Learn the motivation and reasoning behind the substance use disorders section of DSM-5 in this interview with chair of the substance use disorders workgroup, Charles P O’Brien, MD, PhD
The ability of primary care and other office-based physicians to prescribe buprenorphine has more than doubled the capacity of the US healthcare system to treat patients addicted to prescription opioids and heroin. One barrier to expanding access to this treatment is that some physicians cite a lack of available counseling services as reason not to offer buprenorphine treatment in their offices.
Alcoholism doesn’t just affect the alcoholic. It can impact spouses, partners, children, other family members, and friends. Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is there to help alcoholics stop drinking, but there are other fellowships to help those with a loved one who is an alcoholic. These groups welcome members whether their loved...
The heart of the Alcoholic Anonymous (AA) recovery program is contained in 12 Steps.These guiding principles, accepted by AA members as ‘spiritual principles,’ outline a course of action for recovery from alcoholism. The method has since been adapted and become the foundation of other 12-step programs aimed at diverse addictions,...
For decades, the principal treatment for substance use disorders has been psychological therapies. Twelve-step facilitation therapy, modeled after Alcoholics Anonymous, and motivational enhancement therapy are currently the two most widely used.Although disulfiram (Antabuse) hit the U.S. market in 1951, addiction pharmacotherapy was underwhelming for many years. Methadone (Dolophine) eventually arrived...
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), the biggest self-help group for alcoholics not only in the United States but in the world, was founded in 1935 by Bill Wilson. Wilson—known as Bill W in keeping with the AA tradition of Anonymity—was a successful stockbroker who was also an alcoholic. He sought treatment in...