ABSTRACT While the field of recovery science has burgeoned over the past two decades, little research has considered the experiences of university students in recovery from addiction, particularly in Canada. Addressing this gap, using a recovery capital framework, 16 qualitative interviews were conducted to explore students’ meanings, experiences, and barriers/facilitators to recovery from problematic substance use and/or behaviors. Reflexive thematic analysis revealed three main themes: 1. multiple recovery pathways and identities; 2. stigma and disclosure; and 3. proximity to campus community and resources. Recommendations to create more recovery-friendly campuses are provided.

ABSTRACT To investigate knowledge-related outcomes and the impact of an inter-professionally delivered substance use curriculum on primary health professionals, 286 nursing and physician assistant trainees were assessed before and following the completion of a specialized substance use curriculum. The results of paired sample t-tests indicated that participants demonstrated significantly increased knowledge of substance use. There were no significant differences in learning outcomes related to gender, ethnicity, or discipline. The study provides initial support for the effectiveness of the interprofessional substance use curriculum in significantly increasing knowledge of substance use among both nursing and physician assistant trainees.

ABSTRACT This study explored associations between drinking motives and alcohol use and the moderating effects of gender. The data used in this study was collected from a University in Hawai‘i, with a sample size of 172 participants. The key findings of the study are as follows: About 24.4% of the participants had drinking problems, as indicated by an AUDIT score of 8 or higher. Social motives were the highest drinking motives, followed by enhancement, coping, and conformity motives. Coping motives were significantly associated with alcohol use. Gender significantly moderated the association between coping motives and alcohol use. Based on these findings, the study highlights the importance of policies and intervention programs that consider the effects of drinking motives and gender on alcohol use in college students.

ABSTRACT The present paper focuses on the recall of childhood experiences of adults who had at least one parent misusing alcohol and/or drugs. The study aims to gain an in-depth understanding of the recall of these experiences in adulthood and their effect on relationships with significant others. Twelve (12) adults, who had experienced as children in their family’s drug and alcohol misuse were interviewed and their interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings of the qualitative study suggest that adults recall in their childhood the reversal of family roles and traumas that seem to affect their current relationships. The research findings indicate the necessity of supporting early enough children who grow up in families where alcohol and drug misuse are part of daily life and to create a therapeutic alliance in adult life in order to advance in their relationship with self and others.

ABSTRACT Alcoholic liver disease, resulting from chronic alcohol use, includes conditions like fatty liver, alcoholic hepatitis, and cirrhosis. This study assessed TNF-α and leptin levels in 45 alcoholic liver disease patients, explored their relationship, and examined the rs1137101 polymorphism in the leptin receptor gene. Participants (mean age 40.13 ± 10.36) had consumed alcohol for an average of 15.31 ± 9.49 years at a daily intake of 253.33 ± 118.25 mL. TNF-α increased with age, while no age-leptin correlation was observed. TNF-α and leptin showed a negative correlation. The study identified a 48% minor allele G frequency for rs1137101. The findings highlight a significant correlation between TNF-α and leptin levels in alcoholic liver disease, suggesting potential roles as inflammatory mediators. More prospective studies are needed to enhance our understanding of these factors and improve disease management, potentially reducing morbidity and mortality rates.

ABSTRACTIn 2022, a national study titled The DUHEI (Drug Use in Higher Educationin Ireland) was conducted to determine the prevalence and problem of drug use among students in institutes of higher education. The findings of the DUHEI revealed that drug use is prevalent among college students in Ireland, with over half reporting they use or hadused drugs in the past.The study also uncovered a subpopulation of students who have recovered from a previous problem with drug or alcohol use in thepast, known as students in recovery. These students were identifiedas a unique and vulnerable population in need of specific support on college campuses. The authors of the report recommend the establishment of collegiate recovery programs in institutes of higher education in Ireland to support these students in active recovery from addiction. Collegiate recovery programs are well established in the U.S and are emerging in the UK and Canada. This perspective article echoes, and extends upon the DUHEI recommendationto implement CRPs in Ireland, by highlighting the evidence base which demonstrates the efficacy of collegiate recovery programs. Itis important that Irish colleges and Universities follow international best practice by establishing collegiate recovery program.

ABSTRACT Although social support is commonly investigated in the context of substance use recovery, researchers have widely neglected its multilevel nature, thus limiting what we know about its measurement across levels of observation. The current study used multilevel confirmatory factor analyses (MCFA) on 229 individuals living in 42 recovery homes to investigate the structure of single factor of social support at the individual and house-levels. Multilevel structural equation model (MSEM) was then conducted to examine whether the social support factor was associated with stress at the individual and house-levels. MCFA results showed that within individuals, all social support measures were significant and positive while at the house-level, there were a few discrepancies (e.g. network size was negative). Stress was significantly and negatively related to the social support factor at the individual-level, but this association was positive at the house-level. These findings suggest that on an individual-level, a person’s perception and source of social support is particularly important – even if the source of support comes from someone who is not abstinent. On a house-level, social support is more sensitive to outside influences than within individuals. Implications for future research and substance use interventions targeting social support are discussed.

ABSTRACT Hypertension is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Prevalence is reported to be 26% and may increase by 29.2% in 2025. Consumption of alcohol, increased BMI and metabolic syndrome are the main causal factors of risk of hypertension. The interrelationship between alcohol use disorder and the risk of hypertension-related mortality in alcohol-related liver disease (ALD) is increasingly acknowledged. The study intended to address the health issue regarding alcohol use disorder and the risk of development of hypertension in ALD. This is a hospital-based prospective case-control study. A total of 139 study subjects were enrolled, of which 62 were ALD, and 77 were nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Diagnosed progression of liver disease based on scoring method. The Chi-square test and independent-sample t-test were used for categorical variables and baseline characteristics, respectively. We observed 67 (48.20%) and 46 (33.09%) incident cases of hypertension in subjects with ALD and NAFLD, respectively. The prevalence of hypertension between the groups of ALD and NAFLD was statistically significant [P = .0017; OR 4.855 (95% CI: 1.810–13.020)]. Gradual increase in the incidence of hypertension in patients with ALD was observed due to alcohol use disorder, obesity, and metabolic syndrome.