When Substance Abuse Affects the Family
Substance abuse affects the family and when someone in your family is struggling with addiction, it can be complicated, exhausting, and confusing. You must find a delicate balance between being supportive and protecting your own boundaries. Navigating through this environment is often times draining and most families have questions. If you are experiencing problematic substance […]
National Report says MAT is Frontline Defense in Opioid Epidemic
by Thaddeus Camlin, Psy.D. Despite unfounded resistance, Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) is increasingly considered the treatment of choice to combat what is commonly referred to as an opioid epidemic. A report issued this week from the American Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence (AATOD) solidifies MAT as a frontline defense in the opioid crisis and […]
Brain Surgery for Addiction
by Thaddeus Camlin, Psy.D. Addiction treatment needs improvement. Exploring new methods is essential to advancing the field. To imagine the latest radical approach to treating addiction one might envision an amalgamation of electro-shock therapy and trepanning. Brain surgery for addiction is not a futuristic concept at the dawn of its conception. On the contrary, brain […]
Denver Decriminalizes Magic Mushrooms
by Thaddeus Camlin, Psy.D. Possession of psychoactive fungus is no longer a crime in Denver, Colorado. Denver’s decriminalization of psilocybin (the magic in magic mushrooms) is a major step forward in efforts to end the disastrous drug war, failed prohibition efforts, and the injustice of mass incarceration. Decriminalizing psilocybin is also a major step forward […]
Drugs Are Good???
by Thaddeus Camlin, Psy.D. This week offers another controversial idea to consider in the realm of addiction, the idea that drugs are good. In order to truly consider the idea that drugs are beneficial in an honest way, we must start by recognizing the vast extent to which we are led to believe the opposite. […]
SMART Recovery vs. AA
There are a number of recovery options available for those dealing with addiction, and it is truly up to the individual to determine the best fit for them. One of the most popular paths to recovery is Alcoholics Anonymous (while there are many 12-step programs, this article will, for brevity, reference AA and alcohol use) which has […]
Avoiding Rock Bottom is Good
by Thaddeus Camlin, Psy.D. It has been said that the problem with good advice is that it usually interferes with our plans. In the spirit of a human tendency to give advice in buckets and take it in grains, SMART Recovery starts off its meetings by asking participants to refrain from advice and instead encourages […]
Prescription Drug Take-Back Day in California
The U.S. Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) is hosting its 17th annual National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day on April 27th, 2019 from 10AM – 2PM. National Prescription Drug-Take Back Day is a nationwide event that aims to provide a safe, anonymous, convenient, and responsible means of disposing of prescription drugs, while simultaneously informing […]
MAT for Meth: Overlooking Meth in the Opioid Epidemic
by Thaddeus Camlin, Psy.D. Bright lights cast deep shadows. Currently, our society’s efforts to treat addiction shine the brightest light on opiates. An average of 130 people die every day in the United States from an opioid overdose, so it is not like opiates don’t deserve focused attention. However, as opioid epidemic stories dominate headlines, […]
There is No Such Thing as an Addictive Personality
by Thaddeus Camlin, Psy.D. The concentration of misinformation in the world of addiction is as dense as osmium. One of the most well-known misconceptions in addiction is the idea of an addictive personality. I hear references to someone with an addictive personality all the time from professionals and lay folk alike. The idea of an […]