Anna David points us toward some positive press for AA. One of the articles focuses on a lecture by Marc Galanter Galanter said that AA uses many of the psychosocial features that operate in any charismatic membership group: social cohesion through attendance at regular meetings; a belief system embodied in the book Alcoholics Anonymous; a behavioral program … Continue reading Thanks for the evidence
Tag: addiction
Women, Alcoholism and AA
An interesting new blog has a great post on Women, Alcoholism and AA. Admitting that I was an alcoholic has had a profound effect on my life. Most of my friends from the old days are not around anymore; they didn’t want to hear about my alcohol problem and some understood it so little that it … Continue reading Women, Alcoholism and AA
How would we react to a CURE?
Howard Wetsman has been part of a workgroup challenging the dominance of pharmacological treatments and promoting psychosocial treatments. He's had some unsettling feelings and engaged in a thought experiment about what might happen if a real cure was developed. What we’re imagining is a complete cure. This is not a method for, let’s say, alcoholics … Continue reading How would we react to a CURE?
Family, Secrecy and Addiction
The NY Times recently had a personal piece on the impact of addiction on parents: Addiction is, as we have learned, a family disease. The number of stories we’ve heard of wives, daughters, fathers, sons, nieces, nephews, brothers and sisters – not in counseling or therapy scenarios, but from people who recognize our … Continue reading Family, Secrecy and Addiction
“No” to rehab?
I was asked by a friend to comment on this article. Here's the response I sent him: Well, he's got a point. But he's also gotten a lot wrong, including the name of the NIAAA. It's National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcohol-ism. What he's right about is that not everyone who has an alcohol … Continue reading “No” to rehab?
Ten Percent in Recovery – NOT
Here's the headline at Partnership for a Drug-Free America: Survey: Ten Percent of American Adults Report Being in Recovery from Substance Abuse or Addiction Very interesting news, right? How did they arrive at that number? With a poll that asks, "Did you once have a problem with drugs or alcohol, but no longer do?" Does that measure … Continue reading Ten Percent in Recovery – NOT
The Game
Cabinet Magazine has an article on the bizarre history of Synanon from beginning to end: Soon the number of people wanting to join Dederich’s after-hours sessions grew too big for his living quarters. This was largely due to an influx of drug addicts who had heard of Dederich’s ability to keep people straight. For the … Continue reading The Game
Addiction Inbox
I've been too busy to post very much, but wanted to put out a quick note about Dirk Hanson's new printed collection of his blog posts from his blog of the same name, Addiction Inbox. For some reason, I find that his writing lends itself to the printed format. There's so much bad information out … Continue reading Addiction Inbox
Methadonia
When Methadonia was first released, there was quite a bit of hand wringing over whether the film inaccurately presented methadone maintenance treatment in a negative light. Cassie Rodenberg, at The White Noise, who has been spending time with and blogging about homeless addicts in the Bronx says [emphasis mine]: Some on the streets find methadone worse than an original heroin addiction, while … Continue reading Methadonia
The spirituality of addiction treatment
I was listening to On Being this morning and was struck by this one quote. I think this could be paraphrased into something that fits perfectly with why we have such great staff who put so much ourselves into our work here: For me, thinking about living in a city like Chicago where you just … Continue reading The spirituality of addiction treatment
Recovery Review 