Alcoholics Anonymous Affiliation During Early Recovery

This study analyzed the Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) participation of 55 patients during the 3 months after their discharge from structured treatment, when dropout is high.

Three levels of meeting attendance were discerned:

low,
mid-level, and
â€œ90 meetings in 90 days.â€

Of greatest interest, the mid-level group showed mixed interest in AA practices despite substantial meeting attendance, that is,

they admitted powerlessness over alcohol, but had less enthusiasm for the higher power concept, and relapsed significantly;
they were likely to have a sponsor, but were less involved with other AA members; and
they reported working the 12 Steps, but were less interested in the AA literature.

Findings suggest that individuals who are attending AA but having difficulty embracing key aspects of the program need professional assistance that focuses more on AA practices and tenets and meeting attendance.

Barriers to affiliation can also serve as opportunities for furthering both counselling goals and affiliation.

Research; Paul Elliott Caldwell and Henry S.G. Cutter. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment. Volume 15, Issue 3, May-June 1998, Pages 221-228

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Obstetricians Often Overlook Alcohol Consumption

Obstetricians Often Overlook Alcohol Consumption In Pregnancy, says the Australian And New Zealand Journal Of Obstetrics And Gynaecology

One in every two pregnant Australian woman still consume alcohol during pregnancy, according to a study in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. The responsibility of providing accurate information about the harmful effects of alcohol and its lifelong effects on the child falls on obstetricians and other health professionals.

And yet, almost half of the obstetricians interviewed said they did not routinely ask about alcohol consumption in pregnancy.

An editorial by Professor Elizabeth Elliot from the University of Sydney titled “Alcohol and Pregnancy: the Pivotal Role of the Obstetrician”, discusses the state of awareness about the adverse effects of alcohol consumption during pregnancy and the obstetricians’ participation in educating against maternal drinking.

Only 16% of the obstetricians routinely provided information about the consequences of alcohol in pregnancy, while only 5% gave advice which were consistent with the latest guidelines of The National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia (NHMRC) – which states that, for pregnant women, ‘no drinking is the safest option’.

Professor Elliot says, “Failure to provide information about the dangers of alcohol consumption in the antenatal consultation represents a lost opportunity. Accurate recording of antenatal alcohol exposure will help identify children who require pediatric assessment, since the effects of alcohol may not be obvious at birth.”

“More importantly, identifying the women who are unable to stop drinking provides an important opening for the management of problem drinking and prevention of exposure to alcohol in future pregnancies,” added Professor Elliot.

Alcohol consumption during pregnancy has been associated with increased risks of miscarriage, stillbirth, intrauterine growth restriction, pre-term birth and low birth-weight. However, the best known adverse effect of alcohol exposure on the fetus is the fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) – which is associated with a wide range of birth defects and ongoing educational, behavioral and psychological problems.

This paper is published in the June 2008 issue of Australian and New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (Vol. 48, Issue 3, 2008).

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Science of Addiction

From: University of Utah, Genetics Science Learning Center.

This website â€“ which is highly interesting, informative, and entertaining — delivers interactive and print-based resources, free of charge, on the neurobiological actions of substances of abuse: heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, marijuana, LSD, ecstasy, and alcohol. The presentations primarily depict how drugs interact with dopamine neurotransmitters within the brain’s reward pathway. The influences of genetics on addiction are also discussed. Although the simplified mechanisms of drug action and other influences depict only part of the story, even experienced practitioners will find the material of interest as a refresher.

Particularly entertaining yet informative, and well worth a look, is the â€œMouse Party,â€ which takes an interactive look inside the brains of animated mice on drugs, exploring molecular mechanisms of addiction. It provides a small glimpse into the chemical interactions at the synaptic level that cause drug users to feel â€œhighâ€ and want to repeat drug-abusing behaviors.

Go to the Mouse Party
Section on How Drugs Alter Brain Reward Pathways
Main Page on Genetics of Addiction
Some animations require the Adobe Flash Player (available free at Adobe)

The Science of Addiction: From Neurobiology to Treatment
by Carlton K. Erickson

Training; Domestic Violence and Substance Abuse

Training; Domestic Violence and Substance Abuse

Description:

This course is designed for Substance Abuse Counselors and Professionals in the Social Service field with an overview of domestic violence and substance abuse.

This education course will cover various forms of domestic violence, identification of risk factors and causes, intervention and treatment approaches.

http://www.nattc.org/addictionEd/courseDetail.asp?org=262&CourseID=1401

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Twelve Step Facilitation

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Treatment Demand and Training Need in Addiction

Primary care doctors’ perception of treatment demand and need for training in drug addiction issues.

Aim: To learn the opinion of primary care physicians (PCPs) on healthcare provision for the drug addict population and to determine their knowledge and needs as regards to continuing training and their attitudes towards drug addiction.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 301 PCPs in Castilla-La Mancha, Spain using a questionnaire designed to elicit physician’s opinions about drug addiction.

Results: The response rate was 85.0% (256 cases). 84.2% of the doctors considered that 10% of patient visits to primary care centres were related to drug addiction.

The doctors frequently experienced difficulty in:

the diagnosis and treatment of organic diseases associated with addiction (18.4%),
the assessment of the situation and level of dependence (36.7%),
support to treatment of some aspects of drug addiction (51.3%) and,
above all, the treatment of these addictions (62.9%).

Of all respondents, 53.8% reported they had received some form of postgraduate training in drug addiction issues.

Only 28.5% considered they had received sufficient information on specialised drug addiction services.

