Persistent alcohol use can, at times, interfere with intimate relationships and create conflict. The dynamic of the couple can be a source of tension and may create a loop that can perpetuate alcohol use. However, intimate couples relationships can also be great supports in the recovery from alcohol use disorder. Dr. Barbara McCrady talks about decades of research and development of Alcohol Behavioral Couples Therapy (ABCT), which attempts to target changes in alcohol use by bolstering the...

Alcohol use produces changes in the cardiovascular system affecting heart rate. These systematic differences in heart rate can, in turn, function as a biological signature (i.e., biomarker) of dysfunction among those with alcohol use disorder (AUD). In addition to assessing difficulties, understanding heart rate modulation may have important treatment implications. Dr. David Eddie talks about heart rate variability as a biomarker of AUD and his work developing behavioral skills that can...

Most commonly known psychedelics are considered schedule 1 substances by the controlled substances act, meaning they is no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. However, there is emerging evidence that psychedelics may have some therapeutic value. Dr. Matthew Johnson discusses the history of psychedelic research in the United States and his work on understanding abuse potential and therapeutic value of one specific psychedelic, psilocybin. Matt is the Susan Hill Ward...

A great deal of our research focuses on adults with substance use disorder. Yet, many who develop severe substance use disorder begin during adolescence. What types of psychosocial treatments are available for adolescents? What about pharmacological treatments? Does combining psychosocial and pharmacological treatments increase efficacy? In this episode, Dr. Robert Miranda discusses treatments available for adolescents and the complications of developing these treatments. Dr. Robert Miranda...

On this new Addiction Psychologist segment, we talk to experts about new policy developments to get a better understanding of the implications for our work, our clients, and our personal lives. On this episode, we talk with Dr. Adam Leventhal about the October 12, 2021 announcement that the FDA has authorized the marketing of three new tobacco products, marking the first set of electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS) products ever to be authorized by the FDA through the Premarket Tobacco...

Cannabis is becoming increasingly tolerated, both culturally and legally, across the United States and other parts of the world. Yet, there are at least 100 different psychoactive cannabinoids in any strain of cannabis. What do we know about these cannabinoids? Dr. Hollis Karoly talks about the two most common cannabinoids, THC and CBD, and what the scientific evidence suggests about their harms and benefits. She then discusses the connection between cannabinoids and alcohol use. Dr. Hollis...

Addiction is characterized in part by habitual drug seeking and use and diminished pleasure from nondrug alternatives. Both may serve as critical points of intervention in the treatment of substance use. Mindfulness, the practice of intentional awareness, may be a useful tool to help clients notice habitual behavior and savor nondrug alternative rewards. Dr. Eric Garland discusses integrating mindfulness with cognitive behavioral therapy techniques to create Mindfulness Oriented Recovery...

Contingency management is a therapy based in behaviorism in which individuals are 'reinforced' for evidence of positive behavioral change. In this episode, Dr. Stephen Higgins explains contingency management and outlines the support for its efficacy. He also discusses why it hasn't been adopted more widely, despite its strong efficacy, and why we should be doing more contingency management. Dr. Higgins is the Virginia H. Donaldson Professor of Translational Science, Vice Chair of Psychiatry,...

Listen to the future voices of addiction research. Ten students/ECRs discuss their excellent work which will also be presented live, along with other excellent research, on August 13, 2021 during the NIAAA/NIDA student/ECR poster session. The poster session  is sponsered by NIDA/NIAAA, and all researchers were provided travel awards by either NIAAA or NIDA. Primary presenters, poster titles, and timestamps for posters below. To learn more about the poser session or to sign up to attend this...

A great deal of individual's require substance use treatment that is more active than brief motivational interventions, yet are unable or unwilling to attend long-term inpatient treatment. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for is an effective treatment for substance use disorders. CBT for substance use disorder targets emotions, cognitions, and behaviors associated with substance use and teach skills in order to reduce use. Dr. Kate McHugh discusses CBT for substance use disorder, including...

College students drink at higher levels than most other groups; yet, their motivation to reduce drinking is often low because alcohol consumption provides salient social benefits. Despite these benefits, emerging adulthood is a critical developmental period that can impact the likelihood of alcohol use disorder over the lifespan. Dr. Jim Murphy talks broadly about brief motivational interventions (BMIs) for college populations, which typically deliver personalized feedback in a motivational...

Addiction is among the most stigmatized of all social/health problems. Language surrounding clinical care in addiction is unlike any other area of medicine in that it often uses terms that are pejorative and lack specificity. In this episode, Dr. John Kelly talks about why we need to “stop talking dirty” in addiction research and treatment. He also discussed the results of the National Recovery Study – the only epidemiological of people in recovery ever conducted. Ever wonder how many serious...

