2020’s Top Ten Posts #8 – Drug Deaths: Scotland’s Shame

~ Dr David McCartney

Graphic from European Drug Report 2020: Trends and Developments It's not often graphs elicit an emotional response, but this one did for me. It's from the EMCDDA's recent report on drugs in Europe. The map shows that the UK has high levels of drug-induced mortality compared to most of Europe. But look at the dotted … Continue reading 2020’s Top Ten Posts #8 – Drug Deaths: Scotland’s Shame

2020’s Top Ten Posts #9 – Alcoholics Anonymous – the evidence

~ Dr David McCartney

Does mutual aid work? If you are a member of a mutual aid group that you believe is keeping you sober or drug-free, then it's pretty much assured you will say ‘yes’. That’s understandably not good enough for researchers and some others. Nearly two decades ago, I asked a consultant addiction psychiatrist why he didn’t recommend … Continue reading 2020’s Top Ten Posts #9 – Alcoholics Anonymous – the evidence

2020’s Top Ten Posts #10 – The ten most important things about addiction (part 1)

~ Dr David McCartney ~ 2 Comments

This is a version of a blog I published a few years ago, but thought it still relevant today. Doug Sellman is a professor of psychiatry and addiction medicine in New Zealand. In 2010 in the journal Addiction, he attempted the difficult task of distilling the ten things you need to know about addiction from the … Continue reading 2020’s Top Ten Posts #10 – The ten most important things about addiction (part 1)

Recovery attempts – how many times?

~ Dr David McCartney

Addiction is normally framed as a chronically relapsing disorder, but a recent research paper from John Kelly and colleagues challenges us to think again. We actually don’t know as much as we might about recovery trajectories and, in terms of the number of attempts needed, there may be grounds for greater hope. Previous research Kelly and his … Continue reading Recovery attempts – how many times?

Pick your poison — blame or pessimism?

~ Jason Schwartz

Source: Kelly et al. (2020) What's more harmful? Blame or pessimism? Kelly et al. find that 'chronically relapsing brain disease' was associated less stigmatizing blame and more pessimism about their capacity to recover, while 'problem' was associated with more stigmatizing blame and more optimism for their capacity to recover. ...exposure to the ‘chronically relapsing brain … Continue reading Pick your poison — blame or pessimism?

Steal This Blog Post – Policy Considerations to Improve Our Substance Use Care System

~ billstaufferpa ~ 3 Comments

“The only way to support a revolution is to make your own” - Abbie Hoffman The title of the post is a thinly veiled reference to the late social activist Abbie Hoffman. It has been said that the best way to get stuff done is to not have to take credit for it. The intent … Continue reading Steal This Blog Post – Policy Considerations to Improve Our Substance Use Care System

Is rehab effective or a waste of time and money?

~ Dr David McCartney ~ 1 Comment

When the subject of residential treatment comes up in the addiction treatment field, there is a response I hear often (but not always). It's a frustrating refrain. It goes like this: ‘there’s no evidence that rehab works.’ This view can and should be challenged, but what is true is that complex interventions like residential rehabilitation … Continue reading Is rehab effective or a waste of time and money?

Advertising, consumption, and cultural status of e-cigarettes and cannabis

~ Jason Schwartz

I came across this recently published study finding that exposure to e-cigarette advertising is associated with increases in the numbers of people using e-cigarettes and higher rates of e-cigarette consumption among users. Photo by Skyler Ewing on Pexels.com No surprise there, right? Manufacturers advertise for a reason. It's well established that exposure to advertising and … Continue reading Advertising, consumption, and cultural status of e-cigarettes and cannabis