The Academic Minute

There are always new wellness treatments, but should we believe the hype? Praveen Arany, associate professor of oral biology and biomedical engineering and surgery at the University at Buffalo, examines one. Dr. Arany trained as a dentist, oral pathologist, and biomedical engineer. He served as an Assistant Clinical Investigator at NIDCR/NIH, Bethesda, from 2012 to […]

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How long does it take for successful abstinence from substance use?

Rafaela Fontes, research scientist at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at Virginia Tech University, takes a look.

Faculty Bio:

Rafaela Fontes is a research scientist in the Addiction Recovery Research Center at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC. Her work focuses on decision-making processes in individuals with substance use disorders (SUD), using models of choice to inform more effective treatments. She also investigates factors influencing recovery, aiming to identify diverse pathways that lead to successful outcomes across different substances.

She and her colleagues from the institute drew from the International Quit & Recovery for their recent research on substance use cessation.

Transcript:

Relapse is common when someone is trying to quit an addiction. And even though we know addiction is a chronic condition, we treat it as an acute disorder.

My colleagues and I wanted to answer this question: How many quit attempts are needed for successful abstinence? We also wanted to know if this number was different depending on the substance someone is trying to quit.

To find out, we recruited participants from the International Quit & Recovery Registry, a tool created by the late Dr. Warren Bickel to better understand success in overcoming addiction. We drew our findings from 344 people who reported abstinence from at least one substance. Their responses showed that some substances do require more attempts, and are harder to quit.

Opioids and pain medication required significantly more attempts than all other substances — with an estimated mean around 6 attempts. Notably, substances with a higher number of quit attempts are also the ones that can bring on severe physical withdrawal symptoms, like pain, nausea, and anxiety.

Our results also showed that it took more attempts for people with a more severe or longer history of substance use to achieve abstinence. That means that early intervention is better. For those on the severe end of the spectrum, more intense or a combination of interventions might be needed.

Importantly, these numbers might not be final for every participant, as we know that relapse is common. In our sample, the average time in abstinence was more than seven years across substances.

We hope these findings help inform treatment by demonstrating that each substance is associated with unique challenges. We also hope this helps people who are going through recovery. If they know failure is part of the process, they might be encouraged to stay the course, realizing they’ll get there eventually.

Read More:

* Referenced study

* https://www.quitandrecovery.org

* Addiction Recovery Research Center

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On New York University Week:  How does a hula hoop work? Olivia Pomerenk, Ph. D candidate in mathematics, looks at the science. Olivia Pomerenk is a fifth-year graduate student at the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences at NYU, working towards a Ph.D. in mathematics after receiving a bachelor’s degree in applied mathematics from Caltech. Olivia […]

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On this Student Spotlight during New York University Week:  Does the gender pay gap start in childhood? Sophie Arnold, Ph.D. candidate in psychology, examines. Sophie Arnold is PhD Candidate in Psychology at New York University. Her research investigates the early emerging beliefs and behaviors that contribute to real-world disparities like the gender wage gap. Her […]

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On New York University Week: The more people with access to mental health services, the better. Amanda Mauri, assistant professor and faculty fellow at the School of Global Public Health, discusses the rise in care. Amanda Mauri is an Assistant Professor/Faculty Fellow at the New York University School of Global Public Health. Her interdisciplinary research […]

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On New York University Week:  There’s more diversity in STEM than before, but there’s more work to be done. Joseph Cimpian, professor of economics and education policy, examines where help is needed. Joseph Cimpian is Professor of Economics and Education Policy at New York University’s Steinhardt and Wagner Schools. His research focuses on understanding and […]

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On New York University Week:  Reducing the rising rate of preterm births is an important goal for the future. Laura Jelliffe-Pawlowski, professor of epidemiology and precision health at the Rory Meyers College of Nursing, looks into the data to find solutions. Dr. Laura Jelliffe-Pawlowski is a Professor of Epidemiology and Precision Health at NYU Rory […]

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On University of New England College of Business Week:  Surfing has a gender gap issue. Aimee Vlachos, teaching professor and program director of Outdoor Business & Innovation, suggests a solution. While attending Western State College of Colorado for my undergraduate degree, my passion for outdoor recreation blossomed. I was fortunate that the recreation classes I […]

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On University of New England College of Business Week: Everything is polarized these days, including social media networks. Golshan Madraki, associate professor of supply chain management in the college of business and director of the Supply Chain Management Center, looks to quantify this. Dr. Golshan Madraki is currently a tenured Associate Professor of Supply Chain […]

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On University of New England College of Business Week: The Name, Image, and Likeness era has brought many complexities to college athletics. Connor Blake, manager of the Center for Sport and Business Innovation, explores the challenges. Connor Blake is the Manager of the Center for Sport and Business Innovation at the University of New England, […]

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