Reduction in alcohol craving has often been specified as an outcome for alcohol use disorder (AUD) interventions. This study evaluated changes in multiple craving measures from a randomized double-blind clinical trial (RCT) evaluating the efficacy of intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, for treatment of AUD. We predicted Veterans in AUD residential treatment, that received active iTBS (Active; n=22), show greater reductions than sham iTBS (Sham; n=22).

The California (US) Responsible Beverage Service (RBS) Training Act mandated training for all alcohol servers by 2023 giving us a rare opportunity to see how a statewide initiative might influence server behavior.

Using peer-driven sampling of young adult social networks, this study examined whether elevated drinking risks among individual participants ("egos") were associated with behavioral economic (BE) indicators among adjacent peers in their recruitment chain ("alters"). We hypothesized that having adjacent alters with BE values indicative of greater drinking risk would elevate individual ego drinking risks and that ego BE-drinking risk associations would depend on ego-alter correspondence levels of BE indicators.

Theories posit that acute alcohol responses predict development of future heavy alcohol use and alcohol related problems. The most prominent of these theories is the low-level response theory that purports less intense alcohol responses are associated with later development of alcohol use disorder. The counter modified differentiator model posits greater stimulant effects with lower sedative effects predict future heavy drinking. The present study provided a concurrent testing of these theories in a large-scale cohort of young adult Swiss men.

The opioid crisis remains a critical public health concern, with non-medical use of prescription opioids (NMUPO) playing a significant role. However, limited evidence exists on how adults engaging in NMUPO for subjective effects differ from those who use them for other non-medical reasons. This study aims to identify and examine factors associated with engagement in NMUPO for subjective effects.

Prolonged alcohol consumption is associated with immune system alterations, high blood pressure, and neurotoxicity. Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a devastating disease worldwide that leads to several changes in the neurochemical balance within the brain. Moreover, the high incidence of certain cancers and the prevalence of infectious diseases among individuals with alcohol use disorder demonstrate how alcohol impairs immune system. Our research brings a new viewpoint to the understanding of the critical pathways and genes involved in the dynamic alterations of AUD progression.

Involvement in mutual-help groups (MHGs) is associated with positive alcohol recovery outcomes. Attendance is a first step to involvement, but barriers to attendance remain poorly understood, especially among second-wave (non-12-step) MHGs. This study aimed to describe the most common barriers to MHG attendance, describe variation in barriers across diverse MHG types, and identify attendance barrier domains associated with MHG involvement over a 12-month period.

Latino/as comprise nearly 20% of the US population; 25% report past month binge drinking, and disparities in care persist. Culturally adapted interventions may improve outcomes and access. We tested the efficacy of a culturally adapted behavioral intervention to reduce unhealthy alcohol use, delivered in Spanish to Latino/a adults.

Buprenorphine is a high affinity partial agonist that can displace full opioid agonists and could be used to reverse opioid induced respiratory depression. There is scant evidence to support the use of buprenorphine in an acute opioid overdose to reverse respiratory depression in the era of high fentanyl prevalence in the drug supply. This is a case series of four patients with signs and symptoms of an opioid overdose who showed clinical improvement after receiving intravenous buprenorphine.

We investigated risk for alcohol use disorder (AUD) and drug use disorder (DUD) in offspring of parents with major depression (MDD) or bipolar disorder (BD), including how parent and offspring sex impact familial transmission.

This pilot micro-randomized trial (MRT) evaluated feasibility of the MRT design and compared acceptability and preliminary impacts of drinking-focused and maternal-focused text messages to inform development of a tailored just-in-time adaptive text messaging intervention for postpartum at-risk alcohol use.

High-level commitments to engage the private sector in governance and limited attention to managing conflict of interest (COI) have enabled alcohol industry actors to engage with policy development processes. This is recognised as a key barrier to developing effective alcohol policy, and as important to the industry's efforts to position itself as contributing to sustainable development. This paper examines alcohol industry perspectives on governance, particularly with respect to partnerships and COI, submitted during the development of the WHO Global Alcohol Action Plan.

