A Christian and an addict walk into a meeting...

Recently Richard Wilmot(PhD), author of “American Euphoria: Saying 'Know' to Drugs”, posted this provocative statement on a LinkedIn discussion group:

“Today one of the main criteria for a diagnosis of drug addiction/alcoholism is: continuing to consume alcohol or another drug “despite unpleasant or adverse consequences” (DSM). For the Christian martyrs the same criteria would apply. People of that time and place—Rome, 2nd century A.D.—could also say that this new Christianity was like a drug that endangered lives and that being a Christian had all the adverse financial, social, psychological and physical consequences that we now see in the lives of drug addicts and alcoholics. And yet Christians, of all ages, in spite of the consequences, continued to profess their faith… and continued to be eaten by lions.

Obviously there was something to Christianity that prevented the Christian from being abstinent from Christianity. It was something internal… an internal euphoria. It was something that could not be seen but nevertheless was something that was felt… and felt as something awesomely significant. It was something that made all the pain and suffering worthwhile: it was a religious experience.

Substance Use Knowledge Amongst Emergency Room and General Medical Personnel

Recently I had the misfortune of having to receive emergency treatment for a heart attack. I used this opportunity to do some investigation into how much emergency and other medical personnel know about substance use, and how much training they have been given.

Before I go any further, I would like to state that all the staff that I interacted with were excellent, and I believe I received a high standard of care, so I am not looking to criticise them or their abilities, but rather spot gaps in their training, pertaining specifically to substance use.

June 2013 Newsletter

After a busy two months I have finally managed to produce a newsletter. I recently gave a talk on the emerging divide between those who believe that opioid substitution is a treatment in itself, and those who believe that it is not really recovery. My talk, Opioid Substitution Therapy: Treatment vs. Recovery can be found here. This was prior to me being aware of the DSM qualification of "on maintenance therapy" for those in remission from Substance Use Disorders. I think we will see this argument developing in the States, and opinions will remain polarised. Hopefully we will see a more balanced approach in the South African setting. Comments are most welcome.

In this month's newsletter we talk about: Agonist Therapy for Stimulant Addiction, Is addiction a Disease?, The Anti-Reward System, Stimulant Addiction and Gray Matter, The Most Important Treatment Studies Matrix, Chris Arnade, Mindfulness and Improved RCTs in addiction.

Opioid Substitution Therapy: Treatment vs. Recovery

Introduction

Opioid Substitution Therapy has been a controversial topic. Somehow it is easier for the addiction recovery industry to accept medications such as Disulfiram with its aversive effect or acamprosate which does not carry the risk of approximating the state of alcohol intoxication and because studies have suggested that it is only effective in conjunction with psycho-social interventions. OST, on the other hand, uses opioid agonists or partial agonists that act in similar ways to the drugs of dependence, albeit without the same quality of high, and this, some have suggested, shifts the addiction from opioid dependence to another dependence and may be of more harm than good to the addict.

Addiction Information March 2013 Newsletter

This month we celebrated Human Rights Day in South Africa. I was given the opportunity to share my opinion on why those suffering from addiction are seldom afforded the same rights as others. A copy of my speech can be found here: Human Rights Day: Addicts are also Human. This month saw the first International Conference on Behavioral Addictions taking place in Budapest and so it is fitting to talk a bit about gambling addiction. Also in this issue: 

The DeltaFOSB Feedforward Loop, Drug Court, The Portuguese Drug Policy, Russel Brand on Addiction, Discontinuation of Sublingual Buprenorphine and Possible Approval for Buprenorphine Implants

Human Rights Day Speech

Addicts Are Also Human

By Shaun Shelly
This is a speech I delivered at a public function held to celebrate Human Rights Day in South Africa. Addicts are one of the most marginalised groups in society, not even enjoying the right to freedom or medical care:

The Bill of Rights is a cornerstone of democracy in South Africa. It enshrines the rights of all people in our country and affirms the democratic values of human dignity, equality and freedom.  It places a responsibility on the state to respect, protect, promote and fulfill the rights in the Bill of Rights.

Addiction Information February 2013 Newsletter

This is Newsletter Number 2, which is a little late due to a crashed hard-drive. The only two documents I had not backed up were the talk I was due to present "Sex, Drugs and No Control", and this newsletter, so it was back to the keypad! But we've made it, although in a slightly shorter version. I hope you find this summary of addiction news from around the world useful. Your suggestions are again most welcome, and articles for the website or that you would like to have linked to this newsletter can be directly submitted to me by e-mailing shaun.shelly@yahoo.com.

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In this issue: 
Inside Rehab, Celebrity Rehab, Recovery or Treatment?, Dr Mark Willenbring, OST, Naloxone, NMDA  Modulators, Epigenetics, Frankenstien Drugs, Local Research, Ibudilast for Meth addiction?, Policy in NZ, Columbia and Africa, Banker or Dealer?