Key Findings

This is a quick summary of the main discovery for each research paper we have published, organized issue by issue. Each key finding is below the article title, with a link to the abstract. 


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October 2021

Treatment rates for alcohol use disorders: a systematic review and meta‐analysis

Globally, treatment rates for alcohol use disorders are generally low, with even lower rates in low and lower‐middle‐income countries.

Link to Abstract

Hazardous and harmful alcohol use in the Northern Territory, Australia: the impact of alcohol policy on critical care admissions using an extended sampling period

New alcohol harm minimisation policies in Australia's Northern Territory seem to have reduced ICU admissions associated with hazardous and harmful alcohol use.

Link to Abstract

Concurrent validity of the Alcohol Purchase Task for measuring the reinforcing efficacy of alcohol: an updated systematic review and meta‐analysis

The Alcohol Purchase Task appears to have concurrent validity in alcohol research.

Link to Abstract

Effects of a multi‐component alcohol prevention intervention at sporting events: a quasi‐experimental control group study

A multi-component community-based alcohol prevention intervention at sporting events may have increased staff intervention towards obviously intoxicated spectators.

Link to Abstract

Mortality in the Americas from 2013 to 2015 resulting from diseases, conditions and injuries which are 100% alcohol‐attributable

From 2013-2015, more than 85,000 deaths in the Americas were 100% attributable to alcohol.

Link to Abstract

Alcohol control policy measures and all‐cause mortality in Lithuania: an interrupted time–series analysis

Alcohol control policies in Lithuania appear to have reduced the overall adult all-cause mortality over and above secular trends.

Link to Abstract

Evaluating the effects of two alcohol reduction counseling interventions on intimate partner violence perpetration: secondary analysis of a three‐arm randomized controlled trial among Vietnamese men with HIV

Among Vietnamese men receiving ART, alcohol reduction counseling interventions may have temporarily reduced intimate partner violence perpetration.

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Evaluating the impact of minimum unit pricing (MUP) on off‐trade alcohol sales in Scotland: an interrupted time–series study

Scotland's MUP for alcohol appears to have been associated with a reduction in off-trade alcohol sales after its first year.

Link to Abstract

Impact of cumulative incarceration and the post-release period on syringe sharing among people who inject drugs in Tijuana, Mexico: A longitudinal analysis

Among people who inject drugs, incarceration appears to increase injecting risk, measured through syringe sharing, and these associations are cumulative and persist post-release.

Link to Abstract

The impact of depressed mood and coping motives on cannabis use quantity across the menstrual cycle in those with and without pre‐menstrual dysphoric disorder

Depressed mood and coping strategies may explain heightened cannabis use in females with pre-menstrual dysphoric disorder.

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Cost‐effectiveness of hepatitis C virus (HCV) elimination strategies among people who inject drugs (PWID) in Tijuana, Mexico

A combined high-coverage harm reduction and HCV treatment program is the best strategy for Mexico's HCV incidence elimination goal.

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Trends in cannabis use among adults with children in the home in the United States, 2004–2017: impact of state‐level legalization for recreational and medical use

Among US adults with children living in the home, cannabis use appears to be more common in states with legalized cannabis use than in those without.

Link to Abstract

Expert stakeholder perspectives on the acceptability of treatment‐as‐prevention in prison: a qualitative substudy of the ‘Surveillance and Treatment of Prisoners with Hepatitis C’ project (SToP‐C)

Expert stakeholders do not appear to oppose universal rollout of direct-acting antivirals in Australian prisons but are concerned about lack of effective primary prevention.

Link to Abstract

The intermediary role of adolescent temperamental and behavioral traits on the prospective associations between polygenic risk and cannabis use among young adults of European Ancestry

Adolescent behavioural and temperamental characteristics appear to be early indicators of repeated cannabis use in adulthood.

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Encouraging and evaluating limit‐setting among on‐line gamblers: a naturalistic randomized controlled trial

Messages to online gambling website customers may increase the setting of deposit limits, which may in turn reduce gambling expenditure and intensity.

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Opioid use disorder and overdose among youth following an initial opioid prescription

Among US youth, complications after an initial opioid prescription appear to be relatively rare.

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Estimation of risk of neuropsychiatric adverse events from varenicline, bupropion and nicotine patch versus placebo: secondary analysis of results from the EAGLES trial using Bayes factors

Secondary analysis of the EAGLES trial using Bayes factors shows varenicline, bupropion, and nicotine patches do not increase risk of neuropsychiatric adverse events relative to placebo in smokers with no history of psychiatric disorder.

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The effectiveness of using e‐cigarettes for quitting smoking compared to other cessation methods among adults in the United Kingdom

When used daily, electronic cigarettes appear to facilitate abstinence from smoking when compared with using no help.

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Moderators of the association between regular smoking exposure and motivation and attempts to quit: a repeat cross‐sectional study

Among current smokers in England without strong urges to smoke, exposure to other smokers may be associated with lower motivation to quit.

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Cytisine versus varenicline for smoking cessation in New Zealand indigenous Māori: a randomized controlled trial

An RCT found that cytisine was at least as effective as varenicline at supporting smoking abstinence in New Zealand indigenous Māori or whānau (extended-family) of Māori.

Link to Abstract

Food addiction in a large community sample of Canadian adults: prevalence and relationship with obesity, body composition, quality of life and impulsivity

In a Canadian general community sample, prevalence of food addiction was 9.3% (below the 32.7% prevalence of obesity) and more common among obese people.

Link to Abstract

Differential price‐responsiveness of smoking behaviors among non‐Hispanic African Americans and non‐Hispanic whites in the United States

In the US, cigarette price increases may decrease consumption among African American daily smokers more than non-Hispanic White daily smokers.

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Sex‐Specific Risk Profiles for Suicide Among Persons with Substance Use Disorders in Denmark

In Denmark, prior poisoning and comorbid psychiatric disorders appear to be important indicators of suicide risk among persons with substance use disorders, particularly women.

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Reduction in the population prevalence of hepatitis C virus viraemia among people who inject drugs associated with scale‐up of direct‐acting anti‐viral therapy in community drug services: real‐world data

Scale-up of direct-acting antiviral treatment among people who inject drugs in Tayside, Scotland has substantially reduced chronic HCV.

Link to Abstract

Drug‐related deaths associated with vaping product use in the United Kingdom

In a UK sample of 42,000 deaths related to psychoactive drugs other than nicotine or caffeine, only two were associated with vaping products.

Link to Abstract