Monthly research recap
Addiction research: July 2026
What July 2026's 9 new studies found, synthesized from the papers below. All Addiction research →
The synthesis
Synthesized from 9 studies in the library · AI-generated, grounded in the abstracts below
Found by searching the library for Addiction, substance use disorder, dependence, alcohol use disorder, opioid use disorder, then ranked by relevance.
Research on addiction in July 2026 shows that ketamine improves short-term abstinence (<1 month) but not longer-term abstinence (1–6 months) in substance use disorders, with animal data indicating rapid tolerance. Mindfulness-based interventions provide preliminary support for reducing relapse and craving, while MDMA-assisted therapy for comorbid PTSD and alcohol use disorder is being tested in a trial. Evidence is limited by small samples, short follow-ups, and inconsistent findings on relapse prevention.
Evidence by study
Direction is which way each study's own result points, not our rating of the study.
What the directions mean
- Supports:
- the study found the intervention worked, or its hypothesis held.
- Opposes:
- it found the opposite, no benefit or a harm.
- No effect:
- no significant difference either way.
- Mixed:
- effects in both directions within the same study.
- Unclear:
- the abstract does not report a direction.
| Study | Design | Sample size | Direction | Finding |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ketamine for substance use disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis 2026 | systematic review and meta-analysis | 798 | Mixed | Ketamine significantly improved short-term abstinence (<1 month) but not longer-term abstinence (1–6 months) in substance use disorder. |
| How Effective Are Mindfulness-Based Interventions (MBIs) for the Treatment of Substance Use Disorders (SUDs), Relapse Prevention, and Craving: An Umbrella Review Article. 2026 | umbrella review | Supports | Mindfulness-based interventions provide preliminary support for reducing relapse and craving for alcohol, opioids, and stimulants. | |
| S-ketamine, but not R-ketamine, transiently suppresses front-loaded binge-like alcohol self-administration in male rats 2026 | experimental animal study | Mixed | S-ketamine, but not R-ketamine, dose-dependently suppresses binge-like alcohol self-administration in male rats, though tolerance develops rapidly with repeated administration. | |
| Reflective Control in Gaming Addiction: A Paradox? 2026 | theoretical or philosophical paper | Unclear | Argues that gaming addiction disrupts reflective processing, selfhood, and temporality by misaligning reflective control, which remains intact but is confined to the gaming environment rather than extending to broader life concerns. | |
| Treating addiction with an addictive drug: the ketamine paradox revisited 2026 | narrative review | Mixed | Ketamine combined with psychotherapy shows promising reductions in craving and increases in abstinent days for alcohol and cocaine use disorders, but effects on relapse prevention are inconsistent and the drug carries a well-established risk of misuse. | |
| Toward a nuanced framework for the medical development of ibogaine and its analogues and derivatives: implications for psychopharmacology 2026 | review | Unclear | Argues that two primary development strategies for ibogaine-based therapies exist—broad polypharmacological compounds and selective bespoke analogs—each with distinct translational trade-offs, and the field must resist oversimplified narratives about derivative superiority. | |
| MDMA-assisted PTSD and Alcohol Therapy Trial (MPATHY): study protocol for a double-blind, randomised, controlled outpatient trial of MDMA-assisted integrated exposure-based therapy for comorbid post-traumatic stress disorder and alcohol use disorder 2026 | randomized controlled trial | 100 | Unclear | The trial will test whether MDMA-assisted integrated exposure therapy improves PTSD and alcohol use outcomes compared to active control-assisted integrated exposure therapy in comorbid PTSD and AUD. |
| Neuroestimulantes naturales: de rituales ancestrales a terapias de vanguardia 2026 | review | Supports | Psilocybin and 5-MeO-DMT show promise as therapies for depression, anxiety, PTSD, and addiction by acting on serotonin receptors and stimulating neuroplasticity. | |
| Mindfulness-based stress reduction effects on resilience, individual independence and quality of life of spinal cord injury patients: A randomized clinical trial. 2026 | randomized clinical trial | 56 | Mixed | MBSR significantly improved resilience and quality of life in individuals with spinal cord injury, but did not improve individual independence. |
Points of agreement
- Ketamine shows short-term efficacy for substance use disorders, but long-term benefits are not established.
- Mindfulness-based interventions provide preliminary support for reducing relapse and craving in substance use disorders.
- Psychedelic-assisted therapies (ketamine, psilocybin, MDMA) are being explored as promising treatments for addiction.
Conflicts
- Ketamine's effect on relapse prevention is inconsistent across studies.
- S-ketamine but not R-ketamine suppresses alcohol self-administration in rats, suggesting enantiomer-specific effects.
- Theoretical work on gaming addiction suggests a unique paradox of intact but misaligned reflective control, contrasting with other addictions.
Gaps
- Long-term durability of ketamine's effects beyond one month is unstudied.
- Safety of ketamine for substance use disorders is not conclusively established due to limited evidence.
- MDMA-assisted therapy for comorbid PTSD and AUD is still in trial phase; results are not yet available.
- Most studies lack diverse populations and long-term follow-up.
- Theoretical and review papers highlight the need for more clinical trials and standardized protocols.