Professionals and Addiction

Pilots and physicians have excellent recovery programs that take advantage of what  research has proven makes effective treatment. This is not the case for many other professions:  lawyers, nurses, pharmacists, and dentists.

While addicted physicians and pilots do have some unique occupational traits, their programs have demonstrated that the application of research and treatment standards can lead to long-term positive outcomes. When looking for a drug and alcohol treatment program (even if you’re not an addicted lawyer or nurse), you should consider what has been successful in these programs:

1. provide consequences for termination of treatment or positive drug tests, which improves the outcome in addiction treatment.
2. frequent random drug testing (few outpatient programs include it at all, much less at the frequency it needs to be)
3. connection to abstinence-based 12-Step programs and fellowships
4. actively manage relapse by intensifying treatment and monitoring
5. sustained therapeutic contact over a long period of time improves outcomes (think months and years, not days and weeks)

If you’re interested in reading more, read “Setting the Standard for Recovery:  Physician’s Health Programs” DuPont and McLellan in the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 2009.

It doesn’t matter where you’re looking for rehab services:  Dallas/Ft. Worth, Frisco, Plano, anywhere in the U.S., make sure your questions for treatment include the above points because sober living is possible.

Choosing an Alcohol and Drug Treatment Program

Decades of successful treatment and research has helped to clarify many hotly debated issues. It’s difficult to determine what’s most importance in an alcohol recovery program:  using 12-Step Programs (i.e. Alcoholics Anonymous), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Family Therapy, or other approaches to treatment. What we have come to realize is that all of those approaches make unique contributions in trying to overcome a drug or alcohol addiction. When it comes to overcoming something as terrible as addiction, we must look to utilize all the resources and tools available. Check out this great link on addiction treatment.

Relapse and Addiction Treatment

If you have an interest in alcohol and drug treatment or addictions and recovery, check out the July/August Psychology Today. It contains an article by Kathleen McGowan about the road to recovery. The article presents a helpful discussion of the challenges of sobriety and the dangers people face when they leave drug rehab programs or as they transition back to life or work. McGowan also addresses relapse, cravings and triggers, and ways for addicts and alcoholics to confront these challenges. It’s certainly a worthy read.

The Science of Addiction

Over the past several decades, researchers have explored many avenues of addiction. From the gene level all the way through the impact of the family, the environment, and the effectiveness of treatment. One of the most concise and quick summaries of that research is a pamphlet from the National Institute of Drug Abuse titled “Drugs, Brains, and Behavior -  The Scence of Addiction.” Whether you live in Texas or across the world, gaining the latest research and treatment information about addiciton has never been easier. The challenge is knowing where to find the good information, and this website, this brochure is the good information. If you’re looking for a drug rehab in Dallas, TX or an alcohol rehabilitation facility in Fort Worth, TX, NIDA’s pamphlet provides you the key areas to ask about in seeking help for sober living.

Women and Addiction

The study of women and addiction is quickly becoming a topic of research, perhaps influenced by the increase in alcohol addiction rates in women.  Men are more likely to suffer from addiction while women find that addiction brings “a greater severity of problems” and can develop more quickly than in men. An article from Women’s Issues sheds light on the plight of women with substance use and abuse problems by describing not only the stigma women face in admitting addiction but also the difficulties of entering into treatment

Alcohol Abuse and Dependence Diagnosis

Alcoholic, alcohol addiction, alcohol dependence, alcohol abuse, casual drinker, problem drinker, binge drinker – those are just a few of the terms that families and friends use when they are concerned about someone’s use of alcohol.  We sometimes get lost in labels and diagnoses.  There is a great website that helps assess risky levels of alcohol use, one of the best sites I’ve come across in a long time.  It’s easy to use and reflects decades of research on normal and problem drinking patterns.  Check out the link.

College Drinking and Its Consequences

I attended a meeting on college drinking and the challenges facing students trying to be sober in college.  A report by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism provides some mixed results.  Problems continue to occur but creative interventions are having an impact.  Binge drinking, driving while intoxicated, and the number of alcohol related deaths continue to rise.  Approximately 20% of college students met the criteria for alcohol abuse or dependence.  The encouraging news is that initiatives have helped reduce alcohol-related assaults, emergency department visits, and alcohol-related crashes.