We're seeing a growing body of research on the mechanisms of change in 12 step recovery. Tonigan and Greenfield recently published an article in Psychology of Addictive Behaviors. Working the 12 steps is widely prescribed for Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) members although the relative merits of different methods for measuring step work have received minimal attention and … Continue reading The adoption of 12-step practices and beliefs.
Tag: Substance abuse
Methadone, technology and outcomes
Substance Matters has a post about the use of new technologies in methadone maintenance. Patients who use a web-based intervention (TES) instead of half of their traditional counseling did better than those with traditional counseling as part of their methadone treatment. It provokes important questions about the usefulness of new technologies and how they might … Continue reading Methadone, technology and outcomes
Mental Illness not a barrier to 12 step benefits
A recently published study replicates findings that addicts with co-occurring mental illness benefit from twelve step facilitation: Background Evidence indicates that 12-step mutual-help organizations (MHOs), such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA), can play an important role in extending and potentiating the recovery benefits of professionally delivered addiction treatment among young adults with … Continue reading Mental Illness not a barrier to 12 step benefits
Methadone with and without counseling
Drug and Alcohol Findings reviews research on the impact of counseling for methadone patients. While across the board there was significant improvement, being assigned to standard/enhanced versus interim (no counseling) programmes did not further improve retention, illicit drug use and related problems, or make much difference to criminal activity. There was no evidence that interim … Continue reading Methadone with and without counseling
Hazelden and Betty Ford have merged
From USA Today: The Betty Ford Center and the Hazelden Foundation have formally merged to become the nation's largest nonprofit addiction treatment provider. ... Officials have openly discussed their struggle to compete with a boom in boutique centers, whose spa-like programs also treat gambling and sex addictions. Instead of a waiting list at the Betty Ford Center, … Continue reading Hazelden and Betty Ford have merged
As the ACA expands coverage for addiction, can the system deliver?
The AP recently ran an article looking at the horizon for addition treatment under the Affordable Care Act expansion in insurance coverage: The surge in patients is expected to push a marginal part of the health care system out of church basements and into the mainstream of medical care. Already, the prospect of more paying patients … Continue reading As the ACA expands coverage for addiction, can the system deliver?
6 sessions of chronic care management for addiction is not effective
JAMA published a study of a primary-care based chronic care management model (CCM) for addiction. The test group did no better than the control group. The headline is a big bummer for any of us who want to see chronic disease models developed and implemented for addiction. What should we make of it? Many headlines … Continue reading 6 sessions of chronic care management for addiction is not effective
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
Recovery Review 