Brown University Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies (CAAS)

Excited to share our newest publication. Here we test a central hypothesis in cannabis use, does use alter a person's emotions in a theoretically expected way, and if so for whom and under what conditions is that observable. We found that cannabis use was linked to complex changes in emotions.

Why Does Drinking Mess With My Emotions?

Alcohol can make you feel anxious or irritable the next day. CAAS Associate Professor Hayley Treloar Padovano, Ph.D. discusses with The New York Times what causes this — and how to manage it.

Huge congratulations to Julie Cristello, Postdoctoral Fellow at CAAS, for receiving a 2026 Brown Postdoctoral Excellence Award! 🏆 Well deserved, Julie!
@juliecristello.bsky.social

Cannabis has become more legal. It’s time to update laws around use by pregnant people It’s time to rethink punitive policies around cannabis use by people who are pregnant.

As cannabis moves toward federal rescheduling, pregnant people are being left in a vulnerable position. CAAS Assistant Professor Lauren Micalizzi, Ph.D. @laurenmic.bsky.social and Elizabeth Tobin-Tyler, J.D., M.A. co-authored this piece in STAT about the importance of reform.

After trauma of Brown shooting, how do we reclaim our lives? | Opinion After the Brown University shooting, a new approach called 'dignity neuroscience' offers a path to healing by connecting human rights with brain science. Learn how to reclaim agency and belonging.

Professor @dignityneurosci.bsky.social & researcher Roza Spencer apply a "dignity neuroscience" lens to recent events, showing the ways human rights are grounded in brain function. "Disambiguating these violations to intrinsic human dignity may provide a step toward healing," they write.

2nd Annual Recovery and Harm Reduction Film Festival Our aim is to bring together community members to reduce stigma associated with addiction, recovery, and harm reduction through film and art

The 2nd annual ✨Recovery and Harm Reduction Film Festival✨ will bring together @brown.edu and local community members Feb 27 & 28 to reduce stigma around addiction, recovery and harm reduction through film and art.🎥

Learn more at the link! #harmreductionsaveslives

Huge congrats to BSS PhD student Abby Morales on being accepted into the Spring 2026 Graduate Writing Collective at the Sheridan Center!

We can’t wait to see your work flourish, Abby! 👏

CAAS Rounds Alert! 🚨
Join us tomorrow 2/20 in SPH 245 at 12pm to hear Dr. Jackie White Hughto present “Documenting and Disrupting Stimulant and Opioid-related Morbidity and Mortality in the US."

Today! CAAS Rounds will feature Dr. Shufang Sun. 12pm in SPH 245. Hope to see you there!

From Buzz to Burnout: How Alcohol Affects the Brain and Body We explore our relationship with alcohol — why we consume it, how it affects us, and when it’s time to quit.

I enjoyed participating in this @npr.org podcast segment by Andrew Stelzer on California Sober and the study led by @janemetrik.bsky.social at @browncaas.bsky.social, published in the American Journal of Psychiatry: psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/...

whyy.org/episodes/our...

“Any level of drinking has some risk, and it increases with more drinking,” Christopher Kahler, Director of the Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, previously told USA TODAY.

The Alcohol Alternative Industry Is Exploding. But Are These Products Really Safer? Experts Weigh in From CBD to kratom to nootropics, the active ingredients at the center of this growing industry may lead to serious health consequences.

Professor @janemetrik.bsky.social spoke to the Today Show about trends in alcohol alternatives, including her new study that found #cannabis may reduce alcohol consumption.🍷

How To Drink Less Without Completely Overhauling Your Social Life Gearing up for Dry January? Read this.

CAAS Associate Professor Hayley Treloar Padovano discusses Dry January (and beyond) with Women's Health.

Join us for CAAS Rounds today at 12pm! Dr. Brendan Saloner (he/him) will be presenting research on opioid use disorder treatment.

Rumor has it that there will be donuts 🍩 hope to see you there!

Wonderful to have @mamlung.bsky.social with us today at @browncaas.bsky.social. He shared not only his outstanding work on behavioral economics and addiction but also highlighted the important contributions of students and trainees at all levels. Thank you, Michael!

