The Addiction Psychologist – Détails, épisodes et analyse

Alcohol impairs motor activity and cognitive functioning that is critical for effective and safe driving, increasing risk of accident. In fact, approximately 1/3 of all traffic fatalities are alcohol-related. Why do some people drive after drinking despite these risks? Dr. Denis McCarthy discusses the history of impaired driving and policy, theories of impaired driving-related decision making, and pathways to prevention, intervention, and treatment. Dr. McCarthy also discusses cannabis-impaired driving and important distinctions between cannabis and alcohol. Dr. Denis McCarthy is the Middlebush Professor of Psychology at the University of Missouri. Learn more about his work here.

People attempting recovery face formidable challenges to successful sustained remission. Return to use depends upon the individual's access to recovery capital, or the collection of resources available that can bolster or improve recovery. In this episode, Dr. Emily Hennessy discusses the science of recovery capital and how improving recovery capital can enhance recovery and save lives. Dr. Emily Hennessy is the Associate Director of Biostatistics at the Recovery Research Institute and an Associate Director at the National Center on Youth Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery at Massachusetts General Hospital, as well as an Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School.

In recent years, there has been a dramatic rise in methamphetamine use among people who use opioids. What is driving this effect? How do these drugs interact? Do they serve substitute or complementary functions? Dr. Justin Strickland summarizes the state of the science and outlines potential solutions. Dr. Strickland is a psychologist and assistant professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. You can learn more about his work here.

During the past several decades, the United States has experienced several distinct waves of opioid epidemic, prompting those providing services to think of novel ways to provide services. to those in need. Dr. Rachel Winograd found her passion for community-based harm reduction services in St. Louis, a city ravaged by wave after wave of the opioid epidemic, and quickly found her place within a network of harm reductionists, community-based providers, and policy makers in Missouri with a common goal. In this episode, Dr. Winograd teaches us about the opioid epidemic and shares about the work she and her team has done to test and disseminate evidence-based harm reduction services in the greater St. Louis area. Dr. Winograd is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences and the Missouri Institute of Mental Health at the University of Missouri-St Louis. To learn more, please visit www.mimhaddisci.org.

For many, the onset of substance use occurs in adolescence. A subset of adolescents who use substances develop substance use disorders later in life, and some even develop harmful patterns of drinking while still in the developmental stage of adolescence. Why is substance use initiation likely in this age group, and what is the developmental function of substance use behavior? What are the interpersonal processes that influence substance use, and how do relationships with friends and family change during this critical developmental stage? Is it possible to leverage these interpersonal processes to bolster treatment initiation and success? Dr. Sam Meisel answers these questions and more as he discusses the complex social environment of the adolescent and it's pertinence to understanding substance use. Dr. Sam Meisel is a Research Scientist at Bradley Hospital and the Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies in the Brown University School of Public Health.

Dr. Bill Stoops provides an overview of the pharmacology, effects, and prevalence of cocaine, in addition to treatments for cocaine use disorder. Dr. Bill Stoops is an Associate Director for Clinical Science in the Substance Use Priority Research Area, and a Professor in the Departments of Behavioral Science, Psychiatry, and Psychology, and in the Center for Drug and Alcohol Research, at the University of Kentucky.

Alcohol and other drugs are sometimes accompanied by harms from use. However, use only accounts for some of the variance in substance use harms, and their are strategies, and harms can be reduced through other means aside from reductions in substance use. This is particularly important because many who use substances do not have a desire to quit or cut down on their use, even if they do experience harms. In this episode, Dr. Mark Prince discusses the literature on protective behavioral strategies, or any behavioral strategy that may reduce the harm of substance use, often through reduction of risky behaviors while using (i.e., drinking and driving) or through changes in the way the substance is consumed (i.e., drinking water in between alcoholic drinks). Dr. Prince is an Associate Professor and the Associate Director of Addiction Counseling in the Department of Psychology at Colorado State University.

Click here for Dr. Prince's paper quantifying the variance unexplained by alcohol consumption alone. 

Sexual assault is a massive problem on college campuses, and alcohol is involved in some form or another in more than half of cases reported. Dr. Jen Read talks about her work to understand the complex social environment within which sexual assault often takes place, and her work to design interventions to reduce the rate of sexual assault. Unfortunately, the evidence suggests that intervention and prevention approaches targeting the perpetrators do not work. However, sexual assaults often take place in complex social environments, and interventions may be able to leverage friendships to create more explicit conversations about how to protect one another during a night out. Dr. Jen Read is a renowned scientist known for her work illuminating harms and developing intervention approaches to reduce drinking among college students. Dr. Read is a Professor and Chair in the Department of Psychology at the University at Buffalo.

Cultural influences play a role in defining normative behavior and definitions of harmful substance use; yet, a great deal of our understanding of addiction comes from privileged populations in American and Western society. Dr. Adrian Bravo talks about his line of research connecting researchers around the world to study differences in substance use, norms, and processes across cultures. Dr Adrian Bravo is an assistant professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences at the College of William & Mary.

Regular exercise confers many benefits: It will increase your mood, decrease fatigue, and increase the quality of your sleep, among others. But how can exercise impact substance use? Is exercise an effective adjunct to treatment? If so, how do we encourage a behavior that, for many, is so hard to maintain? Dr. Ana Abrantes discusses the research on exercise and substance use treatment, with a particular focus on making exercise accessible. Dr. Ana Abrantes is a Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior in the Alpert Medical School of Brown University, and the Co-Director of Behavioral Medicine and Addictions Research at Butler Hospital.