Addiction & Recovery

Longer essays and shorter, commentary-based articles on topics relating to addiction, recovery and the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. Look for the (New) and (Updated) postings as you browse.

2008 National Drug Use Survey

In 2008, an estimated 20.1 million Americans aged 12 or older (8.0% of the population) were current illicit drug users, meaning they had used an illicit drug during the month prior to the survey interview. The overall rate of current illicit drug use was identical to the rate in 2007 (8.0%) and has remained stable since 2002 (8.3%).

2008 World Drug Report

The past few World Drug Reports  (WDR) have indicated illicit drug use was being contained. In 2007, the WDR said that: “For almost every kind of illicit drug - cocaine, heroin, cannabis and amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) - there are signs of overall stability, whether we speak of cultivation, production or consumption.” But there is concern in the 2008 Report that this stability could be undermined as the drug traffickers adapt to the changing markets for their products.

Abstinence and Neurocognitive Deficits

Research published in the September 2006 issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research suggested that alcoholics with long-term abstinence can overcome much of the neurological damage done from drinking. The study looked at alcoholics sober for six months to 13 years and found that with long-term abstinence, alcoholics can recover many, but not all, of their neurocognitive deficits.

Abusing Prescription Drugs  

Problems with the abuse of prescription drugs has been on the rise for several years.  In a May 2010 study US hospital admissions due to poisoning by prescription drugs (opioids, sedatives and tranquilizers) reportedly rose from 43,000 to 71,000 between 1999 and 2006. That is a 65% increase; about double the increase observed for poisoning by other drugs and medicines. The largest increase in hospitalizations for poisonings was for methadone (400%). The abuse and trafficking of prescription drugs appears to be ready to surpass illicit drug abuse worldwide.

The Age of Miracles is Still with Us

Over the past fifty years there has been an increased cultural acceptance of recreational drug use, leading to a question of whether a “pure” alcoholic will someday become as rare as a “pure” drug addict once was. Has an organization like Alcoholics Anonymous, whose primary purpose is to carry the message to the still suffering alcoholic, outlived it’s usefulness or is there still a need for a Fellowship with such a single-minded purpose?

Chasing a Chained Dragon: Methadone Abuse and Misuse

According to a report from the National Drug Intelligence Center (NDIC) of the U.S. Department of Justice, the number of methadone-related deaths increased 390% from 1999 to 2004. 2004 was the last year that national data on opioid deaths was available for analysis. Selected data from state health department indicates that methadone poisoning deaths continued to increase through 2006.

Cigarette and Tobacco Research 

Research into cigarette and tobacco smoking is not new. The health hazards have been clearly established. But ongoing research into the harmful effects of smoking tobacco continues; and every so often it contributes something to our knowledge about the broader field of addiction. This article will be periodically updated as these findings come to my attention.

Concurrent Drug and Alcohol Use 

There was a short report done by the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) that examined concurrent drug and alcohol use. As the report suggests, there is a limited amount of research into this topic, despite the potential for more severe adverse consequences when using more than a single substance at a time. We’ll take a look at some of its data here. Although this comes as no big surprise, adolescents and young adults have higher rates of concurrent drug and alcohol use than individuals in older age brackets; and marijuana was the most frequently used illicit drug with alcohol.

Inoculate Yourself Against Cocaine?  

Can you believe it? A vaccine is being developed that tricks antibodies into identifying and neutralizing cocaine molecules, so that the cocaine cannot pass through the blood–brain barrier and cause an individual to get high. A researcher at the Baylor College of Medicine, Tom Kosten, M.D., has developed a cocaine vaccine; and he plans similar vaccines for methamphetamine and nicotine. Preliminary results from the first clinical trials in humans suggest that the cocaine vaccine holds tremendous promise.

Just a New Head for the Hydra of Opiate Addiction?

In addition to methadone, there is another opiate replacement medication on the U.S. market, buprenorphine (as Subutex or Suboxone). While data on buprenorphine in the U.S. suggests that it has a relatively low rate of misuse and abuse at this time, this may not continue to be the case. The International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) 2006 annual report indicated that buprenorphine is one of the psychotropic medications most frequently diverted into the illicit drug market worldwide. Anecdotal evidence indicates that despite the cautions taken for dispensing buprenorphine, some maintenance patients manipulate their physicians in order to get high from buprenorphine. There is even a website to exchange information on how to get the most from your buprenorphine high.

Marijuana Research Findings (updated)

There seems to be a growing consensus on the medical and mental health concerns associated with smoking marijuana. The first report on the association between marijuana and lung cancer appeared as a news brief on the Anselm Ministries web site in 2006. Beginning in the summer of 2007, a series of research studies into the health risks of smoking marijuana began to appear in various medical and research journals. They are gathered here for your convenience. I will periodically update this article as new research studies on marijuana become known to me.

Teenage Drug and Alcohol Use 

Teens who use drugs and alcohol at an early age are more likely to develop substance dependence or abuse problems later in life. So it has been a goal of the Federal government for many years to prevent or delay substance use among adolescents. The good news is that in 2007, the Healthy People 2010 Database indicated that 79% of adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17 did not use alcohol or illicit drugs in the 30 days prior to the survey. The bad news is that of the 2.9 million people who reported using an illicit drug for the first time in 2008, 56.7% were under 18. Most (84.6%) of the first time alcohol users (4.5 million) in 2008 were under the age of 21.