Addiction Treatment Blog

In 1954, Olds and Milner discovered that there appeared to be pleasure spots in the brain. Implanting electrodes in certain areas of the brain, through which a rat can give itself an electric current by pressing on a lever, produced in most brain areas nothing of note. In some areas, however, the rats seemed keen on the effects of self-stimulation and, in some cases, if left to their own devices would self-stimulate to the exclusion of all else – even food and drink.

As mentioned, noradrenaline was discovered in the brain in 1954. In 1959, a second catecolamine, dopamine, was identified, which was shown to be deficient in Parkinson’s disease.

The later mapping of dopamine-containing neurones has shown that they too, like noradrenergic neurones, tend to originate in a discrete area, the ventral tegmentum. Some of these neurones run to strictly motor areas of the brain and constitute the nigrostriatal system, and it is loss of nerve calls in this pathway that leads to Parkinson’s disease. Read more…

If the induction of appetites and cravings, which has been hitherto seen as psychological dependence, is not in fact any more psychological than the physical dependence that underlies withdrawal, is there any other psychology involved? There almost certainly is (1). For example LSD, phencyclidine and many of the new designer drugs do not cause either type 1 or 2 physical dependence. Yet they are increasingly abused, despite evidence that many of these compounds may be fatal. Phencyclidine, for example, has led to a considerable number of fatalities and, despite not leading to any obvious euphoria, during the 1980s became for a period the second most common drug of abuse in the USA. Why?

Common to many of these drugs is the fact that they alter consciousness and, as a result, are interesting to take. On tis basis, one explanation that may account psychedelics, opiates or alcohol, there is a certain amount of playful activity. Read more…

Watching your daily drinking limits carefully will be beneficial to you in longer term.

All estimates of the total number of problem drinkers tend, by their nature, to be conservative. However, some statistics are very useful for statutory bodies.

The total cost to the NHS of alcohol related problems (ARPs) was £149.35 million in 1990. £26.51 million went into in-patient mental health units, while £109.41 million went into other forms of psychiatric intervention for ARPs. It is estimated that 200,000 life-years are lost per year due to alcohol related problems, with an overall cost to the nation of approximately £2.5 billion.

It is currently estimated that each health district has, on average, 43,000 people who currently drink more than the recommended sensible limit. Approximately 13,750 problem drinkers in each district are presently in contact with the caring professions as a consequence of their alcohol misuse. Read more…

There are disadvantages to home detoxification in addition to it's advantages.

The disadvantages of home detoxification need to be actively considered in each case. The home environment may contain an excessive number of ‘triggers’: it could be that alcohol consumption normally take place at home, with family or friends; access to alcohol may be easy. Therefore, external pressures on the problem drinker may be strong, with the immediate ‘rewards’ from drinking, outweighing the long-term benefits of abstention or moderation.

Hospital admission can offer short-term avoidance of these ‘triggers’. This technique is occasionally used in behavioural management, but long term survival requires more active coping skills.

Several studies have stressed the value of family support in successful treatment outcomes for this client group. However, existing problems within the family (eg marital problems) may lead to additional stress during detoxification. The husband may want to re-establish control of his family, for example in the management of discipline, and/or financial matters. He may try to compensate for lost time with the children by lavishing attention on them and trying to be the model father. The spouse, however, may not want to relinquish this control, having fought long and hard to gain it against the odds. She may not wish to take the risk that her husband will destroy it all again. Thus, the conflict or roles may prompt the need for ‘time out’, allowing separate therapeutic intervention for each partner and a ‘cooling off’ period. In such situations, short-term hospital admission may be appropriate if there is no other suitable alternative. Read more…

Choosing home detoxification may be crucial to your psychological wellbeing.

There are many advantages of home detoxification for both the client and the service provider. There are financial benefits, which will be covered in greater detail in articles due to be published later on this website, and personal benefits for the client, discussed in this article.

Home detoxification ensures that the client can remain within, and make full use of, the home and family support network. It enhances the continuing care process during the involvement of the primary worker and the nurse specialist.

Avoidance of hospital admission reduces the risk of stigma associated with in-patient mental health care. It is also desirable in cases where clients have unpleasant experience of past admissions. Many clients are unlikely to accept in-patient treatment; they feel more secure at home. However, there is a need for careful screening for suitability for home detoxification. Withdrawal and the use of prescribed (and non-prescribed) medication must be closely monitored. Read more…

Home Detox has many advantages compared to clinical detox on alcohol addiction.

The term ‘detoxification‘ can be applied in several ways. It can be used to imply a ‘process’ whereby a substance leaves the body, ie removal of alcohol or a poison; or it can refer to an ‘action’. ie a treatment which entails subjecting onself or another person to a ‘process’.

Within the caring professions, alcohol detoxification is largely recognized as a treatment. What follows aims to examine and explain this method of treatment.

Dr. Tim Stockwell developed the currently recognized model for home detoxification, which he defined as:

a treatment designed to control both medical and psychological complications which may occur temporarily after a period of heavy and sustained alcohol use.

This blog will use Dr. Stockwell’s model throughout.

Withdrawal from even small amounts of alcohol consumption will have physical effects as the substance decreases within the body. These may be relatively minor, such as sensitivity to light, irritability or thirst. Only a small proportion of people with alcohol related problems will have withdrawal symptoms that are so severe that they risk experiencing delirium tremens (DTs) or convulsions. Read more…