Naltrexone (brand names include Vivitrol and ReVia) blocks opioid receptors just like Narcan (naloxone), which is used to treat opioid overdoses. Both drugs prevent any opioids in the vicinity From being able to latch onto opioid receptors and do their opioid thing. While Narcan and fast- and short-acting, naltrexone works more slowly and is longer-acting. It’s available …
A nurse that I used to work with developed an addiction a number of years back. When it came out, in order to have any hope of getting his job and his nursing license back, he was required to see an addictions specialist and adhere to the treatment plan that was set out. One of …
Should People with Addictions Be Forced to Attend AA? Read More »
This post is by Doctor Getting Sober. Does a Diagnosis Make a Difference? My last post – The Retreat led to an interesting discussion about depression and anti-depressants in the comments section amongst fellow bloggers. I had been to my GP as I’m off work so needed a sick note. I asked my doctor to …
We’re all familiar, at least to some extent, with the sex trade. If nothing else, you may have seen the movie Pretty Woman. The level of desperation in the survival sex trade, though, is galaxies away from what you see in Pretty Woman. The vulnerable I used to work at a community mental health team …
The Survival Sex Trade: This Is Definitely Not Pretty Woman Read More »
He’s a Porn Addict… Now What?: An Expert and a Former Addict Answer Your Questions by Tony Overbay and Joshua Shea is written to serve as a resource for partners of men with pornography addictions. It’s a unique combination of viewpoints; Tony is a licensed marriage and family therapist, and Josh is a former porn …
I have an issue with pseudoscience masquerading as science. Whether these ideas have any associated value or not isn’t my concern. My problem is when science-like concepts are used to trick people into believing that an idea is something that it isn’t. My current rant is about dopamine fasting. I recently heard about this from …
The Addiction Nobody Will Talk About by Joshua Shea describes the events that caused his life to come shattering down, and how he began to rebuild and heal. Much of the book revolves around the local lifestyle magazine he started, which grew into starting a film festival and getting elected to city council. Interspersed throughout …
Book Review: The Addiction Nobody Will Talk About Read More »
“Drug-seeking.” “Med-seeking.” They’re labels with very negative connotations, but health care providers often use them to refer to patients taking medications with the potential for abuse. Yet isn’t anyone going to see their doctor for a prescription seeking out drugs? Why is seeking medications okay in some instances but not in others? If “medication compliance” …
“Drug-Seeking”: Health Professional Labelling of Patients Read More »
If you were around in the 80’s, you are probably very familiar with the message to “just say no” that was part of the overall war on drugs. In 1991, Saved By The Bell got on board with an episode that told viewers “there’s no hope with dope.” There was also the classic egg in …
NIMBYism is a fascinating phenomenon. NIMBYs, who think that something is okay as long as it’s Not In My BackYard, cover discrimination with a thin veneer of civility and acceptability. Among the many manifestations of this is with regards to social housing, including supported housing for people with mental illness. The NIMBY arguments NIMBYs’ arguments …
NIMBYism and Resistance to Mental Health Housing Read More »
