Addictions Edited

In this episode, Dr Elle Wadsworth talks to Dr Paul Griffiths about his role throughout Lisbon Addictions and specifically in convening the 'Open Track'. Elle and Paul discuss the launch of the European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA) and how it has changed since being known as the EMCDDA. They talk about EUDA’s work at the boundary between science, practice and policy at a European level. They also talk about collaborating with the Institute on Addictive Behaviours and Dependencies (ICAD) to organise the Lisbon Addictions conference.Paul explains the role of the conference's many co-producers in bringing the scientific programme together, going through the themes for each day at the conference, the plenaries and the two debate sessions designed to encourage discussion among conference attendees. One debate will be on 'why are we not doing better at reducing drug-related deaths?', and one on 'how can the voices of people with lived experience, clients and communities impacted by drug use better inform clinical practice, research and the policy agenda?'."We're all getting really excited to welcome again a lot of people to Lisbon.... it's going to be a busy week for everyone but I hopefully a fun and productive one!"Dr Paul Griffiths is the scientific director of the EU Drugs Agency (EUDA, formerly the EMCDDA). Dr Elle Wadsworth is a researcher based at the University of Bath and at RAND Europe. The opinions expressed in this podcast reflect the views of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the opinions or official positions of the SSA.The SSA does not endorse or guarantee the accuracy of the information in external sources or links and accepts no responsibility or liability for any consequences arising from the use of such information.

In this episode, Dr Rob Calder talks to Dominique Lopez and early-career researchers Dr Jorge Martins and Olivia Price about the ECR track at Lisbon Addictions. Rob, Dominique, Jorge and Olivia discuss how you can make the most of the ECR programme’s networking opportunities and activities before, during and after the conference. During the conference there will be a number of sessions designed to meet the needs of ECRs along with an award for best e-poster.Dominique, Jorge, and Olivia then give some advice for ECRs going to Lisbon Addictions for the first time this year.“Something that's really helped me at conferences in the past is going to an event before the conference...because it's just a smaller setting and I find that's just an easier setting to introduce yourself to someone you don't know.”Olivia Price"Try to set up a meeting during the conference, my experience is that people are quite open to those meetings and I think that's a fantastic opportunity to expand your network and also talk about research."Dominique Lopez is a consultant for Lisbon Addictions who has been working on the early career researcher programme.Jorge Martins is a post-doctoral researcher from the William James Center for Research and the Institute of Applied Psychology (ISPA) in Portugal.Olivia Price is a PhD student at the University of New South Wales.Rob Calder is Head of Communications and Operations for the Society for the Study of AddictionThe opinions expressed in this podcast reflect the views of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the opinions or official positions of the SSA.The SSA does not endorse or guarantee the accuracy of the information in external sources or links and accepts no responsibility or liability for any consequences arising from the use of such information.

In this episode, Ben Scher talks to Emma Day from the International Network on Health and Hepatitis in Substance Users (INHSU) about being a co-producer for Lisbon Addictions. Ben and Emma discuss this track looking at research on issues such as hepatitis, HIV, soft tissue infection and overdose prevention from epidemiological, clinical science, social science and treatment perspectives.They talk about how they put together a track for Lisbon Addictions, making sure the sessions fit the conference. Emma and Ben also share their experiences of Lisbon Addictions and give some advice for people attending for the first time.“What I really like about Lisbon Addictions is that it's a really broad church, you've got lots of different tracks in the addiction field, content that wouldn't ordinarily cross my desk....and I think that kind of cross-fertilisation of ideas across the tracks is really exciting.”Emma Day is the executive director at INHSU.Ben Scher is an SSA funded PhD Student at Oxford University.The opinions expressed in this podcast reflect the views of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the opinions or official positions of the SSA.The SSA does not endorse or guarantee the accuracy of the information in external sources or links and accepts no responsibility or liability for any consequences arising from the use of such information.

In this episode, Dr Elle Wadsworth talks to Professors Beau Kilmer and Rosalie Pacula from the International Society for the Study of Drug Policy (ISSDP) about being a co-producer for Lisbon Addictions. Elle, Beau and Rosalie discuss drug policy work including cannabis legislation, using data to monitor changes to drug consumption trends and the impact of the criminal legal system on drug use and harm reduction. They also focus on the importance of high-quality scientific research and the impact it can have on policy.They also talk about their experiences convening sessions for Lisbon Addictions before discussing how best to approach Lisbon Addictions if you are attending for the first time.“Don't be shy, this is a generally warm group, there's lots of people, all of us are excited to be there. Don't be afraid to introduce yourself to someone new.”Beau Kilmer is the co-director for the RAND drug policy research centre and acting president for ISSDP.Rosalie Pacula is a professor of health policy at the University of South California and the immediate past-president of ISSDP.Dr Elle Wadsworth is a researcher based at the University of Bath and at RAND Europe. The opinions expressed in this podcast reflect the views of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the opinions or official positions of the SSA.The SSA does not endorse or guarantee the accuracy of the information in external sources or links and accepts no responsibility or liability for any consequences arising from the use of such information.

