Alcoholism, not alcoholwasm I am moved to write this blog and to continue writing about Alcoholism in general due to a newspaper article I read in the last few months by the writer, Tanya Gold, a recovering alcoholic with 15 years recovery. https://www.theguardian.com/profile/tanyagold I was inspired […]
In a recent “interview” in The Guardian newspaper Marc Lewis once again forwarded his ideas that addiction is not a disease but a condition of aberrant learning. https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/jul/24/is-addiction-really-a-disease?CMP=share_btn_fb His ideas are laid out in more detail in his book The Biology of Desire – a book I have […]
The Rat Park of Vietnam and Beyond The videos below have been doing the facebook and twitter rounds, often accompanied by this Ted talk by Johann Hari Essentially these videos suggest addiction is caused solely by environment. The idea that addiction is caused solely by […]
Part 1 This excellent review (1) covers many of the brain regions we have discussed as being implicated in all the addictive behaviours. We have previously suggested also that these brain regions are connected in impaired decision making deficits and that these deficits in decision making are […]
How Insecure Attachment Creates the Emptiness Within? This article (1) is one of the most profound studies into the effects of insecure attachment on alcohol dependence and co-occurring disorders. As such I would urge you to read it as it appears to satisfactorily explain possible mechanisms by which […]
“Mutual-help organizations (MHOs) such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA), are commonly sought resources to help people recover for substance use disorder (SUD) in the United States. AA was the first 12-step MHO and it focuses specifically on recovery from alcohol dependence, whereas NA focuses primarily […]
Another Summary of a Study from Recovery Answers (Recovery Research Institute) A PROMISING 12-STEP FACILITATION TREATMENT FOR PATIENTS WITH CO-OCCURRING DISORDERS “What problem does this study address? Research has shown treatments that help increase participation in groups like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA) result in greater […]
“What problem does this study address? There are many factors that research has shown are important to achieving and sustaining recovery. Among the most important factors is motivation to quit alcohol and other drugs (see here for an example of a well-done recent study showing this). Less is known, […]
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN POLY-DRUG USE AND MENTAL DISTRESS OVER TIME This recent study helps further demonstrates what we have been attempting to elucidate via various blogs in this blogsite. Namely that it is distress that drives the addiction cycle to it’s chronic endpoint. This study looked at how […]
Throughout this blogsite are blogs on how addictive behaviour can be conceptualised as a disorder of emotion/stress dysregulation and emotion processing deficit. Can EMDR act to improve these the skills in emotion regulation and help with the more successful treatment of those who suffer from addiction? The […]
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