The Addiction Psychologist

ARE YOU READY FOR CPA 2022?  The first in-person CPA conference since 2019 is happening this weekend, April 7-9, in Portland, OR. In addition to amazing networking opportunities, there will be incredible sessions and posters presented by experts ranging from early to late career, studying addiction and related topics. On this episode, we highlight the award-winning work of five early career scholars who will be presenting their research in Portland. Tune in for a sneak preview, and get hyped for CPA! Timestamps and presentation titles below.  1:34 - 10:44: Dr. Jevon Rice - Training in Substance Use Disorders Among Black Emerging Adults for Psychologists 10:44 - 19:27: Victoria Chentsova - Internalizing Symptoms, Rumination, and Problematic Social Networking Site Use: A Cross-national Examination 19:27 - 32:01: Peter Soyster - Personalized Machine Learning Models to Predict Future Alcohol Use 32:01 - 36:30: Madison Smith - Which Types of Substance-Related Legal Problems are Most Predictive of Arrest? 36:30 - 47:51: Melissa Schick - Gender Parity and Homophily in the Drug and Alcohol Dependence Editorial Process

Sleep is a critical function that can be disrupted by substance use. In fact, the majority of people with an alcohol use disorder report insomnia or sleep disturbance. So, what is good sleep, and why does it seem that substance use disrupts it? Can you treat the sleep, even if the drinking doesn't change? Does cannabis actually help sleep? Dr. Mary Beth Miller answers these questions and more, in our latest episode on the relationship between sleep and substance use. Dr. Mary Beth Miller is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Missouri School of Medicine.

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 couples relationship and using the partner to help work toward behavior change. Dr. Barbara McCrady Professor Emerita of Psychology and the Center on Alcohol, Substance Use, and Addictions (CASAA) at the University of New Mexico. Here she is pictured with her beloved horse, Skylark. 

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 target heart rate using biofeedback to improve AUD treatment outcomes. Dr. Eddie is an Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School and a Research Scientist at both Massachusetts General Hospital’s Center for Addiction Medicine and Recovery Research Institute.

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 Professor in Psychedelics and Consciousness and Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Johns Hopkins.

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 is a Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior in the Warren Alpert Medical School, a Professor of Behavioral and Social Sciences in the School of Public Health, and the Training Director of the NIAAA/NIDA Postdoctoral Fellowship in the Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies at Brown University. He is also the Clinical Director of the Vista Intensive Outpatient Program at Bradley Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island.

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 Product Application (PMTA) pathway. Dr. Adam Leventhal is a Professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine and Psychology in the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California and a member of the Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee for the Food and Drug Administration. You can read the full FDA press release here. In the days after the recording of this episode, the FDA made a similar announcement authorizing several oral tobacco products, suggesting that authorizations may occur at a rapid pace in the coming weeks. 

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 Karoly is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at Colorado State University.

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 Enhancement. Dr. Eric Garland is the Distinguished Endowed Chair in Research, Distinguished Professor, and Associate Dean for Research in the University of Utah College of Social Work. He is also the Director of the Center on Mindfulness and Integrative Health Intervention Development (C-MIIND). Find out more about his website. 

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, Professor of Psychiatry, Professor of Psychological Science, and Director of Vermont Center on Behavior and Health at The University of Vermont. The recent systematic review and meta-analysis, led by Dr. Hypatia A. Bolivar and published in JAMA Psychiatry, referred to in the podcast can be found here.