Brown University Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies (CAAS)

CAAS Rounds Alert! 🚨
Join us tomorrow 2/20 in SPH 245 at 12pm to hear Dr. Jackie White Hughto present “Documenting and Disrupting Stimulant and Opioid-related Morbidity and Mortality in the US."

Today! CAAS Rounds will feature Dr. Shufang Sun. 12pm in SPH 245. Hope to see you there!

From Buzz to Burnout: How Alcohol Affects the Brain and Body We explore our relationship with alcohol — why we consume it, how it affects us, and when it’s time to quit.

I enjoyed participating in this @npr.org podcast segment by Andrew Stelzer on California Sober and the study led by @janemetrik.bsky.social at @browncaas.bsky.social, published in the American Journal of Psychiatry: psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/...

whyy.org/episodes/our...

“Any level of drinking has some risk, and it increases with more drinking,” Christopher Kahler, Director of the Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, previously told USA TODAY.

The Alcohol Alternative Industry Is Exploding. But Are These Products Really Safer? Experts Weigh in From CBD to kratom to nootropics, the active ingredients at the center of this growing industry may lead to serious health consequences.

Professor @janemetrik.bsky.social spoke to the Today Show about trends in alcohol alternatives, including her new study that found #cannabis may reduce alcohol consumption.🍷

How To Drink Less Without Completely Overhauling Your Social Life Gearing up for Dry January? Read this.

CAAS Associate Professor Hayley Treloar Padovano discusses Dry January (and beyond) with Women's Health.

Join us for CAAS Rounds today at 12pm! Dr. Brendan Saloner (he/him) will be presenting research on opioid use disorder treatment.

Rumor has it that there will be donuts 🍩 hope to see you there!

Wonderful to have @mamlung.bsky.social with us today at @browncaas.bsky.social. He shared not only his outstanding work on behavioral economics and addiction but also highlighted the important contributions of students and trainees at all levels. Thank you, Michael!

Why Is My Alcohol Tolerance Declining With Age? Worse hangovers, more headaches -- you're not just imagining it. An aging body handles alcohol differently.

There are several factors, from muscle loss to medication, impacting how our bodies handle alcohol as we age.

The @nytimes.com spoke to @browncaas.bsky.social Professor Mollie Monnig about why hangovers get worse when we get older.🍷

Alcohol researchers will need to take the lead to communicate to the public what the risks of alcohol are, what we know with relatively high certainty and what we don't. People can make decisions on risk informed by science, even when that science is imperfect.
www.usatoday.com/story/life/h...

Is giving up alcohol for January worth it? Here's what a Brown University review shows. - The Boston Globe How much does Dry January boost your health? Does it help you kick drinking for good? Or is it just a respite after a busy holiday season?

A big upside of #DryJanuary?

Professor @sqcolby.bsky.social of @browncaas.bsky.social says that "increasing the ability to refuse drinks is such an important outcome, and probably...leads to people being able to drink less, even after they’re done with Dry January."

As ‘California sober' catches on, study suggests cannabis use reduces short-term alcohol consumption A new study led by researchers at Brown University suggests that while other risks remain, smoking marijuana can temporarily cut down how much people drink.

In 2025, @browncaas.bsky.social researchers investigated the “California sober” trend, which involves ditching alcohol in favor of cannabis. Follow the link to learn the results of the first-ever randomized, placebo-controlled trial to test whether #cannabis use directly changes alcohol consumption.

Heavy drinkers cut alcohol use by nearly 30% after adopting one new habit, study finds New research shows that cannabis may reduce alcohol consumption short-term, but experts caution against substitution due to unknown long-term effects.

"In our controlled bar lab study, after people smoked cannabis, they drank about a quarter less alcohol over the next two hours," Professor @janemetrik.bsky.social tells Fox News.

Learn more about the @browncaas.bsky.social study!⤵️

The Populist Approach to the Opioid Crisis Can Save Millions of Lives The overdose epidemic is often framed as a public health concern. But what if we treated it as an economic crisis, which policy can alleviate?

Collective members Professor Brandon Marshall and Abdullah Shihipar write about viewing the overdose crisis as one driven by material suffering and explain that pursuing economic justice can have a real impact in reducing overdose deaths.

newrepublic.com/article/2031...

