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
Category: Research
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
Sentences to ponder
...I do throw up my hands some when people say, oh, you know, this is just what the data says, this is what the model says, when it's some human being or some set of human beings who designed the model, and if they make bad assumptions, they'll be reflected in the model. Nate Silver … Continue reading Sentences to ponder
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
Collecting Opium Paraphernalia
An antique collector has a new book about collecting opium smoking paraphernalia. Collector's Weekly has an interview with the author: What drew you to antique opium paraphernalia? Steven Martin: There was something dark about it. People collect all sorts of weird things, like old torture mechanisms, just bizarre stuff. I think this falls into the same … Continue reading Collecting Opium Paraphernalia
Following alcoholics for decades
McLeans has an interesting interview with George Vaillant about, "the surprising things you find out about people if you follow them for long enough." What's so different and interesting about this study is that it followed the subjects for decades from a pretty young age. Their subjects were college sophomores when the study began and … Continue reading Following alcoholics for decades
Correlation does not equal causation
On the oft used phrase, "correlation does not equal causation": The correlation phrase has become so common and so irritating that a minor backlash has now ensued against the rhetoric if not the concept. No, correlation does not imply causation, but it sure as hell provides a hint. Related articles Correlation, Causation and Internet Comments (boingboing.net) The History … Continue reading Correlation does not equal causation
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
Beware of misleading headlines
A new article discussing the expanding use of medications in addiction treatment has the following sub heading: Experts are pushing for a truly medical approach to treating addiction as a disease rather than relying solely on longtime unproven therapies like 12-step programs. Unproven? Twelve Step Facilitation (TSF) is the treatment of choice for addicted physicians and they … Continue reading Beware of misleading headlines
They’ve got hope for something. But, what?
Stimulant maintenance therapy did not work 😦 This study did not find a significant main effect of modafinil on the rate or duration of cocaine use among cocaine-dependent patients. Now they decide to polish the turd: Although these results are disappointing, we did find that modafinil-treated patients had nonsignificantly higher odds of attaining abstinence across … Continue reading They’ve got hope for something. But, what?
Recovery Review 