David Best recently wrote a piece on addiction and quality of life. On the role of community in recovery: At the heart of the recovery movement is a shift of emphasis away from “treatment” as a model reliant on professionally delivered interventions. Rather, the movement sees the recovery journey an intrinsically social process and … Continue reading Addiction and quality of life
Tag: Alcoholism
1 in 5 Russian men die of alcohol-related causes
The scale of the alcohol problem in Russia is stunning: Today, according to the World Health Organization, one in five men in the Russia Federation die due to alcohol-related causes, compared with 6.2 percent of all men globally. In 2000, in her article “First Steps: AA and Alcoholism in Russia,”Patricia Critchlow estimated that some 20 million … Continue reading 1 in 5 Russian men die of alcohol-related causes
Let’s sensationalize recovery
It just so happens that Dawn Farm is co-sponsoring a screening of the film next week. One Crafty Mother has a post responding to The Anonymous People. That last bullet point is the one I want to focus on. [There are over 23 million people in long term recovery in America alone.] Changing the public's … Continue reading Let’s sensationalize recovery
Brain disease does not equal stigma reduction
Yesterday, I posted about The Anonymous People and Dawn Farm's co-sponsorship of an upcoming screening of the film. So...why is this message of recovery so important to stigma reduction? We've spent 20 years trying to convince the public that addiction is a brain disease without too much attention to the potential for this message to … Continue reading Brain disease does not equal stigma reduction
If it wasn’t rational, they wouldn’t be doing it
Ugh. The NY Times has another column promoting a rational addiction model. "When they were given an alternative to crack, they made rational economic decisions.” ... When methamphetamine replaced crack as the great drug scourge in the United States, Dr. Hart brought meth addicts into his laboratory for similar experiments — and the results showed … Continue reading If it wasn’t rational, they wouldn’t be doing it
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
“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?
Sentences to ponder
Marc Schuckit discussing findings from a 30-year study of nearly 400 men: “If you’re an alcoholic, you’re going to have a lot of mood problems,” Schuckit said. “And you may be tempted to say, ‘Well, I drink a lot because I’m depressed.’ You may be right, but it’s even more likely that you’re depressed because you … Continue reading Sentences to ponder
Gender Differences in AA Benefits
A recent study reported that men and women benefit from AA in different ways: For both men and women, participation in AA increased confidence in the ability to cope with high-risk drinking situations and increased the number of social contacts who supported recovery efforts. But the effect of both of those changes on … Continue reading Gender Differences in AA Benefits
2012′s most popular posts #5 – Ex-addicts staying sober through sport
Awesome. A very cool tribe within the recovering community. More than 4,700 people have participated in Phoenix, which Scott Strode started in 2007. Most join the group because they've struggled with drug or alcohol addiction. "Life should be better once you get sober," said Strode, 38. "(We want to) help people build a new life, … Continue reading 2012′s most popular posts #5 – Ex-addicts staying sober through sport
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