Addiction Audio

40 Episodes
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By: Addiction journal

Welcome to the podcast from the journal Addiction. The podcast includes interviews with Addiction authors about their work, details about publishing in the journal, and other topics of interest to the field of addiction. This podcast is for researchers, clinicians, students, people with lived experience, and anyone with an interest in the topic. For Season 3, our interviewers are: Dr Elle Wadsworth, Dr Tsen Vei Lim, Dr Chloe Burke, and Dr Zoe Swithenbank. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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The effect of the UK’s smokefree generation policy on smoking in pregnancy with Nathan Davies
The effect of the UK’s smokefree generation policy on smoking in pregnancy with Nathan Davies episode artwork
#44
Today at 2:00 AM

In this episode, Dr Tsen Vei Lim talks to Dr Nathan Davies. Nathan is a specialty registrar in public health at Lincolnshire County Council and an honorary assistant professor at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK. The interview covers Nathan’s article on the effect of the smoke-free generation policy in England on smoking in pregnancy.

What is the smoke-free generation policy in the UK? [01:26]How does the smoke-free generation policy affect current smokers? [03:09]The public support for the smoke-free generation policy [04:10]The importance of modelling smoking in pregnancy [05:12]How Nathan modelled the health and economic co...


Intrusive drug memories and cocaine craving with Amelie Zacher and Boris Quednow
Intrusive drug memories and cocaine craving with Amelie Zacher and Boris Quednow episode artwork
#43
11/06/2026

In this episode, Dr Tsen Vei Lim talks to Dr Amelie Zacher and Professor Boris B Quednow. Amelie is a postdoctoral researcher and Boris is a professor, both from the Department of Adult Psychiatry, University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich, University of Zurich, Switzerland. The interview covers Amelie and Boris’s research article on drug-related intrusive memories in cocaine use disorder.

What is an addiction memory? [01:20]Examples of addiction memories intruding on those with cocaine use intrusions [02:45]The emotions with reliving addiction memories [04:40]The practical importance of characterising intrusions in cocaine use disorder [06:09]How Amelie and Boris measured the in...


Drug use disorders among people convicted of drug supply crimes with Julie Brummer
Drug use disorders among people convicted of drug supply crimes with Julie Brummer episode artwork
#42
10/30/2026

In this episode, Dr Elle Wadsworth talks to Dr Julie Brummer, an Assistant Professor at the Centre for Alcohol and Drug Research at Aarhus University in Denmark. The interview covers Julie’s article on drug use disorders among people convicted of large-, moderate- and small-scale drug supply crimes in Denmark.

A background on the relationship between drug use and drug supply [00:55]The motivation to examine drug use disorders among people convicted of drug supply crimes [02:45]The methods used in the study [05:15]The key findings on the prevalence of drug use disorders [08:31]The key findings on the group characteristics of...


Psychosocial health and hazardous alcohol use among older adults with Rose Laing
Psychosocial health and hazardous alcohol use among older adults with Rose Laing episode artwork
#41
10/23/2026

In this episode, Dr Elle Wadsworth talks to Rose Laing, a PhD candidate at the Monash Addiction Research Centre in Melbourne, Australia. The interview covers Rose’s article on psychosocial health and hazardous alcohol use among 50- to 70-year-olds in south-east Melbourne, Australia.

Psychosocial health and the motivation to look at the relationship between psychosocial health and alcohol use [01:00]Why 50–70-year-olds are an important population for studying this topic [03:03]The methods used in the study [03:43]What is Latent Profile Analysis [04:50]The four profiles found in the Latent Profile Analysis [06:24]Socialising and drinking alcohol at the time of retirement [07:42]The...


Recovery capital and genetic risk in remission and relapse with Janaka Kosgolla and Doug Smith
Recovery capital and genetic risk in remission and relapse with Janaka Kosgolla and Doug Smith episode artwork
#40
10/16/2026

In this episode, Dr Tsen Vei Lim talks to Dr Janaka Kosgolla and Professor Doug Smith. Janaka is an assistant research scientist and Doug is a professor, both from the School of Social Work at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in the United States. The interview covers Janaka and Doug’s research article on joint associations of recovery capital and polygenic risk with electronic health record observed remission and relapse in drug use disorder.

