Research on alcohol dependence recognised with CAN award
21.10.2026 - Associate Professor Anders Hammarberg at the Centre for Psychiatry Research at Karolinska Institutet has been awarded CAN’s Drug Research Award for 2026. The award will be presented at the drogFOKUS conference in Karlstad.
“It is a great pleasure to recognise Anders Hammarberg’s important research,” says Charlotta Rehnman, Director of the Swedish Council for Information on Alcohol and Other Drugs (CAN).
Hammarberg has spent more than 25 years researching psychological treatments for alcohol problems.
“The award committee particularly highlights his research on treatment with controlled drinking as its goal. Hammarberg is a very deserving recipient of CAN’s Drug Research Award for 2026,” says Charlotta Rehnman.
The award committee’s citation reads:
Associate Professor Anders Hammarberg has combined clinical work with research on psychological treatments for alcohol problems for more than 25 years. His research group at the Centre for Psychiatry Research studies treatments for alcohol, drug and gambling problems, as well as methods to reduce the harms associated with addiction.
His most significant contribution concerns treatment with controlled drinking as its goal. Only a minority of people with alcohol dependence seek treatment, and one reason is the fear that complete abstinence is the only available goal. Hammarberg’s research has shown that structured psychological treatment aimed at reducing drinking leads to substantial reductions in consumption, with effects that are sustained over time. His large randomised study involving 250 participants at three addiction clinics in Stockholm is one of the most extensive of its kind internationally. The findings have been followed up after two years and supplemented by analyses of predictors and cost-effectiveness.
His research also covers support for family members, including trials of Community Reinforcement and Family Training (CRAFT) for parents of young adults with alcohol or drug problems, as well as internet-based cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) in primary care. It has thereby contributed to making addiction treatment more accessible and less stigmatising.
Anders Hammarberg has also served as chair of the Swedish Association for Alcohol and Drug Research and is a valued communicator of research to the wider public. He has written the handbook Åter till kontrollerat drickande [Back to controlled drinking], which is used in training clinicians. His work is a clear example of how behavioural science research can be translated into practice that reaches more people.
About CAN’s Drug Research Award
The award is presented every two years to a researcher working in Sweden whose outstanding research has contributed valuable new knowledge in the field of alcohol and other drugs.
Source: CAN press release, “Forskning om alkoholberoende prisas”, 21 October 2026.
