although they did not differ at the start of the investigation, at the conclusion abstainers\u27 difficulty expectations had dropped significantly, whereas relapsers\u27 expected difficulty abstaining had increased significantly; (5) Relapsers reported a significantly higher percentage of smokers in their combined home, work and social environments; (6) Overall, abstainers reported feeling significantly more in control of themselves during and after temptations or smoking episodes than did relapsers. Most temptations occurred at home or at work and they were primarily precipitated by intrapersonal negative emotional states or social pressure. Most smoking episodes occurred at home or in public places and they were also primarily precipitated by intrapersonal negative emotional states or social pressure. Factors which emerged as important to examine for a more in-depth understanding of long term abstinence and for intervention for relapse prevention were: (1) Individuals\u27 confidence in their ability to remain nonsmokers (self-efficacy); (2) Expectations about the effects or consequences of smoking a cigarette following abstinence; (3) Strategies used for coping with temptations to smoke; (4) The influence of significant others who smoke on relapse; (5) The influence of sociocultural factors on relapse

Applying the social norms approach at Rowan University and its effectiveness on correcting misperceptions and changing drinking behaviors: a seven year trend

The social norms approach, being noted for its effectiveness in reducing misperceptions and changing drinking behaviors, has been implemented in college campuses across the United States. This approach was implemented at Rowan University, a public institution located in southern New Jersey, in 1999. The purpose of the current study was to assess the effectiveness of the implementation of the social norms campaign at Rowan University in correcting misperceptions and reducing actual drinking norms on campus. The Core Campus Survey of Alcohol and Other Drug Norms was the survey used to measure the perceived and actual use of alcohol and other drugs on campus. Baseline data was collected in 1998 prior to the implementation of the social norms approach and the survey was also administered to a random sample of Rowan University students in the spring of 1999-2004. This study found a significant reduction in perceived binge drinking; although, there was not a significant decrease in self- reported rates of binge drinking. After twelve semesters, there was a 9.58% decrease in the perceived campus drinking norms and a 6.84% decline in the number of students who self-reported rates of binge drinking

Binge drinking: a neurocognitive profile

Binge Drinking (BD) is a highlighted topic on current research, possibly due to its intrinsic integration of biological and social health concerning vulnerabilities. Especially prevalent during adolescence, a neurodevelopmental period marked by accentuated social relevance on decisions, BD has an underestimated financial, social and health cost. Described as the consumption of high quantity of alcohol in a short period of time, BD has shown to be related to differential brain activity and neuropsychological performance. Thus, there is growing scientific evidence reporting a wide range of neurocognitive impairments in adolescents and young people with a BD pattern, involving especially cognitive processes such as attention, executive functions, and learning and memory. However, the potential mid and long-term effects of BD remain unclear, so further studies should be conducted to elucidate the evolution of this neurocognitive profile, as well as to provide a more precise estimation of its reflection on the social functionality of binge drinkers. Therefore, the aim of the proposed chapter is to provide an updated scientific comprehension of BD neurocognitive profile, complemented by a discussion of some aspects related to it. Firstly, a definition and description of the binge drinking phenomena will be conducted. Secondly, it will be presented a review about neurodevelopment on adolescence and youth, period in which BD episodes are more common, followed by the principal outcomes about BD observed in animal studies. Then, a comprehension of neurostructural impact of BD, as well as a description of neurocognitive profile associated to BD will be offered, mentioning neurofunctional and neuropsychological consequences of this alcohol consumption pattern. Finally, future perspectives will be proposed, considering the evolution of BD neurocognitive profile and its related aspects.- (undefined

Barriers and Resistance to Specialty Alcohol Treatment Amongst Alcoholic Liver Disease Transplant Candidates Preceding and Following Liver Transplantation

