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Tag: addicts

  • Top 10 great things about being addicted

    Here at All About Addiction we keep talking about fixing addiction and treating addiction given the suffering that addicts go through. But there are certainly some positive things that go along with being addicted and we figured we should point those out. SO here they is are top 10 addiction list: Top 10 great things…

  • Is opiate pain medication safe for addicts? Part I

    A recent user question on VYou (see my response here) addressed the issue of prescribing addicts with opioid pain medication. Since prescription medication abuse and addiction is on the rise and getting more and more attention in the media every year, the question of whether addicts in recovery, or people who have dealt with substance…

  • New Year’s Eve without drugs or drinking alcohol?

    For many people all around the world, New Year’s Eve celebrations mean a lot of partying. Often, that partying includes drinking alcohol, doing drugs, and generally engaging in one last night of “things you’ll forget about” in the year that has passed. I know the ritual and I took part in it often. Hell, the…

  • Addiction treatment in Vietnam – Beatings and forced labor

    You’ll never think of Cashews in the same way after reading the first few pages of this recent report by the Human Rights Watch group that looked into the abuses in Vietnamese “drug treatment” centers. The detainees in these facilities, whether they checked themselves in voluntarily or were committed after being arrested for using or possessing…

  • Money or cocaine? It all depends on timing

    People who are looking for treatment for their cocaine addiction still really like cocaine, but they’ll choose money as an immediate reward if they can only get their drug of choice later. Cocaine or money? Depends on how long the wait is Although it might be somewhat surprising, the above finding is the result of…

  • Shame on me – Stigma and addiction in treatment

    I keep hearing that back in the old days of addiction treatment, shame was the main motivating factor used by rehab counselors. Everyone admits that it proved to be a horrible motivator. It simply didn’t work! With all the advances in research into addiction, that must have changed, right? I don’t think so. I see…

  • Is personal experience necessary for successful addiction treatment?

    In the “recovery” community, one often hears about how the best person to reach an addict is another addict in recovery. The question is whether personal experience with, and victory over, addiction is necessary for a counselor or therapist to be successful in providing successful addiction treatment? I’ll spoil the surprise by telling you that…

  • Rehabing Rehab – How we can fix America’s addiction treatment system

    When Charlie Sheen finally entered rehab, it wasn’t terribly shocking news. But what most people did find surprising was that instead of checking into a swanky Malibu addiction treatment center as he has done in the past, Sheen opted to receive in-home rehab. Immediately the media began criticizing his choice and questioning his commitment to…

  • Addiction during the holidays: Recovered or not, it’s important to be prepared

    The holidays are a stressful time for everyone. Between gift-giving, travel, and keeping up with all parts of the ever-complicated modern family unit, nearly anyone can find themselves driven towards the nearest coping mechanism, whatever that may be. However, for recovering addicts, or those still struggling with an active addiction, the holidays can be a…

  • “Addicted” – Recovered and Helping: The reality (tv) of addiction treatment.

    With the success of shows like A&E’s Intervention and Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew, America has shown an almost insatiable appetite for television programs that deal with addiction. Whether this reflects the breadth and depth of the addiction problem in this country or a national appetite for tragedy and schadenfreude is open for debate, but…