What are The Advantages of Group Sessions for Addiction Recovery?
What are the advantages of group sessions for addiction recovery? A. Tom Horvath, Ph.D. There is no single correct or best way to recover from addiction. No element of the recovery process must be completed by all individuals. Although group sessions are often described as essential to recovery, they are not. In fact, most people who […]
Let The Buyer Beware About Addiction Treatment
Let the buyer beware about addiction treatment A. Tom Horvath, Ph.D., ABPP The Latin phrase caveat emptor (“let the buyer beware”) suggests that sellers may not inform buyers of everything buyers might want to know about the purchase they are considering. Caveat emptor certainly applies when considering services from the highly competitive addiction treatment industry. This multi-billion dollar industry divides into […]
Understanding Synaptic Plasticity in Addiction Treatment
Habitual drug users may find it beneficial to seek addiction treatment sooner rather than later because the long term effects of drugs can lead to long-term depression (LTD). LTD affects memory formation and learning and continued drug use over time will lead to a loss of control where drug users lose many defenses against drug-seeking behavior. […]
Addiction Treatment and Prevention in Middle School
Antismoking campaigns and prevention programs in middle schools may be beneficial in teaching adolescents about the harms of smoking and drinking. Students who have been smoking and drinking in middle school may continue to smoke and drink throughout high school and even be at a higher risk for alcohol abuse in their lifetime. Thus, using evidence-based […]
The Effect of MDMA (Ecstasy) on Cognitive Performance in Drug Recovery
According to previous research, MDMA (3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine), popularly known as Ecstasy, may negatively affect cognition among heavy users. Golding et. al. set out to investigate whether light users and ex-users of MDMA in drug recovery also exhibit deficits in cognitive performance (2007). The History of MDMA MDMA has an interesting history. It was first synthesized […]
External Rewards Promote Initial, Not Longer Term Drug Recovery
External rewards in drug recovery was not as effective as learning solid coping skills. Researchers at the University of Connecticut Health Center found that, for regular (dependent) users of marijuana, long-term abstinence was more likely to occur for patients who actively used recovery coping skills. Abstaining patients developed more confidence in the effectiveness of the […]
Drug Rehab May Soon Include Pharmacogenetics
Pharmacogenetics looks at genetic variation to predict individual differences in response to medications. Individuals may metabolize the same medication in different ways, and their genotype may indicate some of these differences in drug metabolism. Proponents of pharmacogenetics hope that this relatively new field of study will lead to increased efficacy and safety for a wide […]
Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction in Drug Rehab
Inpatient or residential drug rehab programs can be stressful for residents on several different levels. Residents may experience stress as a symptom of withdrawal. Some treatment sessions will likely activate emotions and trigger stress. For many patients, pre-existing stress played a major role in the development of their addiction. An effective approach to stress management […]
Mental Health Among Drug Court Participants in Drug Treatment
Although drug courts successfully reduce rates of recidivism for participants, research indicates that there is a need to develop mental health screenings to detect co-occurring mental health issues during associated drug treatment. What is a Drug Court? Drug courts are specialized court dockets that bring together judiciary, prosecution, defense, probation, law enforcement, mental health, […]
Pregnancy and Motivation for Drug Treatment
Using drugs during pregnancy creates multiple risks for the mother as well as the baby. Drug use during pregnancy may lead to miscarriage or severe developmental abnormalities for the child. Yet little research has examined the motivation for drug treatment among pregnant women. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University hypothesized that pregnant drug-using women would be more […]