From England in 1606, An Act For Repressing the Odious and Loathsome Sin of Drunkenness: "Whereas the loathsome and odious sin of drunkenness is of late grown into common use within this Realm, being the root and foundation of many other enormous sins, as a bloodshed, stabbing, murder, swearing, fornication, adultery and such like, to the great … Continue reading the root and foundation of many other enormous sins
Category: Policy
Top Posts of 2011 #12 – Addiction redefined
The American Society of Addiction Medicine has issue a new definition of addiction. The short version good, but the long version is REALLY good. Here are some of the new elements, some of them are followed by my responses: Addiction is a primary, chronic disease of brain reward, motivation, memory and related circuitry. Nothing new … Continue reading Top Posts of 2011 #12 – Addiction redefined
Pain, meds and money
A few stories on opioids caught my eye. First, one about methadone, pain and class: Map the deaths and you see the story. Assign a dot to each person who has died in Washington by accidentally overdosing on methadone, a commonly prescribed drug used to treat chronic pain. Since 2003, there are 2,173 of these … Continue reading Pain, meds and money
Free will vs. addiction
This post from Points does a good job framing why, I think, so many people resist the concept of addiction: Although addiction may be defined and operationalized in a number of different ways, the heart and core of the concept lies in its implication of the loss of the ability to choose – that … Continue reading Free will vs. addiction
The wager
The passing of Christopher Hitchens caused me to reflect on libertarian thinking about drugs and alcohol. I don't like to get into reading other's minds, but, in spite of all their pragmatic arguments for libertarian drug policies, I've always thought pragmatic considerations were an afterthought and that their motivations were much more philosophical. They bristle … Continue reading The wager
One way?
A few weeks ago, The Fix posted one of its typical confessional pieces by a guy who had been in recovery and relapsed while writing a memoir/investigative report on opiate addiction in America. He talks about his attempts to keep it real in his book led to relapse, he went to treatment, got kicked out … Continue reading One way?
Medical marijuana reduces traffic fatalities?
I wonder if these findings will hold as others look at the data and other questions are asked. ...a new study out of University of Colorado Denver and Montana State University shows that legalizing medical marijuana sales in various states over the past two decades has led to a nearly 10 percent drop in traffic fatalities. … Continue reading Medical marijuana reduces traffic fatalities?
Puritanism?
I recall Susan Cheever's revelation, but missed this at the time: On May 3, the Washington Post's David Von Drehle wrote a Style Section profile of Susan Cheever, biographer of Alcoholics Anonymous founder Bill Wilson. In Drehle's article, we learn that as Wilson was dying of emphysema, the man who has inspired millions to kick the bottle, asked … Continue reading Puritanism?
Needle exchanges won’t solve Hep C crisis but recovery will
From Keith Humphreys: Needle exchange and other programs that attempt to promote safer injection rely on behavioral change. Anyone who has been on a diet knows that behavioral change is hard to do lastingly and perfectly, even for people who are not addicted to a drug. It is therefore unsurprising that research using DNA samples from needles … Continue reading Needle exchanges won’t solve Hep C crisis but recovery will
Too expensive?
I frequently point to health professional recovery programs when discussing the effectiveness of drug-free treatment when it's delivered in the appropriate dose, frequency and duration. They have stellar outcomes. The programs were abstinence-based, requiring physicians to abstain from any use of alcohol or other drugs of abuse as assessed by frequent random tests typically lasting … Continue reading Too expensive?
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