Therapeutic nihilism “None of them will ever get better”, the addiction doctor said to me of her patients, “As soon as you accept that, this job gets easier.” This caution was given to me in a packed MAT (medication assisted treatment) clinic during my visit to a different city from the one I work in … Continue reading 2022’s #5 post: “None of them will ever get better”
Author: Dr David McCartney
Addiction Medicine Specialist
2022’s #6 post: Three things about recovery that are really worth knowing
1. Hope matters in recovery I’ve been musing a bit recently on the place of hope in addiction treatment and in recovery journeys. Researchers from the USA[1] identified that hope, although recognised as essential for recovery, was not well researched in terms of how it helps recovery progress. They used validated tools (questionnaires) to assess hope … Continue reading 2022’s #6 post: Three things about recovery that are really worth knowing
2022’s #7 post: Addiction: the whole family gets to play
Addiction isn't a spectator sport; eventually the whole family gets to play. Despite this, the impact of addiction on the wider family is seldom considered in studies. This is not okay.
Peer recovery support: a bridge to hope and healing
Good human relationships and social connections are potent protections against both physical and mental ill health. In an analysis[1] involving hundreds of thousands of people researchers looked to see to what extent social relationships influenced the risk of death. They found that those who had stronger relationships were 50% less likely to die early. Loneliness and … Continue reading Peer recovery support: a bridge to hope and healing
Double standards in 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 Double standards in addiction treatment?
Addiction: the whole family gets to play
Addiction isn't a spectator sport; eventually the whole family gets to play. Despite this, the impact of addiction on the wider family is seldom considered in studies. This is not okay.
Why what happens after rehab is vital
Recovery journeys are rarely linear, generally bumpy and often happen over many years. Treatment may or may not be part of the process. People can need several different treatment episodes over time, often re-presenting with different needs and goals. Despite a growing evidence base only a small percentage of treatment episodes take place in residential rehabilitation … Continue reading Why what happens after rehab is vital
Why the empty seats at the free public health lunch?
Mutual aid organisations may be the closest thing we have to a free lunch in public health, but what's the reason the seats are so empty?
Three more things worth knowing about recovery from addiction
A few things related to recovery have caught my eye recently, things that I think are worth knowing and that ought to shape our practice.. Abstinence goals more reliable In a study[1] from Swiss researchers involving more than 200 patients going through residential treatment, those who set clear goals for abstinence were much less likely to … Continue reading Three more things worth knowing about recovery from addiction
Is Medication Assisted Treatment like the Hotel California?
The tragedy of Scotland’s drug-related death figures has been in my mind this last week or so. The media may have largely moved on, but those of us who work in the field of addiction, those of us who know individuals who have died and those of us with lived experience of addiction will not … Continue reading Is Medication Assisted Treatment like the Hotel California?
Recovery Review 