Johns Hopkins Opens Psychedelic Research Center
by Thaddeus Camlin, Psy.D. They said acid fries your brain and makes you jump off buildings. They said shrooms make your brain bleed and that’s why they cause hallucinations. They said pot makes people murder their families. I don’t know exactly who ‘they’ are, but boy were they wrong. The prestigious Johns Hopkins University just […]
MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy Reduces Alcohol Relapse, New Study Shows
by Thaddeus Camlin, Psy.D. When it comes to addiction treatment, it is well-known that the United States is embarrassingly and shamefully behind the rest of the industrialized world. It is no surprise then that evidence for MDMA-assisted psychotherapy reducing alcohol relapse is coming out of the UK. We know MDMA-assisted psychotherapy was designated breakthrough status […]
Drug Rehab for Young Adults: High Time for a New Paradigm
by Thaddeus Camlin, Psy.D. Addictive problems are most common amongst young adults, especially men. Committing to lifelong abstinence is a hard sell for people with most of their lives still ahead. Even AA co-founders Bill W. and Dr. Bob suggested their methods were unlikely to work for people under 40 years old. Yet, when young […]
CBD Helps Heroin Cravings
by Thaddeus Camlin, Psy.D. Crises precipitate change. The opioid crisis is catalyzing change in addiction treatment. The tragedies of the opioid crisis may be the reveille that stirs addiction treatment from its walking slumber. Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) is finally being championed as the frontline defense in the opioid crisis. Not only are advances being made […]
New Review of SDG&C is Reminder of its Greatness
by Thaddeus Camlin, Psy.D. Great works are often underappreciated in their time. Many people well-versed in self-empowering approaches to treating addictive problems are familiar with Dr. Horvath’s book for overcoming addictions entitled, Sex, Drugs, Gambling, & Chocolate (SDG&C). However, outside self-empowering circles, Dr. Horvath’s book remains underappreciated. A recent review of the workbook, however, serves […]
National Report says MAT is Frontline Defense in Opioid Epidemic
by Thaddeus Camlin, Psy.D. Despite unfounded resistance, Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) is increasingly considered the treatment of choice to combat what is commonly referred to as an opioid epidemic. A report issued this week from the American Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence (AATOD) solidifies MAT as a frontline defense in the opioid crisis and […]
Brain Surgery for Addiction
by Thaddeus Camlin, Psy.D. Addiction treatment needs improvement. Exploring new methods is essential to advancing the field. To imagine the latest radical approach to treating addiction one might envision an amalgamation of electro-shock therapy and trepanning. Brain surgery for addiction is not a futuristic concept at the dawn of its conception. On the contrary, brain […]
Denver Decriminalizes Magic Mushrooms
by Thaddeus Camlin, Psy.D. Possession of psychoactive fungus is no longer a crime in Denver, Colorado. Denver’s decriminalization of psilocybin (the magic in magic mushrooms) is a major step forward in efforts to end the disastrous drug war, failed prohibition efforts, and the injustice of mass incarceration. Decriminalizing psilocybin is also a major step forward […]
SMART Recovery vs. AA
There are a number of recovery options available for those dealing with addiction, and it is truly up to the individual to determine the best fit for them. One of the most popular paths to recovery is Alcoholics Anonymous (while there are many 12-step programs, this article will, for brevity, reference AA and alcohol use) which has […]
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 […]