How do I choose: Individual or group sessions for addiction treatment?  A. Tom Horvath, Ph.D., ABPP Are you searching for the “right” treatment center for you or a loved one?  This article is written to suggest that pre-established “programs” (individual or group sessions for addiction treatment) of treatment are not the best approach.  Rather, there are as many roads to recovery as there are individuals.  Treatment centers need to support you on your own path to recovery, not push you into a generalized recovery path that may be slightly helpful to many people, but not exactly helpful to anyone. Things to Consider When Considering Individual or Group Sessions If you were looking for the “right” center, there are many factors you would need to consider.  Are all of the substan...

What are the advantages of group sessions for addiction recovery?  A. Tom Horvath, Ph.D. There is no single correct or best way to recover from addiction.  No element of the recovery process must be completed by all individuals.  Although group sessions are often described as essential to recovery, they are not.  In fact, most people who recover do not attend groups of any kind!  However, these non-group-attending individuals are often ignored by treatment professionals, who are sometimes so focused on how they approach recovery that they fail to recognize other approaches. Nevertheless, group sessions can be valuable.  This article will describe some of the advantages of attending groups.  By groups we are referring to a) free, mutual-aid, self-help or support meetings (let’s ...

Let the buyer beware about addiction treatment A. Tom Horvath, Ph.D., ABPP The Latin phrase caveat emptor (“let the buyer beware”) suggests that sellers may not inform buyers of everything buyers might want to know about the purchase they are considering.  Caveat emptor certainly applies when considering services from the highly competitive addiction treatment industry.  This multi-billion dollar industry divides into two primary parts: government-funded treatment (about 75% of treatment) and private pay treatment.  Private insurance may pay a portion of private treatment, but typically only a small portion.  Government-funded treatment centers do not compete so much for clients as for contracts.  If you attend one of these centers you may simply feel fortunate that you have the o...

Habitual drug users may find it beneficial to seek addiction treatment sooner rather than later because the long term effects of drugs can lead to long-term depression (LTD). LTD affects memory formation and learning and continued drug use over time will lead to a loss of control where drug users lose many defenses against drug-seeking behavior.   Understanding Synaptic Plasticity Why is it that some regular users of drugs or alcohol develop addictions while others don't? The beginning of addiction appears to be related to a loss of synaptic plasticity in the brain, according to research carried out by a team of researchers at the University of Bordeaux in France (Kasanetz et. al., 2010). Understanding synaptic plasticity may be the key to developing more effective methods of ...

Antismoking campaigns and prevention programs in middle schools may be beneficial in teaching adolescents about the harms of smoking and drinking. Students who have been smoking and drinking in middle school may continue to smoke and drink throughout high school and even be at a higher risk for alcohol abuse in their lifetime. Thus, using evidence-based approaches to inform adolescents about addiction treatment and prevention in middle school may help reduce the number of students who try drinking and smoking. Parenting style is another key indicator of drinking and smoking by adolescents where subprime parenting may lead to an increased risk of tobacco use by middle school students. Individualized drug and alcohol treatment programs can help to reduce the risk of substance abuse in ...

According to previous research, MDMA (3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine), popularly known as Ecstasy, may negatively affect cognition among heavy users. Golding et. al. set out to investigate whether light users and ex-users of MDMA in drug recovery also exhibit deficits in cognitive performance (2007).   The History of MDMA MDMA has an interesting history. It was first synthesized by a Merck chemist in 1912 and largely forgotten for the next 60 years. MDMA appeared as a street drug in the 1970s after its analogue MDA (3,4-Methylenedioxyamphetamine), known as “the love drug” or “the hug drug” in the 1960s, was criminalized. Andrew Shulgin, a researcher at the University of California, become interested in MDMA after hearing about its unusual effects on students. Shulgin develo...

External rewards in drug recovery was not as effective as learning solid coping skills. Researchers at the University of Connecticut Health Center found that, for regular (dependent) users of marijuana, long-term abstinence was more likely to occur for patients who actively used recovery coping skills. Abstaining patients developed more confidence in the effectiveness of the coping skills and their ability to use these skills. Rewarding abstinence by paying the patients (an approach called “contingency management”) was successful in the early days and weeks of drug recovery. However, unless the patients also developed new insights and actively changed recovery-related behaviors (including actively taking steps to prevent relapse), the initial benefits of rewards wore off over time. ...

Research shows that substance abuse is a significant problem for individuals with physical, mental, or psychological disabilities. In fact, as a whole, individuals with disabilities use alcohol and other drugs as much or more than the general population, and they are at greater risk for problems associated with substance abuse (Moore, 1991). However, little research has examined substance abuse, drug treatment, and drug rehab for individuals with disabilities. When treating a primary disability, healthcare practitioners may fail to recognize secondary substance abuse. Substance abuse disorders often reduce the already-scant resources of a disabled individual. For example, many disabled people have limited social resources and low socioeconomic status; these problems are often exacerb...

Major depressive disorder (MDD), or clinical depression, is characterized by low mood, low self-esteem, and loss of interest or pleasure. The DSM-IV recognizes five subtypes of MDD. Could different subtypes of MDD affect drug recovery for different substances? If so, drug rehab would need to consider these subtypes when treatment plans are formulated regarding melancholia and drug recovery.   The Five Types of Major Depressive Disorder To begin, let’s review the subtypes of MDD. The five subtypes are as follows: Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) typically occurs during the autumn or winter months and resolves in the spring. The diagnosis of SAD can be made if at least two depressive episodes have occurred in colder months with none at other times, over a time frame of at le...

Cluster B personality disorders (e.g., borderline personality disorder) and substance use disorders (SUD) are both marked by impulsivity and poor behavioral control. Previous studies (e.g., Taylor, 2005) have found evidence that symptoms of cluster B personality disorder and SUD are significantly and positively correlated. Because of accumulating evidence which suggests that personality disorders are prevalent in opioid dependent populations, along with evidence linking cluster B personality disorder characteristics and SUD severity, Murray et. al. hypothesized that opioid dependent patients with cluster B personality characteristics would have elevated methadone dose prescriptions (2008). Such a finding would have immediate implications for the doses of methadone, and possibly other me...