Cocaine self-medication for insomnia

“Addicted people may take cocaine to improve sleep-related cognitive functioning deficits—unaware that they are abusing, in part, to ‘solve’ these problems.” Huh? I suppose, if cocaine is part of one’s life, one might use it instrumentally when tired–the way many of us use caffeine. But “unaware”? Also, isn’t this theory tautological? I go beyond his … Continue reading Cocaine self-medication for insomnia

Self-medication?

This study looked at sex, drug use and depression in adolescents: “Overall, sex and drug behavior predicted an increased likelihood of depression, but depression did not predict behavior. Among girls, both experimental and high-risk behavior patterns predicted depression. Among boys, only high-risk behavior patterns increased the odds of later depression. Depression did not predict behavior … Continue reading Self-medication?

Should addiction treatment prefer abstinence (however we define it)?

The is a post was initially published in 2018. Please note that abstinence can mean abstinence from illicit drugs, or abstinence from all drugs that produce euphoria or are commonly misused (including agonist medications, benzodiazepines, etc.). For the purposes of this post, this distinction is irrelevant because the arguments in the second article really apply … Continue reading Should addiction treatment prefer abstinence (however we define it)?

Should addiction treatment prefer abstinence?

I was perusing past year’s articles in Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly and came across these two: Achieving a 15% Relapse Rate: A Review of Collegiate Recovery and Physician Health Programs A Perspective from the Field: The Disconnect between Abstinence-Based Programs and the Use of Motivational Interviewing in Treating Substance Use Disorders Achieving a 15% relapse rate … Continue reading Should addiction treatment prefer abstinence?

Gabapentin misuse, abuse and diversion

From a new meta-analysis of gabapentin misuse: Gabapentin has been presumed to have no abuse potential historically [19-23]; however, this review reports evidence to the contrary. Of the 11 population-based studies and 23 case reports included here, nearly one-third report gabapentin misuse/abuse for recreational purposes and epidemiological studies from the United States and United Kingdom … Continue reading Gabapentin misuse, abuse and diversion

Childhood sexual abuse and alcohol problems – TBS

A new study (This is a TBS post from 2007) looks for a relationship between childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and alcoholism. It finds that women who experienced CSA have elevated rates of alcohol use at 12-13 years old, but their rates of alcoholism are not any higher than people with similar adolescent alcohol use, though they … Continue reading Childhood sexual abuse and alcohol problems – TBS