Most of today’s treatment of substance abuse takes the form of an emergency, intermittent and temporary effort in a start stop fashion. However, to achieve continuity in the treatment of addiction disorders we need more emphasis on models that take a long-term perspective, and where there is adequate overlap between the ongoing and the […]
Part 1 “Helping others in the program of AA has forged a therapy based on the kinship of common suffering…” Here we cite and use excerpts to show how helping others helps us in recovery and how the wider world can and has benefited from a similar approach. […]
“This story is only starting to be told. We have much work to do … to challenge the stereotypes of both the general public and our own professionals. Addiction may well be a chronic, relapsing condition but people can and do recover. They can change and that change […]
The principles of the programme of Alcoholics Anonymous are scientific and closely follow all the helping therapies which lead people to emotional well-being.
In the third part of this excellent review paper (1) we look at the empirical evidence is presented suggesting that MBIs ameliorate addiction by enhancing cognitive regulation of a number of key processes. Emotion Regulation When individuals are unable to marshal effective problem-solving to resolve a stressor, lack […]
In yesterday’s blog we looked at how AA membership and the 12 step program of recovery helped reduce impulsivity in recovering alcoholics. We mentioned also that impulsivity was present as a pathomechanism of alcoholism from vulnerability in “at risk” children from families, were there was a history of […]
Impulsivity or lack of behaviour inhibition, especially when distressed, is one psychological mechanisms which is implicated in all addictive behaviour from substance addiction to behaviour addiction. It is, in my view, linked to the impaired emotion processing as I have elucidated upon in various blogs on this site.This […]
So keep taking the medicine… “A 16-Year Follow-Up of Initially Untreated Individuals Abstract This study focused on the duration of participation in professional treatment and Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) for previously untreated individuals with alcohol use disorders. These individuals were surveyed at baseline and 1 year, 3 years, 8 […]
In a recent blog a few days ago I challenged some of Gabrielle Glaser’s “evidence” in her article “The Irrationality of Alcoholics Anonymous “, which purported to demonstrate the so-called effectiveness of “controlling drinking”. Glaser cited the following in her article “ To many, though, the idea […]
A journalistic piece entitled, “The Irrationality of Alcoholics Anonymous “, written by Gabrielle Glaser, also harshly criticizes Alcoholics Anonymous. AA and similar 12-step programs. I cite a blog on her criticisms here (1) “Glaser’s central claim is that there’s no rigorous scientific evidence that AA and other 12-step programs […]
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