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?
Category: Treatment
Goodbye detox, hello maintenance
“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
Chantix should be a last resort
A new study suggests that Chantix should be a last resort tool for smoking cessation: The psychiatric side effects of a popular quit-smoking drug make it too dangerous to use as a first attempt to kick the habit, according to a new study. The authors suggest the drug should eventually be taken off the market altogether. … Continue reading Chantix should be a last resort
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
Recovery and the Conspiracy of Hope
A repost from a few years back: I think Pat Deegan does a great job describing the cycle of despair in settings that don't facilitate or witness recovery. I think this translates very well to addiction treatment providers. What it misses is those who step in after hope is abandoned and ennoblize the suffering of … Continue reading Recovery and the Conspiracy of Hope
Rethinking confrontation
A repost from 4 years ago: I posted on this when it came out, but Bill White and Bill Miller recently published an article on confrontation that was just made available on the Counselor Magazine website. It makes a terrific point on confrontation as a therapeutic goal in contrast to confrontation as a therapeutic style: … Continue reading Rethinking confrontation
Emotional terrorism
Chronic relapsers can be very intelligent and good with words. . . . It is important for treatment providers to box in chronic relapsers in order to disable their ability to manipulate with words. It has been established that chronic relapsers are treatment-savvy, tricky and highly manipulative. During treatment, it is essential to stay one … Continue reading Emotional terrorism
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
Sentences to ponder
You might look inside yourself and think you know yourself, but over many decades you can change in ways you won’t see ahead of time. Don’t assume you know who you will become. This applies all the more to folks around you. You may know who they are now, but not who they will become. —Robin … Continue reading Sentences to ponder
The culture of recovery in treatment
This Daily News column discusses the importance the culture of the treatment milieu: DR.DAVE: Adults, age 18 to 24, attending multidisciplinary, Twelve Step-based residential treatment for alcohol or other drug addiction. The results suggest, says John F. Kelly, Ph.D., of the Center for Addiction Medicine, that while "strong motivation to change may exist from the get-go among young … Continue reading The culture of recovery in treatment
Recovery Review 