Advertise on podcast: The Addiction Psychologist

Many with substance use disorders make recovery attempts, whether through abstinence or reduction goals. However, some level of return to previous levels of use are relatively common, and treatments developed over the past four decades have typically included elements focused on relapse prevention. However, this was not always the case. Dr. Katie Witkiewitz discusses the history of relapse prevention and her work in the space of mindfulness-based relapse prevention. She also discusses recent conversations about the phrase "relapse": what does it mean, and how is it captured in scientific studies? Dr. Witkiewitz is the Director of the Center on Alcohol, Substance Use, And Addictions (CASAA) and a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of New Mexico.

In general, most people have some degree of ambivalence towards behavior change. Whether reducing television in the evenings, eating less chocolate, or deciding to limit or abstain from alcohol, most people can identify reasons they would prefer to maintain the status quo and reasons to make a change. How can one move from ambivalence to action? Dr. Bill Miller discusses the origins and key tenets of Motivational Interviewing, an approach grounded in Humanistic psychology to help create a safe space for people to explore their ambivalence and consider change. Dr. Bill Miller is an Emeritus Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry at The University of New Mexico.

Chronic pain commonly co-occurs with substance use disorder and may get in the way of recovery goals and valued living. Despite this, chronic pain can go untreated and unmanaged in treatment settings, and many people with substance use disorders struggle to get treatment for pain due to addiction stigma. Dr. Jeff Boissoneault provides an overview of the intersection between pain and substance use and makes the case for why scientists and clinicians should prioritize measuring and treating chronic pain. Dr. Boissoneault is an associate professor in the department of anesthesiology at the University of Minnesota Medical School.

Despite some consequences, substances can provide immediate and certain reward in the different forms, including but not limited to euphoria, pain relief, energy, alleviation of emotional suffering, and social connection. These rewards can compete with non-substance activities that are enjoyable and rewarding, and understanding changes in reward processing over the course of substance use disorder severity may provide critical insights into how to bolster recovery. Dr. Stacey Daughters provides an overview of reward processing in substance use disorders, and explores ways in which neuroscience treatment techniques may complement existing evidence-based psychotherapy treatments to bolster outcomes for people recovering from substance use disorders. Dr. Daughters is a professor in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of North Carolina, at Chapel Hill.

Epidemiological surveys suggest that prevalence of harmful patterns of substance use is greatest among Multiracial populations relative to other racial demographic groups. Yet, most studies either do not report full racial demographics or under-sample people who identify as multiracial. In this episode, Tessa Nalven illuminates the importance of studying multiracial populations, discusses theoretical mechanisms for disparities, and provides recommendations for research with multiracial populations. Tessa Nalven is a currently finishing her doctoral degree in clinical psychology at the University of Rhode Island. She is completing her clinical internship year at the Boston VA. Tessa was the recipient of the 2022 Division 50 DEI Student Recognition Award.

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.