From a deadly pandemic to divisive politics, there were already plenty of reasons why someone could turn to substance abuse in 2020, let alone the holidays. Experts from Indiana University and the Regenstrief Institute are available to speak to the challenges the holidays can bring for those with substance use issues, especially during the pandemic.

Melissa Cyders

Cyders, an associate professor of psychology at IUPUI, researches how impulsivity and its neurocognitive underpinnings impart risk for a wide range of clinical problems and disorders. Her work also focuses on long-term opioid use disorder recovery, and she is currently studying the impact of medication-assisted treatment on long-term opioid use disorder recovery and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on people in recovery.   

Kurt Kroenke

Kroenke, a research scientist at William M. Tierney Center for Health Services Research, Regenstrief Institute and a research scientist at the IU School of Medicine, is an internationally respected expert in physical and psychological symptoms. His principal research interests include pain, depression and anxiety, all of which are common among people with substance use disorder. Recently, his research has focused on chronic pain, one of the most common problems seen in primary care.