 |
|
Plays promote prevention of drug abuse
April 05, 2007A new study finds that theatrical drama is an educational tool in the fight against drug addiction and abuse. Research published today in Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention and Policy, shows that after watching the play Tunnels - a series of six vignettes depicting the effects of alcohol and drug abuse - over half of the audience left the theatre wanting to get involved directly in drug and alcohol prevention in their homes and communities.
Tunnels was inspired by 'life stories' developed by counsellors and researchers working in the substance abuse field and by Howard Craft, the local playwright who authored the play. The production was performed six times under the direction of Karen Dacons-Brock at North Carolina Central University (NCCU). The NCCU research team, led by Allyn Howlett and graduate student Aileen Stephens-Hernandez, asked the Durham, NC audience to fill out a 22-question survey as they entered the theatre lobby, together with a further post-performance survey. A follow-up telephone survey was then carried out three months after the play was shown, to assess people's participation in preventing drug abuse.
Almost half of those seeing the play said beforehand that they sometimes participated in some form of drug abuse prevention activities. Three months following the play, however, almost all those surveyed reported some involvement in prevention,either by generating discussions among their families and friends, or within their community by making charitable donations to organisations fighting addiction. Everyone could identify at least one memorable scene within the play, and nearly all believed that the scenes were life-like.
Discussions of drug and alcohol use and abuse can be difficult, and Howlett et al. have shown that plays and other forms of entertainment should be considered useful tools to help education and communication about these life-threatening issues.
"Prevention begins with the awareness that the problem of drug and alcohol abuse exists in our culture," says Howlett, "and that each of us can make an impact on this problem within the family unit and other close social networks."
BioMed Central
Discussions of drug and alcohol use and abuse can be difficult, and Howlett et al. have shown that plays and other forms of entertainment should be considered useful tools to help education and communication about these life-threatening issues.
"Prevention begins with the awareness that the problem of drug and alcohol abuse exists in our culture," says Howlett, "and that each of us can make an impact on this problem within the family unit and other close social networks."
BioMed Central
Drug Abuse News and Current Drug Abuse Events RSSK-State professor's research suggests that cigarettes' power may not be in nicotine itself
There may be a very good reason why coffee and cigarettes often seem to go hand in hand.
College freshmen: pain killers and stimulants less risky than cocaine; more risky than marijuana
First year college students believe that occasional nonmedical use of prescription pain killers and stimulants is less risky than cocaine, but more risky than marijuana or consuming five or more alcoholic beverages every weekend.
Low levels of brain chemical may lead to obesity, NIH study of rare disorder shows
A brain chemical that plays a role in long term memory also appears to be involved in regulating how much people eat and their likelihood of becoming obese, according to a National Institutes of Health study of a rare genetic condition.
1 sleepless night increases dopamine in the human brain
Just one night without sleep can increase the amount of the chemical dopamine in the human brain, according to new imaging research in the August 20 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience.
Halting retrieval of drug-associated memories may prevent addiction relapse
Disrupting the brain's retrieval of drug-associated memories may prevent relapse in drug addiction, according to new research in the August 13 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience.
Nature or Nurture-Are You Who Your Brain Chemistry Says You Are?
Researchers using positron emission tomography (PET) have validated a long-held theory that individual personality traits-particularly reward dependency-are connected to brain chemistry, a finding that has implications for better understanding and treating substance abuse and other addictive behaviors.
Medicinal marijuana effective for neuropathic pain in HIV
In a double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial to assess the impact of smoked medical cannabis, or marijuana, on the neuropathic pain associated with HIV, researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine found that reported pain relief was greater with cannabis than with a placebo.
Study highlights risky behavior, lack of care among HIV-infected crack users
Doctors who treat HIV-infected crack users refer to them as "the forgotten population." A study being presented at this week's International AIDS Conference in Mexico City reveals that these patients frequently lack outpatient health care, do not receive life-saving antiretroviral therapy and continue to engage in risky sexual behavior that likely contributes to HIV transmission.
Toxic drugs, toxic system: Sociologist predicts drug disasters
Americans are likely to be exposed to unacceptable side effects of FDA-approved drugs such as Vioxx in the future because of fatal flaws in the way new drugs are tested and marketed, according to research to be presented today at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association (ASA).
