Addiction Research

Substance Use and Society

Researchers in this area study the use, harmful use, and dependence on alcohol and other drugs, often from a social science perspective. Gambling-related addiction problems and doping are also included.

The research addresses both people’s living conditions and experiences, and the work of healthcare services, social services, and other societal actors. It takes a broad methodological approach and draws on both qualitative and quantitative methods, including document analysis, interviews, focus groups, survey studies, and register-based studies, often in combination.

Current projects and publications address, among other topics, the mapping of addiction care and treatment contacts in Skåne, safe tapering from opioid maintenance treatment, HVB residential care as a treatment modality for alcohol dependence, ADHD and substance use disorders in relation to equitable care, and adolescent violence against parents.

Current research projects and publications address, among other things, the mapping of addiction care and treatment contacts in Skåne, safe tapering from opioid agonist treatment, residential care homes (HVB) as a treatment modality for alcohol dependence, how ADHD and cooccurring substance use disorders are treated in different care contexts, as well as intervention studies for gambling problems and for young people whose parents have alcohol problems.

Current research projects

Substance Abuse Treatment, and What Happens Then? Women Tell Their Stories
In this study, I return to the women who were interviewed 25 years ago when they were undergoing substance abuse treatment. The aim is to develop a deeper understanding of the role that drug treatment and experiences of substance abuse play in an individual’s life from a long-term life-course perspective. The qualitative interviews focus on exploring and discussing the participants’ life experiences.
Project period: 1 September 2025 – 30 June 2027.
Principal investigator: Leili Laanemets.

Skåne Treatment Referral Evaluation and Addiction Mapping - STREAM: A longitudinal multiple cohort study of individuals accessing care and support
The project explores how people with substance use or gambling problems access care and support in Skåne, and how services are coordinated across social services, healthcare, and other treatment providers.
Principal investigator: Lisa Andersson.
Participating researchers: Kristin Arve, Jonas Berge, Helena Hansson, Anders Håkansson, Björn Johnson, Erik Niwhede, Torkel Richert.

Discontinuing Opioid Maintenance Treatment for Opioid Addiction: Developing Evidence-Based Support for Safe Tapering
The project investigates how opioid maintenance treatment (OMT) can be safely tapered for patients in remission by examining outcomes after discontinuation attempts, as well as the experiences of patients and treatment staff, and by subsequently developing an intervention.
Principal investigator: Björn Johnson.
Participating researchers: Jonas Berge, Andrea Johansson Capusan, Stina Lindegren.

Projects at other departments and universities in which members of the research group participate

How is Spelpaus experienced by individuals with gambling problems and their concerned significant others?
The project investigates how individuals with gambling problems and their concerned significant others experience the national self-exclusion service Spelpaus, with a focus on its significance for gambling behaviour, well-being, relationships, and help-seeking. The project includes both qualitative interviews and survey studies and aims to increase knowledge about how self-exclusion may function as a support measure in gambling problems, not only for the individual who gambles, but also for those close to them.
Principal investigators: Anders Håkansson, Lund University/Region Skåne, and Helena Hansson, School of Social Work, Lund University.

Implementing novel treatment in opioid addiction - a combined clinical, register, and qualitative study on buprenorphine depot injections
The project investigates how depot buprenorphine injections for opioid use disorder affect treatment retention, healthcare utilization, rehabilitation, and cost-effectiveness, as well as how the treatment is experienced by patients and healthcare professionals.
Principal investigator: Andrea Johansson Capusan, Center for Social and Affective Neuroscience (CSAN), Linköping University.
Participating researchers: Per Gustafsson, Markus Heilig, Björn Johnson, Bodil Monwell, Mikael Sandell, Gustav Tinghög.

Towards a Knowledge-Based Treatment Practice: ADHD, Substance Use Disorders, and the Path to Equitable Care
The project investigates how stimulant treatment for patients with co-occurring ADHD and substance use disorders is used across different care settings, which factors shape treatment practices, and how the treatment relates to clinical and social outcomes.
Principal investigator: Jonas Berge, Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University.
Participating researchers: Lars Garpenhag, Anders Håkansson, Björn Johnson, Sara Lindström.

Naturalistic Evaluation of HVB Residential Care as a Treatment Modality for Alcohol Dependence
The project is the first in Sweden to examine how HVB residential care is used for alcohol dependence, which patients receive this form of treatment, and what outcomes follow over time. By combining municipal social service data in Skåne with national registers, the study will evaluate the effects of HVB compared with other interventions and provide evidence to inform the forthcoming reform of Swedish addiction care.
Principal investigator: Jonas Berge, Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University.
Participating researchers: Björn Johnson, Erik Niwhede.

Development and evaluation of a digital preventive intervention targeting young people who have caregivers with alcohol problems
Many young people who grow up in families where a parent has alcohol problems never receive support, despite being at increased risk of mental ill-health and other negative outcomes. The project investigates how a digital preventive intervention for young people aged 15–25 who have caregivers with alcohol problems can be developed and evaluated. The aim of the intervention, Alcohol & Coping 2.0, is to strengthen young people’s mental health, coping strategies, and quality of life, and to reduce the risk of their own problematic alcohol use.
Principal investigator: Tobias Elgán, Centre for Psychiatry Research, Karolinska Institutet/Region Stockholm.
Participating researcher: Helena Hansson.