What is recovery capital? [01:36]Examples of recovery capital [02:32]What are polygenic risk scores? [03:30]What motivated Janaka and Doug to explore the relationship between recovery ca...


Mortality risk in gambling disorder with Yang-Chieh Brian Chen
Mortality risk in gambling disorder with Yang-Chieh Brian Chen episode artwork
#39
10/09/2026

In this episode, Dr Annika Theodoulou speaks to Dr Yang-Chieh Brian Chen, a psychiatric resident at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston, US. The interview covers Brian’s research article on all-cause and cause-specific mortality in gambling disorder using evidence from a nation-wide matched and sibling cohort study in Taiwan.

A background on gambling disorder [01:09]All-cause and cause-specific mortality in gambling disorder [02:59]Why Brian focused on the relationship between gambling disorder and quality of life and suicidal ideation [04:11]The value of looking at accidental death and natural causes [06:00]The difference between results in European populations co...


Comparing the price of alcohol-free and regular strength drinks with Abi Stevely
Comparing the price of alcohol-free and regular strength drinks with Abi Stevely episode artwork
#38
10/02/2026

In this episode, Dr Elle Wadsworth talks to Dr Abi Stevely, a Research Fellow at the Sheffield Addictions Research Group in the UK. The interview covers Abi’s article on the price of alcohol-free and low-alcohol drinks compared to regular-strength drinks using sales data in Great Britain.

The term ‘No/lo’ refers to alcohol free (No) and low alcohol (Lo) drinks.

What are alcohol-free and low alcohol drinks? [01:00]The use of ‘no/lo’ to refer to alcohol-free and low alcohol drinks [01:38]The main consumers of alcohol-free and low alcohol products in the UK [02:02]The motivation to explore th...


Brain reward responses in young people with cannabis use disorder with Martine Skumlien and Valentina Lorenzetti
Brain reward responses in young people with cannabis use disorder with Martine Skumlien and Valentina Lorenzetti episode artwork
#37
09/25/2026

In this episode, Dr Tsen Vei Lim talks to Dr Martine Skumlien and Professor Valentina Lorenzetti. Martine is a research fellow at King’s College London in the UK and Valentina is a professor at the Australian Catholic University in Australia. The interview covers Martine and Valentina’s research article on brain reward function in young people with cannabis use disorder.

The idea that the brain reward system is affected in people with cannabis use disorder [01:28]How our understanding of the neuroscience behind cannabis use disorder affects how we treat cannabis use disorder [03:46]The novel contribution of Martine and...


Artificial intelligence in addiction medicine with Patrick Kelly
Artificial intelligence in addiction medicine with Patrick Kelly episode artwork
#36
09/18/2026

In this episode, Dr Elle Wadsworth talks to Patrick Kelly, a doctoral candidate at Brown University School of Public Health in the US. The interview covers Patrick’s article on clinicians' and people who use drugs' perspectives on artificial intelligence in addiction medicine.

What is artificial intelligence and how has artificial intelligence been used in the field of addiction so far [01:18]The importance of knowing the perspectives of clinicians and people who use drugs with regards to artificial intelligence [03:39]What aspects of addiction medicine make it difficult to build artificial intelligence tools [05:34]The setting and sample of Patrick’s st...


The effectiveness of breathing interventions for people who use drugs with Ari Roxburgh
The effectiveness of breathing interventions for people who use drugs with Ari Roxburgh episode artwork
#35
09/11/2026

In this episode, Dr Tsen Vei Lim talks to Dr Ariel (Ari) Roxburgh. Ari is a Clinical Psychologist and addiction researcher at Monash University and Turning Point, Australia. The interview covers Ari’s review on controlled breathing and heart rate variability biofeedback for drug use-related outcomes.

Please note that ‘HRVB’ used in the recording stands for heart rate variability biofeedback.

