Researching Alcohol Use and Abuse
Using sophisticated techniques, ARG collects data on risk factors, alcohol dependence and treatment system outcomes as well as trains emerging scientists in state-of-the-art methods to study how to reduce alcohol addiction and abuse.
Lessons Learned from Recovery
Last fall, Polcin was asked to deliver the keynote address at the Southern California Recovery Summit. The recovery summit addresses recovery from alcoholism and drug addiction and focuses on the experiences of those working in the field. Polcin's presentation, entitled "What are we learning from research on sober living houses, and where do we go from here?" presented results from his five-year study of sober living houses and plans for studies of community impact on sober living houses.
After revolving in and out of recovery and the criminal justice system for many years, Wayne Jones decided to try something different.
He enrolled in the Options Recovery outpatient program and moved into one of its "sober living" houses in Berkeley, where alcohol and drugs are not allowed. Since then he has stayed sober while residing at the house for more than 18 months and has a job with a community outreach program. Jones believes his turnaround has a lot to do with his living environment.
Doug Polcin, EdD, an investigator with the Public Health Institute's Alcohol Research Group, thinks so, too. He recently completed a five-year study that tracks the progress of people like Wayne to determine the success of sober living transitional housing when paired with outpatient programs. The idea was to see if the study could confirm what he has observed to be true - that people who pair sober living housing with outpatient treatment programs can maintain their sobriety and other improvements in their lives, such as avoiding arrests and finding work, long after they leave treatment. (The article will appear soon in the Journal of Groups in Addiction and Recovery.)
UNDERSTANDING SUBSTANCE ABUSE THROUGH RESEARCH
Polcin's study is just one of thousands ARG has conducted over the last 50 years. The group looks at patterns of alcohol/drug use, abuse and resulting harms and problems. The ability to compare and evaluate data over time provides researchers with a better understanding of chemical addictions and their impact on health.
Using sophisticated techniques, ARG collects data on risk factors, alcohol dependence and treatment system outcomes as well as trains emerging scientists in state-of-the-art methods to study how to reduce alcohol addiction and abuse.
Wayne Jones
Community Ambassador
As part of its ongoing research, ARG has been collecting data in a nationwide survey of drinking behaviors among the general population since 1979. Conducted every five years, these National Alcohol Surveys are widely used by clinicians and public health departments.
ARG is home to one of 18 National Alcohol Research Centers funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
ARG is led by Dominique Lampert, MSPH, executive director, and Thomas Greenfield, PhD, scientific director.
To learn more about ARG, visit www.arg.org.
