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EWODOR Conference

9th and 10th October 2025 - Braga

Aula Magna, Universidade Católica Portuguesa

Addiction, mental health and recovery:

From research to practice

Centro de Solidariedade de Braga / Projecto Homem, Universidade Católica Portuguesa and EWODOR (European Working Group On Drug-Oriented Recovery Research) are happy to announce the 2025 EWODOR symposium that will be held on October 9th and 10th in Braga, Portugal. EWODOR has a long tradition of bringing together researchers and practitioners from all over Europe and beyond to exchange recent insights and findings around addiction treatment and recovery. This year, the theme will be dedicated to “Addiction, mental health and recovery: From research to practice”.

Academics and researchers, institutions and practitioners, and all those interested are invited to contribute to this always topical and challenging debate. The meeting is scheduled for October 9 and 10, 2025, in the Aula Magna of the Faculty of Philosophy and Social Sciences in the Campus of Braga of the Portuguese Catholic University.

Program, October 8, 2025

Reception for Participants

It is with great satisfaction that the Mayor of Braga welcomes this prestigious scientific conference and, in particular, all its national and international participants. This unique moment aims to recognise the Ewodor Conference, which enriches not only academic and scientific debate, but also the cultural and social life of Braga. It is a good opportunity to begin discovering the heritage, hospitality and liveliness of a two-thousand-year-old city full of charm. It will be a first opportunity for everyone to get to know each other, facilitate the sharing of knowledge, create new partnerships and deepen ties between different countries.

18h00

Program, October 9, 2025

Opening session

Paulo Dias (Pro-Rector da Universidade Católica Portuguesa-Braga, CeSB - Projecto Homem Braga)

Alexis Goosdeel (European Union Drugs Agency, EUDA)

Phaedon Kaloterakis (President of European Federation of Therapeutic Communities, EFTC)

Ricardo Rio (Mayor of Braga) - To be confirmed

Guilherme Meneses (President of Centro de Solidariedade de Braga - Projecto Homem)

9h30

10h15

Keynote 1:

Mark Griffiths (Nottingham Trent University) and Jo-Hanna Ivers (Trinity College)- Online addictions and mental health

Moderator: Paulo Dias (Universidade Católica Portuguesa-Braga, CeSB - Projecto Homem Braga)

Coffee Break

11h00

Mulka Nisic (University of Derby) - Gendered Pathways to Addiction Recovery across Europe: From Inequality to Recovery Capital

Moderator: Daniela Monteiro (Universidade Católica Portuguesa-Braga, CeSB - Projecto Homem Braga)

11h30

Parallel Session (portuguese, spanish, english)

12h00

Lunch

13h00

Keynote:

Carmela Martínez Vispo (University of Santiago de Compostela) - Substance Use and Mental Health: Evidence and Implications for Prevention

Moderator: Dr. Oriol Esculies (Proyecto Hombre, Espanha)

14h30

Parallel Session (english)

15h15

Coffee Break

16h30

Keynote:

Wouter Vanderplasschen (Ghent University) – Integration of mental health and addictions treatment

Moderator: Andrea Ascari (FICT - Federazione Italiana Comunità Terapeutiche) - To be confirmed

17h00

18h00

General Assembly of EFTC

Program, October 10, 2025

Keynote:

Pedro Hubert (Instituto de Apoio ao Jogador) - Mental health and behavioral addictions

Moderator: Sara Leite (CeSB - Projecto Homem Braga)

9h30

Parallel Session (english)

10h00

Coffee Break

11h00

Keynote

João Goulão (Director General of Institute for Addictive Behaviours and Dependencies, I.P) - Addictions and mental health: Challenges for policy makers and practitioners

Moderator: Flávia Ferreira (CeSB - Projecto Homem Braga)

11h30

Keynote

Emily A. Hennessy, PhD (Director of Biostatistics, Recovery Research Institute) - Recovery as a Social Process: Evolving Networks and Shifting Identities

Moderator: Diana Moreira (Universidade Católica Portuguesa-Braga, CeSB - Projecto Homem Braga)

12h00

Closing Session:

João Goulão (Director General of Institute for Addictive Behaviours and Dependencies, I.P.)