Why Ari and his team explored controlled breathing [01:18]How breathing helps with drug use-related outcomes [02:20]Other breathing techniques examined in Ari’s review [05:03]The key findings from the meta-analysis [05:36]The difference between the examined breathing techniques [07:39]Whether...


Cannabis, cognition, and the role of nicotine with Emese Kroon
Cannabis, cognition, and the role of nicotine with Emese Kroon episode artwork
#34
09/04/2026

In this episode, Dr Tsen Vei Lim talks to Dr Emese Kroon. Emese is a postdoctoral researcher at the Center for Substance Use and Addiction Research at the Erasmus University Rotterdam in the Netherlands. The interview covers Emese’s article on associations of cannabis use with cognitive functioning in individuals with a cannabis use disorder, looking at the moderating role of nicotine.

Why nicotine is important when exploring cannabis use disorder [01:29]What we know about the effects of cannabis on the human brain [02:46]What the effects of nicotine are on cognitive function [04:40]The importance of understanding cognitive function in...


What young people see online about illicit vaping with Eleanor Bray
What young people see online about illicit vaping with Eleanor Bray episode artwork
#33
08/28/2026

In this episode, Dr Annika Theodoulou speaks to Eleanor Bray, a research associate at the University of East Anglia, UK. The interview covers Eleanor’s research article covering a content analysis of illicit vape messaging in young people's information sources.

Illicit vaping and why it is an important issue in the UK [01:08]The Tobacco and Vapes Bill in the UK [03:21]How social media platforms like TikTok influence people’s understanding of illicit vaping [04:04]What prompted Eleanor’s team to explore this topic [05:20]The methods used in the study [06:30]The use of a public and patient engagement representative [09:25]The challe...


Redefining success in cannabis use disorder treatment with Toby Atkin
Redefining success in cannabis use disorder treatment with Toby Atkin episode artwork
#32
08/21/2026

In this episode, Dr Elle Wadsworth talks to Dr Tobias (Toby) Atkin, psychiatrist and a research fellow in Addiction Psychiatry at Columbia University in the US. The interview covers Toby’s opinion and debate piece on redefining success in cannabis use disorder treatment.

[There are some light knocks/clicks in this episode – we apologise for any disruption!]

The motivation behind Toby’s opinion and debate piece [00:50]The treatments that are available for cannabis use disorder today [02:52]The limitations of abstinence-focused endpoints in cannabis use disorder treatment [04:50] What we can learn from tobacco and alcohol in terms of red...


What we know about alcohol risk in 2026 with Sinclair Carr and Jürgen Rehm
What we know about alcohol risk in 2026 with Sinclair Carr and Jürgen Rehm episode artwork
#31
08/14/2026

In this episode, Dr Tsen Vei Lim talks to Sinclair Carr and Dr Jürgen Rehm. Sinclair is a PhD candidate at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in the US, and Jürgen is a Senior Scientist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Canada. The interview covers Sinclair and Jürgen’s updated review of the relationship between dimensions of alcohol consumption and the burden of disease.  

How do we determine causality? [01:29]What is Mendelian randomisation?  [02:54]How do we use genes to explore causality of alcohol consumption in later life? [04:40]The context...


School-aged outcomes after prenatal opioid exposure with Louise Marryat
School-aged outcomes after prenatal opioid exposure with Louise Marryat episode artwork
#30
08/07/2026

In this episode, Dr Elle Wadsworth talks to Dr Louise Marryat, a senior research fellow at the University of Glasgow, Scotland. The interview covers Louise’s systematic review on prenatal opioid exposure, and health, social and educational outcomes for school-aged children.

The motivation behind Louise’s systematic review [00:50]The current evidence surrounding prenatal opioid exposure and early outcomes [02:13]What Louise defined as prenatal opioid exposure in her review [03:08] The limitation of small sample sizes in the included studies [04:08]The methods of the review [04:55]The key findings of the review [08:20]The implications of the findings on Scottish health policy [12:38]The...