Across substances, rates of use are high in indigenous populations across North America. Melissa Schick discusses the historical and ongoing trauma experienced by these populations and why it might be related to higher rates of substance use. Melissa also discusses combining strength-based approaches, from the perspective of positive psychology with community participatory research to provide culturally humble treatment and interventions. Melissa Schick is a Doctoral candidate in Clinical...

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) often co-occur. A great deal of research has attempted to understand the nature of this relationship. Is PTSD a risk factor for AUD? Is high risk drinking a risk factor for PTSD? These questions can help us understand which of the two disorders to target first. Dr. Debra Kaysen talks about her research on treatments for co-occurring PTSD and AUD, focusing special attention toward state of the art science on ordering effects....

Biomarkers are objective signs or indications of a clinical state which can be measured reliably and accurately. Biomarkers are important because they can reveal mechanisms of behavior and help inform treatments. Laura Lesnewich talks about Biomarkers for Alcohol Use Disorder and her work identifying Biomarkers related to executive functioning deficits. Laura is a Doctoral candidate in Clinical Psychology at Rutgers and a Predoctoral intern at the Coatesville VA Medical Center. 

Listen to the future voices of addiction research. Seven students/ECRs discuss their excellent work which will also be presented live, during CPA 2021 from March 17-19. All interviewees were winners of the CPA registration award. Primary presenters, poster titles, and timestamps for posters below. Registration is still open: https://addictionpsychology.org/cpa Neo Gebru (1:48-10:20) - “That’s Pot Culture Right There”: Purchasing Behaviors of Recreational Marijuana Users Hallie Jordan:...

A great deal of the literature delineating the experience of addiction uses cross-sectional survey data or longitudinal data separated by wide gaps of time. Although this research is critical and is useful for answer certain questions, these research designs are unable to answer certain questions, such as about proximal contextual factors associated with within-person differences in substance use, or about psychological processes that shift moment to moment that may increase risk of substance...

Alleviation of pain, whether emotional or physical, is among the most common reasons for substance use. Despite this, very little experimental work has been done to delineate a causal effect of pain. Dezarie Moskal talks about her experimental work on the effect of pain on substance use and a recent meta-analysis on the effect of endocannabinoids on the alleviation of pain. Finally, she discusses the role of psychotherapy in alleviating pain. Dez is a doctoral candidate in clinical psychology...

In December of 2020, the US House of Representatives passed the Marijuana Opportunities Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) act, which removes marijuana from the list of scheduled substances under the Controlled Substances Act and eliminates criminal penalties for an individual who manufactures, distributes, or possesses marijuana. Although the bill is unlikely to survive the Senate, it seems to be a matter of time before some version of this bill does pass. There has been growing interest in...

Self control is thought to be closely associated with the ability to abstain or regulate substance use and is just one aspect of self-regulation, or the ability to organize behavior toward a goal. Many have suggested that self-regulation is damaged in those with chronic patterns of harmful substance use. However, it has also been noted that substance use itself is a highly goal directed behavior and requires self-regulation. Kyle Walters discusses his work on the interaction between...

There are two competing paradigms attempting to explain the phenomena of addiction: Addiction as compulsion and addiction as choice.  The compulsion model describes addiction as a brain disease in which alcohol and drug use cause neuroadaptations, resulting in uncontrolled drug seeking behavior. The choice model describes addiction as pathology of reinforcement that is contextually dependent upon the availability of meaningful and rewarding alternatives in the choice environment. Dr. Matt...

Research and theory have led to the development of empirically-supported options for SUD treatment, both psychosocial and pharmacological. However, these treatments only have moderate efficacy/effectiveness, and some aspects of treatments may be more implicated for some than others. Tori Votaw talks about precision medicine, which is determining which treatments work best for subgroups of individuals. Specifically, Tori discusses her work in understanding phenotypes of addiction such as...

E-cigarettes have increased in prevalence over the past decade and provided a powerful alternative to tobacco products like cigarettes. E-cigarettes have the potential to be addictive in part because qualities that are typically inherent to a substance (e.g., flavor, "harshness") can actually be modified to increase the reinforcing efficacy of the nicotine from the e-cigarettes. However, the full picture of both acute and chronic consequences are yet to be understood.  Dr. Adam Leventhal...

Alcohol use is a burden on the healthcare system and is among the leading causes of preventable deaths in the United States. There are eleven possible Alcohol use Disorder (AUD) symptoms and only two are required, resulting in a wide range of possible combinations of symptoms and thus widely divergent profiles of individuals with AUD. Further,  not all of the AUD symptoms are equally severe, and two individuals with two symptoms each may have completely different levels of severity. Despite...

Racial disparities in prevalence rates of harmful substance use can largely be attributed to social determinants of health, which are perpetuated by racist policies that have been implemented over the past century. The clearest example can be found in the policies related to Nixon's War on Drugs, which criminalized drug use, increased drug enforcement forces across the nation, and specifically targeted Black communities. More generally, the definition of addiction and its recovery has been...