Ray Smith Posted July 16, 2009 Report Share Posted July 16, 2009 Peele on "maturing out""I give this common sense example because "addiction experts" (like this reader) are unlikely to be deterred by actual data. According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 21 percent of Americans ages 18-25 are dependent on or abuse substances (the most being alcohol dependent), while 7 percent of those over 26 are. According to Kenneth Sher and his colleagues in Psychological Theories of Drinking and Alcoholism (p. 91): "The large declines in the mid- to late 20s is often termed 'maturing out' and is associated with . . . . marriage, pregnancy (for both women, and to a lesser degree, their spouses)." The failure to mature out is often due to psychopathology factors., 21 percent of Americans ages 18-25 are dependent on or abuse substances (the most being alcohol dependent), while 7 percent of those over 26 are. According to Kenneth Sher and his colleagues in Psychological Theories of Drinking and Alcoholism (p. 91): "The large declines in the mid- to late 20s is often termed 'maturing out' and is associated with . . . . marriage, pregnancy (for both women, and to a lesser degree, their spouses)." The failure to mature out is often due to psychopathology factors.full article: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/addiction-in-society/200907/addiction-experts-want-you-be-michael-jackson2007 National Survey on Drug Use & Health: Detailed Tables:http://www.oas.samhsa.gov/NSDUH/2k7NSDUH/tabs/Sect5peTabs1to56.htm#Tab5.2B John Rutledge 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Smith Posted July 16, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 16, 2009 Handbook of alcoholism treatment approaches: Effective alternatives, Allyn & Bacon, shows 37 out of 48 methods tested to be superior to Alcoholics Anonymous (and that's not dual diagnosis specific). 1) Brief interventions 2) Motivational enhancement 3) GABA agonist (Acamprosate) 4.5) Community Reinforcement 4.5) Self-change manual 6) Opiate antagonist (Naltrexone) 7) Behavioral self-control training 8) Behavior contracting 9) Social skills training 10) Marital therapy-Behavioral 11) Aversion therapy-Nausea 12) Case managment 13) Cognitive Therapy14.5) Aversion Therapy, Covert Sensitization14.5) Aversion Therapy. Apneic 16) Family Therapy 17) Acupuncture 18) Client-centered Counsling 19) Aversion therapy, Electrical 20) Exercise 21) Stress Management 22) Antidipsotropic- Disulfiram 23) Antidepressant-SSRI 24) Problem Solving 25) Lithium 26) Marital therapy- Nonbehavioral 27) Group process pyschotherapy 28) Functional analysis 29) Relapse Prevention 30) Self-monitoring 31) Hypnosis 32) Psychedelic medication 33) Antidipsotropic-calcium carbimide 34) Attention Placebo 35) Serotonin agonist 36) Treatment as usual 37) Twelve-step facilitation* 38) Alcoholics anonymous 39) Anxiolytic medication 40) Milieu Therapy 41) Antidipsotropic-metronidazole 42) Antidepressant medication (non-SSRI) 43) Videotape sefl-confrontation 44) Relaxation training 45) Confrontational Counseling 46) Psychotherapy 47) Gerneral alcoholism counseling 48) Education (tapes, lectures, or films) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Smith Posted July 18, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 18, 2009 I was just over on RichardDawkins.net and saw that someone used this to explain "miracles" in AA:ARGUMENT FROM AIRPLANE CRASH, a.k.a. YOU ONLY HEAR FROM THE SURVIVORS (II)(1) An airplane I was on crashed, killing most passengers.(2) I survived!(3) It was a MIRACLE!(4) Only God could have done that.(5) Therefore, God exists.(from http://www.godlessgeeks.com/LINKS/GodProof.htm ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Smith Posted July 18, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 18, 2009 Many Alcoholics Recover on Their OwnBut the study’s real shocker came from examining that larger group that never seeks treatment. It turns out that, contrary to common treatment wisdom, untreated, undiagnosed alcoholism doesn’t usually mean a lifetime of suffering the disease’s ravages. In fact, the overwhelming majority of dependent drinkers stop and recover completely on their own. “One of the big surprises was that 72 percent of people develop alcohol dependence at some point in their lives, and have a single episode of alcohol dependence that lasts on average three or four years,” says Dr. Willenbring. “And then they remit and they don’t relapse — ever. Only 28 percent have recurring episodes. People with recurring episodes have, on average, five episodes of decreasing length. So that really flies in the face of what most of us have thought for many years, and certainly what’s taught in treatment programs.”http://www.bhcjournal.com/News/SpecialFeatures/tabid/252/Default.aspx?PageNumber=2&ArticleId=14149&PageNumber=2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Smith Posted September 6, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 6, 2009 What's the most important factor in overcoming alcoholism?Dear Stanton:Does the amount or extent of what there is to lose in one's life (successfulcareer, loved ones, money, respect, etc.) have an impact on helping an alcoholicto recover? At the risk of overstating, if an alcoholic realizes how much is atstake personally and/or professionally, has this been shown to be a positiveincentive for cessation of alcohol abuse?Thank you in advance for your guidance.Best regards,JasonDear Jason:I couldn't put it better myself. To quote George Vaillant, in The NaturalHistory of Alcoholism, refering particularly to Baekeland et al. (1975):The most important single prognostic variable associated with remission amongalcoholics who attend alcohol clinics is having something to lose if theycontinue to abuse alcohol.... Patients cited changed life circumstances ratherthan clinic intervention as most important to their abstinence.... Improvedworking and housing conditions made a difference in 40 percent of good outcomes,intrapsychic change in 32 percent, improved marriage in 32 percent, and a single3-hour session of advice and education about drinking... in 35 percent.These results apply in all situations-in other words, more than the type oftherapy, or even whether the person enters therapy, the best chance for recoveryis due to the number and quality of the person's attachments to life. Havingpeople that care about them, including family, friends, and communityinvolvements; having activities of every sort that they find meaningful; havingwork skills, opportunities, and involvement; and so on predict whether peoplewill have the motivation and resources to overcome alcoholism. They have bothmore to lose and more to counteract the appeal of the addiction.ReferencesBaekeland, F., Lundwall, L., & Kissin, B. (1975). Methods for the treatment ofchronic alcoholism: A critical appraisal. In R. J. Gibbons, Y. Israel, H.Kalant, R. E. Popham, W. Schmidt, & R. G. Smart (Eds.), Research advances inalcohol and drug problems (Vol. 2, pp. 247-327). New York: Wiley.Vaillant, G. E. (1983). The natural history of alcoholism. Cambridge, MA:HarvardUniversity Press.Best,Stantonhttp://www.peele.net/faq/factor.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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