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 […]
Why You Should Get a Substance Use Assessment in a DUI Case
In 2017 there were over 1 million arrests for driving under the influence in the United States, and a number of incidents involved repeat offenders, injury, and fatalities. DUIs are not only big business for the government, they are offenses that are not taken lightly by the courts. Even though behaviors like texting and driving and […]
Most Effective Ways to Prevent Teenage Substance Abuse
By Thaddeus Camlin, PsyD **The term ‘substance abuse’ was utilized for this article because that is the term people search for. While we would prefer the term ‘substance use,’ we also want people to be able to find our information on the internet** Teens and drugs go together like soap and suds. Nearly 80% of […]
Sober Julie…An Interview with a Recovery Influencer
We are very excited to bring today’s recovery blogger interview with Julie from the blog, Life Straight Up at SoberJulie.com. Julie is a “imperfectly perfect” 46 year old woman living in Ontario, Canada with her husband and two teenage daughters. Julie is a believer in faith, recovery, family, and living a grateful life these days. […]
Jails, Institutions, and Death: Did 12-Step Programs Get it Wrong?
by Thaddeus Camlin, Psy.D. Bromides abound in traditional recovery circles, arguably none more common than the folklore fantasy that substance use invariably leads to jails, institutions, and death. If threats, shaming, and fear mongering worked then the United States would be justifiably priggish in its approach to treating addiction. Instead, after nearly a century of tyrannical abstinence […]
Drugs Do Not Hijack The Brain
by Thaddeus Camlin. Psy.D. Change happens slowly over time. Gradually, habits develop and patterns of behavior establish routines. Whether we are changing our eating habits, sleeping habits, work habits, love habits, or drinking habits, the change process is the same. As behaviors develop into well-maintained patterns and habits, some self-regulatory control is compromised due to […]
Staying Sober in a “Let’s Grab Drinks” Culture
By the team at Practical Recovery Separating libations from social situations in American culture is about as easy as separating hassle from air travel. A 2017 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that alcohol consumption is on the rise in the United States, especially among women, older adults, ethnic minorities, […]