ADAI News

What Is CBD and Can it Really Help Your Anxiety?

In an interview for the UW School of Medicine's Right as Rain, Dr. Bia Carlini discusses the growing popularity of CBD (cannabidiol), a compound found in marijuana.  Unlike the THC-laced joints and edibles that typically come to mind when you think of cannabis, CBD is not psychoactive, meaning it doesn’t give you the high you might get from marijuana with standard levels of THC.

Proponents say CBD can instead treat seizures that don't respond to traditional medications, and may help treat anxiety, pain and inflammation. You can find a slew of CBD-infused wellness products everywhere from recreational pot shops to your neighborhood drugstore, hair salon or spa. There are CBD oils, lotions, bath bombs, coffees, candies, and even pet treats.

According to Carlini, a senior research scientist at the UW Alcohol & Drug Abuse Institute and affiliate associate professor in the School of Public Health, “. . . when adult cannabis use was legalized in Washington in 2012, it opened a dialogue and curiosity about using a plant that was so vilified in the public. Coupled with an industry that is for-profit, and therefore very interested in mainstreaming cannabis, CBD was brought to people’s attention.”

Read "What Is CBD and Can It Really Help Your Anxiety?" by Angela Cabotaje in Right as Rain.

Help for Clinics Providing MAT Services in Washington State

The Opioid Response Network/STR-TA Consortium provides training and technical assistance to clinics and organizations implementing medication assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid use disorder. Their services are free, supported by a grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA). 

The goal of STR-TA is to streamline efforts to fill all gaps where needed and as defined by states - including Washington State. An STR-TA team assigned to every state and territory has a prevention, treatment (physician with two years’ experience treating opioid use disorders with medications), and recovery consultant. These consultants have been identified and vetted by the STR-TA Consortium. All consultants will provide evidence-based practices and resources as defined by the consortium. 

Step 1: Those seeking technical assistance should submit a request form.

Step 2: The request will be forwarded to the designated Technology Transfer Specialist (TTS) for each state/territory.

Step 3: Once the request form is submitted, the individual submitting the request will be contacted within one business day to initiate a more detailed process for understanding the request.

More information . . .

We're Hiring! Research Scientist Position at ADAI - UW

The Alcohol & Drug Abuse Institute at the University of Washington is seeking a RESEARCH SCIENTIST to work on projects related to substance use disorder, primarily opioid use disorder, as well interventions aimed at reducing substance use morbidity and mortality. While projects intersect with traditional drug treatment and health care providers, the major innovation of these projects is to engage high needs people such as those who inject drugs, are homeless, and/or are involved with the criminal justice system in settings with which they already interact.

Projects include development and testing of the impacts of interventions to reduce negative consequences of substance use disorder for high-needs clients not currently seeking substance use-related services. This includes supporting the implementation of evidence based interventions for multiple federal and state funded implementation projects across Washington State via the provision of training, technical assistance, and clinical consultation. These implementation projects could lead to future research projects for which the research scientist may pursue research grants. 

Full description & application: bit.ly/ADAI_ResScientist

Smarthone App Detects Opioid Overdose and Precursors

[UW News] A team of UW researchers have developed a cellphone app that uses sonar to monitor someone’s breathing rate and sense when an opioid overdose has occurred. The app, called Second Chance, accurately detects overdose-related symptoms about 90 percent of the time and can track someone’s breathing from up to 3 feet away. In addition to watching breathing, the app also monitors how people move.

"The idea is that people can use the app during opioid use so that if they overdose, the phone can potentially connect them to a friend or emergency services to provide naloxone,” said co-corresponding author Shyam Gollakota, an associate professor in the UW’s Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering. “Here we show that we have created an algorithm for a smartphone that is capable of detecting overdoses by monitoring how someone’s breathing changes before and after opioid use.” 

The research to develop and test the app was funded by an ADAI Small Grant to Dr. Jacob Sunshine and by the National Science Foundation.  The team published its results in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

Read the UW News article by Sarah McQuate. and related stories in The New York Times, CNBC, Science Friday, New Atlas and Science News.

Smartphone App to Help Prevent Relapses

A new smartphone app developed in Seattle is aimed at the tens of thousands of Americans who complete intensive drug and alcohol rehab programs. In the months following treatment, risk of relapse is high, and a treatment counselor or sponsor can't monitor clients around the clock. But an always-on smartphone can watch you, coach you, alert someone, and even give rewards.

Developed by WeConnect data scientists and treatment experts based on evidence-based approaches, the idea behind the recovery app is to create a supportive community and incentives for people in drug and alcohol recovery treatment as a way to prevent relapses. The app is marketed to recovery centers and drug courts, which then provide it to patients as part of treatment.  The app tracks how long someone has been in recovery, compiles an inventory of completed treatment activities and provides a way to quickly alert friends and family on a designated call list if the user is in need of help.

Dr. Dennis Donovan, professor emeritus at the UW and former ADAI director, said few of the many available addiction recovery apps have been independently tested for efficacy. However, he foresees situations where they may be very useful.

"Apps like this can provide an opportunity to develop social support networks," Donovan said in an interview with NW News Network. "Many people may find it difficult, or they don't choose to attend things like Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, Cocaine Anonymous and so on, but can benefit from a social system that can enhance and provide support for their recovery process."

Donovan recently stepped down after 25 years as director of the UW's Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute. He said that smartphone apps won't be the end-all, cure-all, but may work well as a complement to other treatment.

Read more and listen to the interview at NW News Network.