Substance Use Disorders
Substance Use Disorder (SUD) is a diagnosed mental health condition characterized by an inability to control the use of alcohol, illegal drugs, or prescription medications, despite the harmful consequences that typically result. Substance abuse can create addiction, which can lead to changes in brain function and behavior and have negative effects on health, relationships, and daily life. People with SUD are also several times more likely to die than others. The CDC reported that the rate of overdose deaths for all Americans nearly quadrupled from 2002 to 2022.
According to the 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 2.8 million Veterans—14 percent of all U.S. Veterans—reported having at least one substance use disorder in the previous year. Ninety-six percent of those Veterans did not think they needed treatment. Understandably, why and when Veterans seek help for SUD is a significant concern for HSR researchers, whose broad SUD portfolio examines approaches to substance misuse prevention, screening, and treatment.
Each section below is populated by a search of the HSR website. Search results are generated based on the search term "Substance Use Disorders" . Results are updated as new data are available.
VIEW: Citations | Publication Briefs | Studies | HSR Briefs, Reports, Newsletters | Cyberseminars | Videos | Podcasts | Other Resources
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Citations
(recent SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS publications)
- Sheinfil AZ, Cucciare MA, Wolitzky-Taylor K, Cully JA, Lindsay JA, Ecker AH. Feasibility, Acceptability, and Preliminary Clinical Impact of a Computer-Assisted Transdiagnostic CBT Intervention for Veterans with Co-Occurring Anxiety and Substance Use Disorders. Journal of Dual Diagnosis. 2025 Oct 1; 1-11, DOI: 10.1080/15504263.2025.2559174.
- Kaufman V, Tomlinson DC, Hellman L, Lin LA, Fernandez AC, Coughlin LN. The path forward for substance use disorder treatment using contingency management under sect. 1115 demonstration waivers. Substance abuse treatment, prevention, and policy. 2025 Sep 30; 20(1):37, DOI: 10.1186/s13011-025-00666-6.
- Kinney AR, Brenner LA, Deka R, Yan XD, Forster JE, Ulmer CS, Pfeiffer PN, Ganoczy D, Martin JL, Yepson H, Bahraini NH. Guideline-Concordant Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia in the Veterans Health Administration Polytrauma/Traumatic Brain Injury System of Care. Behavioral sleep medicine. 2025 Sep 26; 1-14, DOI: 10.1080/15402002.2025.2563555.
- Nateghi Haredasht F, Lopez I, Tate S, Ashtari P, Chan MM, Kulkarni D, Chen CA, Vangala M, Griffith K, Bunning B, Miner AS, Hernandez-Boussard T, Humphreys K, Lembke A, Vance LA, Chen JH. Predicting treatment retention in medication for opioid use disorder: a machine learning approach using NLP and LLM-derived clinical features. Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association : JAMIA. 2025 Sep 22 DOI: 10.1093/jamia/ocaf157.
- Bell JS, Tillson M, Anvari MS, Blonigen DM, McGovern M, Magidson JF. Implementation Factors Influencing Peer-Delivered Behavioral Evidence-Based Interventions for Substance Use Disorders: A Scoping Review. Administration and policy in mental health. 2025 Aug 21 DOI: 10.1007/s10488-025-01470-x.
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Publication Briefs
(recent SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS Publication Briefs )
- Documented Clinical Diagnoses Underestimate Prevalence of Substance Use Disorders in Younger, Hispanic, and Women Veterans
This study compared clinical diagnosis rates of alcohol use disorder (AUD), drug use disorder (DUD), and total SUD (AUD and/or DUD) to survey-based prevalence among a random sample of VA patients from 30 VA healthcare facilities. Findings showed that the survey-based prevalence of AUD, DUD, and SUD was generally higher than clinical diagnosis rates among all Veterans: 10% vs 6% for AUD, 4.7% vs 4....
Date: June 30, 2022
- JGIM Supplement Features VA Research on Improving Opioid Safety among Veterans with Chronic Pain and Addiction
In the fall of 2019, HSR&D convened a state-of-the-art (SOTA) conference – “Effective Management of Pain and Addiction: Strategies to Improve Opioid Safety” – to develop research priorities for advancing the science and clinical practice of opioid safety, including both the use of opioid analgesics and managing opioid use disorder (OUD). A group of researchers and VA clinical stakeholders defined ...
Date: December 1, 2020
- Medical Records Flag for Suicide Risk Increases VA Healthcare Visits among Veterans with Substance Use Disorder
VA has identified suicide prevention as a top priority and established policies to include high-risk suicide patient record flags (PRFs) in the electronic medical record to alert providers of patient risk and increase healthcare contacts. This study sought to identify predictors of new PRFs and to describe healthcare use before and after PRF initiation among VA patients who had received a substanc...
Date: June 8, 2018
- Discontinuation of Long-Term Opioid Therapy among Veterans is Overwhelmingly Initiated by VA Clinicians
The aim of this study was to compare reasons for discontinuation of long-term opioid therapy (LTOT) between Veterans with and without substance use disorder (SUD) receiving care within the VA healthcare system in the years following release of 2009 and 2010 clinical practice guidelines. Findings showed that the majority of Veterans (85%) discontinued opioid use because their clinician stopped pres...
Date: March 1, 2017
- Racial and Ethnic Differences in Primary Care Experiences for Veterans with Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders
This study examined racial and ethnic differences in positive and negative experiences in VA Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) settings among Veterans with mental health or substance use disorders (MHSUDs) who completed VA’s 2013 PCMH Survey of Healthcare Experiences of Patients. Findings showed that positive experiences were reported least often for access. Negative experiences were reported m...
Date: June 20, 2016
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Studies
(recent SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS projects
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| Project No. |
Title |
PI |
Funding End |
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RCS 04-141
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Evaluating Treatment & Self-help Methods of Improving Functioning & Quality of Life Outcomes of Patients with Substance Abuse Disorders |
Humphreys, Keith |
2031-06-30 |
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CDA 21-209
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Patient-centered Quality Measurement for Opioid Use Disorder |
Kelley, Alan |
2029-07-31 |
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IIR 21-200
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Gaps in Identification, Referral and Treatment of Cannabis Use in VA Primary Care |
Keyhani, Salomeh |
2028-05-31 |
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IIR 21-005
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Web-Based Provider Training for Concurrent Treatment of PTSD and Substance Use Disorders using Prolonged Exposure (COPEWeb) |
Back, Sudie |
2027-09-30 |
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IIR 21-239
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Understanding CNS Stimulant Use and Safety in Veterans with TBI |
Faselis, Charles |
2027-04-30 |
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HSR Briefs, Reports, Newsletters
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Cyberseminars
The most recent "Substance Use Disorders" seminars are displayed.
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| Date |
Title |
Presenter(s) |
| 9/26/2023 |
Substance Use Disorders, Risky Substance Use and Brain Injury
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Corrigan, John
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| 2/2/2022 |
Virtual Care Early-Career Investigator Series
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Lin, Lewei (Allison)
Wray, Charlie
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| 12/8/2020 |
Opioids, Addiction, and Pain: State of the Art in VA
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Humphreys, Keith
Chang, Evelyn
Becker, William
Veazie, Stephanie
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| 11/19/2020 |
A Feasibility Study of Mindful Self-Compassion for Veterans with Moral Injury and Co-Occurring PTSD and Substance Use Disorders
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Eaton, Erica
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| 11/21/2019 |
Mindfulness and Self-Compassion Interventions for Veterans
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Kearney, David
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Podcasts
There are currently no podcasts for this topic. |
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