Using brain stimulation to treat alcohol use disorder with Anastasia Demina
Using brain stimulation to treat alcohol use disorder with Anastasia Demina episode artwork
#29
07/31/2026

In this episode, Dr Tsen Vei Lim talks to Dr Anastasia Demina, an addiction physician and researcher at the Dijon Bourgogne University Hospital and Université Bourgogne Europe, France.  The interview covers Anastasia’s randomised controlled triple-blind trial on the efficacy and safety of transcranial direct current stimulation in alcohol use disorder.

The current available treatments for alcohol use disorder [01:11]Why transcranial direct current stimulation is needed [03:38]The process of transcranial direct current stimulation [04:51]The key findings of the study [07:31]How transcranial direct current stimulation works among current treatments for alcohol use disorder [12:21]The next steps for implementing transcranial dire...


Tracking trends in new psychoactive substance poisonings with Annette Nugteren-van Lonkhuyzen
Tracking trends in new psychoactive substance poisonings with Annette Nugteren-van Lonkhuyzen episode artwork
#28
07/24/2026

In this episode, Dr Elle Wadsworth talks to Annette Nugteren-van Lonkhuyzen, a PhD student and toxicologist at the Dutch National Poisons Information Centre in Utrecht, the Netherlands. The interview covers Annette’s research article examining trends in new psychoactive substance (NPS) poisonings in the Netherlands over a 14-year period.


The definition of new psychoactive substances [01:05]The wider legal context in the Netherlands surrounding NPS [01:40]The legal status of new psychoactive substances in Annette’s study [03:16]The motivation behind the study [03:49]The data source used in this study [06:19]The key findings with regards to total new psyc...


The next chapter of cannabis regulation in Thailand with Rasmon Kalayasiri
The next chapter of cannabis regulation in Thailand with Rasmon Kalayasiri episode artwork
#27
07/17/2026

In this episode, Dr Elle Wadsworth talks to Professor Rasmon Kalayasiri, Head of the Department of Psychiatry at the Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand. The interview covers Rasmon’s editorial that asks the question: Can Thailand replace a commercialised cannabis market for adult use with a medical prescription model?  

Thailand’s cannabis policy [01:15]Thailand’s legal non-medical market between 2022 and 2025 [03:12]The non-medical market after the policy reversal in 2025 [04:50] Reasons for the reversal of non-medical cannabis policy [06:25]The role of the research community [07:58]The key data gaps in cannabis research in Thailand [09:19]Whether Thailand can replace a commercialised cannabi...


Chemsex trajectories among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men with Nikolay Lunchenkov
Chemsex trajectories among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men with Nikolay Lunchenkov episode artwork
#26
07/10/2026

In this episode, Dr Elle Wadsworth talks to Dr Nikolay Lunchenkov, medical doctor, a global health specialist, and a doctoral candidate in Global Health at the Technical University of Munich, Germany. The interview covers Nikolay’s research article analysing chemsex trajectories among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

What is chemsex? [01:00]The wider context of drug use in Kazakhstan [01:58]The trajectories of chemsex [03:16] The methods used, and the use of a life course framework [05:36]The five trajectory stages developed: initiation, maintenance, escalation, dependence, and disengagement [07:30]The realistic and idealistic implications of th...


Drug sellers' use of drug checking services with Pablo Gonzalez Nieto
Drug sellers' use of drug checking services with Pablo Gonzalez Nieto episode artwork
#25
07/03/2026

In this episode, Dr Elle Wadsworth talks to Pablo Gonzalez Nieto, a harm reduction provider, drug checking technician, and research assistant at Substance Drug Checking within the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research, Canada. The interview covers Pablo’s research article on drug sellers’ use of a drug checking service amid the overdose crisis in British Columbia, Canada.

We apologise for the sound quality at points during this episode, but we promise its worth the listen!

What a drug checking service is [01:20]The motivation to examine drug sellers’ use of drug checking services [03:33]The difference in findin...


