Another study finds that depression tends to follow alcohol problems rather than cause alcohol problems. My guess is that the popularity of self-medication theories won’t suffer at all. Why is that? Conclusions – The findings suggest that the associations between AAD and MD were best explained by a causal model in which problems with alcohol … Continue reading Not self-medication

My inbox has been bombarded with stories based on this study. The qualitative study consisted of 20 (Yes, 20.) kids who were a subset of 63 and their reported reasons for smoking pot. These 20 were a subset of 63 pot smoking kids participating in a larger study. A quick read of the study reveals … Continue reading Teens and marijuana self-medication

“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

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?

A version of this post was originally published in 2016 and is part of an ongoing review of past posts about the conceptual boundaries of addiction and its relationship to the disease model and recovery. I’ve had a lot requests to respond to this recent piece in the NY Times. A Personal Narrative or Universal … Continue reading Addiction is disordered learning AND much more.

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)?

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?

I’ve had a lot lot requests to respond to this recent piece in the NY Times. A Personal Narrative or Universal Model? The piece is interesting and well written, but it focuses on the experience of one person. I get the impression that she’s frustrated that most people would say that her experience with heroin … Continue reading Addiction is disordered learning AND much more.

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

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