One of the things that I find most deplorable about some 12-step programs is that they get poor results due to bad treatment strategies and then say it’s the patient’s fault. These programs have a tendency to say that patients relapse due to a lack of willpower, or a moral failing, or because they didn’t … Continued
Despite some conflicting headlines, the National Institute on Drug Abuse gives a synopsis of this year’s drug use among teens and young adults. The news seems to be mostly encouraging; most drugs, including the most dangerous synthetic ones, are on the decline. An “antibody” for methaphetamine is now is human trials. While this will hopefully … Continued
Last week, I received an official letter from the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DHMH). “Dear Colleague”, it began, “we are writing to ask for your help”. The DHMH needs my help to combat fatal drug overdoses, which have been rising at an alarming rate, though not exactly in the way everyone thinks. … Continued
Our theme this week is brain vs. brain; the struggle of the brain with its own base programming, especially when that programming is hijacked by addiction. Here’s an interesting post about a redrawing of battle lines in the maintenance-versus-abstinence debate. Of course, we here at BACA come down pretty hard on the ‘maintenance’ side, but … Continued
Sorry for the late post this week, but there’s certainly lots to discuss! First off, it seems that even among those who claim to be 12-step advocates, there’s much more leniency when it comes to drinking than everyone seems to think. Click through the links on that post, they’re definitely worth a read. And, while … Continued
This week, as several states get ready to vote on whether to decriminalize marijuana to varying degrees, fear-mongers are taking to the streets to influence the country’s youth. That link is to the official site of CADCA, the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America, where they’ve posted an article about their programs of “physician[s], law enforcement … Continued
Alcohol decreasing brain cells might should like old news, but new research emphasizes how thin the line between “moderate” and “binge” drinking can be. And binge drinking can be even worse for you than we thought. Further adding to confirmation of things we probably already knew, a study in rodents found that “bath salts” are … Continued
I read about a “new” and “innovative” addiction treatment this week. Acually better make it “treatment”. The Passages Malibu Rehab Center is introducing a new treatment to their addiction patients, called “Ocean Therapy”. Go ahead and read the article — see if you can find any therapeutic element in the treatment described, which is basically … Continued
So you may have noticed that this blog has been updating less frequently in recent weeks. We’re changing up the schedule of this blog a little bit; from now on, we’ll be posting just once a week, probably on Fridays, and alternating between the discussion posts and the link round-ups we’ve been doing. Things won’t … Continued
This week I’ve been thinking about a story I heard recently that is tangentially related to addiciton, but more related to the fundamental problems of running a healthcare system in our capitalist economy. Reckitt Benckiser is the pharmaceutical company that manufactures Suboxone, which is the brand name of buprenorphine. My practice and my patients depend … Continued