Addiction science exposed: recreational cocaine users’ brains are hijacked too!

A dramatic piece of addiction research used to prop up the brain disease model of addiction was blown to pieces this year: cue induced craving. You’ve probably seen this “science” portrayed on television over the years. Some very serious looking scientists in a quiet lab full of fancy equipment put a cocaine addict into a… Continue reading Addiction science exposed: recreational cocaine users’ brains are hijacked too!

Essential Reading List for the Truth about Addiction, Alcohol, and other Drugs

The hysteria and myths about alcohol, other drugs, and addiction runs deep in American culture – and I believe it is causing us to have more problems with alcohol and other drugs. The more people learn the truth, the more we can create a cultural shift that decreases these problems. The following is my study… Continue reading Essential Reading List for the Truth about Addiction, Alcohol, and other Drugs

Successful Moderate Drinking / Substance Use – Who can Moderate, When, and How?

Can I moderate my drinking or drug use? When should I try moderation? How do I moderate my drug and alcohol use? Because of the confusion and misinformation about substance use and addiction in our culture, these are tough questions for which quick answers won’t do. Let’s unpack a few things, and then we can get to… Continue reading Successful Moderate Drinking / Substance Use – Who can Moderate, When, and How?

Alcoholic Ex-Cons Become Moderate Drinkers

One fact that enough people clearly do not know is that moderation is a possible and probable outcome for people with substance use problems. I stumbled onto a good example of that today while looking through a great book published back in 1981: Controlled Drinking by Nick Heather and Ian Robertson. They reviewed a study… Continue reading Alcoholic Ex-Cons Become Moderate Drinkers

Why Can’t Alcoholics Moderate Their Drinking?

It is clear to me from both the research I have seen (check out Nick Heather’s book Controlled Drinking or the NIAAA’s NESARC studies for references on this fact) and from personal experience and observation that it is completely possible and indeed probable for people who have formerly had problems with drug and alcohol use… Continue reading Why Can’t Alcoholics Moderate Their Drinking?

The Tragedy of Motivational Interviewing

Contradiction

Motivational Interviewing may be the most successful approach the treatment world has for helping people to change their substance use habits – unfortunately the positives are likely outweighed or undone by the conventional treatment approaches with which it is simultaneously delivered.