We ask authors to describe their impressions regarding the implications of their accepted work, how their findings will change practice, and what is noteworthy about the work.

Intoxication and binge and high-intensity drinking among US young adults in their mid-20s
Yvonne M. Terry-McElrath and Megan E. Patrick
Substance Abuse Vol. 37 , Iss. 4,2016

The likelihood of discussing alcohol use with a doctor or other health professional has been shown to decrease sharply after age 24, but empirical studies of high-risk alcohol use among this group have not been available to indicate if such decreased clinician communication overall is warranted. Our study, which estimated the prevalence of a range of alcohol use behaviors among US young adults aged 25/26, found that 39.9% of these young adults reported being intoxicated at least once in the past 30 days and 25.6% reported usually experiencing a sustained high of 3 or more hours when drinking alcohol. In the past two weeks, binge drinking (5+ drinks in a row) was reported by 36.3% of respondents, and 12.4% reported high-intensity drinking (10+ drinks in a row). These rates of age 25/26 alcohol use remained stable over the ten years of data examined, in contrast to significant declines over historical time in alcohol prevalence rates among these same individuals at age 18. Results suggest that high-risk alcohol use prevention approaches to reach young adults in their mid-twenties are needed, as are efforts to increase proactive screening to identify young adults participating in high-risk alcohol use.

————————————————————————————————-
Our newly released issue is now online —> January-April 2017.
————————————————————————————————-

We ask authors to describe their impressions regarding the implications of their accepted work, how their findings will change practice, and what is noteworthy about the work.

Fruit and vegetable intake as a moderator of the association between depressive symptoms and cigarette smoking
Jeffrey P. Haibach, Gregory G. Homish, R. Lorraine Collins, Christine B. Ambrosone, and Gary A. Giovino
Substance Abuse Vol. 37 , Iss. 4,2016

Cigarette smoking prevalence persists as a major clinical and public health problem, especially among persons with a depression history. In this pre-clinical and observational cohort study, we found fruit and vegetable intake to moderate the association between depression and smoking. After controlling for demographic characteristics and general health behavior orientation, there was only an association between depressive symptoms and smoking among respondents with low to moderate levels of fruit and vegetable intake cross-sectionally. When tested longitudinally, persons with elevated depressive symptoms at baseline were only less likely to quit smoking four years later at low levels of FVI. However, there was no association between depressive symptoms and smoking at higher levels of fruit and vegetable intake. We also discuss potential mechanisms of action for our results such as monoamine-oxidase inhibition, a known factor associated with smoking, fruit and vegetable intake, and depression. Future clinical research could elucidate whether or not increased fruit and vegetable intake might serve as an adjunct to smoking cessation among persons with a depression history.

————————————————————————————————-
Our newly released issue is now online —> October-December 2016.
————————————————————————————————-

We ask authors to describe their impressions regarding the implications of their accepted work, how their findings will change practice, and what is noteworthy about the work.

Tobacco outlet density and attitudes towards smoking among urban adolescent smokers
Jeremy Mennis and Michael Mason
Substance Abuse Vol. 37 , Iss. 4,2016

This research shows an association between residential exposure to stores selling tobacco with attitudes towards smoking among youth smokers, and suggests that exposure to ambient tobacco advertising molds a youth’s intention to smoke and their perception of self-efficacy regarding smoking cessation. Youth living in areas of high concentrations of stores selling tobacco may have more difficulty stopping smoking as compared to other youth. Thus, the efficacy of youth smoking interventions may be enhanced by explicitly addressing the contextual influence of pro-tobacco messages found in residential environments.

—————————————————————————————————–
Our newly released issue is now online —> October-December 2016.
—————————————————————————————————–

We ask authors to describe their impressions regarding the implications of their accepted work, how their findings will change practice, and what is noteworthy about the work.

The association between benzodiazepine prescription and aberrant drug-related behaviors in primary care patients receiving opioids for chronic pain
Tae Woo Park, Richard Saitz, Kerrie P. Nelson, Ziming Xuan, Jane M. Liebschutz, and Karen E. Lasser
Substance Abuse Vol. 37 , Iss. 4,2016

We found that benzodiazepine prescription was associated with early opioid refills in patients prescribed opioids for pain. An important part of a clinician’s role is to weigh the risks and benefits of a treatment. We feel that this study can help clinicians who treat chronic pain patients with opioids in making that risk-benefit calculation before prescribing a benzodiazepine by providing more information about the potential risks of benzodiazepine use in this population.

—————————————————————————————————–
Our newly released issue is now online —> October-December 2016.
—————————————————————————————————–

We ask authors to describe their impressions regarding the implications of their accepted work, how their findings will change practice, and what is noteworthy about the work.

Racial differences and the role of neighborhood in the sequencing of marijuana and tobacco initiation among urban youth.
Kerry M. Green, Renee M. Johnson, Adam J. Milam, Debra Furr-Holden, Nicholas S. Ialongo, and Beth A. Reboussin
Substance Abuse Vol. 37 , Iss. 4,2016

This study highlights an important potential pathway to tobacco use among urban youth, which begins with marijuana use.  Among this urban sample, Black youth and youth with greater exposure to violent victimization were at increased risk of initiating marijuana use before initiating tobacco use.  Prevention and intervention work should recognize the risk of transitioning to tobacco use among marijuana users with particular risk profiles.

————————————————————————————————-
Our newly released issue is now online —> October-December 2016.
————————————————————————————————-