Andrew Jones

Andrew Jones
I’m a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Liverpool. My main research is in experimental psychology, specifically examining cognitive and behavioural processes in addiction. I hold more broad interests in motivational processes in general and how they are related to different psychopathologies. I have recently started blogging (http://livuniaddictiongroup.blogspot.co.uk/) and tweeting (ajj_1988) as I find it an easy and enjoyable way to share the research that interests me!

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Alcohol use disorders and mortality in Nordic countries

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Andrew Jones
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Andrew Jones appraises a recent study of mortality and life expectancy of people with alcohol use disorders in Denmark, Finland and Sweden, which provides some useful insight into the impact of hazardous alcohol use.

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Cytisine and varenicline for smoking cessation

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Andrew Jones and Chris Sampson report on a systematic review and economic evaluation of cytisine and varenicline for smoking cessation, which finds that both drugs are clinically effective compared with placebo.

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Internet-based interventions for harmful drinking show small beneficial effects

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Andrew Jones summarises a recent meta-analysis on the effectiveness of guided and unguided low-intensity Internet interventions for adult alcohol misuse.

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Should we be prescribing medication to help people with alcohol use disorders?

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Alcohol Use Disorders (AUDs) are common, chronic conditions which cause substantial harm to the individual and society. They are associated with substantial morbidity (Schuckit, 2009) and responsible for approximately 4% of all deaths annually. The approximate cost of AUDs to the National Health Service is upwards of £3 billion per year. Less than one-third of [read the full story…]

New evidence update from NICE on the prevention of problem drinking

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The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recently published an evidence update focussed on preventing harmful drinking. This update builds upon previous recommendations (NICE PH24, 2010) and is aimed at increasing awareness of the latest evidence available. Furthermore, the update indicates whether any new research may have potential impact on future NICE [read the full story…]

Cochrane review finds that acupuncture, acupressure, laser therapy and electrostimulation show little benefit for smoking cessation

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Despite being on the decline, smoking is still one of the largest causes of preventable morbidity and mortality in the world. According to recent World Health Organisation data, smoking directly kills around 5 million people every year.  The NHS spends almost £90 million on cessation efforts to combat the £5 billion treatment cost. Recent research [read the full story…]

Combination of treatments may improve smoking cessation

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Smoking is a major cause of morbidity and mortality across the world and accounts for over 60% of deaths in people who do smoke. The World Health Organisation estimates that tobacco kills almost 6 million people per year, with 5 million as a result of direct tobacco use. Innovative treatment approaches aimed at improving smoking [read the full story…]

Do smoking cessation treatments increase the risk of depression and suicide?

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Smoking is a major preventable cause of morbidity and premature mortality throughout the world. There are an estimated 460,000 hospital admissions attributable to smoking in people aged over 35 every year, with an average annual cost to the NHS of £2.7 billion. Many strategies exist to help people give up smoking. The most common are [read the full story…]

New Cochrane review examines the effectiveness of smoking cessation strategies in young people

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Worldwide, around 100,000 young people take up smoking every day and approximately 1 in 4 young people in the UK and USA smoke regularly. Although these figures have been falling over the last 20 years, they still represent a major public health concern. Evidence suggests that addiction to nicotine develops quickly in adolescence, and most [read the full story…]

Using adaptive treatments for smoking cessation may prove effective

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Around 20% of adults in the UK smoke cigarettes regularly. Smoking was the primary cause of approximately 462,900 hospital admissions and 79,100 (18%) deaths in adults over the age of 35 last year. Therefore, smoking cessation represents a serious (and costly!) clinical challenge on an individual and global level. Many smoking cessation aids are available, [read the full story…]