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PODCAST

This Week in Addiction Medicine from ASAM

American Society of Addiction Medicine

This Week in Addiction Medicine is an audio summary of the recent top stories and research articles from the field of addiction medicine. Intended to serve as an accompaniment to the ASAM Weekly newsletter or as a stand-alone resource, This Week covers recent publications in addiction medicine research.

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All Episodes

7:16

Lead: A µ-opioid receptor superagonist analgesic with...

This Week in Addiction Medicine from ASAM ·

2026/04/21

A µ-opioid receptor superagonist analgesic with minimal adverse effectsNature This study identifies a novel µ-opioid receptor (MOR) agonist with supramaximal intrinsic efficacy and a unique pharmacological profile that produced effective analgesia in rodents with minimal adverse effects. N-desethyl-fluornitrazene (DFNZ) was derived from a class of synthetic benzimidazole opioids called nitazenes. DFNZ has impaired brain penetrance, a unique spatiotemporal MOR cellular signaling profile, and

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6:03

Lead: Methadone Dose and Patient-Directed Discharge...

This Week in Addiction Medicine from ASAM ·

2026/04/14

Methadone Dose and Patient-Directed Discharge in Hospitalized Patients with Opioid Use Disorder JAMA Network This retrospective observational cohort study of 554 individuals examined rates of patient-directed discharge (PDD) among hospitalized patients with opioid use disorder who received methadone during the first 72 hours of hospitalization from July 2019 to June 2022. Higher doses of methadone were associated with a decreased rate of PDD. For each additional 10 mg of methadone received in the

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7:58

Lead: Do US Adults View Drug and Alcohol Addiction as...

This Week in Addiction Medicine from ASAM ·

2026/04/07

Do US Adults View Drug and Alcohol Addiction as a Health Condition?Journal of Addiction Medicine Participants (n=5250), part of Gallup’s random sample of US households, completed a web-based survey that explored their beliefs about addiction.  Asked if addiction is a health condition 77% of US adults agree, 16% disagree, and 6% don’t know. Men are more likely to disagree (20%) than women (15%). Those who have struggled with addiction but not in recovery were more likely to disagree (22%) than

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7:21

Lead: Cannabis cessation and neurocognitive recovery:...

This Week in Addiction Medicine from ASAM ·

2026/03/31

Cannabis cessation and neurocognitive recovery: Patterns, predictors, and clinical implications—a systematic review The American Journal on Addictions Researchers conducted a literature review of the neurocognitive effects of cannabis use and recovery from those effects. They found a range of neurocognitive effects including neuroreceptor adaptation, decrease in memory, processing speeds, and attention. Deficits increased with higher frequency and amount of use, but recovery can occur.  Receptor

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7:51

Lead: Cost-effectiveness of contingency management...

This Week in Addiction Medicine from ASAM ·

2026/03/24

Cost-effectiveness of contingency management for methamphetamine use disorder: A model-based analysisAddiction This study used a microsimulation model of methamphetamine use behavior among individuals with methamphetamine use disorder (MethUD) to assess the cost-effectiveness of contingency management (CM) for MethUD. Both 12-week and 24-week CM programs were modeled, using a maximum incentive of $750/patient, per SAMHSA guidelines. The model simulation was run for a cohort of 10,000 individuals

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7:36

Lead: Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists and...

This Week in Addiction Medicine from ASAM ·

2026/03/17

Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists and risk of substance use disorders among US veterans with type 2 diabetes: cohort studyThe BMJ This study investigated whether initiation of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists is associated with both reduced risks of incident alcohol, cannabis, cocaine, nicotine, opioid, and other substance use disorders (SUDs) in people with no history of SUDs (protocol 1) and with reduced risk of SUD-related adverse clinical outcomes among people with a

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7:19

Lead: Does the total consumption model apply to...

