An interesting study from a friend of ours: Abstract PURPOSE: This study examined concurrent and longitudinal associations between two dimensions of affiliation in Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)-attendance and spiritual awakening-and drinking outcomes among adult patients who were in treatment for alcohol dependence in Warsaw, Poland. In a study conducted at four addiction treatment centers, male and female … Continue reading Spiritual awakening predicts improved recovery outcomes
Month: January 2014
Therapists personal lives affect treatment outcomes
If you're a helper and you think your personal life is irrelevant to the treatment you provide, think again. The Personal Burdens scale was strongly and inversely related to the growth of the alliance as rated by the patients, but was unrelated to therapist-rated alliance. Conversely, the factor scale of therapists' Personal Satisfactions was clearly … Continue reading Therapists personal lives affect treatment outcomes
My Dad Will Never Stop Smoking Pot
The Atlantic published an personal essay about the impact of her father's marijuana addiction on herself and her siblings. Then there's my sister, the baby, the one who struggled harder than any of us. She tried so desperately to finish high school, a rare feat in my family. Then she tried community college. As we … Continue reading My Dad Will Never Stop Smoking Pot
Tribes of the recovering community
This week's tribe are Wellbriety Circles: Wellbriety means to be both sober and well. It means to have come through recovery from chemical dependency and to be a recovered person who is going beyond survival to thriving in his or her life and in the life of the community. The Well part of Wellbriety means to live the … Continue reading Tribes of the recovering community
Anticipatory Grief and Family Recovery
Bill White recently wrote a great post speaking to the experience of family members—first, the trauma of loving an addict, then the unexpected trauma of recovery: There are numerous obstacles that inhibit family recovery from addiction. One of the most critical is the cumulative effects of anticipatory grief (AG). AG is a process through which grieving … Continue reading Anticipatory Grief and Family Recovery
Home is where the meth is
An anthropologist embedded with meth addicts in Missouri and has an interview in the New Republic. The trailer parks of Jefferson County, Missouri, are a far cry from the international cartels of Breaking Bad, but this is the real picture of meth in America: Eveready batteries and Red Devil Lye on kitchen counters, used syringes … Continue reading Home is where the meth is
Krokodil Crock: How Rumors Of A ‘Flesh-Eating Zombie Drug’ Swept The Nation
This is why you don't see sensational horror stories about new drugs on this blog: By now you probably have heard that krokodil, a nasty homemade version of the narcotic painkiller desomorphine, is starting to catch on in the United States. Having eaten its way through the flesh of myriad Russian opiate addicts, the caustic … Continue reading Krokodil Crock: How Rumors Of A ‘Flesh-Eating Zombie Drug’ Swept The Nation
On knowing and piety toward science
I've pushed back before on the limits of research, "rational" policy, evidence-based policies, and the assumption that research is objective, etc. On Being recently discussed science and the unknown. Here are a few choice bits. On the limitations of science: Dr. Gleiser: . . . one of the grand goals of modern physics is to build a Theory … Continue reading On knowing and piety toward science
Is Disease Management a Good Investment? We May Finally Have an Answer
This doesn't focus on recovery management, but a new study supports the argument that disease management saves money. In 2003, Pepsi started an employee health program that included risk assessments, on-site wellness events, lifestyle management, disease management, complex care management, telephone nurse advice lines, and maternity management. By 2011, there were 5 telephonic lifestyle programs … Continue reading Is Disease Management a Good Investment? We May Finally Have an Answer
Take LSD, stay out of prison? Huge study links psychedelic use to reduced recidivism
Hmmm. Some pretty breathless reporting of a recent study looking at offenders who are dependent upon hallucinogens. A study of more than 25,000 people under community corrections supervision suggests the use of psychedelic drugs like LSD can keep people out of prison. The research is the first in 40 years to examine whether drugs like LSD and … Continue reading Take LSD, stay out of prison? Huge study links psychedelic use to reduced recidivism
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