These findings were characterized as "counterintuitive". Findings from multivariate analyses initially showed no association between treatment enrollment and employment transitions. However, when a distinction was made between MMT and other addiction treatment modalities, it became clear that the relationship between addiction treatment and employment outcomes for IDU in this setting was contingent upon the type … Continue reading Methadone and employment
Tag: Substance dependence
Non-medical treatments are essential
Love First linked to this article on the role of non-medical interventions in treating addiction. I'm more and more convinced that the key to managing costs and improving outcomes for all chronic diseases are behavioral or lifestyle strategies. We've got a lot to learn about helping people make important changes in their lives that … Continue reading Non-medical treatments are essential
More on methadone
Points is publishing a series on methadone and offers a case for methadone without resorting to describing it as "the most effective treatment for opiate addiction." It's a pretty fair piece. I had only one quibble with the facts of the story. This is unusual and very welcome. However, the author and I disagree starkly … Continue reading More on methadone
Two stories on methadone
First, DEATHS among drug users have hit a record high in Scotland, increasing by a fifth in 2011, the latest government figures reveal. Last year 584 people died from drug use, which means that drugs now account for one in every 100 deaths in Scotland. The heroin substitute, methadone, was at the heart of the … Continue reading Two stories on methadone
Rights Group says U.S.-backed study exploited China prisoners
Not sure what to make of this: A Chinese research team's study of drug addiction treatments published inScience on 13 April is coming under fire from Human Rights Watch (HRW), the New York City-based advocacy group. This week's issue of Science contains a letter from the group accusing the Chinese team of not making it clear whether their … Continue reading Rights Group says U.S.-backed study exploited China prisoners
Disease and choice
A NY Times philosophy blogger challenges the hijacked brain metaphor for addiction: It might be tempting to claim that in an addiction scenario, the drugs or behaviors are the hijackers. However, those drugs and behaviors need to be done by the person herself (barring cases in which someone is given drugs and may be made … Continue reading Disease and choice
n=8
Published in a prestigious journal with an 'n' of 8. Unbelievable. Participants Eight cocaine-using adults. Measurements Subjects completed nine experimental sessions in which they were pre-treated with 0, 100 or 200 mg oral immediate release bupropion. Ninety minutes later they sampled an intranasal cocaine dose [4 (placebo), 15 or 45 mg] and made six choices between that dose and … Continue reading n=8
Memory ‘trick’ relieves drug cravings
We've previously posted about the use of medications like propranolol to interfere with memory reconsolidation and reduce the power of addicts' neurological triggers to get high. Chinese researchers are experimenting with non-pharmaceutical approaches to using memory reconsolidation to reduce craving: Addicts tend to associate a drug's effects with drug-taking equipment and a certain environment, which can make … Continue reading Memory ‘trick’ relieves drug cravings
Criminal charges before and after initiation of buprenorphine maintenance
I would have thought this was a softball in support of buprenorphine. But, no: Among subjects with prior criminal charges, initiation of office-based buprenorphine treatment did not appear to have a significant impact on subsequent criminal charges. The paper gets a little says that this lack of effect includes drug charges. I'm no fan of … Continue reading Criminal charges before and after initiation of buprenorphine maintenance
Almost alcoholic?
This article demonstrates a big problem in understanding addiction and the a big problem in the current diagnostic categories. ...when we think about alcohol abuse or alcoholism, our thoughts often go to situations like this where someone is at a stage where they are doing immediate damage to themselves or others, but what about the … Continue reading Almost alcoholic?
Recovery Review 