Recent Findings

A new study published in Alcohol: Clinical and Experimental Research, found that people living in U.S. states with expanded Medicaid access are more likely to receive alcohol screening during primary care checkups than people living in states that did not expand Medicaid access. The study also revealed the need for improvements in alcohol screenings for patients who do receive Medicaid – for example, comprehensive, evidence-based screenings or brief counseling. Led by Aryn Phillips, PhD, an … [Read more...]

US national study finds that among Black, Hispanic/Latinx and Asian adults, alcohol and other drug co-use is linked to a greater likelihood of risky drinking  Racial and ethnic minority adults with a chronic condition who co-use alcohol and other drugs have disproportionately greater odds of drinking than their White counterparts, according to a new study from the Alcohol Research Group (ARG), a program of the Public Health Institute. Published in Alcohol and Alcoholism, the study examined … [Read more...]

New longitudinal study examines how early childhood adversity can increase risk of adolescent substance use A new study published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence found pathways linking early childhood adversity (ECA) before the age of five and alcohol and cannabis use in adolescence. ECA was associated with both greater behavioral issues and lower academic performance in childhood, which predicted increased substance use in adolescence and, in turn, lower high school completion by … [Read more...]

Recognizing that excessive drinking is a leading cause of preventable death in the US and that US opioid mortality rates have risen dramatically in recent decades, the US Affordable Care Act and Medicaid expansion sought to increase Americans’ health insurance coverage and access to substance use treatment services. Whether or not these landmark policies benefitted diverse population subgroups is an important public health question.  A study, led by Senior Scientist Nina Mulia, examined the … [Read more...]

Emeryville, CA – People living in US counties on the US-Mexico border are less likely to die of alcohol- and drug-related consequences than people living in off-border counties, according to a new study by researchers at the Alcohol Research Group (ARG), a program of the Public Health Institute. The study is the first to use data from all four US border states to examine whether people living in border counties have higher or lower rates of alcohol- and drug-related mortality compared to people … [Read more...]