Healthcare savings and alcohol and drug abuse treatment: Saving lives and money

From allaboutaddiction:
A recent paper put out by an initiative called Closing the Addiction Treatment Gap (CATG) talks about some of the cost savings benefits that go along with alcohol and drug abuse treatment. The numbers refer to current treatment methods, success rates, etc., so the savings should only go up as we become more successful [...]

Beta blockers, addiction, and craving help: The new holy grail?

From all-about-addiction:
Okay, maybe I’m getting a little ahead of myself here, but I’m pretty excited about one study in particular that I heard about while in DC (for a Society For Neuroscience conference).
I’ve already written about a study by the renowned addiction researcher Barry Everitt showing that medications could be used in treatment to help [...]

Prostate Cancer Screening for Men

From Science Sounds:
The US Preventative Services Task Force concluded last week that men over 75 years old should no longer be screened for prostate cancer. Furthermore, they conclude that “the current evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of prostate cancer screening in men younger than age 75 years.”
As I have [...]

Abortion does not cause mental illness

From Science Sounds:
A recent article in the New York Times reported results from an APA study that concluded that abortion does not cause mental illness. The full title of the article is “Abortion Does Not Cause Mental Illness, Panel Says.” Maybe I am being paranoid, but somehow that title calls the results [...]

Drug memories and relapse: A light at the end of the tunnel?

From All About Addiction:
About a year ago, while sitting in a lecture on learning and memory, the idea that certain drugs can affect the emotional responses to memory long after the memory itself has been formed came up. As someone interested in addiction research, the implication for treatment immediately came up in my head:
Could we [...]

Politics and Proof – The misuse of science

It’s no secret that politicians can twist words to make anything sound as if it supports their agenda. There’s even a name for those who are good at this (and a 90s band with the same name) – Spin Doctors.
However, when scientific findings are misrepresented to support policies, what we get is ideological propoganda. It’s [...]

Addiction Genetics – The new treatment paradigm.

Genetics are making their way into every facet of research nowadays, and addiction treatment is no slouch in that area.
If you haven’t heard of pharmacogenomics yet, you are sure to soon. The idea that medications affect individuals differently based on their unique genetic makeup has picked up a lot of steam in the last few [...]

Enforcement Vs. Prevention

From all-about-addiction:
The U.S. policy regarding the drug problem is centered mainly on the enforcement of its drug laws and the intervention in the drug supply both within the U.S. and from bordering countries. There is no question that this “crusade” has an impact. Importing a kilogram of cocaine into the US costs approx $15000 while [...]

Making the System Safer

In the last 50 years, no one thinks that drivers have gotten better, but fatalities per mile driven have fallen over 80%. How has this become possible? What have we learned from this example that can be applied to other areas?
David Hemenway is a professor of Health Policy at the, Harvard School of [...]

Shared Decision Making in Health Care

With the ongoing saga of the Democratic Primary, and the upcoming presidential election, we will all be hearing more and more about the cost of health care in this country. While the debate at the national and state levels will certainly influence the lives of many down the road, what about the decisions that we [...]