There has been a push to understand and define addiction in our society as a brain disease, primarily because of the strong evidence from neuroimaging studies that have identified clear changes in the brain for those who struggle with addiction. At the same time, others have provided evidence that addiction is an adaptive response to… [Continue Reading]
Community Reinforcement and Family Training (CRAFT)
At a training not long ago on CRAFT, the presenter, Dr. Robert Meyers, told a story that I want to pass on to you. But first, if you have never heard of CRAFT, it stands for Community Reinforcement and Family Training which is an evidence-based approach that family members (or friends) can use to facilitate getting… [Continue Reading]
Investing in Addiction Treatment: Is it Worth the Cost?
I recently talked with a Huffington Post reporter about the Real Tab for Rehab: Inside the Addiction Treatment Biz. In our discussion, I pointed out that to a large extent we still have an addiction treatment system that provides short-term (acute) treatment for a long-term (chronic) problem (this key point did not make the article). In… [Continue Reading]
The Gap Between Research & Practice
Each year our government spends approximately: $95 billion dollars on research to develop new treatments (medical, behavioral, psychiatric, addiction) $1.3 trillion dollars a year on actual services to patients Yet sadly, less than $1 billion dollars a year is spent on understanding how to take what we learn from science and research – the new… [Continue Reading]
War on Drugs = War on Ourselves
Addiction is among our most significant public health problems, which is why I am so excited that the Obama/Biden Administration has named A. Thomas McLellan to the post of Deputy Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy. Tom brings tremendous talent and experience as an addiction researcher to the position, and from my experience and… [Continue Reading]