End stage alcoholic liver disease (ESALD) is a leading yet controversial indication for orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT). Around one third of these patients will return to harmful alcohol use after transplantation. Despite the availability of established alcohol treatment, ESALD transplant patients avoid such services. The aim of this study was to evaluate factors contributing to treatment reluctance among ALD transplant patients using a mixed method approach. A case control study compared 40 ESALD transplant patients (cases) matched for age and sex with 40 alcohol treatment seekers without liver disease (controls). The results of the case control study showed that ESALD transplant patients perceive no need for treatment due to their lengthy abstinence and high motivation for change. Standard alcohol interventions are not tailored to the ESALD transplant population as they differ from ATS on alcohol severity, health beliefs, psychiatric co-morbidity and quality of life. Barriers to help seeking amongst ESALD transplant subjects consisted of possible fear of stigma and limited access to alcohol services. A qualitative study involving semi-structured interviews amongst 42 ESALD transplant candidates study found 62% of ESALD transplant participants reporting stigma to be a major deterrent to utilizing specialty alcohol treatment because of its association with the label ‘alcoholic’. Self-management by ESALD transplant participants to achieve substantial abstinence removed the necessity for professional support services. A major barrier to alcohol treatment seeking was the lack of an appropriate and suitable alcohol treatment integrated with the transplant program and actively incorporating the social and interpersonal dimensions of transplantation. The findings of the research provide significant therapeutic implications to tailoring a more suitable and efficacious approach to the management of alcohol relapse within the liver transplant context

Short-term abstinence across potential behavioral addictions: a systematic review

Observing short-term abstinence effects across potential behavioral addictions is vital for informing understanding about how addiction-related symptoms (withdrawal, craving and relapse) might manifest across these behaviors. Short-term abstinence may also have potential as a clinical intervention for behavioral addictions. This review aimed to synthesize existing research evidence on short-term abstinence effects across potential behavioral addictions in light of (1) manifestations of withdrawal, craving and relapse, and (2) benefits or counterproductive consequences of abstinence. We reviewed 47 prospective studies examining effects of short-term abstinence across six potential behavioral addictions (exercise, gambling, gaming, mobile phone use, pornography use, social media use). Findings of the review showed that there is a paucity of prospective studies investigating abstinence effects in relation to potential behavioral addictions, except for exercise. Across all behaviors, exercise demonstrated the clearest pattern of withdrawal-related symptoms mainly related to mood disturbances. While withdrawal and craving were investigated to a fair extent across the studies, the study of relapse using abstinence protocols is underutilized within behavioral addiction research. Short-term abstinence shows promise as an intervention for some problematic behaviors, especially gaming, pornography use, mobile phone use, and social media use. However, potential counterproductive consequences of abstinence (e.g., rebound effects and compensatory behaviors) were not adequately assessed by the studies, which limits current evaluation of the utility of abstinence as an intervention

College student alcohol use and abuse: social norms, health beliefs, and selected socio-demographic variables as explanatory factors

A possible theoretical construct to lend additional explanation for problematic drinking is the Health Belief Model (Rosenstock, 1966). Thus, the purpose of this study is to explore the relationships among social norms, health beliefs, and problematic drinking among college students. It is possible that personal health beliefs may influence students' decisions about drinking, in addition to their perceptions about how much and how often their peers consume alcohol. It is important to research a health theory that is designed to understand individual behavioral choices based on how they impact health and the possibility that this extends and mediates the already established relationship between social norms theory and problematic drinking behavior

Adolescent substance abuse and handicapped students: antecedent or concomitant handicapping conditions and prevention programs: a review of literature

The purpose of this paper was two fold. Primarily, it provided a review of literature on substance abuse in adolescence and antecedent or consequent concomitant handicapping conditions. The second purpose was to provide a prospective of the current prevention models and the SAP model most widely used in Wisconsin. This model includes roles for the parents, community, students, and educators in identification, intervention, and prevention/education procedures. The handicapped students discussed in this paper were diagnosed with Learning Disabilities, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Emotional Disturbance, or various personality disorder. It did not include physically handicapped or mentally disabled students. The statistics refer to adolescents, ages 12-19. This paper did not intend to deal with assessment or treatment issues. These should be done by an independent facility with qualified professional staff. Legal responsibility and/or financial obligations for special education services are reviewed only to provide an indication of future services. This paper was intended to benefit special educators, but could be of value to regular educators as well