How state regulations shape kratom exposure and harm with Grant Comstock and Ryan Feldman
How state regulations shape kratom exposure and harm with Grant Comstock and Ryan Feldman episode artwork
#24
06/26/2026

In this episode, Dr Tsen Vei Lim talks to Drs Grant Comstock and Ryan Feldman. Grant is an Assistant Professor at the Medical College of Wisconsin and Associate Medical Director of the Wisconsin Poison Center and Ryan is a clinical toxicologist, emergency medicine pharmacist, and Clinical Associate Professor at the Medical College of Wisconsin. The interview covers Grant and Ryan’s article examining the association between state-level kratom regulations and poison center-reported severe medical outcomes and healthcare use in the United States (US).

What is kratom? [01:14]Why people are worried about kratom use in the US [02:58]Grant and Ry...


Drug use related problems in Ethiopia with Tesfa Yimer
Drug use related problems in Ethiopia with Tesfa Yimer episode artwork
#23
06/19/2026

In this episode, Dr Elle Wadsworth talks to Dr Tesfa Yimer, a postdoctoral researcher at the National Centre for Youth Substance Use Research, The University of Queensland, Australia. The interview covers Tesfa’s research article taking a regional perspective on substance use related problems in Ethiopia.

The importance of examining drug-related problems in Ethiopia [01:00]Commonly consumed drugs in Ethiopia [01:51]Khat and its use in Ethiopia [02:50] The prevalence of Khat [04:08]The relationship between religion and drug use [04:41]The emerging drug-related concerns in Ethiopia [06:05]The transit routes in Ethiopia that make it stand out in East Africa [08:52]The substance use di...


Use and harms of gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) with Amy Peacock and Krista Siefried
Use and harms of gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) with Amy Peacock and Krista Siefried episode artwork
#22
06/12/2026

In this episode, Dr Elle Wadsworth talks to Dr Amy Peacock, an Associate Professor and Deputy Director of the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, University of New South Wales, and Dr Krista Siefried, a Clinical Research Lead and Deputy Director, of the National Centre for Clinical Research on Emerging Drugs at the University of New South Wales, Australia. The interview covers two research articles: 1) Amy’s article on trends in gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) use, harms and treatment in Australia and 2) Krista’s article on emergency department presentations, hospitalisations and police seizure data related to GHB in New South Wales, Aust...


Swapping smoking for vaping in England with Vera Buss and Leonie Brose
Swapping smoking for vaping in England with Vera Buss and Leonie Brose episode artwork
#21
06/05/2026

In this episode, Annika Theodoulou speaks to Dr Vera Buss, a Senior Research Fellow at University College London, and Professor Leonie Brose, a Professor of Addictions & Public Health at King's College London, UK. The interview covers Vera and Leonie’s research article examining the association between the national ‘Swap to Stop’ programme offering free vapes for smoking cessation and quit attempts in England.

Background on the Swap to Stop program in England [01:10]The motivations behind the study [01:50]The Smoking Toolkit Study and using an Interrupted Time Series Analysis [03:00]The key findings of the study [04:50]The factors which Vera and Le...


Economic effects of reducing consumption of unhealthy commodities with Damon Morris
Economic effects of reducing consumption of unhealthy commodities with Damon Morris episode artwork
#20
05/29/2026

In this episode, Dr Elle Wadsworth talks to Dr Damon Morris, a Research Fellow in the Sheffield Addictions Research Group, School of Medicine and Population Health, at the University of Sheffield, UK. The interview covers Damon’s research article modelling the economic effects of reducing the consumption of unhealthy commodities.

The drive to conduct this study [01:30]The economic outputs of interest to capture the net effects of the economy [03:00]What a simulation model is [04:10] An explanation of the commercial determinants of health input-output model [05:06]The unhealthy commodities used in this study [06:20]The key findings of the study [07:28]The di...


Deceptive design features of online gambling platforms with Philip Newall
Deceptive design features of online gambling platforms with Philip Newall episode artwork
#19
05/22/2026

In this episode, Dr Tsen Vei Lim talks to Dr Philip Newall, a Senior Lecturer at the University of Bristol, UK. The interview covers Philip’s opinion and debate article on sludge, dark patterns and dark nudges: a taxonomy of online gambling platforms’ deceptive design features.

