“If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.” — Abraham Maslow There's a new push to promote buprenorphine maintenance. If you believe that drug-free recovery is not possible for opiate addicts, headlines like "For Painkiller Addicts, Suboxone Means Freedom, Dependence" and "Prescription Opioid Addiction Can Be … Continue reading Goodbye detox, hello maintenance
Category: Research
Therapeutic nihilism
From the new book, Addiction Neuroethics: Evidence on long term outcomes of opioid substitution therapy is limited, but suggests a generally poor outlook for heroin addicts who seek any form of treatment. One consequence of this trap of low expectations (therapeutic nihilism), the failure by discouraged staff to foster the possibility of good outcomes, and … Continue reading Therapeutic nihilism
A silk purse
Here it comes: After losing U.S. patent protection in 2009 for its Suboxone tablet, designed to help heroin users quit, Reckitt Benckiser has said that the entrance of a generic competitor could erode pharmaceutical sales and profit by 80 percent. Reckitt Benckiser, which gets most of its revenue from selling home and personal-care products like … Continue reading A silk purse
out of the closet
In spite of the authors' positioning as controversial and victimized . . . yawn: Recoveries of individuals who have been severely dependent on alcohol predominantly involve abstinence. Recoveries of individuals who have not been severely dependent on alcohol predominantly involve reduced drinking. The association of outcome type and dependence severity appears to be independent of advice … Continue reading out of the closet
Is alcohol dependence a chronic relapsing disorder?
To me, there's a lot in this article that intimates an ideological agenda, but it makes an important point. Insufficient attention has been paid to the entire distribution of those with alcohol dependence. We believe that a chronic relapsing disorder model is not a useful conception for understanding the experience of the majority of people … Continue reading Is alcohol dependence a chronic relapsing disorder?
the beauty of it is you’re not messing with brain chemistry
The NY Times recently ran an article on addiction vaccine efforts. It does a good job explaining the concept: Unlike preventive vaccines — like the familiar ones for mumps, measles and so on — this type of injection would be administered after someone had already succumbed to an addictive drug. For instance, cocaine addicts who had been vaccinated … Continue reading the beauty of it is you’re not messing with brain chemistry
20 years. How many missed opportunities?
SAMHSA has an interesting report on the length of time between first use of a substance to treatment entry. It's not surprising that alcoholics have the longest duration of use before receiving treatment, but why? Is it due to longer periods of non-problematic use? Because it's a celebrated drug in our culture? I'm a little surprised that … Continue reading 20 years. How many missed opportunities?
Seeking safety vs. treatment-as-usual for male veterans
Seeking Safety appears to improve attendance, satisfaction and coping, but makes no difference in drug use: Findings: Seeking Safety (SS) compared to Treatment As Usual (TAU) was associated with better drug use outcomes, but alcohol use and PTSD severity decreased equally under both treatments. SS versus TAU was associated with increased treatment attendance, client satisfaction … Continue reading Seeking safety vs. treatment-as-usual for male veterans
Methadone’s effect on affect
PeaPod highlights a recent study looking at methadone's blunting of emotions: Does methadone blunt your feelings? If you work in abstinence-oriented treatment, you’ll not have to think too closely about the answer to that question, you’ll have heard many testimonies to that effect and you will have seen the evidence with your own eyes. But … Continue reading Methadone’s effect on affect
Smoking cessation + exercise = quit
Another ingredient to be added to tobacco quit plans: Quitting smoking is one of the healthiest things a person can do, but it's also among the hardest, especially for teenage smokers who battle not only addiction but also the social pressure to keep lighting up. Now new evidence that suggests a way to make their … Continue reading Smoking cessation + exercise = quit
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