Given the simultaneous explosion in ADHD diagnosis, prescribed use of stimulants and non-medical use of stimulants, maybe it's time to look at the cost/benefit ratio. We'll it's clear that the benefits aren't all that. What to make of it? Researchers are beginning to address this paradox. How can medication that makes children sit still and … Continue reading Medication: The smart-pill oversell
Category: Research
Mind Over Matter: Beating Pain and Painkillers
Findings were recently published on a study of a mindfulness based intervention for chronic pain and opioid misuse. To test the treatment, 115 chronic pain patients were randomly assigned to eight weeks of either MORE or conventional support group therapy, and outcomes were measured through questionnaires at pre- and post-treatment, and again at a three-month … Continue reading Mind Over Matter: Beating Pain and Painkillers
‘Recovering Alcoholic’: Words That Stigmatize or Empower?
• The more the individual identified him/herself as a recovering alcoholic (addict) the higher was his/her level of self-efficacy.• Higher self-efficacy was associated with more months clean and/or sober.• The more the individual leaned toward the recovering identity the less likely she/he was to report having relapsed into drinking or drug use during the pervious … Continue reading ‘Recovering Alcoholic’: Words That Stigmatize or Empower?
Addiction Recurrence after Prolonged Recovery
While there have been a lot of calls for evidence-based responses to Philip Seymour Hoffman's relapse, Bill White points out that there is no evidence base for understanding long-term recovery and relapse after long-term recovery. Treatment outcome studies suggest a principle: recovery stability and permanence increase with duration of recovery, with the risk of future … Continue reading Addiction Recurrence after Prolonged Recovery
“He’d still be alive”
Much has been said this week about the death of Phillip Seymour Hoffman. I've heard two recurring themes. First, that he might still be alive if he had been "treated with an evidence-based" treatment, like buprenorphine. Second, that he might still be alive if he hadn't been inculcated with the disease model, which purportedly fosters … Continue reading “He’d still be alive”
Hell no, they ain’t doing that to me again
You may remember a few posts a while back about Dr. Carl Hart. He argues that addictive drug use is a rational choice by addicts and bases these arguments on his studies that involve giving crack to addicts and paying them for their participation in the study. Some of you raised the obvious ethical questions … Continue reading Hell no, they ain’t doing that to me again
Capitalism + Addictive Drugs = ?
When legalization advocates point to alcohol and tobacco, this kind of thing comes to mind. A report published last week in the journal Nicotine and Tobacco Research found that while the nicotine content of cigarettes has remained relatively stable for more than a decade, the amount of that nicotine delivered to the machines researchers use … Continue reading Capitalism + Addictive Drugs = ?
“looking past these behaviors”
This article got me thinking about the bigotry of low expectations and the importance of continuing to assert that every addict should be offered treatment services that provide a path to full recovery, not just symptom or harm reduction. If it's not suicide or drug overdoses doing the killing in psychiatric patients after all, how … Continue reading “looking past these behaviors”
What kind of corporate citizen is Reckitt Benckiser?
While the story has nothing directly to do with addiction, Marketplace provides a little background on the kind of corporation that Reckitt Benckiser (manufacturer of Suboxone) is: Here's the background: Many rodenticides act as anticoagulants, killing pests by making them bleed internally. They're great at killing rats, but they're also killing animals that eat rats. Stella … Continue reading What kind of corporate citizen is Reckitt Benckiser?
Spiritual awakening predicts improved recovery outcomes
An interesting study from a friend of ours: Abstract PURPOSE: This study examined concurrent and longitudinal associations between two dimensions of affiliation in Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)-attendance and spiritual awakening-and drinking outcomes among adult patients who were in treatment for alcohol dependence in Warsaw, Poland. In a study conducted at four addiction treatment centers, male and female … Continue reading Spiritual awakening predicts improved recovery outcomes