Principles for Improving US Addiction Treatment
by Tom Horvath, Ph.D., ABPP How can the United States improve addiction treatment? The ultimate goal of support for overcoming problematic addictive behavior is to improve individual health and well-being while reducing societal costs associated with the behavior. Several countries (e.g., Portugal, Switzerland, the Netherlands) are much more effective than the US in providing this […]
The Biggest Lies in Recovery, pt. IV: Shaming Inspires Change
by Thaddeus Camlin, Psy.D. This week’s topic is the fourth installment in a series exploring lies that have permeated the recovery culture. Thus far, lies about success, failure, and everyone in recovery being the same have been challenged. This week’s article challenges the lie that shaming people helps them change a problematic pattern of substance […]
Addiction Treatment: Why Individual Sessions are Important
by Tom Horvath, PhD, ABPP One of the most frequent complaints I hear from clients who have attended other treatment facilities is “I almost never had an individual session.” Why are frequent individual sessions unusual in US addiction treatment, and why are they important? Groups led by drug and alcohol counselors save money A business […]
The Biggest Lies in Recovery, pt. III: All Addicts Are the Same
by Thaddeus Camlin, Psy.D. This week’s topic is the third installment in a series exploring lies that have permeated the recovery culture. The first article challenged the lie that perfect abstinence is the only way to succeed in recovery. Last week’s article challenged the lie that most people in recovery fail. This week’s article challenges […]
The Biggest Lies in Recovery, pt. II: Recovery Failure
by Thaddeus Camlin, Psy.D. The Biggest Lies in Recovery, pt. II – Recovery Failure This week’s topic is the second installment in a series exploring lies that have permeated the recovery culture. Last week’s article challenged the lie that success in recovery is perfect abstinence. This week’s article challenges the closely related lie of recovery […]
The Individualized Intensive Outpatient Program
by Tom Horvath, Ph.D., ABPP Practical Recovery’s IIOP The Individualized Intensive Outpatient Program To be clear: An Individualized Intensive Outpatient Program (IIOP) is not an Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP). An IOP is a group that typically meets three hours per day, three days per week. In addition, there may be one individual session per week. […]
The Stigma of Addiction and the Inadvertent Contribution of the Recovery Community
Does the recovery community inadvertently contribute to the stigma of addiction? by Tom Horvath, Ph.D., ABPP Although the recovery community opposes stigmatizing individuals with addiction, the widespread use of the labels “addict” and “alcoholic,” and the view that addiction is a disease, actually contribute to the stigma of addiction. Alternative language, suggested here, could work […]
Acupuncture and Addiction
Does acupuncture help in the treatment of addiction? Chinese medicine, such as acupuncture, has long been used to treat an array of illness. More recently, Eastern methods have become increasingly popular within many addiction treatment approaches, as a supplement to other therapies. Acupuncture is said to help alleviate withdrawal symptoms and physical pain, cure insomnia, […]
CRAFT Training with Bob Meyers, Ph.D.
Practical Recovery presents: CRAFT training led by Dr. Bob Meyers! 2/29/16-3/2/16 in San Diego. Click here to register! CRAFT (Community Reinforcement and Family Training) provides an evidence-based approach to helping families support loved ones who need additional assistance to overcome problematic addictive behavior. CRAFT provides an alternative approach to the 12-step based Al-Anon, and to […]
How to Quit Drinking: 5 Tangible Steps
Want to quit drinking? It can be hard to quit or reduce something you enjoy, but these 5 steps will help it feel a little less intimidating.