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Window on America: Drug Use Among Racial/Ethnic Minorities

This fall, NIDA released a revised edition of Drug Use Among Racial/Ethnic Minorities, a resource for policymakers, program leaders, health administrators, researchers, and others seeking information on illegal drug use, alcohol and tobacco use, and associated attitudes, behaviors, and consequences among racial/ethnic minority populations nationwide. Major demographic changes affecting the United States provide the context for this report. For example, by 2030, racial/ethnic minorities are expected to constitute one-half of the Nation's K-12 student population. Non-Hispanic whites are expected

Where to Get Information About Applying for NIDA Grants

Information About NIDA Research Priorities and Grant Programs NIDA Home Page: Click on Funding Information, then click on the appropriate highlighted word or phrase for: Types of grants available from NIDA. Recent NIDA program announcements (PAs), which solicit grant applications for NIDA's long-term research programs, and requests for applications (RFAs), which offer one-time grants for specific research programs. Includes names and phone numbers of NIDA program staff to contact to discuss research ideas. Training and fellowship grants, career development awards, and NIDA-funded research

Questions and Answers About Anabolic Steroids

What Are They? Anabolic steroids are drugs derived from the male hormone testosterone. They promote muscle growth and increase lean mass. Although anabolic steroids have many approved medical uses, they are abused by some athletes and others seeking to improve performance and physical appearance. These nonmedical uses are illegal and carry many health hazards. How Are They Used? Anabolic steroids are taken as pills or injected. Steroid abusers may take hundreds of times more than the medically recommended dose. Users often combine several different types of steroids to boost their

Web-Based Program Trains Practitioners to Add Prevention Messages to Wellness Programs

In the last 20 years, drug abuse prevention strategies have increased dramatically in number and in scientific sophistication. Prevention training programs have not kept pace, especially in the area of equipping health professionals to deliver prevention education to adults. To make up this lag, ISA Associates of Alexandria, Virginia, offers Prevention Connection: Substance Abuse Prevention Training for Health Promotion Practitioners. The Web-based training program was developed and tested under a NIDA-supported Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant. It uses an interactive

Update on Nicotine Addiction And Tobacco Research

What makes nicotine addictive? Why do some children decide to smoke, while others never light up? What makes quitting smoking so difficult, and how can we make it easier? NIDA-funded researchers are seeking answers to questions like these in nicotine- and tobacco-related studies. Following are highlights of recent gains in our knowledge about nicotine and tobacco. Teen Smokers The NIDA-funded Monitoring the Future survey of students in grades 8, 10, and 12 shows that the number of current teenage smokers has declined since 1997. Still, nearly one in four high school seniors smokes every day

Trends in Drug Use Among 8th, 10th, and 12th Graders

Data from NIDA's 1997 Monitoring the Future study show the percentages during the past 3 years of 8th, 10th, and 12th graders who used drugs, including alcohol and tobacco. The University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research has conducted the survey among a representative sample of 12th graders each year since 1975; 8th and 10th graders were surveyed for the first time in 1991. Percentages for daily use of some drugs were not included because most were statistically unreliable. "Lifetime" percentages refer to students who reported using the drug at least once in their lives. "Past Year"

Treating Adolescent Substance Abuse by Addressing Family Interactions

Brief Strategic Family Therapy (BSFT) is described in the latest addition to the Therapy Manuals for Drug Addiction series. The short-term intervention is used to treat adolescent drug use that occurs along with other problem behaviors. This therapy focuses on an adolescent's drug use within the context of family dynamics. The BSFT manual introduces counselors to concepts they need to understand the family as a vital context within which adolescent drug abuse occurs. It also describes strategies for creating a therapeutic relationship with families, assessing and diagnosing maladaptive

Tools for Schools: NIDA's Drug Abuse Education Information for Teachers

In the past few years, NIDA has increased its efforts to provide drug abuse education materials for students and teachers. Part of NIDA’s mission is to increase students’ knowledge of drug abuse and addiction; the education efforts also encourage interest in science as a discipline and a career. “Brain Power!” The newest member of NIDA’s family of materials for students and teachers is the “Brain Power!” program. Designed for second- and third-grade children and their teachers, the program contains six modules that help students explore the processes of science and give them accurate

Thirteen Principles of Effective Drug Addiction Treatment

More than two decades of scientific research have yielded a set of fundamental principles that characterize effective drug abuse treatment. These 13 principles, which are detailed in NIDA's new research-based guide, Principles of Drug Addiction Treatment: A Research-based Guide, are: No single treatment is appropriate for all individuals. Matching treatment settings, interventions, and services to each patient's problems and needs is critical. Treatment needs to be readily available. Treatment applicants can be lost if treatment is not immediately available or readily accessible. Effective

NIDA's Latest Research Report Focuses on MDMA (Ecstasy) Abuse

The most recent issue of NIDA's Research Report Series highlights the current science on 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, or "Ecstasy"). The series is part of NIDA's continuing effort to provide science-based information to the public. Each report focuses on a particular drug abuse topic of national interest. For the complete Research Report and for additional information on illicit drugs, please visit Research Reports. Because of its use by young adults at all-night dance parties, or "raves," MDMA is classified as a "club drug." In the past few years, however, MDMA abuse has spread to

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