Cochrane conducts a meta-analysis of motivational interviewing (MI) and concludes that it's no more effective than other treatments. More than 76 million people worldwide have alcohol problems, and another 15 million have drug problems. Motivational interviewing (MI) is a psychological treatment that aims to help people cut down or stop using drugs and alcohol. The … Continue reading Motivational Interviewing works, but no better than other treatments
Category: Policy
Response to Why Addiction is NOT a Brain Disease
In a thoughtful post, Marc Lewis questions the disease model of addiction. He doesn't dismiss it out of hand. He seems to look for ways in which it's right and useful. It’s accurate in some ways. It accounts for the neurobiology of addiction better than the “choice” model and other contenders. It explains the helplessness … Continue reading Response to Why Addiction is NOT a Brain Disease
Suboxone Strategy: Protecting Patients Or Profits?
I'm a little late on posting this one, but it still seems worth sharing. Reckitt Benckiser has decided to pull Suboxone tablets from the market. Why? It's an evidence-based decision and an expression of their desire to be a good corporate citizen and their concern for children. Late last month, Reckitt Benckiser created a stir … Continue reading Suboxone Strategy: Protecting Patients Or Profits?
One way?
So much for the frequently asserted but bogus argument that 90%+ of treatment providers in the US are one-true-way 12 steppers: The researchers surveyed 913 members of the National Association of Alcoholism and Drug Addiction Counselors from across the United States. About 50 percent of the respondents said it would be acceptable if some of … Continue reading One way?
Another Reaction to Hazelden’s Adoption of Suboxone
Mark Willenbring, a former Director of the Treatment and Recovery Research Division of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism/National Institutes of Health weighs in on Hazelden's embrace of Suboxone Hazelden's new approach is a seismic shift that is likely to move the entire industry in this direction. I told Marv that it was like … Continue reading Another Reaction to Hazelden’s Adoption of Suboxone
NAATP launches counteroffensive to medication push
This is very welcome news: Frustrated that medication-assisted treatment is coming across as the addiction field’s standard of care simply because drug company studies are dominating the research landscape, a group of some of the most prominent leaders in treatment administration is vowing to fight back. These leaders have enlisted the help of another heavy … Continue reading NAATP launches counteroffensive to medication push
Hazelden to start opioid maintenance
This has gotten a lot of attention [emphasis mine]: ...for the first time, Hazelden will begin providing medication-assisted treatment for people hooked on heroin or opioid painkillers, starting at its Center City, Minnesota facility and expanding across its treatment network in five states in 2013. This so-called maintenance therapy differs from simply detoxifying addicts until … Continue reading Hazelden to start opioid maintenance
Pot barons?
On the business interests involved in the push to legalize marijuana in Colorado. He’s not just blowing smoke when he talks about selling out to the highest bidder. It’s already widely rumored that Philip Morris has leased warehouse space in the area. The company denies it, as do its top-tier competitors, but “I’ve heard a … Continue reading Pot barons?
Sentences to ponder
From the ASAM blog: ...is there any evidence that the general public requires less treatment than do healthcare professionals and pilots? I would further ask, given the excellent outcomes generally obtained by PHPs and pilot recovery programs, why there have been no studies in which members of the lay public go through identical programs to … Continue reading Sentences to ponder
The social cost of smoking
Apparently, Singapore was an early adopter of designated smoking areas and non-smoking areas. However, this wasn't driven by health concerns. Rather, it was driven by aesthetic concerns--primarily smell. In a fascinating paper published recently in Urban Studies, Qian Hui Tan observes that smokers are "purveyors of sensory pollution" – creating a scent that, like all odors, … Continue reading The social cost of smoking
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