Stanford Report, January 28, 2004

In Print & On the Air

THERE'S NO SHORTAGE OF reasons why nine out of 10 people who enter popular 12-step programs end up dropping out within their first year, but an article in the Jan. 21 Christian Science Monitor found just as many reasons why the programs have worked for millions more. KEITH HUMPHREYS, an associate professor (research) of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, said that 12-step programs instill a sense of hope in many who seek help, a crucial factor in steering many away from their addictions. "Most people feel defeated and have a frightening sense they can't control their own behavior. They go to a group and see others who've had the same problem now doing well, and that instills a lot of hope." Humphreys also said that the programs also alleviate financial strains on the public health system to the tune of about $5,000 annually for every person who seeks help through a 12-step program, according to a cost study.

THE NATIONAL BUREAU OF of Economic Research said two years ago that the last recession began during President Bush's first few months in office, but now the bureau might change the date to put it under former President Bill Clinton's watch, according to a Jan. 22 article in the Wall Street Journal. ROBERT HALL, the Robert and Carole McNeil Professor and Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, heads a seven-member committee that determines recession dates and said that "a reasonable look at the numbers" could lead one to conclude that a better date for the recession beginning would be between November 2000 and February 2001. The NBER, a private, nonprofit economic research group, said it might make the revision after reviewing comprehensive revisions from GDP data released in December.

A CONTROVERSIAL PROPOSAL TO implement a grading system for restaurants in San Francisco has the support of PHILLIP LESLIE, an assistant professor of strategic management in the Graduate School of Business and co-author of a 2003 study on Los Angeles' use of a grading system. Leslie told the San Francisco Chronicle on Jan. 25 that his study found a 20 percent decrease in the number of people being admitted to hospitals for food-related illness because restaurants cleaned up their practices to get better grades. "I honestly don't understand why restaurants object to this. If you get an A, your revenue goes up by 6 percent," he said. The San Francisco Board of Supervisors could decide to study the issue as early as this week.