21 Things Obama and Macklemore got wrong about addiction

I almost died of a misinformation overdose watching President Obama and rapper Macklemore talk about addiction yesterday. Luckily though, I had some Narcan-for-myths handy: the knowledge I gained from studying drugs and addiction for over a decade now. President Obama’s Weekly Address was filled with misinformation. I counted 21 false statements in all. In fact the myths only… Continue reading 21 Things Obama and Macklemore got wrong about addiction

Dual Diagnosis: Reality, or Fraud?

People go to a lot of trouble to get insurance companies to cover expensive addiction treatments for their loved ones – and so do the doctors and other staff offering treatment. A recent article on nj.com covered this phenomenon well, and in fact they might’ve covered it too well for their purposes. The headline reads:… Continue reading Dual Diagnosis: Reality, or Fraud?

75% of “Addicts” are “Recovered” at any given point in time – Most without treatment

A reader recently commented: I question the validity of your statistic that 3/4 of people with substance abuse problems achieved sobriety without any treatment I know it doesn’t fit with common wisdom, but I stand behind this basic statement that I’ve made all over this website: “at any given time, 75% of addicts have recovered… Continue reading 75% of “Addicts” are “Recovered” at any given point in time – Most without treatment

Addiction: A Disorder of Choice

There’s a great interview with Gene Heyman, the author of Addiction: A Disorder of Choice available on NPR follow this link to listen to it, and learn about Heyman’s extremely important work: http://www.onpointradio.org/2009/08/is-addiction-a-matter-of-choice Another guest on the show, Hazelden’s Marvin Seppala, went on and on about research done on rats, a practice which I found… Continue reading Addiction: A Disorder of Choice

Yes, Your Dad Chose To Be A Jerk.

Who would choose addiction?  No one would.  People don’t make bad choices.  They always act completely rationally. If you believe this, then you probably believe the disease theory – which rests on the premise that if a behavior is self-destructive, then it must be involuntary.  Gene Heyman astutely identifies this premise in his groundbreaking book… Continue reading Yes, Your Dad Chose To Be A Jerk.

Satel Reviews – ADDICTION: A DISORDER OF CHOICE

Sally Satel reviews Addiction: A Disorder of Choice by Gene M. Heyman I’ll be reading this and offering up my own review soon, but for now, here’s a few snippets of Sally’s review: In so-called contingency management experiments, subjects addicted to cocaine or heroin are rewarded with vouchers redeemable for cash, household goods, or clothes. Those… Continue reading Satel Reviews – ADDICTION: A DISORDER OF CHOICE