The Addiction Psychologist

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. Dr. Debra Kaysen is a clinical psychologist and Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University. Dr. Kaysen’s area of specialty both in research and clinical work is in treatment of those who have experienced traumatic events including PTSD, mood and substance-use disorders. Debra is one of the leading researchers in adaptation of evidence-based PTSD treatments to increase access to evidence based treatments for diverse populations (Iraq, Democratic Republic of Congo, Native Americans), comorbidities (alcohol use disorders, HIV risk behavior), and for use in non-specialty care settings (digital health, telepsychology and primary care settings). Debra is currently the Immediate Past President of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS).

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: (10:20-18:55) - Psychometric Validation of the Protective Drinking Practices Scale in a National Sample of Students Dr. Jenni Teeters (18:55-26:24) - A Mobile-phone Based Intervention Is Associated With Reductions In Driving After Cannabis Use Among Near Daily Cannabis Users Dr. Emily Hennessy (26:24-36:59) - Parents and Family Mechanisms of Social Recovery Capital for Youth Recovery Marie O'Hanrahan (36:49-42:10) - Factors Predicting Substance Use Relapse: Service-Providers Perceptions Dr. Frank Schwabel (42:10-48:32) - Budding Recursive Partitioning Tress to Identify Predictors of Cannabis-related Outcomes (http://mateolab.yolasite.com/openscience.php) Thalia Sullivan (48:32-55:03) - Validation of the Daily Sessions, Frequency, Age of Onset, and Quantity of Cannabis Use Inventory Among an Illicit Cannabis Using Population

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 engagement. Dr. Lorraine Collins talks about her seminal work applying ecological momentary assessment methodologies to alcohol and cannabis. Dr. Lorraine Collins is the Associate Dean for Research in the School of Public Health and Health Professions, and a Professor in the Department of Community Health and Health Behavior at the University at Buffalo.

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 at Syracuse University and a predoctoral internship at the VA Maryland Health Care System/University of Maryland School of Medicine Psychology Internship Consortium. Dez is also a proud Division 50 student member. 

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 decriminalizing and legalizing cannabis in on the state level in the United States and in many countries around the world, and many around the country support the action. It is increasingly important to understand the impact of cannabis legalization. How will the impact of federal legislation be different from that of state legislation? How will cannabis legislation impact the epidemiological harm of cannabis use? How can psychologists contribute to this legislation to minimize costs and maximize benefits oft he legislation? Dr. Alan Budney discusses the likely effects of cannabis legislation and outlines what we still do not know about cannabis. Dr. Alan Budney is a Professor of Psychiatry in the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College.

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 self-regulation and the environment and suggests that this relationship may not be as simple as we once thought. Kyle also briefly discusses his forays into Network Analysis as an alternative approach to traditional conceptualizations of psychopathology.  Kyle Walters is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Psychology at the University of South Dakota.

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 Field describes each model and their respective bodies of research.  Dr. Matt Field is a Professor in the Department of Psychology at University of Sheffield.

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 negative emotionality and executive functioning that may help classify individuals into different specific treatment approaches.  Tori Votaw is a graduate student and T32 predoctoral fellow in the Department of Psychology at the University of New Mexico.

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 provides an overview of the science of e-cigarettes and vaping, including what we now about it's harm and addictive potential. He also discusses his work regarding the regulation "sweet spot": making it appealing enough for cigarette smokers to want to start using e-cigarettes, but aversive enough to prevent uptake among at-risk groups, such as adolescents. He also discusses how to develop a research career that has a focus on public health impact. 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. He is also the Director of the USC Institute for Addiction Science and Health, Emotion & Addiction Laboratory; a new Fellows Chair in the APA Division on Psychopharmacology and Substance Abuse (Division 28); and a recently appointed member of the Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee for the Food and Drug Administration.