Lead: Social media use trajectories and substance use experimentation: A prospective cohort studyLead: Social media use trajectories and substance use experimentation: A prospective cohort study
This Week in Addiction Medicine from ASAM
A concise research briefing reviews links between social media use and adolescent substance experimentation, treatment outcomes for opioid use disorder, and the role of medications, brain changes, legal THC gaps, and patient views on methamphetamine interventions. The focus stays firmly on current evidence and its implications for addiction care and policy.
8:25•23 Jun 2026
Social Media, Opioids, and THC: Fresh Research Shaping Addiction Care
Episode Overview
- Rising social media use across early adolescence is associated with a higher likelihood of substance use among more than 7,000 youths followed over five years.
- In opioid agonist treatment, severe mental illness is linked to higher treatment cessation and increased all-cause mortality, while treatment itself reduces mortality by about 24% on average.
- Among physicians and pharmacists with substance use disorders, medications for addiction treatment were not associated with worse outcomes, and over 80% returned to practice.
- People with opioid use disorder showed smaller posterior hippocampal volumes and related memory retrieval difficulties compared with controls.
- Patients using methamphetamine in permanent supportive housing expressed interest in contingency management and community reinforcement, but stressed resource limits and the need for individualised approaches.
“"It's not a one-size-fits-all."”
What drives someone to seek a life without alcohol and other substances in a landscape filled with social media, high-potency THC, and complex treatment options? This news briefing from *This Week in Addiction Medicine from ASAM* gives a rapid-fire tour through current research that anyone interested in addiction and recovery science will appreciate. Hosted by Zach Caruso, the episode opens with a large prospective study from *The American Journal of Psychiatry* on more than 7,000 adolescents.
As social media use rises across four distinct use patterns, so does the likelihood of substance use experimentation. It’s a sobering reminder that those endless scrolling habits might be more than just a harmless time sink. From there, the focus shifts to opioid agonist treatment in New South Wales, where 14,000 people with opioid use disorder were followed.
Severe mental illness raised the risk of treatment cessation and all-cause mortality, yet being on opioid agonist therapy cut mortality on average by 24%, particularly early in treatment. Healthcare professionals aren’t left out either. A state physician health programme review suggests that medications for addiction treatment, such as naltrexone, buprenorphine, and methadone, were not linked to worse outcomes, and over 80% of the physicians and pharmacists studied returned to practice.
Brain structure, legal THC loopholes, and patient views on contingency management for methamphetamine use disorder round things off. The line that captures the spirit of the final study says it best: “it’s not a one-size-fits-all.” You’ll get concise research highlights, clear numbers, and a clinically focused style that suits clinicians, researchers, and recovery-curious listeners who like their science straight. Ready to let evidence guide your thinking about addiction, treatment, and policy?
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