Lead: Reflections on the preparation, implementation, and sustainability of a virtual SUD clinic: A public health response to the opioid epidemic

Lead: Reflections on the preparation, implementation, and sustainability of a virtual SUD clinic: A public health response to the opioid epidemic

How do different strategies aid in addiction recovery? This news-focused episode of "This Week in Addiction Medicine" walks you through recent research spanning virtual care, ageing, gambling, and substance use, all in a tight, clinically-minded round-up. You’ll hear a concise summary of an exploratory case study on a virtual substance use disorder (SUD) clinic in Texas, offering low-barrier medication for opioid use disorder.

The report stresses “strong leadership, effective workforce and technology infrastructure, staff training, and mission alignment” in the preparation phase, then points to challenges such as workforce turnover and medication supply chain management once the clinic is up and running. The episode then moves into neurobiology, highlighting work on resilience and vulnerability to chronic alcohol and acute stress in male and female rats, with sex-specific differences in inhibitory control.

There’s also a thorough look at gambling disorder in later life, linking problems to loneliness, reduced social support, financial strain, and early gambling initiation, as well as common co-occurring depression and anxiety. Ageing and substance use feature again in a study of adults aged 50–70 in Australia, showing high rates of current alcohol use and notable levels of anxiety and depression.

Another paper connects substance use to epigenetic age acceleration, with one summary line standing out: “The researchers conclude that substance use is associated with accelerated biological aging and call for research on the mechanisms.” Culturally grounded virtual interventions for urban American Indian and Alaska Native emerging adults are also presented, with both intervention arms showing reduced cannabis use and improved mental health, and one arm reporting reduced alcohol use.

Finally, the episode covers trends in emergency department visits for cannabis hyperemesis syndrome after the introduction of a specific diagnosis code, underscoring the need for more awareness among clinicians. If you’re short on time but want a quick sweep of current addiction medicine research, this round-up might be just what you’re looking for.