Addiction is an equal opportunity condition. Families get to suffer alongside the person with the problem. But as Alex Copello and Jim Orford noted in a past Addiction editorial, there’s a paradox here that needs attention. Firstly, evidence suggests that when families are involved by treatment services, retention in treatment is better. Retention in treatment is … Continue reading Families: forgotten in addiction treatment?
Author: Dr David McCartney
Addiction Medicine Specialist
Is it okay to drink if you are in recovery from opiate dependence?
In times past, for those with opiate use disorder who were in treatment in therapeutic community settings, as progress was made and days abstinent from opiates grew, a beer might be allowed by staff, say on a Saturday night, in a supervised and supported fashion. Not in any service I have worked in, but nevertheless true … Continue reading Is it okay to drink if you are in recovery from opiate dependence?
Gold standard addiction treatment
Addiction to alcohol or other drugs is not always easy to recover from. However, there are many pathways to recovery, including through treatment. One group of patients does far better than most other groups. In fact, their results are so impressive that many commentators have urged us to learn from what’s different about their treatment … Continue reading Gold standard addiction treatment
Alcohol in the pandemic: the perfect storm
Are people drinking more or less in the UK since the pandemic started? The answer is ‘both’. While overall sales of alcohol are down (sales receipts from HMRC show a 2.4% drop Apr-July 2020), it looks like those who were drinking in the most hazardous fashion previously, are now drinking more. The British Medical Journal identifies a … Continue reading Alcohol in the pandemic: the perfect storm
Scumbag: the stigma of overdose
The mention of Philip Seymour Hoffman in Jason Schwartz's blog post yesterday provoked a memory. Thomas McLellan, a prominent US addiction researcher and policy advisor, lost his son to an overdose in 2008. He wrote a piece in the Huffington Post a few years ago which has stuck with me. A journalist who had interviewed him referred … Continue reading Scumbag: the stigma of overdose
Drug Deaths: Scotland’s Shame
Graphic from European Drug Report 2020: Trends and Developments It's not often graphs elicit an emotional response, but this one did for me. It's from the EMCDDA's recent report on drugs in Europe. The map shows that the UK has high levels of drug-induced mortality compared to most of Europe. But look at the dotted … Continue reading Drug Deaths: Scotland’s Shame
Addiction stigma: the deep irony
Stigma is commanded by a deep irony: where peer pressure is what likely keeps us quiet, peer support is what enables us to speak up.Paul E Terry One of the ways to counter stigma is for people with lived experience of addiction and recovery to share their stories. Indeed, Pat Corrigan, a respected stigma researcher, says … Continue reading Addiction stigma: the deep irony
Gabapentin: too risky in addictions?
Gabapentin can be addictive. Search for gabapentin or pregabalin abuse on Google Scholar and you’ll turn up more than 26,000 results in a fraction of a second. Pubmed is a little more specific, finding 420 papers on the subject. Vaults of Erowid has hundreds of gabapentin and pregabalin experiences detailed by users. It seems gabapentinoids … Continue reading Gabapentin: too risky in addictions?
Pain management – cat among the pigeons
“Life is pain…anyone who tells you differently is selling something” William Goldman, The Princess Bride Pain and addiction are intertwined. Prescribed medication for pain can be a route into addiction. In practice I regularly see people on multiple medications for pain, making treatment of their addiction challenging. Last year Public Health England found that one in four … Continue reading Pain management – cat among the pigeons
Hooked: The Unexpected Addicts
I've been listening to a BBC podcast on my way to work this last couple of weeks which I've really enjoyed. Called Hooked, it’s about 'all things addiction and recovery' and is frank, funny, well-informed, upsetting, entertaining, resonant, authentic and powerful. Melissa and Jade share their lived experience but also interview experts and others who … Continue reading Hooked: The Unexpected Addicts
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