Will Insurance Cover Addiction if it’s Not a Disease?
Will insurance cover addiction if it’s not a disease? Some highly vocal addiction recovery advocacy groups claim that addictions, or at least some addictions, are diseases. These groups argue that insurance coverage for addiction treatment is crucial for recovery, and that insurers will not pay for treatment if addiction is not understood as a disease. Therefore, […]
Let’s Stop Insisting Addiction is a Disease
The disease perspective discourages many people from seeking help and implies that addiction is a disease. Suppose you have had a “few too many,” and you have done so a few too many times in recent weeks or months. You might also be interested in: Addiction is Learning, Not Disease Most people, under these circumstances, […]
Why Do Some Avoid 12-Step Groups During Addiction Recovery?
Research shows that substance use disorder (SUD) patients who attend 12-step mutual help groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous experience reduced healthcare costs and better outcomes. However, many individuals with SUD never attend 12-step meetings, while others who attend initially do not follow through. The reasons for non-attendance and dropout of 12-step meetings have not been […]
Pharmacotherapies for Alcohol Treatment: A Comparative Trial of Disulfiram, Naltrexone, and Acamprosate
Past research suggests that (self-empowering addiction treatment) cognitive-behavioral therapy is effective in the treatment of alcohol dependence. In some cases, psychological treatment can be significantly improved by pharmacotherapy. Pharmacotherapies used in alcohol treatment include disulfiram, an aldehyde dehydrogenase inhibitor; naltrexone, an opioid antagonist; and acamprosate, a noncompetitive NMDA receptor blocker. Few studies have compared the […]
Court Ordered 12-Step Attendance is Illegal
A. Tom Horvath, Ph.D., ABPP Wondering if court ordered 12-step attendance is illegal? You’re not the only one. This article is not intended to convey legal advice, which can only be provided by an attorney licensed in your state. What follows is an addiction psychologist’s summary of a legal issue he has been following for […]
Link Between Peer Delinquency and Juvenile Drinking Behavior
Evidence based addiction treatment takes into consideration the trend between peer delinquency and juvenile drinking behavior. However, there may be underlying issues present with adolescents that correlate with their alcohol consumption and aggressive behavior. Thus, it is imperative that adolescents receive individualized treatment plans during alcohol treatment so that the individual is encouraged to find […]