Addiction Professional articles from May 2006

Addiction Professional archives from May 2006

Hey, thanks a million.(Letter From the Editor)(Letter to the editor)
May 1, 2006... With both my sense of writer's pride and the cover of the James Frey book noticeably gathering dust, I finally pulled A Million Little Pieces from the shelf and mined the source of all these months' worth of angst. I sense not having been alone...

Correction.(Correction notice)
May 1, 2006... An article on methamphetamine use among gay men, published in the January/February 2006 issue, incorrectly cited a statistic on prevalence of meth use in a population of men who have sex with men (MSM). Six percent of 2,916 MSM in a survey...

Don't diminish role of medications.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
May 1, 2006... I take exception to several points in Keith Berger's letter about medication treatments in the March/April 2006 issue. The first is the statement referring to medication-assisted therapy as an "easier, softer way." In 1956 the American Medical...

Looking at the facts on moderate drinking.(Letter to the editor)
May 1, 2006... Carlton Erickson's column on moderate drinking in the January/February 2006 issue makes personal-opinion statements in the guise of science, and I find that unfortunate at best. His assertions that (1) "some scientists advocate that some...

New lifesaving medications buoy hopes.(Commentary)
May 1, 2006... New discoveries in the research lab are boosting the viability of medication treatment for opioid and alcohol dependence. Buprenorphine, mentioned in this space as far back as September 2003 and examined more closely in recent issues of the...

Wrestling with angels: faith-based programs can assist recovery, but create barriers for some.(Case study)
May 1, 2006... Am I doing the right thing?" he asked me in earnest as he was preparing to leave the detoxification unit of a nationally recognized psychiatric hospital. "Dan," a 32-year-old single man, had lost his job at a local clinic because he was forging...

The spiritual journey for youth: spiritual themes can take on real-world focus for adolescents.(thoughts about addiction)
May 1, 2006... Many think of addiction as not only a physical, emotional, and psychiatric disease, but also as a spiritual one. This being the case, addiction treatment requires a spiritual component. What that spiritual component is and how to incorporate it...

When trauma poses a treatment challenge: PTSD clients' recovery plan should focus on adaptive coping.(posttraumatic stress disorder)
May 1, 2006... The instinctive response to trauma is to cover it over, to bar memories of it from consciousness. Yet even with the mind-numbing effects of drugs and alcohol--used in a desperate effort to soothe the painful emotional legacy of past violence or...

Altered pathways: drug abuse and age of onset; Research indicates how young people can benefit from early intervention.(research results)
May 1, 2006... To the question of whether drug use early in life heightens the risk for substance abuse problems later on, we can answer an assured "yes." What is less clear is why this happens. Clinicians who see patients with substance abuse problems are...

Opioid treatment for pain: when does use become misuse? Physiologic responses do not always signal a problem.
May 1, 2006... As professionals working with individuals who misuse addictive substances, we sometimes are asked to evaluate someone who suffers from both a potential substance misuse problem and a chronic pain disorder. We hope that our treatment...

AA and CBT: one in the same? Common 12-Step phrases are geared to change thinking, behaviors.(Alcoholics Anonymous)(cognitive behavioral therapy)
May 1, 2006... Discussing a client with symptoms of social anxiety, our medical director said, "If only this client could force himself to go to the supermarket. If he could just make himself get going, he might get energized." [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ...

A counselor's own 'treatment plan': professionals must act when countertransference moves them perilously close to burnout.(research)(Case study)
May 1, 2006... Time-limited treatment with multi-problem clients creates work situations that can ignite the fires of unresolved countertransference, and can fan those fires with compassion fatigue and burnout. On a good day, addiction counseling is stressful...

Learn what's on the street: professionals should be aware of prominent drug trends.(drug trends)
May 1, 2006... Over the past several decades, the landscape of recreational drug use has continually changed, with various substances rising and falling in popularity. Our modern-day street pharmacopeia includes some older drugs suddenly back in favor and...

Can the cultures of addiction and psychoanalysis mix? A psychiatric center's experience with integrated treatment uncovers obstacles.
May 1, 2006... Treating addiction in an open, psychodynamically oriented hospital setting provides challenges that may suggest the need for a paradigm shift in how professionals treat addiction in other settings, as well. The challenge of integrating...

Identify the belief system that impedes change.(Road to Recovery)
May 1, 2006... Besides "There's no problem; I can handle it," at least two other belief systems keep clients stuck and acting against their own best interests. It is important for counselors to assess for these other belief systems, which are based in a lack...

Addressing co-occurring disorders: correcting deficiencies.(Adolescent Treatment)
May 1, 2006... In the past, professionals treating adolescents have lacked standardized care approaches and clinical guidelines addressing treatment of youths diagnosed with co-occurring mental health and substance abuse disorders. Recently the field has...

