Addiction Audio

In this episode, Dr Tsen Vei Lim talks to Dr Jonas Dora, an Acting Assistant Professor at the University of Washington, US. The interview covers Jonas’ article examining how people decide to consume alcohol when feeling stressed.
Why Jonas wanted to study the “tension reduction hypothesis” [01:18]
The gaps in literature that led to the study [01:58]
The importance of understanding the nuance of the “tension reduction hypothesis” [03:50]
How Jonas approached the research question [04:40]
Speculation of the factors that influence the continuation of drinking alcohol [08:16]
The participants of the study [10:35]
Whether those with an alcohol use disorder would behave differently in the experiment [07:17]
How we can build on Jonas’ findings for future research [13:20]
The next steps for Jonas [15:55]
The tension reduction hypothesis is the idea that people consume alcohol to alleviate aversive states of psychological stress and negative emotions.
About Tsen Vei Lim: Tsen Vei is an academic fellow supported by the Society for the Study of Addiction, currently based at the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Cambridge. His research integrates computational modelling, experimental psychology, and neuroimaging to understand the neuropsychological basis of addictive behaviours. He holds a PhD in Psychiatry from the University of Cambridge (UK) and a BSc in Psychology from the University of Bath (UK).
About Jonas Dora: Jonas is an Acting Assistant Professor at the University of Washington. Most of his recent work is focused on understanding the affect regulation function of alcohol use, and the contribution of this function to the etiology of alcohol use disorders. He approaches this topic with a combination of experimental and intensive longitudinal research designs.
Original article: How people decide to consume (more) alcohol when feeling stressed https://doi.org/10.1111/add.70213
The opinions expressed in this podcast reflect the views of the host and interviewees and do not necessarily represent the opinions or official positions of the SSA or Addiction journal.
The SSA does not endorse or guarantee the accuracy of the information in external sources or links and accepts no responsibility or liability for any consequences arising from the use of such information.
Music provided by Jack Shakespeare.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Dr Tsen Vei Lim talks to Caitlin McClure-Thomas, a PhD Candidate at the National Centre for Youth Substance Use Research, the University of Queensland, Australia. The interview covers Caitlin’s systematic review and meta-analysis of self-reported exposure to cannabis advertising and its association with cannabis use and intentions.
The different forms of cannabis advertisements available [1:33]
Legal framework surrounding cannabis advertisements [03:10]
The hidden risks and harms of advertising cannabis [04:57]
The importance of studying the relationship between cannabis advertisements and cannabis use [05:57]
The key findings of the study [07:17]
Whether the relationship differs between different forms of advertisements [09:30]
Advertisements and attitudes towards cannabis [11:24]
The implications of the findings for policy [13:00]
Regulating social media advertising [15:00]
The next steps in cannabis advertising research [16:39]
About Tsen Vei Lim: Tsen Vei is an academic fellow supported by the Society for the Study of Addiction, currently based at the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Cambridge. His research integrates computational modelling, experimental psychology, and neuroimaging to understand the neuropsychological basis of addictive behaviours. He holds a PhD in Psychiatry from the University of Cambridge (UK) and a BSc in Psychology from the University of Bath (UK).
About Caitlin McClure-Thomas: Caitlin is a PhD candidate at The University of Queensland’s National Centre for Youth Substance Use Research. Her research explores how cannabis messaging shapes people’s attitudes, beliefs, and behaviours. She examines how exposure to cannabis promotions, including advertising and broader media messaging is associated with cannabis use and intentions. Through systematic reviews and empirical research, Caitlin aims to better understand the public health implications of cannabis communication in a rapidly changing policy landscape. Her work seeks to inform evidence-based approaches to harm reduction and contribute to discussions about cannabis regulation.
Original article: A systematic review and meta-analysis of self-reported exposure to cannabis advertising and its association with cannabis use and intentions https://doi.org/10.1111/add.70310
The opinions expressed in this podcast reflect the views of the host and interviewees and do not necessarily represent the opinions or official positions of the SSA or Addiction journal.
The SSA does not endorse or guarantee the accuracy of the information in external sources or links and accepts no responsibility or liability for any consequences arising from the use of such information.
Music provided by Jack Shakespeare.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Dr Chloe Burke talks to Dr Monserrat Conde, a researcher at the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Sciences, University of Oxford, UK. The interview covers a short report on the results of a consultation exercise creating recommendations for future research exploring e-cigarette use and later cigarette smoking in young people.
The background of work on e-cigarettes that led to this current study [1:06]
The evidence and gap map [03:14]
Monserrat’s iterative approach to set up the consultation exercise [04:49]
A surprising aspect from the stakeholder engagement [06:41]
The lessons learned from integrating existing research with stakeholder engagement [09:03]
Discussing two of the 23 final recommendations [11:27]
The take home message of the study [13:41]
About Chloe Burke: Chloe is a Senior Research Associate in Evidence Synthesis based in the Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol. Her current role applies evidence synthesis methodologies (e.g. network meta-analysis) to health-related topics, including addiction. She has a background in psychiatric epidemiology with a focus on applying causal inference methods (e.g. Mendelian randomization) to the topic of substance use and mental health. She holds a PhD in Psychology from the University of Bath, which investigated the co-use of cannabis and tobacco and depression risk. She is currently co-chair of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco Genetics and Omics Network.
