The BASIS is an Internet site of the Division on
Addictions at the Cambridge Health Alliance, an affiliate of Harvard
Medical School. The Division is dedicated to promoting worldwide
understanding of addiction and the minimizing the harmful effects of
addictive behaviors. Visitors to the site can learn about cutting-edge
research on addiction involving gambling, alcohol, tobacco and more. The
BASIS offers a variety of resources for researchers, treatment
providers, public policy makers and other individuals concerned about
the impact of addiction on their own life or the lives of friends and
family members.
According to the Pew Internet and American Life
Project, more Americans use the Web to search for health and medical
information (66%) than to book travel reservations (55%) or to download
music (20%). People appreciate quick and free access to health
information; however, filtering the junk science that litters the
Internet is a challenge, especially for those without a science
background. The BASIS fills the need for credible information about
addiction that is science-based but accessible to a public audience. The
involvement of Harvard Medical School faculty members and their
dedication to publicizing evidence-based health information ensures the
high quality of the BASIS materials.
Each week, the BASIS publishes one of five online
journals: The WAGER, The DRAM, STASH, ASHES, and Addiction and the Humanities
which focus, respectively, on issues surrounding gambling, alcohol,
other drugs, and tobacco addiction, and their relationship to and influence on our
society. Access to these timely research reports is free and open to the
public. Readers are invited to join a free email notification list that
announces on a weekly basis the topic of each new issue.
Journalists will find that the one-page reports
are a valuable resource when researching a story on addiction. For
example, a reporter looking for information on youth gambling can do a
quick search of the past issues of The WAGER for research findings on
this population. The DRAM and ASHES, which debut in January 2005,
eventually will have similarly rich archives on which to draw.
Research reveals that many people change their
excessive behavior patterns without entering formal treatment. The
Division on Addictions is creating several self-administered guides to
help people get started on the process of change. Participation is free
and anonymous.
The BASIS offers access to diagnostic and screening
instruments, curricula, scientific article reprints, and presentations
by Division on Addictions faculty.
The BASIS evolved from a successful Division on
Addictions science publication, The Weekly Addiction Gambling Education
Report (The WAGER; now the Worldwide Addiction Gambling Education Report).
The WAGER began as a weekly fax designed to bring addiction science to
academics and the greater public. In 1999, The WAGER changed to an
Internet-based publication without interruption to its publication
schedule. Today The WAGER boasts almost 6,500 hits per month and readers
from not just the United States but also Canada, Japan, Australia, the
United Kingdom, Italy, Israel, Germany, China, Singapore and Mexico
among others. Furthermore, The WAGER was listed in The New
York Times technology section (March 29, 2001) as one of the top
Internet resources devoted to examining the clinical, economic, legal,
and social dimensions of problem gambling. The success of The WAGER inspired the Division on
Addictions to build an online resource focused on the broad range of
addictive behaviors.
The BASIS is made possible by funding from the
National Center for Responsible Gaming, through the Institute for
Research on Pathological Gambling and Related Disorders, Betandwin.com, Hyatt Gaming
Services, Inc., and the Massachusetts Council on Compulsive Gambling. We
thank these donors for supporting our efforts to foster public
understanding of addiction and reduce addiction-related harms.
Christine Reilly, Executive Director
The Institute for Research on Pathological Gambling and Related
Disorders
Phone: 781-306-8604
E-mail: christine_reilly@challiance.org