Prepare thoroughly for the role of supervisor.(Clinical Supervision)
May 1, 2006... For counselors who stay in the field long enough, most eventually will take on the role of clinical supervisor. Unfortunately, few are groomed for the position, so they end up relying on their own experiences as counselors and as supervisees....

Absences from group offer opportunity for insight.(Group Psychotherapy)
May 1, 2006... I encourage readers of this column to consider joining the American Group Psychotherapy Association. AGPA has been aware of the need to create a bridge to address the split between addiction treatment professionals who come into the field with...

In focusing on the 'latest,' don't forget about marijuana.(Drug Trends)
May 1, 2006... You don't have to be an alcohol and drug treatment professional to recognize these kinds of headlines that have appeared in the print and broadcast media: * OxyContin Use at an All-Time High Among Youth * Meth: The Crack of the New...

Introducing dream work to the group setting.(The Dream Zone)
May 1, 2006... Alcohol and other drug counselor Darryl Wheeler of the Jackie Nitschke Center in Green Bay, Wisconsin, wrote in to request more information about how to use dreams in group therapy for the benefit of members' recovery. Groups are perfectly...

Achieving competency in treating the Latino population.(book review)(Book review)
May 1, 2006... Latinos and Alcohol Use/Abuse Revisited: Advances and Challenges for Prevention and Treatment Programs Melvin Delgado, PhD, editor; The Haworth Press, Inc., Binghamton, N.Y., (800) 429-6784; 2005; ISBN: 978-0-7890-2926-3; softcover; 221...

Simple genetic test could have major implications.(Of Note)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... A company on the West Coast is developing a cheek swab test that at a cost of $35 to $40 could determine whether an individual has a gene form that has been associated with substance use disorders in several studies. Ernest P. Noble, MD, PhD, a...

Tailored version of EAP will debut at Mass. university.(Of Note)(employee assistance program)
May 1, 2006... Northeastern University in Boston will become the first test site of a university assistance program (UAP), a version of an employee assistance program made possible by a grant from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism...

Researchers study oral health among alcohol-dependent.(Of Note)
May 1, 2006... The oral hygiene of individuals undergoing inpatient treatment for alcohol dependence will be the focus of research conducted by scientists at the University at Buffalo's (UB) Research Institute on Addictions. According to the institute, Kurt...

Calif. youths discuss appeal, availability of alcopops.(Of Note)(california)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... Discussion of the subject of underage drinking before a California State Senate committee in March focused a great deal on youths' attraction to alcopops, the bottled alcoholic beverages with packaging that resembles that of lemonade, iced tea,...

For law enforcers, meth is today's crack.(Of Note)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... Judging from a law enforcement survey conducted by the National Association of Counties (NACo), methamphetamine most certainly is the new crack. Fifty-eight percent of respondents from 500 law enforcement agencies in 45 states ranked meth as...

Lindsey takes over as NCADD president.(Robert J. Lindsey)(National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... Robert J. Lindsey, MEd, CEAP, took over in February as president of the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc. (NCADD), replacing Stacia Murphy. Dr. Lindsey's 30-year career in the addiction field includes serving as director...

Rapid drug screening.(Addiction Professional Monitor)
May 1, 2006... American Bio Medica Corporation has added to its available point-of-collection drug screens with the introduction of Rapid TOX, a screen in a horizontal cassette platform. Users of this screen drop a urine specimen into a channel in the...

Quick treatment tools.(quick guides for clinicians and knowledge application program)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... As part of its Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) series of publications, SAMHSA makes available a number of Quick Guides for clinicians and Knowledge Application Program (KAP) Keys ranging from screening instruments to checklists. The guides...

Counselor certification in Ga.(Addiction Professional Monitor)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... Mercer University in Atlanta is offering a seven-module program developed in cooperation with the Georgia Department of Corrections to help participants meet addiction counseling certification requirements. The state corrections department is...

Online recovery resource.(www.pfr.samhsa.gov)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... SAMHSA has created a Web site dedicated to the advancement of prevention, treatment, and recovery from substance use and mental health disorders. The Partners for Recovery Web site (www.pfr.samhsa.gov) facilitates communication and resource...

Urine sample collection device.(Addiction Professional Monitor)
May 1, 2006... Cherie Enterprises LLC's new Tru-Catch[R] urine specimen collection system can enhance drug screening by allowing for the collection of a sterile sample without the use of one's hands. Tru-Catch is a polyethylene two-piece unit consisting of a...

Continuing education quiz.
May 1, 2006... Earn continuing education credits by taking this quiz on the article that begins on page 30 of this issue. A grade of 70% or above will earn you a certificate of completion for two nationally certified continuing education hours. This is an...