Why Is My Alcohol Tolerance Declining With Age? Worse hangovers, more headaches -- you're not just imagining it. An aging body handles alcohol differently.

There are several factors, from muscle loss to medication, impacting how our bodies handle alcohol as we age.

The @nytimes.com spoke to @browncaas.bsky.social Professor Mollie Monnig about why hangovers get worse when we get older.🍷

Alcohol researchers will need to take the lead to communicate to the public what the risks of alcohol are, what we know with relatively high certainty and what we don't. People can make decisions on risk informed by science, even when that science is imperfect.
www.usatoday.com/story/life/h...

Is giving up alcohol for January worth it? Here's what a Brown University review shows. - The Boston Globe How much does Dry January boost your health? Does it help you kick drinking for good? Or is it just a respite after a busy holiday season?

A big upside of #DryJanuary?

Professor @sqcolby.bsky.social of @browncaas.bsky.social says that "increasing the ability to refuse drinks is such an important outcome, and probably...leads to people being able to drink less, even after they’re done with Dry January."

As ‘California sober' catches on, study suggests cannabis use reduces short-term alcohol consumption A new study led by researchers at Brown University suggests that while other risks remain, smoking marijuana can temporarily cut down how much people drink.

In 2025, @browncaas.bsky.social researchers investigated the “California sober” trend, which involves ditching alcohol in favor of cannabis. Follow the link to learn the results of the first-ever randomized, placebo-controlled trial to test whether #cannabis use directly changes alcohol consumption.

Heavy drinkers cut alcohol use by nearly 30% after adopting one new habit, study finds New research shows that cannabis may reduce alcohol consumption short-term, but experts caution against substitution due to unknown long-term effects.

"In our controlled bar lab study, after people smoked cannabis, they drank about a quarter less alcohol over the next two hours," Professor @janemetrik.bsky.social tells Fox News.

Learn more about the @browncaas.bsky.social study!⤵️

The Populist Approach to the Opioid Crisis Can Save Millions of Lives The overdose epidemic is often framed as a public health concern. But what if we treated it as an economic crisis, which policy can alleviate?

Collective members Professor Brandon Marshall and Abdullah Shihipar write about viewing the overdose crisis as one driven by material suffering and explain that pursuing economic justice can have a real impact in reducing overdose deaths.

newrepublic.com/article/2031...

New on The BASIS: As part of our Special Series on Addiction and Technology, Drs. Molly Maloney and Jennifer Merrill reflect on the strengths of digital interventions and discuss safeguards to ensure they reflect the needs of the people who use them. basisonline.org/2025/11/26/d...

Sage Journals: Discover world-class research Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.

New paper with Tayla von Ash and colleagues offering guidance for how researchers can to "contribute to an antiracist public health agenda in pursuit of health equity regardless of content focus." @brownpublichealth.bsky.social @browncaas.bsky.social
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

We’re thrilled to celebrate our current and past members who have stepped into new editor roles with Addiction. CAAS leadership and expertise continue to shape the field.

👏 Congrats to all — and thank you for advancing rigorous, thoughtful scholarship in addiction science!

'California Sober' Trend Gets a Little Support From Trial Cannabis use linked to reduced short-term alcohol consumption, but clinical implications unclear

"We're not quite ready to suggest that cannabis is a safe and effective alternative to alcohol." -- @janemetrik.bsky.social, discussing preliminary research that suggested smoking cannabis may reduce the short-term urge to drink.
www.medpagetoday.com/psychiatry/a...

Extremely grateful for the opportunity to attend the Society for Neuroscience meeting in San Diego last week. I had the chance to serve on an amazing panel at this year’s ENDURE meeting alongside incredible neuroscientists, and I also presented a poster on our MDMA-assisted therapy work.

Congratulations to Lauren Micalizzi, CAAS Assistant Professor, on her election to the Research Society on Marijuana (RSMj) Board! 🎉 @laurenmic.bsky.social @researchmj.bsky.social

Exciting new research from CAAS Professor Jane Metrik about "California sober" -- can cannabis use curb short-term drinking? Follow the link to read more!

We are pleased to announce that abstract submissions are now open for Staff Research Day [at CAAS]: A Day to Highlight Staff Excellence!