By Thaddeus Camlin, Psy.D. Fentanyl Strips: A False Sense of Accomplishment? Accidental overdose deaths attributed to fentanyl continue to rise.  Recently in San Diego, people overdosed on cocaine cut with fentanyl. Because fentanyl is cheap and potent, there is more money to be made if popular products like cocaine and xanax are cut with it. The temptation for the cartel and other black market kingpins to cut product with ultra cheap, ultra potent fentanyl is too much to resist. With popular drugs increasingly cut with fentanyl, and the inevitability that people will seek out substances like cocaine and xanax, it would make sense that fentanyl test strips are easily accessible for people to test products before ingestion to prevent overdose deaths.  However, the Substance Abuse and M...

By Thaddeus Camlin, Psy.D. Mental health professions are big on person-first language, and rightly so.  Defining people by their problems is widely agreed upon to be below the standard of care.  People are much more than their diagnoses, and thus, mental health professions now routinely opt for descriptions like, ‘a person with schizophrenia’ rather than, ‘a schizophrenic,’ or ‘a person with borderline personality’ rather than ‘a borderline.’  As sensitivity to mental health issues grew in recent years and person-first language became the standard of care, one notable category of diagnoses was conspicuously left behind: substance use disorders. Why is language in addiction treatment failing to catch up? Addiction Treatment and Double Standards While the frequency of hearing a psych...

As we continue our recovery blogger series we bring you a recovery story from Nancy Carr from Last Call Blog. Nancy has now been sober for over 14 years, she has a fulfilling career, is happily married, and is a proud dog mom living in San Diego. Nancy is in a good place, but it took grit and determination to get here. Nancy has seen the ups and downs of addiction and recovery and is a better person now because of it. She’s learned a lot and has plenty of advice to share with others experiencing a similar journey. She writes about those experiences on her blog and is sharing a piece of her recovery story with us here now. Interview printed with permission What is your favorite part about being sober? FREEDOM! I love that I can do anything or go anywhere.  Being sober has be...

Up next in our Top Recovery Blogger Series we have Jean from Unpickled Blog. Jean is a busy woman with a fulfilling life, but it wasn’t always that way. Before deciding to live alcohol-free seven years ago, Jean was in a decades-long cycle of daily drinking that was taking over her life. Today Jean is happier than ever with a her husband of 29 years, kids and grandkids. Jean stays busy with just about everything, she is writing her first book, spends a great deal of time serving others in recovery, and produces and hosts The Bubble Hour Podcast. And since Jean is not one to slow down, she also volunteers with a community organization that provides services to adults with disabilities, and is an active curler and skier. We are inspired by Jean to say the least, and are honored ...

To continue our Top Recovery Bloggers of 2018 series, this week's featured blogger is Annie Grace, who also authored the book This Naked Mind: Control Alcohol, Find Freedom, Discover Happiness and Change Your Life. In addition to her book and blog, she continues to reach those on the recovery journey through her programs, workshops, and podcast. We're honored Annie took the time out of her busy schedule to let us interview her, which we've posted below (with permission). PR: Tell us a little about yourself and This Naked Mind AG: My name is Annie Grace and I wrote the book This Naked Mind. The book is truly unique in that it addresses (and changes) our subconscious beliefs about alcohol and when we can subconsciously let go of the beliefs we have, we are more easily able to find fr...

Whether you're new to recovery or have been in at it for a while, it can be tricky finding new activities you can do sober. The good news is, you don't have to hole up in your house to protect your recovery; there are plenty of ways you can enjoy the sober side of San Diego! We've put together a list of some of the best San Diego activities you can do sober while the weather is still warm. Don't live in San Diego? You can still use this list for ideas in your area. San Diego Daytime Activities You Can Do Sober With so much sunshine all year in San Diego, you have to get outside and enjoy it by land and sea, urban neighborhoods and rural trails. There are hundreds of things to do in San Diego sober, here are just a few. 1. Enjoy the Food San Diego has made an international nam...

Coping with drug and alcohol cravings is a major component of changing problematic addictive behavior, so much so that the DSM5 added craving as a diagnostic criteria for substance use disorders.  It is next to certain that any change in habitual behavior will at some point result in urges or cravings for the old behavior.  Who hasn't experienced a craving for something salty or sweet when trying to eat healthier?  Below we discuss 10 tried and true methods that help people manage drug and alcohol cravings. 1. Set a Timer Urges tend to run out of steam after 30-45 minutes, setting a timer for a ½ hour can help to ride out the urge.  Think of cravings as sprinters, they are intense but run out of steam pretty quickly. 2. Distract Yourself from the Craving Do something that requires f...

Sugar's Shadow: Is Sugar Addictive? By Thaddeus Camlin, Psy.D. Cultural conditioning (aka brainwashing) will produce a recoiling, dismissive reaction in many to the idea that sugar not only deserves a seat at the table in the discussion of addiction, but that sugar’s rightful place at the table of addiction is on the throne of rule and dominance.  For those not interested in stepping into the muddy trenches of deconditioned thought it is probably best to cease reading here.  For those who enjoy getting their thoughts a little dirty with the stains that come from the territories outside the boxes of comfort and familiarity, let us openly consider the arguments that refined sugar addiction is the least discussed, most rampant, and most difficult to kick of all addictions.  Is sugar ad...

To continue our interview series with top recovery bloggers, we have Tawny Lara, from SobrieTea Party. Tawny has been blogging since she quit drinking in 2015 and believes “hitting rock bottom is not a prerequisite to recovery. You can begin your recovery journey at anytime.” Tawny lives in New York City, is a journalist and writing instructor, and, in addition to the SobrieTea Party blog, has produced and starred in an award-winning documentary about her recovery called Fixed Up. She also started Readings on Recovery, a reading series that aims to show that we are all recovering from something. The series gives New Yorkers the platform to share their adversity stories through personal essays, poetry, stand-up comedy, dance, or song. We’ve asked Tawny to share some of her th...

by Thaddeus Camlin, Psy.D. Online Drug and Alcohol Assessments: The Experiment I did a little experiment this week. To indulge my amateur investigative spirit, I went to multiple rehab websites and took some so-called online drug and alcohol assessments that claim to determine through a brief series of questions whether or not someone is an addict/alcoholic.  The premise of the so-called assessments had me skeptical going in.  After completing a dozen or so, I was downright angry. The Results In the online drug and alcohol assessments I completed, I experimented with many different combinations of answers.  Almost all combinations of answers resulted in the definitive conclusion that I was an addict/alcoholic, and that I needed to contact the treatment center immediately to “get my ...