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Research Roundup

Weekly synthesis of new peer-reviewed studies.

A New Study Asked People Why They Relapsed. The Answer Wasn't Willpower.

A February 2026 Scientific Reports study interviewed nine people about the days before they used again. The pattern that emerged looks nothing like the relapse story most treatment programs still tell.

A February 2026 Scientific Reports phenomenological study interviewed nine adults about relapse and found it was rarely one bad decision — it was an accumulation of isolation, unresolved stress, and a coping toolkit that had quietly stopped being used.

Jul 105 minRead

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02Research RoundupJun 12

The Largest Study on Cannabis and Mental Health Found No Evidence It Works for Depression, Anxiety, or PTSD

The medical cannabis industry has built much of its consumer-facing argument on three claims: that cannabis products treat anxiety, that they relieve depression, and that they help with PTSD. These cl

03Research RoundupJun 11

No Safe Level: What the Suppressed Federal Alcohol Study Actually Found

The government-commissioned alcohol study, published June 9 in JSAD, found no safe level of drinking. Here is what it actually showed — and what the methodology means for clinical practice.

04Research RoundupMay 22

CDC 2025 Overdose Data: 69,973 Deaths, Down 14% — The Numbers Behind the Headline and the Outliers That Demand Attention

CDC NCHS released 2025 provisional overdose death counts on May 13: 69,973 deaths, down 13.9% — the biggest single-year decline in the modern crisis era. But state-level variation tells a more complicated story.