Get Out of Your Head
It Can Be Good to Get Out of Your Head by Thaddeus Camlin, Psy.D. Our website content is no stranger to controversy. A few months back a blog on the benefits of drugs may have been our single best pot-stirrer to-date based on the number of fervent responses of discontent. Never mind that we live in a society that uses […]
How to Forgive
by Thaddeus Camlin, Psy.D. Forgiveness is often discussed in addiction treatment, and in general has been shown to bolster mental health, hope, and self-esteem. People are frequently told that they ‘should’ forgive a loved one, or that they ‘need to’ forgive themselves. Tangible tactics on how to forgive are oft-omitted. This article neglects philosophical pontifications […]
Ketamine Reduces Harmful Drinking, New Study Shows
by Thaddeus Camlin, Psy.D. Addiction treatment outcomes in the United States leave much to be desired. Most US addiction treatment is not evidence based. The time for easy access to varied, effective options in addiction treatment is long overdue. A recent study in Nature, one of the world’s most prestigious scientific journals, shows that ketamine […]
The Keys to Self-Regulation
by Thaddeus Camlin, Psy.D. We know now through research, experience, and common sense that all so-called “addicts” are not the same, and that addiction is not an intractable, lifelong condition that cannot be overcome. At the heart of addictive problems a compromised capacity for self-regulation is often found. Self-regulation is not a genetic trait that […]
5 Factors to Consider Before Staging an Addiction Intervention
by Thaddeus Camlin, Psy.D. If a loved one is struggling with addictive problems and not interested in treatment, the overwhelming message from society is that staging an addiction intervention is the best way to help. Interventions, like the ones depicted on television, generally involve a paid interventionist who coaches family members and friends on […]
Addiction & The New Decade
by Thaddeus Camlin, Psy.D. Milestones are opportunities to reflect and refine. Each New Year many resolve to make important changes, and such resolutions can carry even more weight when years stack up and we move into new decades and new centuries. The 21st century has already seen significant change when it comes to understanding and […]
Holiday Tips: Seven Secrets for Successful Holidays
Holiday Tips Navigating the holidays can be tough. The holidays can also be wondrous and joyful. As we put 2022 in the books and look ahead to a new year, a few last minute tricks might be useful as the heart of the holidays hits home. Below are some holiday tips to help make the […]
Jails, Institutions, and Death, pt. II
by Thaddeus Camlin, Psy.D. Earlier this year I wrote a piece arguing that 12-step programs are wrong when they claim that drug use invariably leads to jails, institutions, or death. The piece generated a decent amount of dissenting responses (even more than most of the stuff I write!). Impassioned retorts proclaimed that I built a […]
Addiction is a Natural Response to an Unnatural World
by Thaddeus Camlin, Psy.D. There are no known examples of addiction in the natural world. There are, however, ample examples of animals shifting their consciousness with substances, a favorite of which is the infamous drunken moose who got himself stuck in an apple tree. Even though animals often experiment with substances, the only examples of […]
Technology Addiction: Put Down the Device & Get Into Life
by Thaddeus Camlin, Psy.D. Addiction is frequently mischaracterized in binary terms – us and them, normies and addicts. The truth is that addictive behavior is universal and is, in a very basic sense, one of many manifestations of the way the brain naturally learns and develops. The more we accurately understand addiction as normal, universal […]