AlterNet has an article on harm reduction in Vancouver.Vancouver has essentially become a gigantic field test, a 2 million-person laboratory for a set of tactics derived from a school of thought known as "harm reduction." It's based on a simple premise: No matter how many scare tactics are tried, laws passed or punishments imposed, people … Continue reading Let Junkies Be Junkies

Its problems are different, but every bit as dysfunctional as the treatment system in the U.S.. Too many highlights to quote, just read the whole thing here.Previous comments on the subject here.

If anyone doubts the power of culture on problem drinking, I give you Wisconsin.

Martin Nicolaus caught my attention a month ago when he made some bold statements about the genetics of addiction:Modern genetic research has wiped away any basis for the idea that alcoholism is a genetically transmitted disease. The most that can be said is that some people appear to inherit a lower responsiveness to alcohol, so … Continue reading Genetic causality and addiction

The heroin/methadone death match continues. Pretty troubling, of accurate.Remember, DeVlaming is a methadone advocate. I like his use of quotation marks around the word treatment in reference to the heroin maintenance approach.

I don't expect altruism, but this and this are creepy.

Unfortunately, access to longer term treatment is often limited to those who can afford to pay out of pocket, but it looks like long term treatment may be making a comeback:In fact, data suggest 30 days aren't nearly enough.Research published in 1999 by Bennett Fletcher, a senior research psychologist at the National Institute on Drug … Continue reading Back to the future

Oy vey.What is there to say. More of the freak show.Truth is, most addicts will tell you that they started with tobacco or alcohol. For several years, I've been seeing more young clients report pot as the first drug they tried. Now, it looks like pain relievers may be overtaking pot for initiation into illicit … Continue reading Same old, same old

The new issue of Addiction has a provocative editorial on mandated treatment. It's an issue that I'm very interested in and posted about recently. The writer makes the case that autonomy is usurped by addiction, making it ethically justifiable to coerce treatment for the purpose of restoring autonomy. The author then goes on to propose … Continue reading Denying autonomy in order to create it

I don't remember seeing a study looking at sexual abuse in men and its impact on treatment outcomes. The findings look a lot like what studies of women have found: Men with a history of physical or sexual abuse had more severe drug problems at intake, but by 6 months, there were no group differences … Continue reading Sexual abuse and treatment outcomes in men