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.

Components of Brief Alcohol Interventions for Youth in the Emergency Department
Maureen A. Walton , Stephen T. Chermack , Frederic C. Blow , Peter F. Ehrlich , Kristen L. Barry , Brenda M. Booth , Rebecca M. Cunningham
Substance Abuse
Vol. 36, Iss. 3, 2015

Underage drinking remains an important public health problem, with early intervention strategies being critically important to alter risk trajectories. Although prior studies show brief interventions are promising, little is known about the salience of specific intervention components. By capturing data occurring during brief interventions, including those delivered by therapists and by computers, our findings provide novel information regarding potential key components. Namely our findings suggest that, regardless of delivery mechanism, brief interventions should include identification of personal strengths and protective behavioral strategies. Given the limitation that our outcome data was measured at post-test, future longitudinal studies are needed to determine the impact of these key components on drinking behaviors. The use of computer technology to deliver brief interventions, as well as structure the delivery of therapist interventions, provides an exciting platform to translate these approaches into routine medical care.

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.

Comorbid Addiction and Major Mental Illness in Europe: A Narrative Review
Giuseppe Carrà , Francesco Bartoli , Giulia Brambilla , Cristina Crocamo , Massimo Clerici
Substance Abuse
Vol. 36, Iss. 1, 2015

The availability of substances but also the social contexts in terms of individual and local issues are factors likely to explain different dual diagnosis prevalence rates in Europe as compared with the US. Integrated models implemented following US example might perform differently within the context of well-established EU community mental health services.

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.

A Pilot Study to Examine the Feasibility and Potential Effectiveness of Using Smartphones to Provide Recovery Support for Adolescents
Michael L. Dennis , Christy K. Scott , Rodney R. Funk , Lisa Nicholson
Substance Abuse
Vol. 36, Iss. 4, 2015

Adolescents in residential treatment have low rates of completing treatment, accessing continuing care, and sustaining their recovery during the months after discharge. Dennis, Scott, Funk & Nicholson (this issue) demonstrate the feasibility of using smartphone technology to provide adolescents with recovery monitoring and support services following treatment. They showed that the 2-3 minute surveys can reliably be used to predict the risk of substance use in the subsequent 7 days and that the use of support services on the phone was associated with reduction in use overall and after controlling for likelihood of use. While just a pilot study, this work suggest the potential value of using technology to help youth sustain recovery and reduce relapse. To the extent that substance use disorders are a chronic condition, it also helps to establish the value of providing youth with self-management tools.

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.

Trajectories of Marijuana Use Beginning in Adolescence Predict Tobacco Dependence in Adulthood
Judith S. Brook , Jung Yeon Lee , David W. Brook
Substance Abuse
Vol. 36, Iss. 4, 2015

Although the “stage theory” suggests that marijuana use occurs after the initiation of tobacco smoking, our findings indicated that the opposite way also exists. That is, diminishing chronic, increasing, and moderate marijuana use may reduce tobacco dependence. In light of the results, policy makers should consider the effects of different amounts of marijuana use in their approach to tobacco dependence. Prevention and treatment programs in early adolescence should focus on decreasing the chronic marijuana use trajectory group, the increasing marijuana use trajectory group, and the moderate marijuana use trajectory group. In addition to focusing on the trajectories of marijuana use, prevention of tobacco dependence should target early tobacco use.