The Worst Advice We’ve Ever Heard About Quitting Drinking
Thinking about quitting drinking? Here’s some advice you might not want to follow. There is an abundance of advice about quitting drinking out there that conspicuously lacks the hallmarks of thought and wisdom. Advice itself can often be a sign of unsophisticated “help.” While there are likely many more witless ideas about quitting drinking than this […]
What Will Drug Rehab Be Like in 100 Years?
Drug Rehab: Predicting the Future by Thaddeus Camlin, Psy.D. I’m told people want to know what drug rehab will be like in 100 years. So, this week let’s put on our Doc Brown suit, make sure Einstein has a doggy sitter, secure dangerous amounts of plutonium, and fire up our flux capacitor so we can […]
Over Stimulation: The Cultural Doublethink of Amphetamines
by Thaddeus Camlin, Psy.D. Adderall vs. Meth When it comes to amphetamines, our culture seems to want to eat our drugs and have them too. On one hand, Adderall is marketed with promises of saving marriages or images of smiling children with taglines like, “Finally, schoolwork that matches his intelligence.” On the other hand, we’re […]
12 Myths of Drug and Alcohol Addiction
If you have ever experienced drug and alcohol addiction, whether it was your own substance use or a loved one’s, you were likely on the receiving end of opinions from others. US culture and its collective views on addiction are often rooted in shame, degradation, and negativity. More importantly, however, the mainstream conversation is all too often […]
At the Interface of Clinical Services and Information Technology
by Tom Horvath, Ph.D., ABPP Benefits of Software in Addiction Treatment For about a year Practical Recovery has included the Checkup & Choices website (www.checkupandchoices.com) in our work. By referring clients to the site we reduce the amount of time they spend with clinicians, thereby lowering their fees. We also increase the accuracy of both […]
14 Common Misperceptions About Non 12 Step Rehab
As one of the first rehabs that began offering non 12 step treatment, we’ve been around long enough to hear just about every misperception out there regarding this non-traditional approach to treatment. If you’ve been searching for addiction treatment, or have gone to a non 12 step rehab program, you’ve likely come across some of […]
How to Be Unpopular in the Addiction Treatment Industry
by Thaddeus Camlin, Psy.D. This week we look at how to be unpopular in the addiction treatment industry – a topic we at Practical Recovery are certainly experts in! 1. Treat Addiction in Stages, Not Steps To be unpopular in the addiction treatment industry, the first step is to treat addiction in stages, not steps. […]
Decoding the Language of Depression & Anxiety in Social Media
by Thaddeus Camlin Psy.D. A recent study analyzed thousands of social media posts and found reliable predictors of depression in the language people use, or what we can call the language of depression. The study, published in the Journal of Clinical Psychological Science, reveals three ways to predict depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation. Extrapolating from […]
Gradualism: A New Term For Harm Reduction?
by Thaddeus Camlin, Psy.D. There is a litany of terms in the addiction world – including addiction – that need to go. Recently, noted author and leading thinker in the field of substance use, Anne Fletcher, M.S., R.D., L.D., wrote an article pointing out the flaws in the term ‘harm-reduction.’ I’ve been guilty of slinging […]
Tom Petty’s Death Highlights Addiction Stigma
by Thaddeus Camlin, Psy.D. The medical examiner’s report on Tom Petty’s death revealed that the perpetual free faller’s last dance was with opiates, not mary jane. The statements issued by Petty’s family were quick to clarify that Petty’s use of opiates was in response to a fractured hip, because, God forbid he used opiates for recreation, […]