Curing alcoholism and other addictions

[faceless]

[web]https://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2010/ ... ction-drug[/web]

This sounds brilliant.

[Colston]

This sounds brilliant.

Makes the mistake of thinking that addiction is dependence and vice versa. They are very different things and treatment needs to focus on what the problem is. Addicted people need more than a pill to help them reassemble their lives and to address what makes them seek life in a drug or in a bottle.

I have the fella's original research paper if anyone is interested.

[faceless]

Surely if you're addicted to something that's basically the same thing as a psychological dependence? I realise that some addictions are physical as well as psychological of course, but a pill like this must make it easier to get to a state where you're not damaging yourself - kind of like a patch for smokers in effect.

[Colston]

Surely if you're addicted to something that's basically the same thing as a psychological dependence? I realise that some addictions are physical as well as psychological of course, but a pill like this must make it easier to get to a state where you're not damaging yourself - kind of like a patch for smokers in effect.

Yes... psychological dependence whereas physical dependence (increased tolerance followed by withdrawal symptoms) is qualitatively different.

Addiction needs much more addressing than simulating the drug.

[eefanincan]

Addiction treatment is, and I think always will be, a multi-faceted approach. Where I currently work, we use some medications to help people come off others ---- I don't think it's necessarily a case of swapping one med for another, but some meds are safer, especially when given in a controlled amount and with proper testing and monitoring.

Granted I haven't read the original paper, but it seems to me that this is an idea worth investigating further. It brings to mind another dr. who firmly believed that ulcers were caused by an infection and couldn't get his colleagues to believe him until he infected and then cured himself with an antibiotic treatment. Now, this treatment is an accepted therapy. So, never say never when it comes to new treatment ideas.

[Skylace]

I'm with you on this eefan. Not to mention there are other things that go into addictions. Some people just have addiction in their personalities. They may give up something like drinking but then take up gambling to get a rush. The multi-faceted approach is usually the best. Just like when treating depression. It should be medication WITH therapy.

[Colston]

I'm with you on this eefan. Not to mention there are other things that go into addictions. Some people just have addiction in their personalities. They may give up something like drinking but then take up gambling to get a rush. The multi-faceted approach is usually the best. Just like when treating depression. It should be medication WITH therapy.

Evidence suggests that medication has a negligible effect in all but the most severe cases of depression. As an aside most research into SSRIs has used a technique that removes people who respond to the placebo effect from the control group. Big Pharma is as evil a pressure group as there is.

[Skylace]

It depends on the research you are looking at and whether it is clinical or situational depression. But the drug companies are an issue for sure.
I work for a psych hospital, and there are different ways to treat different types of depression.

[Colston]

It depends on the research you are looking at and whether it is clinical or situational depression. But the drug companies are an issue for sure.
I work for a psych hospital, and there are different ways to treat different types of depression.

Exercise being the best one!

[Stones]

Just like when treating depression. It should be medication WITH therapy.

I suffered for years and was put on about 8 different types of pills and nothing had any effect until I got therapy too. Of course I had also decided that I would finally try and face up to the issue myself instead of expecting everyone else to deal with it so my attitude probably helped a lot. I don't think I could have done it without having the back up of the pills though. The ones I had were SNRI's, i'm not really sure what the difference is.

[eefanincan]

It depends on the research you are looking at and whether it is clinical or situational depression. But the drug companies are an issue for sure.
I work for a psych hospital, and there are different ways to treat different types of depression.

I agree --- it depends on the research you're looking at. Again, the whole, multi-faceted approach can work here, meds + therapy + healthy lifestyle. Drug companies will always play a role in any sort of treatment/therapy, but the patient and their health care team are there to balance that.

Yes, exercise can help, but some people get so depressed that they can't exercise/ eat right, etc...... we need the help of other options to get them to the point of wanting to actively live that healthy lifestyle. For some it's a prescription and some visits with their dr., for some it's hospitalization to get them back on track.

I don't think we can say that any one approach is a solution for everyone.

[SquareEyes]

From my personal (indirect!) experience (some family members, and a good friend), I've found counseling to be no use at all. Similarly, Antabuse etc. didn't work (there are ways around it - even if the patient is seen to swallow the drug, they can induce vomiting a few minutes later during a bathroom visit). This new development sound very interesting.

I have known one tragedy (death), one remarkable self-induced epiphany after everything else failed, and one case where nothing seems to be helping, after years of trying every option.

Everyone is different, and finding the "hook" that will get people out of addiction seems to be a very case-by-case and trial & error process.

[Colston]

This is where it is so important to focus treatment in the right area. Social dysfunction (addiction) or dependence. It is absolutely no use treating the dependence and hoping that the social dysfunction will magically right itself. The biggest predictor of positive treatment outcome is the strength of existing social functioning.

[faceless]

[align=center]
Heavily pregnant mum-to-be seeks advice over furniture polish craving[/align]
The unusual craving means the mother-of-one has developed an urge to eat it two or three times a day and she’s already polished off three cans. ‘I can’t explain why I like it, I think it has a lot do with the texture and how it feels in my mouth,’ said the 26-year-old. ‘I normally spray a bit on my fingers and lick it off or spray a bit on the duster and suck it.’

Not surprisingly, her partner, bricklayer Gavin Wallis, 27, isn’t too keen on her habit. She said: ‘I’d be polishing the TV and turn my back to him to have a taste. When he found out he wasn’t happy.’

Otherwise Ms Veness has a squeaky-clean lifestyle – she doesn’t smoke and rarely drinks. But her doctor confirmed that the teaching assistant, from Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham, suffers from an eating disorder called Pica – an urge to eat things that aren’t food.

Ms Veness even developed a favourite: ‘I’ve tried all the brands but Asda Smart Price polish is the one that does it for me. Others are all too perfumed. Certain things make me crave it more, like simply talking about it or when adverts for polish come on the telly. I wish someone could help me stop. I don’t want to be eating it in my 50s.’

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[cobweb]

Where was that report from Face? They make it sound as if pregnant women eating odd things is rare....There are loads of women who crave non-food things like coal when pregnant.

It's well recorded and as long as the stuff is non-toxic and digestible there's not a problem.