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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June 2022

Did the under-reporting of meth/amphetamine use increase in a general population survey in Australia as negative media coverage increased?

Prevalence of lifetime meth/amphetamine use in Australia may be two to four times higher than estimated in national household surveys.

Link to Abstract

Mental health conditions and receipt of mental health care by illicit lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) use status among young adults in the United States

Young adults with past-year illicit LSD use have elevated prevalence of mental health conditions and are less likely to receive mental health care

Link to Abstract

A difference-in-difference approach to examining the impact of cannabis legalization on disparities in the use of cigarettes and cannabis in the United States, 2004–17

Recreational and medical cannabis legalization have had a varying impact on the use and co-use of cannabis and cigarettes in the US.

Link to Abstract

The estimated impact of state-level support for expanded delivery of substance use disorder treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic

24 US states did not implement at least one federal policy for substance use disorder treatment expansion as of April 2020.

Link to Abstract

Planning a Change Easily (PACE) for smokers who are not ready to quit: a telephone-based, randomized controlled trial

Rate reduction is the most effective form of cessation intervention for smokers not ready to quit.

Link to Abstract

Effect of a workplace mobile phone-based instant messaging intervention on smoking cessation: a cluster-randomized controlled trial

Chat-based and text-based mobile phone messaging support had similar effects on abstinence in smoking employees.

Link to Abstract

Standardised packs and larger health warnings: visual attention and perceptions among Colombian smokers and non-smokers

Standardised cigarette packaging and larger health warnings appear to decrease positive pack perceptions for cigarette products in Colombia.

Link to Abstract

Does sex alter the relationship between CYP2B6 variation, hydroxybupropion concentration and bupropion-aided smoking cessation in African Americans? A moderated mediation analysis

Genetically normal CYP2B6 activity is indirectly associated with greater smoking cessation in African American smokers using bupropion.

Link to Abstract

Smoking trajectories from adolescence to early adulthood as a longitudinal predictor of mental health in adulthood: evidence from 21 years of a nationally representative cohort

Early-onset smoking and continued smoking from adolescence through young adulthood may contribute to poor mental health in mid-adulthood.

Link to Abstract

Gambling and homelessness in older adults: a qualitative investigation

The link between gambling and homelessness in older adults is complex and often contingent on individual, interpersonal and structural conditions.

Link to Abstract

Drug Overdoses During the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Recently Homeless Individuals

Recently homeless Canadians had disproportionate increases in ED visits for drug overdoses during the re-opening period of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Link to Abstract

Ongoing HIV transmission following a large outbreak among people who inject drugs in Athens, Greece (2014–20)

In Athens, Greece, socioeconomic conditions deteriorated among PWID in 2018-2020 compared with 2012-2013

Link to Abstract

Real-world effectiveness of pharmacological treatments of opioid use disorder in a national cohort

Buprenorphine and methadone are associated with significantly lower risk of hospitalization from OUD.

Link to Abstract

Alcohol consumption patterns and growth differentiation factor 15 among life-time drinkers aged 65+ years in Spain: a cross-sectional study

Among older lifetime drinkers in Madrid, Spain, high-risk drinking was positively associated with a biomarker of chronic disease burden.

Link to Abstract

Comparison of intranasal and intramuscular naloxone in opioid overdoses managed by ambulance staff: a double-dummy, randomised, controlled trial

Intranasal naloxone was less efficient than intramuscular naloxone (80% v. 100%) in restoring spontaneous breathing within 10 min in opioid overdose cases.

Link to Abstract

Efficacy of a theory-driven program to implement alcohol screening and brief interventions in primary health-care: a cluster randomized controlled trial

A theory-based implementation program increased alcohol screening and population-based brief intervention rates in primary care settings.

Link to Abstract

Prevalence of alcohol use disorders in primary health-care facilities in Russia in 2019

The prevalence of alcohol use disorders and alcohol dependence in Russia remains high.

Link to Abstract

Is lower severity alcohol use disorder qualitatively different than more severe manifestations? An evaluation of multivariate symptom clusters

Alcohol use disorder manifests as different clusters of symptoms at different severity levels.

Link to Abstract

The association between involuntary alcohol treatment and subsequent emergency department visits and hospitalizations: a Bayesian analysis of treated patients and matched controls

Involuntary treatment of alcohol dependence was associated with reduced health service use in the year following treatment.

Link to Abstract

Associations of common mental disorder with alcohol use in the adult general population: a systematic review and meta-analysis

People with depression, anxiety, and phobia are twice as likely to report alcohol use disorders.

Link to Abstract

A systematic review of behavioural smoking cessation interventions for people with severe mental ill health—what works?

Face-to-face bespoke smoking cessation interventions for adults with severe mental ill health appear to be effective when compared with treatment as usual.

Link to Abstract

Effects of interventions to combat tobacco addiction: Cochrane update of 2019 and 2020 reviews

There is high certainty that using nicotine replacement therapy from quit day increases smoking abstinence.

Link to Abstract

The impact of changes in COVID-19 lockdown restrictions on alcohol consumption and drinking occasion characteristics in Scotland and England in 2020: an interrupted time-series analysis

Reductions in on-trade drinking following COVID-19 lockdowns in Scotland and England in 2020 were mostly offset by increased own-home drinking.

Link to Abstract