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Online digital recovery support services: An overview of the science and their potential to help individuals with substance use disorder during COVID-19 and beyond

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The COVID-19 pandemic and related social distancing public health recommendations will have indirect consequences for individuals with current and remitted substance use disorder (SUD). Not only will stressors increase risk for symptom exacerbation and/or relapse, but individuals will also have limited service access during this critical time. Individuals with SUD are using free, online digital recovery support services (D-RSS) that leverage peer-to-peer connection (i.e., social-online D-RSS) which simultaneously help these individuals to access support and adhere to public health guidelines. Read more

Changes in Online Psychoactive Substance Trade via Telegram during the COVID-19 Pandemic

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In this article, the authors present an evaluation of online psychoactive substance trade via Telegram, a free encrypted social media messenger service. The evaluation took place during the COVID-19 pandemic, which allowed the authors to monitor the effects of the spring 2020 lockdown in the Netherlands on substance trade via Telegram. Read more

Chatbots battle COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy

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Researchers at Johns Hopkins had already been developing chatbots to combat vaccine misinformation when the coronavirus pandemic arrived, giving their work greater urgency. Read more

Virtual ‘spotting’ could help keep drug users safe during COVID-19

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A group of researchers at the University of Toronto and the Canadian Association of People Who Use Drugs are studying a remote supervised-consumption model known as “spotting” to understand its benefits among people who use drugs during the pandemic. Read more