Topic: Research, Studies and Reports

Posts regarding research, studies, reports and thought leadership concerning addiction and recovery.

Despite critics, is AA effective?

October 19th, 2022|

In March 2020, Stanford Medicine News Center released a report addressing that question. A Stanford researcher and two collaborators conducted an extensive review of AA studies. Their findings stated that the AA fellowship helps more people achieve sobriety than therapy does.

Study finds marijuana with high THC levels linked to addiction, psychiatric illness

October 7th, 2022|

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.

Is In-Person Substance Abuse Treatment Is Better Than Online?

September 14th, 2022|

As the world become more connected through the Internet, online support groups are revolutionizing the addiction treatment space. Especially in light of the COVID-19 Pandemic, online support groups have become a vital part of telehealth and addiction treatment. For those in recovery, online support groups may be one of the few ways to maintain connection during the pandemic. The reason for the recent popularity of these groups is clear. There is a plethora of online support groups that offer people in recovery the opportunity to reach out and connect with others who are similarly seeking stability in their lives without drugs and alcohol. But are these online support groups effective at helping people become or stay sober? Will they eclipse traditional in-person treatment? Or will online support group eventually be relegated to a supporting role in addiction treatment and recovery?

Black adults’ experiences with drug treatment charted in new study

September 6th, 2022|

Abstract

With opioid overdose rates doubling in the state of Kentucky over the last year, the opioid crisis is having a deadly impact on the state. Among Black individuals in particular, overdose rates have increased by nearly a third. As such, we must examine ways to effectively intervene to reduce deaths among this underrepresented population.
CLICK HERE to view the full study.

National research study finds marijuana and hallucinogen use at all-time high among young adults

September 2nd, 2022|

Marijuana and hallucinogen use in the past year reported by young adults 19 to 30 years old increased significantly in 2021 compared to five and 10 years ago, reaching historic highs in this age group since 1988, according to the Monitoring the Future panel study. The MTF study is conducted by scientists at the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research and funded by NIDA, part of the National Institutes of Health.

Alcohol policy, treatment & research: new directions

August 23rd, 2022|

This event included a book symposium ‘Evaluating the brain disease model of addiction’, with speakers including:

Prof Derek Heim & Dr Rebecca Monk, Recovery is Possible:  Overcoming ‘Addiction’ and its Rescue Hypotheses

Dr Frank Ryan, Psychotherapeutic strategies to enhance motivation and cognitive control

Dr Tim Leighton, Brains or persons? Is it coherent to ascribe psychological powers to brains?

Dr James Morris, Before ‘rock bottom’ Does a disease model hinder public health goals for alcohol?

Dr Ed Day, discussant for the ‘evaluating the brain disease model of addiction’ symposium

World Health Organization calls for end to human rights violations in mental health care

August 17th, 2022|

Globally, the majority of mental health care continues to be provided in psychiatric hospitals, and human rights abuses and coercive practices remain all too common. WHO’s new “Guidance on community mental health services: promoting person-centered and rights-based approaches” further affirms that mental health care must be grounded in a human rights-based approach.

New study debunks “chemical imbalance” in the brain theory

August 2nd, 2022|

Depression Is Not Caused by Chemical Imbalance in the Brain - KEY POINTS

  • We don’t know how antidepressants work
  • There is no convincing evidence that depression is caused by serotonin abnormalities.
  • Many people take antidepressants believing their depression has a biochemical cause. Research does not support this belief.
  • The notion that antidepressants work by elevating serotonin levels is not supported by the evidence.
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