August 6, 2015Medical Press – Psychology & Psychiatry Despite the growing use of online support groups such as those on Facebook to help curb substance abuse, attending traditional face-to-face meetings may continue to be more effective for people trying to maintain sobriety, according to research presented at the American Psychological Association’s 123rd Annual Convention. “One…
New York TimesJULY 31, 2015 Is there anything that would make someone want to join a new social network at this point? We already have Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, as well as smaller alternatives like Ello. And the advent of apps like Snapchat has made public blabbing less appealing than engaging in private communication. But…
By Scott AlpertMarch 05, 2014 This is the fourth in our series of reviews of the 12-Steps addiction treatment program and how each step compares with a 12 Steps alternative approach. We understand the 12 Steps have helped many, many people over the years, and we respect that success. We also recognize that the approach…
Written by Geoff Kane, MD, MPH05 August 2015 “Spirituality”—like “love”—has many interpretations. Some identify spirituality as their personal sense of connection, meaning, and purpose. Others identify it is an elusive abstraction they have never experienced. Those who equate spirituality with religion and are not religious themselves may assume spirituality is not relevant to them. But…
By Clifford W. Beninger 08/18/15 AA is not the only game in town anymore, but these options need your support.ShutterstockSome time ago I was manager of a laboratory facility, and we hired undergraduates to come in and work, learn and gain some experience. Quite often these young people would somewhat reluctantly ask me for advice…
Posted December 3, 2015 in Roundtable Discussion by Anne Fletcher I knew little about the work of Stephanie Covington, PhD, LCSW until just recently when helping a young woman find residential treatment for a substance use disorder and co-occurring mental health problems, including trauma. I came across a unique facility, called A Woman’s Way (scroll down…
A Woman’s Way Through The Twelve Steps by Stephanie Covington AA Agnositca Review A Woman’s Way through the 12 Steps was published in 1994 and has become a favorite book for many women in AA. Why do women have their own book? One reason is the effect on women of the religious language used in the…
“These aren’t throwaway kids. These are kids with huge challenges.” Joseph ErbentrautThe Huffington PostOct. 19, 2015 Teacher Traci Bowermaster arrived at the White Bear Lake Area Learning Center, an alternative high school in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area, in early 2001 with a mandate for change. White Bear Lake was designed to help teens who…
by Chad D. Emrick, Ph.D Thomas P. Beresford, MD. In the December, 2015, edition of this Science Update we responded to a recent article appearing in The Atlantic.1 Its author, Gabrielle Glaser, claimed that AA and its 12-step programs lack scientific foundation, asserting that “nothing about the 12-step approach draws on modern science …..” We presented the…
Opioid painkillers are a double-edged sword. On one hand, they reduce chronic pain, which plagues around 100 million Americans. Yet they can also lead to abuse of painkillers, which all too often develops into a heroin addiction. Researchers from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center conducted a study that assessed the effectiveness of meditation as a…