“Hookups,” or uncommitted sexual encounters, are becoming progressively more engrained in popular culture, reflecting both evolved sexual predilections and changing social and sexual scripts. Hook-up activities may include a wide range of sexual behaviors, such as kissing, oral sex, and penetrative intercourse. However, these encounters often transpire without any promise of, or desire for, a more traditional romantic relationship. A review of the literature suggests that these encounters are becoming increasingly normative among adolescents and young adults in North America, representing a marked shift in openness and acceptance of uncommitted sex. We reviewed the current literature on sexual hookups and considered the multiple forces influencing hookup culture, using examples from popular culture to place hooking up in context. We argue that contemporary hookup culture is best understood as the convergence of evolutionary and social forces during the developmental period of emerging adulthood. We suggest that researchers must consider both evolutionary mechanisms and social processes, and be considerate of the contemporary popular cultural climate in which hookups occur, in order to provide a comprehensive and synergistic biopsychosocial view of “casual sex” among emerging adults today.

Study results demonstrate a significant initial step in documenting the efficacy of the Matrix approach. Although the superiority of the Matrix approach over TAU was not maintained at the post-treatment timepoints, the in-treatment benefit is an important demonstration of empirical support for this psychosocial treatment approach.

Hook-up behavior consists of sexual activity between uncommitted individuals. "Hooking up" has become pervasive among young adults, particularly on college campuses in the United States, despite inherent emotional, physical, social and health risks. A total of 507 undergraduate students were surveyed to assess the prevalence of, and motivations for, hook-up behavior. Of those students, 64% reported having ever engaged in a hook-up. Of those who had hooked up, 51% had done so with the intention of initiating a traditional romantic relationship; there were no sex differences. Contrary to established notions of uncommitted sexual activity as an evolved behavioral strategy, results are discussed from a synergistic biopsychosocial perspective that situates this complex sexual behavior at the intersection of evolution, basic biology, psychology, and novel cultural factors. A decreasing average age at menarche and increasing age of mother at first birth has created a window of sexually mature but pre-reproductive life that is historically unprecedented in its duration. We suggest this time window, paired with evolved neural correlates of sexual and reproductive behavior, greater acceptance of the social sexualization of youth, and characteristics of the modern collegiate environment, results in the increasing prevalence of hook-ups.

Study findings provide solid evidence of efficacy for CM and CBT. Although the effect of CM is significantly greater during treatment, CBT appears to produce comparable long-term outcomes. There was no evidence of an additive effect for the 2 treatments in the CM + CBT group.

This study suggests that CM is an efficacious treatment for reducing stimulant use and is superior during treatment to a CBT approach. CM is useful in engaging substance abusers, retaining them in treatment and helping them achieve abstinence from stimulant use. CBT also reduces drug use from baseline levels and produces comparable outcomes on all measures at follow-up.

No abstract

In October 2002, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved buprenorphine-naloxone (Suboxone ® ) sublingual tablets as an opioid dependence treatment available for use outside traditionally licensed opioid treatment programs. The NIDA Center for Clinical Trials Network (CTN) sponsored two clinical trials assessing buprenorphine-naloxone for short-term opioid detoxification. These trials provided an unprecedented field test of its use in twelve diverse community-based treatment programs. Opioid-dependent men and women were randomized to a thirteen-day buprenorphine-naloxone taper regimen for short-term opioid detoxification. The 234 buprenorphine-naloxone patients averaged 37 years old and used mostly intravenous heroin. Direct and rapid induction onto buprenorphine-naloxone was safe and well tolerated. Most patients (83%) received 8 mg buprenorphine-2 mg naloxone on the first day and 90% successfully completed induction and reached a target dose of 16mg buprenorphine-4 mg naloxone in three days. Medication NIH-PA Author ManuscriptNIH-PA Author Manuscript NIH-PA Author Manuscript compliance and treatment engagement was high. An average of 81% of available doses was ingested, and 68% of patients completed the detoxification. Most (80.3%) patients received some ancillary medications with an average of 2.3 withdrawal symptoms treated. The safety profile of buprenorphine-naloxone was excellent. Of eighteen serious adverse events reported, only one was possibly related to buprenorphine-naloxone. All providers successfully integrated buprenorphinenaloxone into their existing treatment milieus. Overall, data from the CTN field experience suggest that buprenorphine-naloxone is practical and safe for use in diverse community treatment settings, including those with minimal experience providing opioid-based pharmacotherapy and/or medical detoxification for opioid dependence.Opioid dependence and its associated disorders represent a serious public health problem in the United States and many other countries. Less than 20% of an estimated 898,000 U.S. heroin users 1 currently receive agonist treatment with methadone or LAAM. Further, sales and distribution of LAAM in the United States were discontinued in August 2003 as a result of severe cardiac-related adverse events associated with its use. Even fewer users receive antagonist treatment with naltrexone or some type of medical detoxification, followed by additional treatment such as that provided through a therapeutic community, short-term residential program, or drug-free outpatient program. Although each of these treatments can be effective, their availability and attractiveness to patients vary and are not sufficient to meet the current demand for treatment. The reasons are complex but include inadequate resources for patients to pay for current care, community resistance to new drug treatment programs (especially methadone), patient preference, and regulatory barriers that limit access to treatment.Buprenorphine hydrochloride (HCl), a derivative of the morp...

The Methamphetamine Treatment Project offers the opportunity to examine the history of abuse and violence in a sample of 1016 methamphetamine users participating in a multisite study between 1999-2001. Reporting of abuse and violence was extensive, with 80% of women reporting abuse or violence from a partner. Men were more likely to report experiencing violence from friends and others. A high percentage of study participants reported a variety of threatening or coercive experiences with their partners. Past and current interpersonal violence is a characteristic of the lifestyles of the majority entering treatment for methamphetamine dependence.