This Week in Addiction Medicine from ASAM ·

2026/03/12

Does the total consumption model apply to cannabis use?Addiction This repeated cross-sectional study based on annual surveys tested whether the total consumption model and its extension, the theory of collectivity, apply to adolescent cannabis use in Sweden. Frequency of cannabis use was measured by a question on how many occasions the respondent has used hashish or marijuana. The seven response alternatives ranged from 0 to 50 times or more. Increases in mean frequency use were associated with a

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7:25

Lead: Spirituality and Harmful or Hazardous Alcohol...

This Week in Addiction Medicine from ASAM ·

2026/03/03

Spirituality and Harmful or Hazardous Alcohol and Other Drug Use JAMA Psychiatry This meta-analysis of 55 rigorous studies on spirituality and harmful or hazardous drug use (alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, or illicit drugs) examined the association between spiritual exposures and related drug use outcomes. It documented a significant protective association of 13% related to both prevention and recovery. The risk reduction, which extended across all 4 drug categories, reached 18% for individuals with

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6:53

Lead: Emergency Department–Initiated Buprenorphine...

This Week in Addiction Medicine from ASAM ·

2026/02/24

Emergency Department–Initiated Buprenorphine for Opioid Use DisorderJAMA Network This multicenter randomized study examined if 7-day extended-release injectable buprenorphine compared with sublingual buprenorphine to improve treatment engagement at 7 days. It included 1,994 adult patients presenting to the emergency department with untreated opioid use disorder and a Clinical Opiate Withdrawal Scale (COWS) score of 4 or higher. In treatment at 7 days, 40.5% were in the extended-release group and

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8:07

Lead: Use of gabapentin with or without a...

This Week in Addiction Medicine from ASAM ·

2026/02/18

Use of gabapentin with or without a prescription in substance use treatment settings: A national analysis of urine drug testing data, 2016–2023 Drug and Alcohol Dependence Gabapentin prescriptions have increased due to off-label use, including managing withdrawal/comorbidities in substance use disorder (SUD) treatment, despite gaps in evidence bases and corresponding increases in nonmedical use. This retrospective, serial cross-sectional study sought to identify trends in gabapentin use with and

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7:22

Lead: Association of alcohol intake over the lifetime...

This Week in Addiction Medicine from ASAM ·

2026/02/10

Association of alcohol intake over the lifetime with colorectal adenoma and colorectal cancer risk in the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian Cancer Screening TrialCancer This study analyzed data from the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian (PLCO) Cancer Screening Trial to look for an association between alcohol intake and colorectal cancer (CRC) or colorectal adenoma. Participants' lifetime pattern of alcohol intake was determined from a dietary history recorded as part of the PLCO trial

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6:56

Lead: Medication Availability for Alcohol Use...

This Week in Addiction Medicine from ASAM ·

2026/02/03

Medication Availability for Alcohol Use Disorder in Substance Use Disorder Treatment FacilitiesJAMA Network Open This study examined the availability of medications for alcohol use disorder (MAUD) in SUD treatment facilities (SUDTF) from 2017 to 2023. Data was obtained from SAMSA’s Mental Health and Addiction Treatment Tracking Repository. The percentage of counties with a SUDTF offering MAUD increased from 34% in 2017 to 50% in 2021. This increase leveled out between 2021 and 2023 perhaps related

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6:08

Lead: Public Views About Opioid Overdose and People...

This Week in Addiction Medicine from ASAM ·

2026/01/27

Public Views About Opioid Overdose and People With Opioid Use DisorderJAMA Network Open This study completed a national web-based survey of 1552 adults in the United States in April 2025 to assess perceptions of opioid overdose deaths and opinions of people who use opioids. Those who responded to the survey primarily identified as female (60.5%) and aged 30-44 (33.7%). Political views varied, with 28.9% conservatives, 39.6% moderates, and 31.5% liberals. Most respondents viewed opioid overdose

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6:54

Lead: Did the illicit fentanyl trade experience a...

