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, […]
AA, SMART, LifeRing and WFS Found Comparably Effective
by Tom Horvath, Ph.D. According to a new ground-breaking study, individuals attending SMART, LifeRing and WFS now have scientific support for their choice to attend these groups. As with all new scientific findings, we have a reached a new vantage point from which to consider both next research efforts, and the clinical implications of what […]
Recovery from Addiction: Confronting Complacency
by Thaddeus Camlin, Psy.D. Few would argue against complacency’s tendency to erode the foundations of change. Most of us experience the lull that can follow a flurry of effort and progress. We lose steam, let our guard down, relax, and suddenly find ourselves slipping back into the very patterns we are trying to break – […]
Addiction: Where Science Meets Fiction
by Thaddeus Camlin, Psy.D. If you wanted an objective appraisal of a home you probably wouldn’t ask the sellers to choose the appraiser. With drug research this is exactly what happens. Congress advocates for the war on drugs, Congress funds the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), and with their billion dollar annual budget NIDA […]
The Streets Are No Place for Addicts
The Streets Are No Place For Addicts by Thaddeus Camlin, Psy.D. Treating trauma with trauma isn’t helpful, it’s abusive. Turning away from loved ones in need deepens isolation and disconnection. Trauma and isolation cause addiction, connection cures it. Addiction, trauma, and mental illness occur amongst people without a home at much higher rates than the […]
Internet Addiction in an Attention Economy
Internet Addiction in an Attention Economy We Can Use Technology to Practice Moderation by Thaddeus Camlin, Psy.D. Nothing makes media moguls and tech giants salivate more than our attention. Fanciful algorithms identify and target individual interests to pop irresistible, personally tailored click-bate onto our screens with a voyeuristic air. Isn’t it a bit strange that […]
Changing Addictive Behavior in a Culture of Convenience
Changing Addictive Behavior in a Culture of Convenience By Thaddeus Camlin, Psy.D. The process of changing addictive behavior is anything but convenient. To make matters worse, people changing addictive behavior find themselves couched in a culture of convenience. Moving away from a reliable source of comfort is already hard enough with an enveloping worship of […]