Risk perceptions for alcohol-impaired driving (AID) are reliably associated with AID behavior. Extant research relies on samples comprised predominantly of White individuals, despite racial inequities in alcohol-related harms. This study is one of the first to compare AID risk cognitions in Black and White young adults. We assessed AID cognitions following a moderate dose of alcohol and examined their associations with AID behavior.

Historically, cannabis use and cannabis use disorder (CUD) have been more prevalent among males. However, emerging evidence suggests cannabis use may be increasing faster among females in younger age groups. This study characterized changes in female versus male differences in cannabis use and CUD across age groups and time.

To identify which topics for alcohol warnings most motivate people to reduce their drinking and best inform them of alcohol's harms.

Motivational models argue that people use alcohol and cannabis to regulate emotions (Cooper et al., 2016; Cox & Klinger, 1988). Descriptions of global self-reports of coping motives have emphasized their role as a reflexive or disengagement emotion regulation strategy focused on avoidance of stressors or negative emotions and focus on building emotion regulation skills in terms of the clinical implications (Bresin & Mekawi, 2019, 2021). However, there is also substantial evidence that self-reports of coping motives reflect a broader tendency towards negative emotionality.

In 2015, 193 nations adopted the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Alcohol was included as a specific focus in target 3.5 (substance abuse), highlighting its relevance in the global development agenda. It is also recognized as a cross-cutting issue and a barrier to achieving several SDGs. We aimed to examine in this research how countries in the Americas reported on alcohol use, alcohol-related harms, and alcohol policy measures in their efforts to meet the SDGs.

Bisexual individuals consistently report higher levels of alcohol use and are at greater risk for developing alcohol use disorder compared to heterosexual, gay, or lesbian individuals. According to the Minority Stress Model, this disparity may be attributed to bisexual-specific stressors such as experienced binegativity-discrimination or prejudice targeting bisexual identity-and internalized binegativity, or the internal adoption of such stigma.

Prevalences and frequencies of cannabis use are increasing in the U.S., particularly among those with past-year major depressive episodes (MDE) or serious psychological distress (SPD). Relationships between comorbid MDE and SPD and past-year cannabis use, daily cannabis use, and cannabis use disorder are unexplored. Here, we compare trends (2005-2019) of cannabis use among U.S. adults with monomorbid, comorbid, or neither MDE nor SPD.

Alcohol cues vary situationally across contexts and have been recognized as a factor that contributes to craving and alcohol use. We describe a brief web-based personalized feedback intervention (PFI) that summarizes ecological momentary assessment (EMA) data tested in a pilot study. The PFI highlighted young adults' desire to drink and the presence/absence of alcohol cues, capitalizing on variability found in the natural environment across 17 days. We examined the extent to which the EMA data collected in the pilot study were optimal for use in the PFI and participants' evaluations of the PFI.

Simultaneous alcohol and cannabis use (commonly referred to as SAM) represents a significant public health concern for young adults. Romantic partners are a strong source of influence on substance use; however, research on SAM use among young adults with romantic partners is sparse. Using daily data, we tested whether SAM use was more likely on alcohol use days with a romantic partner present (versus without), and whether SAM use days (versus alcohol-only use) with a romantic partner present were differentially associated with alcohol use outcomes and sexual behaviors.

Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) can be a powerful and flexible tool for collecting data on alcohol use, particularly to understand proximal precursors and consequences. EMA can also be leveraged both to inform the development of and to deploy mobile-health (mHealth) interventions. This article describes the development of an mHealth ecological momentary intervention (EMI) for young adults with high-risk alcohol use and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This novel intervention uses EMA as an intervention component to increase self-awareness via symptom monitoring. It also incorporates additional EMI components, including personalized feedback and behavioral strategy suggestions ("tips"), which operate synergistically with EMA questions and are tailored by EMA data. The theoretical underpinnings of this intervention are described, and its distinct relevance for young adults with ADHD who engage in high-risk alcohol use, are discussed. The process of developing this mHealth EMI is detailed, including examining EMA data to generate intervention content, considering participant feedback through iterative pilot testing, and applying human-centered design methods with end users and community partners. Finally, practical considerations of this intervention approach are discussed, including unique benefits, key challenges, and exciting future opportunities.