Topic: Communities
Every community in America has been affected by the opioid crisis. Yet, it is not the only drug problem we face. Amphetamines, alcohol and prescription drugs also pose significant problems. Addressing addiction requires a multifaceted approach, despite any statements to the contrary. By working together and activating existing resources, progress can made.
Governor DeSantis’ Drug Czar, Doug Simon, comments on Medication-Assisted Treatment
In May 2023, CSDAP staff met with Doug Simon, Governor DeSantis’ Director of the Office of Drug Control (a job often referred to as Drug Czar). He commented on the pros and cons of Medication-Assisted Treatment for those addicted to opioids, alcohol or other drugs and what must be done to reduce the state's problems with drugs and addiction.
The Redefinition of Addiction Recovery Terms: Good or Bad?
One of the ways a subject can be altered—slowly, imperceptibly—is through a gradual redefinition of the terms used in that field. This shift may be glacially slow and can seem to be for all the right reasons. But over time, it can change the way people talk about and even understand the subject. Is this "redefinition creep" that is ongoing today in the field of addiction and recovery broadening our understanding or making it narrower? Is it positive or negative?
Training people to become certified recovery peer advocates
LaShondra Jones went through years of mental illness and alcohol addiction, and in her late 40s she was living in a women’s shelter in Brooklyn. Finally stable and sober, she needed work — any type of work — for which her history wouldn’t count against her. Jones Googled “free training in NYC” and learned that several area community colleges offered training for people to become certified recovery peer advocates for those coping with alcohol or drug addiction. Her experience, in this case, would be a big plus.
Study finds marijuana with high THC levels linked to addiction, psychiatric illness
As the strength or potency of cannabis products has increased internationally over the years, so have rates of people being treated for cannabis addiction, say the authors of a new study. Researchers from the Addiction and Mental Health Group at the University of Bath (UK) systematically analysed the relationship between the types of cannabis people use and their addiction and mental health problems. Their work draws on 20 studies involving almost 120,000 people.
Should people with addiction disorders be forced by governments into treatment?
Governor Gavin Newsom of California has proposed a court program that would force unhoused people with severe mental illnesses and addiction disorders into treatment. The moves comes in response to a worsening humanitarian crisis concerning people living on the streets, but has raised concerns from disability rights and civil liberties advocates. According to the proposed plan, those who do not follow through with the treatment could be forced into conservatorships.
Black adults’ experiences with drug treatment charted in new study
Abstract
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Does ASAM oppose “drug-free” and “abstinence-based” paths to recovery?
The posts answered a message from a practitioner who said "I work as the Medical Director at an "abstinent based" facility. I am Board Certified in Psych and ASAM certified... I am struggling to accept the abstinence based treatment philosophy." In responding to this message, ASAM said (among other statements) that, "Patients appropriately taking a physician prescribed medication are abstinent from their substance of misuse."
British Columbia to decriminalize small amounts of cocaine, heroin, meth and ecstasy
TORONTO — The possession of small amounts of several illicit drugs, including cocaine and opioids such as fentanyl or heroin, will be temporarily decriminalized in British Columbia, the federal government said Tuesday, in what it cast as a “bold” step to “turn the tide” in the province’s overdose crisis.