The rationale behind Philip’s article [01:16]A background on the policy landscape associated with online gambling platforms [06:40]The three features that online gambling platforms use [09:18]The implications of these features for policymakers [14:30]The implications of these features for the gambling industry [17:22]The implications of these features for the people using online gambling platfo...


How personality shapes the risk of problematic alcohol use with Igor Marchetti
How personality shapes the risk of problematic alcohol use with Igor Marchetti episode artwork
#18
05/15/2026

In this episode, Dr Tsen Vei Lim talks to Igor Marchetti, an Associate Professor in the Department of Health Sciences at the University of Florence, Italy. The interview covers Igor’s research article that tests which personality traits are necessary conditions for problematic alcohol use, with insights from a 23-year longitudinal study.

Why is understanding personality important for alcohol use? [01:18]The personality traits that are associated with problematic alcohol use [02:06]Why Igor and colleagues are looking at the necessary personality traits [03:16]The dataset used in the study [05:15]The key findings from the study [06:29]Low conscientiousness and problematic alcohol us...


Tracking the supply of nitazenes on online drug markets with Amy Peacock and Monica Barratt
Tracking the supply of nitazenes on online drug markets with Amy Peacock and Monica Barratt episode artwork
#17
05/08/2026

In this episode, Dr Elle Wadsworth talks to Dr Amy Peacock, an Associate Professor and Deputy Director of the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, University of New South Wales, and Dr Monica Barratt, an Associate Professor at Australia's National Drug Research Institute, Curtin University. The interview covers Amy and Monica’s research article examining the availability of nitazenes via cryptomarkets and surface web shops.

What are nitazenes? [01:30]What are cryptomarkets? [03:00]Why did Monica and Amy look for nitazenes on cryptomarkets? [04:40] Why nitazenes are popular now [06:12]The key findings of the study [07:41]The change of the main country of...


The use of AI to detect alcohol with Samatha Salim and Benjamin Riordan
The use of AI to detect alcohol with Samatha Salim and Benjamin Riordan episode artwork
#16
05/01/2026

In this episode, Dr Tsen Vei Lim talks to Samatha Salim, a PhD candidate, and Dr Benjamin Riordan, a research fellow, both at the Centre for Alcohol policy Research at La Trobe University, Australia. The interview covers Samatha and Benjamin’s article comparing the accuracy of artificial intelligence (AI) models to detect alcohol in video images.

What are AI models? [01:18]The context of why this research was undertaken [02:40]Why is it important to detect alcohol in video images? [04:05]The regulations surrounding alcohol in media content [05:57]The three AI models used in the study [08:10]The key findings from the st...


Psilocybin microdosing in the United States with Michelle Priest
Psilocybin microdosing in the United States with Michelle Priest episode artwork
#15
04/24/2026

In this episode, Dr Elle Wadsworth talks to Dr Michelle Priest, a research project specialist at RAND, US. The interview covers Michelle’s data insight looking at psilocybin microdosing in the US with insights from a nationally representative survey.

What is microdosing? [01:09]The importance of looking at the prevalence of microdosing psilocybin in the US [02:52]The state and local policy landscape of psilocybin in the US [03:35]The nationally representative survey that Michelle and colleagues used [06:20]The key findings of the study [07:15]The reasons for microdosing psilocybin [08:26]The temporality of the microdosing questions [09:30]Why people didn’t know whether they...


Adolescent e-cigarette use under Tobacco 21 policies with James Buszkiewicz
Adolescent e-cigarette use under Tobacco 21 policies with James Buszkiewicz episode artwork
#14
04/17/2026

In this episode, Dr Annika Theodoulou speaks to Dr James Buszkiewicz, a Research Assistant Professor and social epidemiologist at the University of Michigan, United States. The interview covers James’s research article covering the associations between county-level e-cigarette-inclusive Tobacco 21 law population coverage and e-cigarette use behaviors among United States adolescents.

Tobacco 21 laws and e-cigarette-inclusive Tobacco 21 laws [01:29]The importance of exploring e-cigarette-inclusive T21 laws and e-cigarette use behaviors [03:30]The use of the Monitoring the Future Study [04:25]The key findings of the study [06:34]The expectations and surprising findings from the study [09:02]The implications of the findings internationally [10:54]

About Annika Th...


