Relapse – News, Research and Analysis – The Conversation

Activity in certain areas of the brain may drive alcohol cravings. Yana Iskayeva/Moment via Getty Images

August 14, 2026

Quitting alcohol changes the brain and can increase the risk of compulsive drinking – new research in mice

Danny G. Winder, UMass Chan Medical School and Marie Doyle, UMass Chan Medical School

Alcohol abstinence alters brain activity in ways that may drive someone with alcohol use disorder to relapse.

Many cities are turning to involuntary substance use treatment as a solution to visible homelessness and drug use. Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images

March 2, 2026

What decades of research reveal about involuntary substance use treatment – and why evidence points elsewhere

Susan E. Collins, University of Washington

Many cities are considering involuntary substance use treatment as a solution to drug use among the homeless. But research doesn’t support this strategy.

Neuroscientists are investigating how and when hormones affect the risk for relapse to prescription opioids. ArtistGNDphotography/E+ Collection via Getty Images

July 16, 2024

New research suggests estrogen and progesterone could play role in opioid addiction and relapse

Jessica Loweth, Rowan University and Daniel Manvich, Rowan University

Why are some individuals at greater risk for developing opioid dependence and addiction? Two neuroscientists at Rowan University discuss their latest findings.

Photographs of victims of overdose are displayed to mark International Overdose Awareness Day, in Vancouver, on Aug. 31, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

February 27, 2024

Governments must avoid policies that stigmatize those recovering from addiction

Max Weselowski, Royal Roads University

Calls to destigmatize language around drug addiction must be combined with action to change policies that stigmatize people in early recovery.

A nurse dispenses liquid Methadose, an FDA-approved medication that helps people addicted to opioids. Whitney Hayward/Portland Press Herald via Getty Images

July 13, 2023

Myths about will power and moral weakness keep people with opioid use disorder from receiving effective medications like methadone, buprenorphine and naltrexone

Melissa S. Fry, Indiana University and Melissa Cyders, Indiana University

Prescription medications can help people with opioid use disorder avoid the risks of relapse and overdose. But stigma based on misperceptions about addiction limits their use.

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