addiction
Wounded Healer
My Review of Drug Dealer MD: How Doctors Were Duped, Patients Got Hooked and Why It’s So Hard to Stop, a Book by Anna Lembke, M.D. In Drug Dealer MD: How Doctors Were Duped, Patients Got Hooked and Why It’s So Hard to Stop, Anna Lembke, M.D. offers her views on how a failed health care system created the…
Read MoreHow to Find an Addiction Treatment Provider
Molly’s Story Illustrates How Addiction Can Happen Molly (a pseudonym) was a 25-year-old woman who developed an addiction to opioids. She was initially prescribed opioids for pain by her gynecologist. Although only a small percentage of people who use opioids become addicted to them, Molly’s story illustrates how it can happen. Molly came to me looking…
Read MoreMarijuana and Pain
Marijuana May Help Solve the Opioid Crisis The opioid crisis is a complex problem with many components, one of which is untreated pain. To the extent that it could be used to help patients manage pain, marijuana might have the potential to become part of the solution. However, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has…
Read MoreResponse to People in Pain
CDC Guidelines for Opioid Prescriptions The CDC Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain, published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in March 2016, was meant to provide recommendations for prescribing opioids. It was not meant to mandate policy. Since then, states have developed their own restrictive guidelines for prescribing opioids largely…
Read MoreEverything Isn’t as Perfect as It Seems in Ireland
Is the Opioid Crisis Uniquely an American Problem? For the past two weeks, I have been visiting Ireland. I attended a meeting for a few days in Dublin, but then my wife and I toured parts of the beautiful country boasting deeply green meadows that connected huge historic cathedrals and exquisite castles. On the way…
Read MoreDavid C. Holzman Shatters Addiction Myths
Addiction Is a Complex Disease In a WBUR CommonHealth article, “How I Was Seduced By Cigarettes, And What Set Me Free,” David C. Holzman bravely recalled his struggle with the addiction of nicotine. He was honest enough to describe the stressors in his life that made him vulnerable to the addiction and the changes of…
Read MoreUtah Opioid Crisis Summit
University of Utah’s Summit Addressed State’s Opioid Problem On April 23, 2018, the University of Utah’s summit convened to discuss how to solve the state’s opioid problem. The summit’s goal was to identify barriers faced by health care providers and others in providing effective treatment of pain and addiction. The participants’ diverse professional backgrounds provided…
Read MoreRepeating the Mistakes of the Past
I’m pleased to present a blog written by Megan Nalamachu who is a bright, articulate high school student. Her father, Dr. Srinivas Nalamachu, is a treasured colleague and friend. He proudly sent me his daughter’s well-researched work, because he believed I’d be interested in it. He was correct. Megan did a wonderful job rendering a…
Read MoreLessons Learned from Someone Who Has Struggled With Addiction
In the February 19, 2018 Refinery29 documentary, producer Jacki Huntington shares the stories of Dr. Lipi Roy, Kassandra Frederique of the Drug Policy Alliance, and Cortney Lovell. These women are working to solve the opioid crisis through their work in addiction medicine, drug policy, and recovery services. Courage in Escaping the Grip of Addiction In…
Read MoreOpen Letter to Journalists and Editors About “Addicted Babies”
Babies Cannot Be Born Addicted to Drugs “Babies Born Addicted,” “Addicted Babies,” “Babies with Addiction,” and similar headlines appear nearly daily in the media. This is because babies exhibit horrible withdrawal symptoms if they are born physically dependent on opioids, and it pulls at our heartstrings to see them suffer. But it misleads media consumers,…
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