Conclusions: As regards to PCPs’ attitudes to drug addiction, we observed a positive attitude regarding the needs of those who abuse drugs, and the development of intervention programmes.

PCPs believe that addicts deserve treatment, that there should be more treatment programmes and that primary healthcare centres should establish links with specialised services.

JosÃ© Latorre; JesÃºs LÃ³pez-Torres; Trinidad Sanchez-NuÃ±ez; Juan Pedro Serrano; Juan MontaÃ±Ã©s; Francisco Escobar. Primary care doctors’ perception of treatment demand and need for training in drug addiction issues. Primary Care & Community Psychiatry, Volume 12, Issue 1 January 2007 , pages 33 â€“ 41.

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Substance Abuse and Mental Disorders

The Co-Occurring Center for Excellence. Addressing mental disorders and alcoholism, addiction co-occurring.

The Co-Occurring Center for Excellence (COCE) was created by SAMHSA in 2003 to provide information and a range of services to mental health and substance abuse administrators and policymakers at state and local levels, their counterparts in tribal and Native populations, clinical providers, other providers, and all other agencies and systems through which clients may enter the treatment system.

COCE provides state-of-the-art and sustainable technical assistance, training, information and resources, and links to other resources that serve persons with co-occurring disorders.

http://www.coce.samhsa.gov/

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The Dual Diagnosis Recovery Sourcebook :
A Physical, Mental, and Spiritual Approach to Addiction with an Emotional Disorder
by Dennis Ortman

50 Most Read Articles January 2008

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UK Alcohol and Drug Professional Training

Â The Federation of Drug & Alcohol Professionals (FDAP) is the professional body for the substance use field and works to help improve standards of practice across the sector. It is part of NAADAC, a registered charity.

FDAP offers a range of training courses – online, distance learning and face-to-face – aimed at developing the competence of workers and managers in line with the DANOS-based competence framework and relevant workforce development targets.

Introductory Certificate for Counsellors

We have launched a new introductory certificate for drug and alcohol counsellors, in partnership with Alcohol Concern. The new award is aimed at counsellors in training and volunteer counsellors. See training for more details.

FDAP Qualifications

FDAP provide a range of qualifications & certifications designed to recognise and demonstrate the competences of managers and practitioners in the drugs and alcohol field – in line with the DANOS-based competence framework and relevant workforce development targets.

Practitioners (general)

FDAP Drug & Alcohol Professional Certification [DANOS-based]

A competence-based certification for practitioners, covering 10 units from DANOS and related national occupational standards, and providing externally-validated evidence of workplace competence. Cost: Â£75 (reductions available for FDAP affiliate agencies, no charge for FDAP NCAC Accredited Counsellors). [Open to FDAP members/associates only.] more…

OU/FDAP Professional Awards for Drug & Alcohol Practitioners

Open University qualifications providing evidence of competence against units from DANOS – including a 10 unit Professional Award for Drug & Alcohol Practitioners and smaller Professional Development Awards. Cost: from Â£245 (10% off for FDAP members/affiliates). [Open to all.] more…

Â Counsellors

FDAP National Counsellor Accreditation Certificate (NCAC)

Specialist certification for drug & alcohol counsellors, conferring eligibility to the United Kingdom Register of Counsellors and complementing FDAP’s Drug & Alcohol Professional Certification. Cost: Â£150 (reductions available to FDAP affiliates). [Open to FDAP members/associates only.] more…

FDAP/AC Introductory Certificate for Drug & Alcohol Counsellors

A certification from FDAP and Alcohol Concern, aimed at counsellors in training and volunteer counsellors working in alcohol and drugs services. Cost: Â£75 (Â£50 for FDAP members/affiliates and AC members). [Open to all.] more…

Managers

OU/FDAP Awards for Managers of Drug & Alcohol Practitioners

Open University qualifications based on an assessment of competence against national occupational standards units relevant to line managers. Cost: Â£440 (10% off for FDAP members/affiliates). [Open to all.] more…

Brief-TSF professional training is adjunctive to all these courses.

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25 Top Posts at BriefTSF

Understanding and Counselling the Alcoholic
by Jr. Howard J. Clinebell

Amazon books; Read more about this title…

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Acamprosate for Alcohol Craving

Acamprosate efficacy in alcohol-dependent patients: summary of results from three pivotal trials.

In 2004, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved acamprosate for use in conjunction with psychosocial support in the maintenance of abstinence in alcohol-dependent patients who are abstinent at treatment initiation.

That approval was based primarily on a re-analysis of three European double-blind, placebo-controlled trials in which complete abstinence was the primary outcome measure.

The current report presents data from the re-analysis of the pivotal trials, which were 13-, 48-, and 52-week studies. A total of 998 DSM-III-R alcohol-dependent patients were included in the studies, with the majority abstinent at randomization. Using a more stringent definition of abstinence, re-analysis of the rate of complete abstinence, percent days abstinent, and the time to first drink confirmed the original findings for the efficacy of acamprosate in the treatment of alcohol dependence.

Rate of complete abstinence was significantly higher with acamprosate than placebo (p < .05); both percent days abstinent and time to first drink were also significantly greater among acamprosate-treated than placebo-treated patients (p < .01).

These findings support the use of acamprosate in the treatment of alcohol dependence and illustrate some of the issues that can arise in the FDA process for approval of medications to treat the disorder.

Am J Addict. 2008 Jan-Feb;17(1):70-6. Acamprosate efficacy in alcohol-dependent patients: summary of results from three pivotal trials. Kranzler HR, Gage A.

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