Drugs and Addictive Behaviour Research Group
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Drugs and Addictive Behaviour Research Group
Our group investigates the cognitive, behavioural, and psychobiological effects of various illicit and licit drugs, as well as behavioural addictions like gambling.
We conduct empirical research on a wide range of topics, including:
- The effects of withdrawal from regular use and protracted abstinence.
- Acute, subacute, and hangover effects.
- Predictors of drug use, abstinence, and treatment outcomes.
We work closely with the Cognition and Neuroscience Research Group, the Mental Health and Social Change Research Group, and the Substance Use and Misuse Network.
Group aims
- Generate new knowledge and contribute to a wider public understanding of psychology, ultimately leading to better policy and practice.
- Investigate the psychological and cognitive effects of various legal and illegal psychoactive substances and their impact on users.
- Explore the causes and consequences of drug and behavioural addictions, including the effects of withdrawal and the pathways to recovery.
Our team
- Professor John Turner (Group Lead)
- Professor Volker Thoma
- Dr Stephen Sharman (Honorary Research Fellow)
- Dr Florentia Hadjiefthyvoulou
- Dr Elena Gomis Vicent
- Dr Emma Howarth
- Dr Fiorentina Sterkaj
- Miss Erin Bellamy (PhD student)
Collaborations
UK
Across the DABRG, we work with many researchers across the UK and beyond, including (but not limited to):
- Dr Samantha Banbury (London Metropolitan University)
- Dr Henrietta Bowden-Jones (Imperial College London, National Problem Gambling Clinic)
- Dr Sharon Cox (UCL)
- Professor Lynne Dawkins (LSBU)
- Professor Simon Dymond (Swansea University)
- Professor Daniel Frings (LSBU)
- Dr Catherine Kimber (LSBU)
- Gordon Moody Association
- Dr Margherita Milani (UWL)
- Dr Lusia Perrion (UWL)
- Dr Phillip Newall (University of Warwick)
- Dr Caitlin Notley (University of East Anglia)
- Professor Andy Parrott (Swansea University)
- Dr Amanda Roberts (University of Lincoln)
- Dr Michelle Smith (University of Lincoln)
- Dr Paul Toner (Queen's University Belfast)
- Professor Peter Ayton (City University of London)
- Prof Christine Griffin (Bath University)
International
Across the DABRG, we work with many researchers across the UK and beyond, including (but not limited to):
- Professor Julie Buckner (Louisiana State University, USA)
- Associate Professor Luke Clark (University of British Columbia, Canada)
- Assistant Professor Helen Fox (StoneyBrook University, New York, USA)
- Dr Kevin Hill (Harvard Medical School, USA)
- Dr Meeyoung O Min (Case Western Reserve University, Ohio, USA)
- Dr Raegan Murphy (University College Cork, Ireland)
- Dr Alvaro Pascual-Leone (Harvard Medical School, USA)
- Professor Lynn Singer (Case Western Reserve University, Ohio, USA)
- Associate Professor Samantha Thomas (Deakin University, Australia)
- Prof Martin Hagger (Curtin, Australia)
