Bassist Flea “recovered” from heroin “addiction” without treatment or 12 steps

Flea, the legendary bassist for The Red Hot Chili Peppers, wrote an interesting essay on addiction for Time Magazine. It tells both his own experience of getting over his drug problems without professional help, and his own ideas about addiction. He has a lot of great things to say, but like so much of what… Continue reading Bassist Flea “recovered” from heroin “addiction” without treatment or 12 steps

Harvard Addiction Science Professor Admits Treatment is a Form of Coercion

Julie Eldred is a heroin user who violated probation by testing positive for an opioid. She’s contesting the probation violation ruling all the way up to Massachusetts’ State Supreme Court on the grounds that relapse is a symptom of the disease of addiction, and it’s therefore a cruel and unusual punishment to put her in… Continue reading Harvard Addiction Science Professor Admits Treatment is a Form of Coercion

Euthanasia for Addiction? A logical choice built on a false premise.

Is Dr Kevorkian the new role model for addiction counselors?

This is a truly sad and disturbing story that sums up why I fight against the myth that addiction is a chronic disease, and that addicts/alcoholics are helplessly out of control. A 41 year old man in the Netherlands decided to euthanize himself after 8 years of a painful alcohol use problem. ‘My parents especially have… Continue reading Euthanasia for Addiction? A logical choice built on a false premise.

Deflection in the addiction treatment industry over ethics

Source: CASA

Addiction treatment workers complain about unethical behavior in the addiction treatment industry, in a recent New York Times article titled “How Staten Island’s Drug Problem Made It a Target for Poaching Patients.” Their target is rehab recruiters who offer backdoor referral payments for patients with private insurance. This is against the law in some states, but… Continue reading Deflection in the addiction treatment industry over ethics

Why we can’t work together to end shame & stigma and promote ongoing recovery support

I get many communications from rehabs and recovery organizations trying to get me to post an infographic full of addiction myths, or to advertise a rehab on my site that I completely disagree with, to propagate some content I disagree with, or to vaguely work together in some way. One of the recent messages I… Continue reading Why we can’t work together to end shame & stigma and promote ongoing recovery support

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

Mental Illnesses Don’t Cause Continued Addiction: NESARC Epidemiological Results

In an analysis of nicotine, cannabis, alcohol, and cocaine users (in which a vast majority were diagnosed with mood and anxiety disorders), the researchers found that: “No association was observed between mood and anxiety disorders and dependence remission for any of the substances assessed.”

Why Target Pleasure?

“New gene therapy for smoking kills the pleasure of nicotine” – so reads the headline in yesterday’s LA Times.  This brings up an issue that remains a huge thorn in the side of the committed disease theorists: substance use is a purpose driven behavior, bottom line. The way people treat you when you publicly say… Continue reading Why Target Pleasure?

The Obligatory Amy Winehouse Post

Much ado has been made about Amy Winhouse’s tragic death – in no small part because it’s suspected that it was a drug related death, and of course her biggest hit song was titled “Rehab” and is perceived as expressing an anti-change / anti-sobriety message. I see it differently. I think “Rehab” was an anti-coercion anthem.