About Monserrat Conde: Monserrat (BSc, PgDip, MSc, PhD) is an interdisciplinary researcher at the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences at the University of Oxford, where she currently focuses on evidence synthesis, implementation research and knowledge mobilisation. The study discussed in this episode was funded by Cancer Research UK.
The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.
Original article: Recommendations for future research exploring e-cigarette use and later cigarette smoking in young people: Results from a consultation exercise https://doi.org/10.1111/add.70038
The opinions expressed in this podcast reflect the views of the host and interviewees and do not necessarily represent the opinions or official positions of the SSA or Addiction journal.
The SSA does not endorse or guarantee the accuracy of the information in external sources or links and accepts no responsibility or liability for any consequences arising from the use of such information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Dr Elle Wadsworth talks to Professor Jonathan Brett, a senior consultant at St. Vincent’s Hospital, Sydney, clinical director of the Psychiatry and Non-Prescription Drug and Alcohol Unit, and a clinical toxicologist with the New South Wales Poison’s Information Centre, Australia. The interview covers Jonathan’s research article looking at psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for methamphetamine use disorder: A pilot open-label safety and feasibility study
Psilocybin and what psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy looks like [01:20]
Why look at methamphetamine use disorder? [04:38]
Why is psilocybin promising for methamphetamine use disorder? [06:21]
Explaining the single-arm open label pilot trial [09:35]
The key findings of the study [10:54]
The efficacy of psilocybin for methamphetamine use disorder treatment [12:12]
The implications of the findings for policy and practice [14:50]
The increased interest in psychedelics and a note of caution [17:03]
About Elle Wadsworth: Elle is an academic fellow with the Society for the Study of Addiction. She is based at the University of Bath with the Addiction and Mental Health Group and her research interests include drug policy, cannabis legalisation, and public health.
About Jonathan Brett: Jonathan is a senior consultant in clinical toxicology and addiction medicine at St. Vincent’s Hospital, Sydney, clinical director of the Psychiatry and Non-Prescription Drug and Alcohol Unit and a clinical toxicologist with the New South Wales Poison’s Information Centre. He has fellowships with the Royal Australian College of Physicians in clinical pharmacology, toxicology and addiction medicine. He is a conjoint Professor with St. Vincent’s Clinical School, University of New South Wales (UNSW) and a Senior National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Research Fellow with the Medicines Policy Unit of Centre for Big Data Research in Health, UNSW. He is president elect of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians College of Addiction Medicine. He was chief investigator on a pilot study of psilocybin facilitated psychotherapy (PP) for methamphetamine use disorder (MAUD), the first PP study of addiction in Australia and the first for MAUD worldwide. He is also chief investigator on a trial of PP for treatment resistant depression and chief medical advisor for a study of psilocybin microdosing for depression.
Original article: Psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for methamphetamine use disorder: A pilot open-label safety and feasibility study. Doi: 10.1111/add.70187
The opinions expressed in this podcast reflect the views of the host and interviewees and do not necessarily represent the opinions or official positions of the SSA or Addiction journal.
The SSA does not endorse or guarantee the accuracy of the information in external sources or links and accepts no responsibility or liability for any consequences arising from the use of such information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Dr Tsen Vei Lim speaks to Lucy Loch, a doctoral candidate in the Department of Psychology at the University of Michigan, US. The interview covers Lucy’s research article on ultra-processed food addiction in a nationally representative sample of older adults in the US.
What are ultra-processed foods? [01:18]
Ultra-processed food addiction and its relation to other behavioural addictions [02:12]
The addictive features of ultra-processed food [03:01]
The relationship between ultra-processed foods and obesity [03:50]
The motivation for the study [04:37]
The key findings of the study [05:24]
Socioeconomic inequality as a potential predictor for ultra-processed food addiction [06:49]
Should we avoid ultra-processed foods? [07:20]
The main takeaways from the findings [08:35]
Suggestions for policymakers to regulate ultra-processed foods [10:56]
The clinical recognition of ultra-processed food addiction as an addiction [11:54]
The next steps in Lucy’s research [12:22]
About Tsen Vei Lim: Tsen Vei is an academic fellow supported by the Society for the Study of Addiction, currently based at the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Cambridge. His research integrates computational modelling, experimental psychology, and neuroimaging to understand the neuropsychological basis of addictive behaviours. He holds a PhD in Psychiatry from the University of Cambridge (UK) and a BSc in Psychology from the University of Bath (UK).
About Lucy Loch: Lucy is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Psychology at the University of Michigan (US), mentored by Dr. Ashley Gearhardt and Dr. Julie Lumeng. Her research examines the life course development of addictive-like eating, focusing on how early experiences and exposure to ultra-processed foods shape appetite, self-regulation, and risk of later life health outcomes. Supported by the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, she integrates developmental and addiction science to understand vulnerability to addictive-like eating. Her work has been published in Addiction, Current Obesity Reports, and Physiology & Behavior.
Original article: Ultra-processed food addiction in a nationally representative sample of older adults in the USA https://doi.org/10.1111/add.70186
The opinions expressed in this podcast reflect the views of the host and interviewees and do not necessarily represent the opinions or official positions of the SSA or Addiction journal.
The SSA does not endorse or guarantee the accuracy of the information in external sources or links and accepts no responsibility or liability for any consequences arising from the use of such information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.