There have been several articles and columns lashing out at the apparent cynical use of rehab for scandal management and/or avoidance of accountability. Let's hope it remains limited to the rich and famous.In Slaying the Dragon, Bill White recounts that in the late 1800's and early 1900's, there was a thriving recovery and treatment movement. … Continue reading Rehab backlash

Those of you who've read Pass It On will remember that Bill Wilson participated in some of these LSD experiments.The attempt to replicate the findings sounds like masochism in the name of research:Published in the Quarterly Journal for Studies on Alcohol, the 1962 study was received with much skepticism. One research group in Toronto tried … Continue reading LSD treatment for alcoholism gets new look

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Here's a pair of articles about recent genetic discoveries about genetic factors implicated in alcoholism. (here and here)

Here's a William Cope Moyers interview about his new book.There's growing concern about the glut of recovery memoirs coming out. Do these tell-all memoirs with the Oprah and Larry King rounds improve societal understanding and acceptance or do they come off as self-serving and breed more scorn than empathy? What would be the impact of … Continue reading ‘Broken’: A Conversation with William Cope Moyers

There similar reports a couple of months ago, but this one has more specifics:Blood alcohol levels peaked at around the same time -- 30 minutes after having the drink -- regardless of which mixer was used. The difference, however, was that alcohol levels surged higher with the low-calorie mixer: to 0.05 percent, on average, versus … Continue reading “Diet” cocktails are more intoxicating

On its face, this is clearly a good thing. Two big caveats. First, it does nothing about the already detected AOD problems that we see every day. Second, and probably more important, the quote below suggests that this may provide fuel for the current migration from specialty addiction treatment providers to mental health programs:Goplerud told … Continue reading Medicaid Will Pay for Addiction Screening; Advocates Seek AMA Action, Too

The author does a great job making the case for addressing smoking more aggressively. Any DF employees who'd like to work on this issue should contact me.

This abstract is very brief, but it reports on the effectiveness of sober housing:Oxford Houses are democratic, mutual help–oriented recovery homes for individuals with substance abuse histories. There are more than 1200 of these houses in the United States, and each home is operated independently by its residents, without help from professional staff.In a recent … Continue reading Communal Housing Settings Enhance Substance Abuse Recovery

British Columbia has been the North American leader in harm reduction. Is there a relationship to its high rates of marijuana use? I'm not a marijuana alarmist. My biggest concern would be whether they have a declining age of first use of marijuana.They seem to have categorized addition as a lifestyle choice and publically express … Continue reading B.C. going to pot, study shows