This Week in Addiction Medicine from ASAM ·

2026/01/21

Did the illicit fentanyl trade experience a supply shock? Science In the United States overdose deaths (ODDs) from synthetic opioids peaked in mid-2023 and then began a sharp decline decreasing by over one third by the end of 2024. One possible explanation is a decrease in fentanyl supply. The purity of fentanyl powder rose in 2022, cresting at 25% in early 2023, but by the end of 2024 purity had fallen to 11%. From 2019 to 2024 the rate of ODDs correlated with the purity of fentanyl in both powder

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6:48

Lead: Barriers to Buprenorphine Initiation in...

This Week in Addiction Medicine from ASAM ·

2026/01/13

Barriers to Buprenorphine Initiation in Patients Using FentanylJAMA Network Open This is a survey study of 396 buprenorphine-prescribing clinicians in the US to determine if they faced problems initiating buprenorphine among patients using fentanyl, and whether their practice had changed as a result. Participants were selected from a stratified random sample of X-waivered clinicians registered with the DEA who had prescribed buprenorphine in 2022, with representation across all regions nationally

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7:42

Lead: Productivity Losses From Substance Use Disorder...

This Week in Addiction Medicine from ASAM ·

2025/12/16

Productivity Losses From Substance Use Disorder in the U.S. in 2023American Journal of Preventive Medicine Information on morbidity-related productivity losses attributable to substance use disorder is limited. This study estimates morbidity-related productivity losses attributable to substance use disorder among U.S. adults aged ≥18 years in 2023. It found that total morbidity-related productivity losses attributable to substance use disorder in the U.S. are substantial, amounting to $92.65

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5:30

Lead: Expanding Access to Buprenorphine and...

This Week in Addiction Medicine from ASAM ·

2025/12/09

Expanding Access to Buprenorphine and Methadone: Global Perspectives and Policy RecommendationsSubstance Use and Addiction Journal This is a narrative review of methadone and buprenorphine regulations, prescriber eligibility, dispensing models, and coverage across eight countries: the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Russia, France, Iran, Australia, and Portugal. The study identified several key barriers to MOUD: requirements for daily supervised dosing, restricted community prescribing,

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5:06

Lead: Very Low Nicotine Content Cigarettes for...

This Week in Addiction Medicine from ASAM ·

2025/12/02

Very Low Nicotine Content Cigarettes for Smoking Cessation: Examining a Facilitated Extinction Approach and Dosing ScheduleDrug and Alcohol Dependence Very low nicotine cigarettes (VLNC, 0.4 mg nicotine/g tobacco) have been shown to reduce smoking behavior when compared to normal nicotine cigarettes (NNC,17 mg nicotine/g tobacco). Participants (n=208) were randomly assigned to 4 experimental groups, immediate versus gradual (over 5 weeks) transition to VLNC, and standard counseling versus

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7:58

Lead: Fatal Opioid Overdoses by Historical and...

This Week in Addiction Medicine from ASAM ·

2025/11/25

Fatal Opioid Overdoses by Historical and Contemporary Neighborhood-Level Structural Racism🔓JAMA Health Forum This cross-sectional study of 796 census tracts prior to the COVID-19 pandemic (2017-2019) and 792 census tracts during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020-2022) in Chicago, Illinois, assessed the extent to which there is a spatial association between neighborhood-level structural racism and opioid-involved overdose deaths. Researchers found that neighborhoods exposed to high levels of structural

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7:37

Lead: State Laws Banning Prior Authorization For...

This Week in Addiction Medicine from ASAM ·

2025/11/18

State Laws Banning Prior Authorization For Medications For Opioid Use Disorder Increased Substantially, 2015–23Health Affairs While medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) is effective treatment, most patients with OUD don’t receive it and prior authorization (PA) has been a barrier to access. Researchers looked at state policies trying to address this barrier, specifically for private health insurance, between 2015 and 2022. Some states adopted “full prohibitions” against PAs while others

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