Author: Dr David McCartney

Addiction Medicine Specialist

Drinking when in recovery from other substances

~ Dr David McCartney

Drink does not drown care, but waters it, and makes it grow fasterBenjamin Franklin When we consider the things that make us vulnerable to addiction – trauma, poverty, lack of opportunity, stress, stigma, genetics and environment, it’s no surprise that relapse and the development of problems with other substances occur after treatment. These problems don't … Continue reading Drinking when in recovery from other substances

Is treatment offering what patients and their families want?

~ Dr David McCartney ~ 2 Comments

What do patients want when they come to treatment? My own experience suggests simple things: relief of emotional pain; a healed life; to be a better mum, dad, partner, human being; to let go of shame; to have a job and to be free from the Groundhog Day experience of addiction. Modest goals. Some people … Continue reading Is treatment offering what patients and their families want?

2020’s Top Ten Posts #5 – Gold standard addiction treatment

~ Dr David McCartney

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 2020’s Top Ten Posts #5 – Gold standard addiction treatment

2020’s Top Ten Posts #8 – Drug Deaths: Scotland’s Shame

~ Dr David McCartney

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 2020’s Top Ten Posts #8 – Drug Deaths: Scotland’s Shame

2020’s Top Ten Posts #9 – Alcoholics Anonymous – the evidence

~ Dr David McCartney

Does mutual aid work? If you are a member of a mutual aid group that you believe is keeping you sober or drug-free, then it's pretty much assured you will say ‘yes’. That’s understandably not good enough for researchers and some others. Nearly two decades ago, I asked a consultant addiction psychiatrist why he didn’t recommend … Continue reading 2020’s Top Ten Posts #9 – Alcoholics Anonymous – the evidence

2020’s Top Ten Posts #10 – The ten most important things about addiction (part 1)

~ Dr David McCartney ~ 2 Comments

This is a version of a blog I published a few years ago, but thought it still relevant today. Doug Sellman is a professor of psychiatry and addiction medicine in New Zealand. In 2010 in the journal Addiction, he attempted the difficult task of distilling the ten things you need to know about addiction from the … Continue reading 2020’s Top Ten Posts #10 – The ten most important things about addiction (part 1)

Recovery attempts – how many times?

~ Dr David McCartney

Addiction is normally framed as a chronically relapsing disorder, but a recent research paper from John Kelly and colleagues challenges us to think again. We actually don’t know as much as we might about recovery trajectories and, in terms of the number of attempts needed, there may be grounds for greater hope. Previous research Kelly and his … Continue reading Recovery attempts – how many times?

Is rehab effective or a waste of time and money?

~ Dr David McCartney ~ 1 Comment

When the subject of residential treatment comes up in the addiction treatment field, there is a response I hear often (but not always). It's a frustrating refrain. It goes like this: ‘there’s no evidence that rehab works.’ This view can and should be challenged, but what is true is that complex interventions like residential rehabilitation … Continue reading Is rehab effective or a waste of time and money?

Drug deaths in Scotland: hope on the horizon?

~ Dr David McCartney

This week in Scotland we’ve been reeling from the impact of the publication of the 2019 drug-related death statistics. The awful graphs are everywhere, their bright colours standing in sharp contrast to the horror they relate. Our feelings clamour for attention, a powerful mixture of anger, grief, bewilderment and shame.  The newspapers are full of … Continue reading Drug deaths in Scotland: hope on the horizon?