N.Y. Research Team Discovers How Antidepressants and Cocaine Interact with Brain Cell Targets
In a first, scientists from Weill Cornell Medical College and Columbia University Medical Center have described the specifics of how brain cells process antidepressant drugs, cocaine and amphetamines. These novel findings could prove useful in the development of more targeted medication therapies for a host of psychiatric diseases, most notably in the area of addiction.
More Drug Abuse News Articles
 | The Night of the Gun: A Reporter Investigates the Darkest Story of his Life--His Own by David Carr Amazon Best of the Month, August 2008: In his fabulously entertaining The Kid Stays in the Picture, legendary Hollywood producer Robert Evans wrote: "There are three sides to every story: yours, mine, and the truth." David Carr's riveting debut memoir, The Night of the Gun, takes this theory to the extreme, as the New York Times reporter embarks on a three-year fact-finding mission to revisit his... |
 | Beautiful Boy: A Father's Journey Through His Son's Addiction by David Sheff Amazon Best of the Month, February 2008: From as early as grade school, the world seemed to be on Nic Sheff's string. Bright and athletic, he excelled in any setting and appeared destined for greatness. Yet as childhood exuberance faded into teenage angst, the precocious boy found himself going down a much different path. Seduced by the illicit world of drugs and alcohol, he quickly found himself... |
 | The Alcoholism and Addiction Cure: A Holistic Approach to Total Recovery by Chris Prentiss The Alcoholism and Addiction Cure contains the incredible three-step program to total recovery that is the basis of the miraculous success of the Passages Addiction Cure Center in Malibu, California, the world's most successful substance abuse treatment center. While traditional treatments have a relapse rate as high as 80% or 90%, the world-famous Passages has a cure rate of 84.4%. This... |
 | The Heroin Diaries: A Year in the Life of a Shattered Rock Star by Nikki Sixx In one of the most unique memoirs of addiction ever published, Mötley Crüe's Nikki Sixx shares mesmerizing diary entries from the year he spiraled out of control in a haze of heroin and cocaine, presented alongside riveting commentary from people who were there at the time, and from Nikki himself.When Mötley Crüe was at the height of its fame, there wasn't any drug Nikki Sixx wouldn't do. He... |
 | Identical by Ellen Hopkins Do twins begin in the womb?Or in a better place?Kaeleigh and Raeanne are identical down to the dimple. As daughters of a district-court judge father and a politician mother, they are an all-American family -- on the surface. Behind the facade each sister has her own dark secret, and that's where their differences begin. For Kaeleigh, she's the misplaced focus of Daddy's love, intended for a... |
 | Tweak: Growing Up on Methamphetamines by Nic Sheff Nic Sheff was drunk for the first time at age eleven. In the years that followed, he would regularly smoke pot, do cocaine and Ecstasy, and develop addictions to crystal meth and heroin. Even so, he felt like he would always be able to quit and put his life together whenever he needed to. It took a violent relapse one summer in California to convince him otherwise. In a voice that is raw and... |
 | Drugs, Society, and Human Behavior, 12th Edition by Charles J. Ksir, Carl L Hart, Oakley S Ray Designed for the introduction to drugs and substance abuse course as taught in departments of health education, psychology, biology, sociology, and criminal justice, this full-color market-leading text provides the latest information on drugs and their effects on society and human behavior. For over thirty years, instructors and students have relied on it to examine drugs and behavior from the... |
 | The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe They say if you remember the '60s, you weren't there. But, fortunately, Tom Wolfe was there, notebook in hand, politely declining LSD while Ken Kesey and his Merry Pranksters fomented revolution, turning America on to a dangerously playful way of thinking as their Day-Glo conveyance, Further, made the most influential bus ride since Rosa Parks's. By taking On the Road's hero Neal Cassady as his... |
 | A Million Little Pieces by James Frey News from Doubleday & Anchor Books The controversy over James Frey's A Million Little Pieces has caused serious concern at Doubleday and Anchor Books. Recent interpretations of our previous statement notwithstanding, it is not the policy or stance of this company that it doesn't matter whether a book sold as nonfiction is true. A nonfiction book should adhere to the facts as the author knows... |
 | Alcoholics Anonymous - Big Book 4th Edition by AA Services It's more than a book. It's a way of life. Alcoholics Anonymous-The Big Book-has served as a lifeline to millions worldwide. First published in 1939, Alcoholics Anonymous sets forth cornerstone concepts of recovery from alcoholism and tells the stories of men and women who have overcome the disease. With publication of the second edition in 1955, the third edition in 1976, and now the fourth... |
| © 2008 BrightSurf.com |