In this episode, Dr Elle Wadsworth talks to Professor Zsolt Demetrovics from the International Society for the Study of Behavioural Addictions (ISSBA) about his work as a co-producer for Lisbon Addictions. Elle and Zsolt discuss the behavioural addictions track at Lisbon Addictions this year. The track will include presentations relating to gambling and gaming disorders as well as compulsive sexual behaviour disorder as those officially recognised by ICD-11. The track also includes compulsive shopping, problematic internet use, compulsive pornography use, work addiction, exercise addiction, problematic smartphone use and the ever increasing research on potentially addictive behaviours.Zsolt then gives his advice for first time attendees at Lisbon Addictions.“Lisbon addictions offers a lot....pure research and basic research but also prevention, treatment, policy issues. So, I think everyone can find something that fits to their interest.”Professor Zsolt Demetrovics is the president of the ISSBA, chair of the Centre of Excellence in Responsible Gaming at the University of Gibraltar and head of the Addiction Research group at the ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary.Dr Elle Wadsworth is a researcher based at the University of Bath and at RAND Europe. The opinions expressed in this podcast reflect the views of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the opinions or official positions of the SSA.The SSA does not endorse or guarantee the accuracy of the information in external sources or links and accepts no responsibility or liability for any consequences arising from the use of such information.

In this episode Dr Zoe Swithenbank talks to Dr Jørgen Bramness from the European Federation of Addiction Societies (EUFAS) about his work as a co-producer for Lisbon Addictions. Zoe and Jørgen discuss this track, how it was put together and why you should follow this track at Lisbon Addictions this year.This track will cover a wide range of issues relating to alcohol, and will include sessions on neurobiology, genetics, treatment, digital interventions, AI, treatment, issues of alcohol in the workplace and much more.They also talk about the process of putting together sessions for Lisbon Addictions. Finally, Jørgen offers his advice and experiences for people attending Lisbon Addictions for the first time.“Try to talk to some of the presenters after they have presented. That may be just as rewarding and educational as listening to what they have to say because you might have specific questions. For most of the sessions I know the speakers are very happy if people come up to them afterwards and ask them about things.”Zoe Swithenbank is a researcher at Liverpool John Moores UniversityDr Jørgen Bramness is the president elect for EUFAS. He is a professor of psychiatry at UiT – The Arctic University of Norway in Tromsø, a senior researcher at Oslo University Hospital, the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, and the Norwegian National Competence Center for Concurrent Substance Abuse and Mental Health Disorders.The opinions expressed in this podcast reflect the views of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the opinions or official positions of the SSA.The SSA does not endorse or guarantee the accuracy of the information in external sources or links and accepts no responsibility or liability for any consequences arising from the use of such information.

In this episode, Dr Zoe Swithenbank talks to Fleur Braddick from Workforce in Addiction · Valorisation in Europe (WAVE) about her work as a co-producer for Lisbon Addictions. Fleur Braddick (Communications lead on WAVE), on behalf of other coordinating team (Silvia Matrai, Elsa Caballeria and Hugo López-Pelayo), talks about how WAVE is collaborating with diverse expert stakeholders to review state-of-the-art evidence and good practice in relation to quality standards for the European addictions workforce, and co-producing the WAVE Track and Video Contest in the Lisbon Addictions 2024 conference (23-25 Oct 2024).They also talk about how WAVE compiled sessions for Lisbon Addictions whilst offering advice for people attending Lisbon Addictions.“This is my fifth time in Lisbon Addictions, the fourth time co-producing. I've been before and it's always different.”Zoe Swithenbank is a researcher at Liverpool John Moores University.Fleur Braddick is a science and communications officer in the Clínic Foundation of Biomedical Research (FCRB-IDIBAPS). She is a Human Scientist and Medical Anthropologist by training, and public health researcher, project coordinator and science communicator by profession.The EC co-funded project WAVE (Workforce in Addiction · Valorisation in Europe, Grant No. 101045870) is led by the ), and in collaboration with the Public Health Agency of Catalonia (Gencat), Charles University in Prague (CUNI) and the Portuguese Institute for Addictive Behaviours and Addictions (ICAD).https://wave-addictionsworkforce.eu/The opinions expressed in this podcast reflect the views of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the opinions or official positions of the SSA.The SSA does not endorse or guarantee the accuracy of the information in external sources or links and accepts no responsibility or liability for any consequences arising from the use of such information.

In this episode Ben Scher talks to Dr Sarah Welch from the Society for the Study of Addiction (SSA) about her work as a co-producer for Lisbon Addictions. Ben and Sarah discuss the Addiction and Mental Health track, how it was put together and why you would want to follow this track at Lisbon Addictions this year.This track will cover a wide range of issues relating to addiction and mental health and will include sessions on the relationship between addiction and mental health disorders, the impact of trauma, resilience and ways to promote mental health among people who use drugs, ADHD, autism and neurodiversity, cannabis and psychosis, young people and treatment options.They also talk about the process of reviewing abstracts for Lisbon Addictions and how the organisers then make sessions that fit the conference and the track. Finally, Sarah provides her top tips for attending Lisbon Addictions.“For me it’s the breadth, it’s the putting together of people from really different fields whether it’s neuroscience, epidemiology or clinical practice. It’s that big big mix that’s lovely”Ben Scher is an SSA funded PhD Student at Oxford UniversityDr Sarah Welch is an SSA trustee and leads on the Addiction and Mental health track at Lisbon addictions. The opinions expressed in this podcast reflect the views of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the opinions or official positions of the SSA.The SSA does not endorse or guarantee the accuracy of the information in external sources or links and accepts no responsibility or liability for any consequences arising from the use of such information.