Wouter Vanderplasschen (Ghent University)

D. José Cordeiro (Arcebishop of Braga) - To be confirmed

12h30

Lunch

13h00

International recovery researchers meeting

14h30

Workshops (in Portuguese)

Pedro Hubert (Instituto de Apoio ao Jogador)

João Faria (Partners in Neurosciense)

Mariano Choliz (University of Valencia) To be confirmed

Luís Fernandes (Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences) To be confirmed

14h30

You can register for the event:

Early Bird Fees

Registration fee until September 15th, 2025:

- Participants with presentation (general) | Participantes com apresentação de comunicação (geral) - 100 €

- Participants without presentation | Participantes sem apresentação de comunicação - 100 €

- Students (no communication) | Estudantes (sem comunicação) - 80€

Registration fees after September 16th, 2025:

- Participants with presentation (general) | Participantes com apresentação de comunicação (geral) - 150€

- Participants without presentation | Participantes sem apresentação de comunicação - 150 €

- Students (no communication) | Estudantes (sem comunicação) - 130€

Some suggestions for hotels:

How to get to Braga:

Mark Griffiths

Nottingham Trent University

João Goulão

Institute for Addictive Behaviours and Dependencies, I.P.

Carmela Martínez Vispo

University of Santiago de Compostela

Marica Ferri

Support to Practice at the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction

Keynote Speakers

Jo-Hanna Ivers

Trinity College

João Faria

Partners in Neurosciense

Mulka Nisic

University of Derby

Wouter Vanderplasschen

Ghent University

Emily A. Hennessy

Director of Biostatistics, Recovery Research Institute

Mariano Choliz

University of Valencia

Pedro Hubert

Instituto de Apoio ao Jogador

Wouter Vanderplasschen

Ghent University

Roberto Secades-Villa

University of Oviedo

Elisardo Becoña

University of Santiago de Compostela

Scientific Committee

Paulo Dias

Univer. Católica Portuguesa-Braga

Daniela Monteiro

Univer. Católica Portuguesa - Braga

Pedro Morgado

University of Minho

Andrea Ascari

Italian Federation of Therapeutic Communities

Diana Moreira

Univer. Católica Portuguesa-Braga

Con. Luís Rodrigues

Univer. Católica Portuguesa - Braga

Antonio Molina Fernandez

Complutense University

Daniel Rijo

University of Coimbra

Rui Abrunhosa

University of Minho

Andreia Azeredo

Univer. Católica Portuguesa-Braga

Alba González-Roz

Universuty of Oviedo

Guilherme Meneses

CeSB - Projecto Homem Braga

Daniela Castro

CeSB - Projecto Homem Braga

Organizing Committee

Phaedon Kaloterakis

European Federation of Therapeutic Communities

Flávia Ferreira

CeSB - Projecto Homem Braga

Oriol Esculies

Asociación Proyecto Hombre

Sara Leite

CeSB - Projecto Homem Braga

About EWODOR

EWODOR is one of the oldest drug research and recovery networks in Europe.

The European Working Group on Targeted Drug Research (EWODOR) was founded in 1983 by Eric Broekaert (Ghent University, Belgium), Vera Segraeus (Uppsala University, Sweden) and Charles Kaplan & Martien Kooyman (Erasmus University Rotterdam, Netherlands) as the scientific branch of the European Federation of Therapeutic Communities (EFTC). EWODOR conferences are usually organised in partnership between a treatment organisation and a local university. Recently, EWODOR conferences have been hosted by Aarhus University (Denmark, 2004), University of Oslo (Norway, 2007), University of Stirling (Scotland, 2009), University of Barcelona (Spain, 2011), Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece, 2012), Trinity College Dublin (Ireland, 2014), LUMSA University Rome (Italy, 2016), Ghent University (Belgium, 2018) and University of Derby (England, 2020, cancelled).

Due to COVID-19 restrictions and changes in the organizing universities, EWODOR (European Working Group on Drug Oriented Recovery Research) has been transformed into a network of recovery researchers that holds regular meetings and organizes a biannual conference that will be used as a forum for international exchange on addiction recovery research and the role of treatment. We will continue EWODOR’s tradition of practice-based research as well as its focus on lived experiences to advance knowledge about addiction recovery.