New on The BASIS: As part of our Special Series on Addiction and Technology, Drs. Molly Maloney and Jennifer Merrill reflect on the strengths of digital interventions and discuss safeguards to ensure they reflect the needs of the people who use them. basisonline.org/2025/11/26/d...

Sage Journals: Discover world-class research Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.

New paper with Tayla von Ash and colleagues offering guidance for how researchers can to "contribute to an antiracist public health agenda in pursuit of health equity regardless of content focus." @brownpublichealth.bsky.social @browncaas.bsky.social
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

We’re thrilled to celebrate our current and past members who have stepped into new editor roles with Addiction. CAAS leadership and expertise continue to shape the field.

👏 Congrats to all — and thank you for advancing rigorous, thoughtful scholarship in addiction science!

'California Sober' Trend Gets a Little Support From Trial Cannabis use linked to reduced short-term alcohol consumption, but clinical implications unclear

"We're not quite ready to suggest that cannabis is a safe and effective alternative to alcohol." -- @janemetrik.bsky.social, discussing preliminary research that suggested smoking cannabis may reduce the short-term urge to drink.
www.medpagetoday.com/psychiatry/a...

Extremely grateful for the opportunity to attend the Society for Neuroscience meeting in San Diego last week. I had the chance to serve on an amazing panel at this year’s ENDURE meeting alongside incredible neuroscientists, and I also presented a poster on our MDMA-assisted therapy work.

Congratulations to Lauren Micalizzi, CAAS Assistant Professor, on her election to the Research Society on Marijuana (RSMj) Board! 🎉 @laurenmic.bsky.social @researchmj.bsky.social

Exciting new research from CAAS Professor Jane Metrik about "California sober" -- can cannabis use curb short-term drinking? Follow the link to read more!

We are pleased to announce that abstract submissions are now open for Staff Research Day [at CAAS]: A Day to Highlight Staff Excellence!

Four event hosts stand together in front of projector screen that reads “CAAS ROUNDS TRIVIA”

The winning team consists of five people holding red CAAS mugs in front of projector screen.

Classroom with people in chairs, two hosts in front of CAAS rounds trivia on projector.

Thanks to all who participated in the inaugural CAAS Connects Trivia. While it was close competition, one team prevailed! Congrats to our winners, “Not that kind of Doctor!” 🎉 And thanks to our incredible hosts - until next time!

Join us for the first ever CAAS Rounds Trivia this Friday 11/14! 🤓
Hope to see everyone there!

📍SPH 245
⏰ 12pm EST

Definitely a #phdjourney highlight for me to give @browncaas.bsky.social rounds yesterday! I presented 3 of my xylazine focused studies, two of which informed my dissertation work, and one that is included in my dissertation. Sort of felt like a dress rehearsal for my eventual defense!

CAAS Rounds continues tomorrow at 12pm in SPH 245! Join us to hear Patrick Kelly (he/him) present "Healthcare Provider Approaches to Managing the Health Harms of Xylazine." All are welcome.

Brown team to co-lead $12M study to improve well-being of people who use drugs in New England With a focus on Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Vermont, a project funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse will analyze trends in drug use and barriers to care with the goal of strengthening treatment.

Brown researchers will conduct an ambitious 5-year study to better understand trends in drug use & barriers to health care services. The team will focus in on how people who use drugs in Massachusetts, Rhode Island & Vermont are impacted by new state programs to prevent HIV, hepatitis C & overdose.

Thank you to Alex Gautieri of RICARES for leading Recovery Ally Training for CAAS staff and students yesterday! 🌟 We’re grateful for this chance to learn how to better support people in recovery and look forward to RICARES returning in December to talk with our faculty and trainees.

Thank you to Dr. Maha Mian @mahiimahii.bsky.social for presenting “Exploring Safety and Harm Reduction for Community Uses of Psychedelics” at CAAS Rounds this past Friday! This was such an exciting talk, highlighting the many ways we can uphold and honor the humanity of people who use substances.

Discrimination drives up substance use risk among youth of color, new study finds Amidst a reversal in youth substance-use trends, a new study links experiences of discrimination among young people of color to an increased risk of turning to substances as a coping mechanism.

“Kids who experience discrimination are dealing with stressors that others might not face,” @browncaas.bsky.social Professor @rosalesr.bsky.social says. “If a young person lacks coping strategies...they might turn to less healthy ways of coping—such as alcohol or tobacco.”