The strengthening association between youth cannabis use and psychological distress over time with André McDonald
The strengthening association between youth cannabis use and psychological distress over time with André McDonald episode artwork
#13
04/10/2026

In this episode, Dr Elle Wadsworth talks to Dr André McDonald, postdoctoral fellow at McMaster University’s Peter Boris Centre for Addictions Research, Canada. The interview covers André’s research article looking at adolescent cannabis use and psychological distress from 2013 to 2023 using a population-based study in Ontario, Canada.

Psychological distress and why it is important with regards to cannabis [01:19]Why cannabis potency is important in the relationship between psychological distress and cannabis [02:06]The prevalence of youth cannabis use over the decade of the study [03:54]The Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey [04:45]The key findings of the study [05:24]The res...


Smoking and drinking among Gypsy and Traveller communities with Eve Taylor
Smoking and drinking among Gypsy and Traveller communities with Eve Taylor episode artwork
#12
04/02/2026

In this episode, Dr Elle Wadsworth talks to Dr Eve Taylor, a research fellow at University College London, UK. The interview covers Eve’s research article looking at smoking and drinking among the Gypsy and Traveller communities in England.

The Gypsy and Traveller community in the UK [01:24]The importance of studying this community with regards to smoking and drinking [02:28]The underrepresentation of the Gypsy and Traveller communities in national data [03:27] The Smoking Toolkit study [03:59]How the Smoking Toolkit study addresses limitations found in previous studies [04:55]The key findings from the study: smoking [05:44]The key findings from the study: dr...


How people decide to consume alcohol when feeling stressed with Jonas Dora
How people decide to consume alcohol when feeling stressed with Jonas Dora episode artwork
#11
03/27/2026

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 exp...


Advertising cannabis in legal markets with Caitlin McClure-Thomas
Advertising cannabis in legal markets with Caitlin McClure-Thomas episode artwork
#10
03/20/2026

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]Ad...


The future of e-cigarette research with Monserrat Conde
The future of e-cigarette research with Monserrat Conde episode artwork
#9
03/13/2026

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 tw...


Psilocybin's potential in treating methamphetamine use disorder with Jonathan Brett
Psilocybin's potential in treating methamphetamine use disorder with Jonathan Brett episode artwork
#8
03/06/2026

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...


Ultra-processed food addiction in older US adults with Lucy Loch
Ultra-processed food addiction in older US adults with Lucy Loch episode artwork
#7
02/27/2026

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 ul...


Intersectionality in smoking cessation with Jonathan Bricker
Intersectionality in smoking cessation with Jonathan Bricker episode artwork
#6
02/20/2026

In this episode, Annika Theodoulou speaks to Professor Jonathan Bricker, a Professor of Public Health at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and Affiliate Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington, US. The interview covers Jonathan’s research article covering intersectionality in cigarette smoking cessation using a latent class analysis to predict 12-month cessation in a randomized controlled trial.

Intersectionality and why it is important to explore in smoking cessation [01:19]Six factors that are well-known predictors of smoking [03:20]The aim of a latent class analysis [04:55]The key findings of the study [07:09]The differences found be...


Estimating risk of cannabis use disorder using standard THC units with Rachel Lees Thorne and Tom Freeman
Estimating risk of cannabis use disorder using standard THC units with Rachel Lees Thorne and Tom Freeman episode artwork
#5
02/13/2026

In this episode, Dr Elle Wadsworth talks to Dr Rachel Lees Thorne, a postdoctoral research associate and Professor Tom Freeman, a professor of psychology, both from the Addiction and Mental Health Group at the University of Bath, UK. The interview covers Rachel and Tom’s research article estimating thresholds for risk of cannabis use disorder using standard delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) units

What are standard THC units [01:25]The importance of using THC units to estimate thresholds for risk of cannabis use disorder [02:59]How people who use cannabis can use standard THC units [03:46] The CannTeen study [04:51]Why the authors focused on...