Pubdate: Tue, 29 Dec 2015
Source: Vancouver Sun (CN BC)
Copyright: 2015 Postmedia Network Inc.
Contact:  http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/477
Author: Michael Pond
Note: Michael Pond is a Vancouver psychotherapist and recovered 
alcoholic. He writes in The Sun every second Tuesday.
Page: D3

Personal Therapy

ADDICTION MYTHS DEBUNKED

Misconception: Evidence-Based Science Shows Folly of Substance Abuse 'Truths'

I've had the good fortune to be part of a film this year, made by my 
partner Maureen Palmer, which will air on CBC's The Nature of Things 
on Jan. 21. In the film, called Wasted, leading addiction researchers 
reveal tantalizing clues to what causes addiction and make the case 
for new, compassionate evidence-based treatment.

Their work challenges deeply held, but erroneous beliefs about those 
who can't quit drinking. Perhaps you'll think differently as you 
watch a loved one struggle with a substance use disorder this holiday season.

1. If they just had enough willpower, they'd kick their habit.

Say you do the same thing 100 times on your computer. Your computer 
doesn't change. But if your brain does the same thing over and over, 
the structure of the brain itself changes. Advances in neuroscience 
show us the reward circuitry in susceptible people's brains can be 
hijacked by repeated use of booze or drugs, essentially overriding 
the user's capacity to stop. That makes the choice to not use much 
more complicated than a lack of willpower.

2. Getting tough with the substance user will get him to quit.

Studies show tough love, shaming and humiliating people with 
substance use disorder will only make their condition worse. They 
will likely feel worse about themselves and may use more in secret. 
To quote Stanford University's Dr. Keith Humphreys, the former senior 
policy adviser for the Obama administration's White House Office of 
National Drug Control Policy: "It's remarkable that people believe 
what's needed is more punishment. If punishment worked, nobody would 
be addicted. It's a pretty punishing experience."

3. Relapse is not a fail.

It's common practice to kick people out of rehab if they begin 
drinking or using again. But it's wrong, the world's experts say.

Dr. Humphreys: "This is the only field where you can be kicked out of 
treatment for demonstrating that the diagnosis was accurate. I view 
that as uncompassionate and really, really poor health care."

Dr. Bill Miller, one of the world's greatest authorities on addiction 
research and treatment: "The idea that if you have one drink, then 
invariably you're going to drink a huge amount of alcohol just is not 
how treatment outcome data look. You can find individuals who look 
that way, but in general, what you see over time is longer and longer 
periods between episodes of drinking. And the episodes of drinking 
get shorter and less severe over time, and then eventually fade away."

The Betty Ford Center no longer kicks people out of treatment for 
relapsing. Instead, a relapse is a signal that treatment for the 
individual needs to be re-evaluated and changed.

4. He's just one of those guys who has to hit rock bottom.

For thousands of people every year, "rock bottom" is injury, disease 
and death. The evidence shows addiction should be treated like any 
other serious chronic health disorder, early treatment, using every 
option available with community and medical support. Early screening 
and brief interventions for unsafe alcohol use could save thousands 
of lives and billions of taxpayer dollars spent on the consequences 
caused by out-of-control substance use.

5. You don't use drugs to get off drugs.

There is a widespread, but incorrect belief, that you don't use one 
substance to get off another. But for many individuals, a proven 
medication can be very effective. Drugs like naltrexone, or its 
30-day injectable form called Vivitrol, not yet available in Canada, 
can reduce craving, helps people remain abstinent, and interferes 
with the tendency to want to drink more if the individual does have a drink.

They don't work for everyone, but nothing works for everyone. These 
medications can provide sufferers with a valuable new tool to manage 
their disorder.

Our film makes a persuasive case for an expanded tool kit to treat 
our No. 1 public health care problem - a tool kit based on science 
that offers hope to people whose lives and families are wasted by addiction.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom