Recently, I posted about a study finding significant declines in the duration of treatment for MOUD patients in Ontario, Canada. The post focused on the persistence of the acute care paradigm, now appearing in MOUD. The post prompted some discussion on LinkedIn, during which I was struck by how this is really just a cycle … Continue reading Why won’t the acute care paradigm die?
“further research is needed to improve treatment retention”
Kleinman RA, Kurdyak P. Duration of Methadone and Buprenorphine-Naloxone Treatment. JAMA Network Open. 2025;8(7):e2518389. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.18389 An eye-popping article was just published in JAMA about trends in the duration of methadone and buprenorphine treatment in Ontario, Canada, including more than 72,000 new recipients of opioid agonist treatments. The median duration of buprenorphine treatment declined by 25%, … Continue reading “further research is needed to improve treatment retention”
What to make of nicotine addiction?
Brian has recently posted about nicotine, vaping, nicotine pouches, and 6-methyl nicotine. A LinkedIn exchange brought me back to this post on the topic from several years ago. It looks at the role of nicotine in addiction and recovery, and the weirdness of the drug. It seemed relevant. Enjoy! Background David McCartney wrote a great … Continue reading What to make of nicotine addiction?
6-methyl nicotine is here
Did you know that a synthetic analog of nicotine has been developed and is on the market? It’s called 6-methyl nicotine (6-MN). Before we get into some of the more recent findings about 6-MN, it’s important to understand one specific term related to the research. The term is “reactive oxygen species”, or ROS. Here’s the … Continue reading 6-methyl nicotine is here
Pouch
A few days ago I posted a list of research-based findings concerning nicotine. The post was simply titled "Nicotine". One main point of that post was to ask, "On a scale from 0 to 10 how important is it to treat tobacco use in a patient with a substance use disorder? And why?" That post … Continue reading Pouch
Revisiting William White: Can Recovering People Drink? – A Historical Footnote with Current World Relevance – William Stauffer
"So what does one take from this interesting historical footnote? History promises us important lessons if we sit at her feet and listen carefully to her stories.” – William White, Can Recovering People Drink? I recently ran across a 2007 Paper by William White, Can Recovering People Drink? A Historical Footnote. He documents facets of … Continue reading Revisiting William White: Can Recovering People Drink? – A Historical Footnote with Current World Relevance – William Stauffer
Vape
My recent post titled “Nicotine” produced responses showing an interest in similar information about “vape”. Below is a series of bottom-line findings from various papers on “vape” published from 2020 to current. The papers examine topics such as: the cellular effects of various vape ingredients, the impacts of second and third-hand vape exposures in the … Continue reading Vape
On the Loss of a Great American and Formidable Recovery Advocate
This morning, I woke up to learn of the loss of a great American who I never met but who had a significant influence over the course of my life and the lives of millions of other Americans. We lost Bill Moyers yesterday. I would encourage readers to read what Jeremiah Gardner wrote last evening … Continue reading On the Loss of a Great American and Formidable Recovery Advocate
Nicotine
On a scale from 0 to 10 how important is it to treat tobacco use in a patient with a substance use disorder? And why? Smokers have a 30% - 40% higher risk of diabetes than non-smokers. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2014). The Health Consequences of Smoking—50 Years of Progress: A Report of … Continue reading Nicotine
Addiction system at risk
The Washington Post on the potential impact of SAMHSA and Medicaid cuts: SAMHSA’s future is complicated by other factors in Washington. Republicans hashing out Trump’s signature domestic policy bill have targeted cuts to Medicaid, which pays for mental health and addiction treatment for millions of people. SAMHSA grants help pay for treatment for people without … Continue reading Addiction system at risk
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