What If My Child Isn’t Motivated to Get Treatment for Addiction?
Suggesting Treatment to a Loved One
Intervention – a Starting Point
Drug Use, Stigma, and the Proactive Contagions to Reduce Both
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The intersection of neuroscience and addiction treatment has paved the way for innovative interventions aimed at addressing cognitive alterations that can hinder the effectiveness of current treatments for substance use disorders. The study published on Wiley Online Library presents a comprehensive overview of expert-endorsed cognitive rehabilitation interventions, such as cognitive bias modification, contingency management, cognitive remediation, and emotion regulation training, as adjuncts to traditional substance use disorder treatments. Here, we delve into the therapeutic mechanisms, clinical implications, and translation challenges associated with these interventions:
Cognitive Bias Modification
By resetting drug-related biases through various forms of computerised cognitive training, cognitive bias modification aims to redirect tendencies towards substance use to alternative targets. This intervention targets addiction-related alterations in the incentive salience system, diminishing the value of drug rewards while enhancing the value of alternative reinforcers.
Contingency Management
Contingency management offers tangible incentives, like monetary payments, for achieving therapeutic goals such as treatment attendance or abstaining from substance use. By reducing the value of drug rewards and increasing the value of non-substance-related reinforcers, this intervention addresses addiction-related alterations in the incentive salience system.
Through mental strategies designed to restore cognitive deficits and enhance everyday functioning, cognitive remediation focuses on improving cognitive skills to support adaptive behaviour. Strategies like “pause – check your goal – choose” help individuals thwart impulsive decisions in high-risk scenarios, thereby strengthening executive control of behaviour.
Emotion Regulation Training
Emotion regulation training utilises mental strategies to manage negative emotions and amplify positive affect, fostering improved emotional control and enhancing well-being. By targeting addiction-related alterations in the executive control system, this intervention strengthens top-down control over behaviour and emotions.
The Delphi consensus endorsed applying these interventions post-acute detoxification, maintaining them weekly for at least three months. Individualised neuropsychosocial assessments guide the selection of specific interventions tailored to each individual’s needs and substance use disorder profile.
Despite the evidence-informed nature of these interventions, their translation into clinical practice faces several barriers. Controversies around addiction models, the gap between research and clinical realms, limited technology and resource availability, and complex policy landscapes present hurdles to integrating cognitive rehabilitation into addiction treatment.
(Source: Wiley Online Library)
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Managing pain when struggling with addiction presents a complex challenge that requires a delicate balance between pain relief and addiction management. Individuals grappling with addiction face unique hurdles when it comes to pain management, as traditional pain medications may pose a risk of triggering or exacerbating addictive behaviours. Integrative approaches that combine non-pharmacological methods, such as physical therapy, acupuncture, mindfulness techniques, and cognitive-behavioural therapy, alongside non-addictive pharmacological options, offer a holistic approach to pain relief while minimising the risk of addiction relapse.
Navigating the intersection of pain management and addiction recovery necessitates a tailored treatment plan that addresses both physical discomfort and psychological aspects of addiction. Engaging in open communication with healthcare providers, addiction specialists, and pain management professionals is crucial to crafting a personalised pain management strategy that prioritises both pain control and addiction recovery goals. By adopting a comprehensive and collaborative approach, individuals can effectively manage pain while safeguarding their progress in addiction treatment.
(WRD News)
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For scientists: This is the first study to estimate the prevalence of adolescents in recovery from substance use among a large, epidemiological sample. The study found that 1.4% of adolescents reported both resolving a substance use problem and identified as being in recovery. Findings should be replicated in other states and with a nationally representative sample. Additional work could also incorporate other important covariates in propensity score matching (e.g., family structure, family history). In this study, past 30-day prescription drug use was different between those in recovery and the matched samples, but cannabis and alcohol use were not. Adolescents may conceptualize recovery differently than adults. Further qualitative investigation of how adolescents comprehend and navigate substance use “problem resolution” and “recovery” are needed to better understand and support those adolescents.
https://www.recoveryanswers.org/research-post/can-adolescents-recovery-findings-large-state-wide-study/
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Public Health England, King’s College London et al published Effectiveness of inpatient withdrawal and residential rehabilitation interventions for alcohol use disorder… observational, cohort study in England, a 1st of its kind. 59% of patients successfully completed treatment in 12 months. Longer treatment and structured continuing care yielded better treatment outcomes.
Highlights
- This is the first national study of inpatient withdrawal and residential rehabilitation for alcohol use disorder in England.
- 59% successfully completed AUD treatment and did not represent for more treatment within 6 months;
- Community-based treatment prior and subsequent to IW positively predicted favourable outcome
- Community-based treatment subsequent to RR predicted favourable outcome
- Provision of structured continuing care was associated with favourable outcome
(Source: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S074054721730291X )
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Quitting alcohol cold turkey is not as hard as it seems.
t’s been over 365 days since my last drop of alcohol.
Over the last year, I’ve had numerous people tell me how impressed they are, and how they wished they could do it too, followed by excuses as to why they could never do it.
The truth is, if I did it, you can too. But, you have to actually want to quit.
I worked in the nightlife industry for years. I owned a nightclub, and a lounge, and was a club promoter, DJ, bartender, and professional partier. At one point I was drinking anywhere from 120 to 200oz a week, and that lasted for years.
And then, I quit alcohol cold turkey. Let me tell you how I quit, and why you can too.
…This is how I quit:
- I started writing and talking about quitting
- I replaced alcohol with different beverages
- I started identifying myself as a “sober person”
- I set goals for myself where if I drank, it would set me back.
- I replaced drinking time, with other fun activities such as chess, Settlers of Catan or poker.
- I changed my sleeping habits so that I wouldn’t even be awake when others were drinking.
Doesn’t sound so hard, does it?