...with friends (of treatment) like these?

The Fort Wayne News-Sentinel reports on Obama's and McCain's positions on drug policy.Addiction Inbox also has posts on both candidates.Bottom line: McCain wants to continue the drug war and Obama wants to promote drug courts and alternatives to incarceration.

From Alcohol and Alcoholism:Aims: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is of great clinical importance not only because of its high prevalence but also due to the frequent comorbid illnesses that are connected with this disorder. Several studies were able to demonstrate that ADHD constitutes a significant risk factor for the exacerbation of habit-forming illnesses, i.e. addictions. Methods: … Continue reading Things that make you go, “hmmm”

From Scientific American:From 1935 to 1975, just about everyone busted for drugs in the U.S. was sent to the United States Narcotic Farm outside Lexington, Ky. Equal parts federal prison, treatment center, research laboratory and farm, this controversial institution was designed not only to rehabilitate addicts, but to discover a cure for drug addiction....the institution … Continue reading Narcotic Farm

The Ann Arbor News suggests that they would like to endorse a medical marijuana proposal, but this one isn't it.

I don't attribute a lot of significance to this, but I find it amusing that they state 3 times in this very brief press release that these findings are contrary to their expectations. It just CAN'T be true. Further examination is need.NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Contrary to expectations, higher intelligence scores at age 10 … Continue reading “unexpected findings”

The Ann Arbor News reports on the Washtenaw County Sobriety Court and our friend Judge Creal:The defendant, who had been arrested for drunken driving, stood before 15th District Judge Julie Creal.But unlike a typical sentencing, Creal asked questions of a more personal nature - wondering whether the death of a relative would impact the man's … Continue reading Local sentencing sense

David Clark sticks his neck out on MMT:As I have said many times before, I have nothing against methadone substitution therapy per se, but I feel strongly about it being used with clients being offered no, or only minimal other, support. I have written:'Due to the approach adopted by much of the UK treatment system, … Continue reading Methadone maintenance as palliative care

What is there to say?The NAOMI study was funded by an $8.1-million research grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.The heroin and hydromorphone participants received three doses a day from health-care professionals in downtown clinics. Most participants - 192 - were from Vancouver. Fifty-nine were from Montreal.After one year, 90 per cent of the … Continue reading Transformed…beyond hope

Martin Nicolaus notices a not yet published study on the impact of spiritual guidance as part of treatment. There was no impact. In fact, the group with spiritual guidance by certified spiritual directors had worse outcomes on measures of depression and anxiety, though a group receiving spiritual guidance from their counselor did just as well … Continue reading Spirituality and recovery