Comments for The Hazelden Blog http://recoveryresourceblog.org A forum for the discussion of addiction and recovery Fri, 12 Mar 2010 02:30:49 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 Comment on When it comes to “success,” let’s talk by Joseph Lee M.D. http://recoveryresourceblog.org/2010/03/11/when-it-comes-to-success-lets-talk/#comment-274 Joseph Lee M.D. Fri, 12 Mar 2010 02:30:49 +0000 http://recoveryresourceblog.org/?p=531#comment-274 Right on Dr V! Great post. Sobriety is the standard, but other disastrous events can be avoided by just being in treatment. This includes car accidents, suicides, overdoses, sexually transmitted diseases, Hep C, sexual trauma, teen pregnancy, arrests, and domestic violence to name a few. Diabetics who take meds often don't maintain "ideal" blood sugars, but adverse events are delayed and/or avoided. I'm not sure why we can't think this way about addiction treatment. Right on Dr V! Great post. Sobriety is the standard, but other disastrous events can be avoided by just being in treatment. This includes car accidents, suicides, overdoses, sexually transmitted diseases, Hep C, sexual trauma, teen pregnancy, arrests, and domestic violence to name a few.

Diabetics who take meds often don’t maintain “ideal” blood sugars, but adverse events are delayed and/or avoided. I’m not sure why we can’t think this way about addiction treatment.

]]> Comment on When it comes to “success,” let’s talk by Mike Kirkeberg http://recoveryresourceblog.org/2010/03/11/when-it-comes-to-success-lets-talk/#comment-273 Mike Kirkeberg Fri, 12 Mar 2010 01:58:22 +0000 http://recoveryresourceblog.org/?p=531#comment-273 Having worked in the substance abuse field for a number of years, I have always thought it was both foolish and arrogant to consider the success rate of treatment centers. I always thought the success - and failure - was simply a function of the choices made by clients. I guess the problem is the whole medical religious model proposed by the treatment industry. This model would, by default, have to answer the question in a manner that says a certain number of clients are either "fixed" (disease model aside for a moment - longer if possible) or "saved," depending on which description one chose. Oh, well. Having worked in the substance abuse field for a number of years, I have always thought it was both foolish and arrogant to consider the success rate of treatment centers. I always thought the success – and failure – was simply a function of the choices made by clients. I guess the problem is the whole medical religious model proposed by the treatment industry. This model would, by default, have to answer the question in a manner that says a certain number of clients are either “fixed” (disease model aside for a moment – longer if possible) or “saved,” depending on which description one chose.

Oh, well.

]]> Comment on In Addiction Progression, Men and Women Are Very Different by Cheryl Buechner http://recoveryresourceblog.org/2009/10/12/in-addiction-progression-men-and-women-not-equal/#comment-270 Cheryl Buechner Thu, 11 Mar 2010 17:46:16 +0000 http://hazeldenfoundation.wordpress.com/?p=23#comment-270 Hi Joy -- Frequently, when someone is actively using, certain cognitive functions are impaired. These include memory, problem-solving skills, and new learning. In some people, these impairments become permanent; in others, they improve with abstinence from the chemical. The kind and length of impairment and the likelihood that temporary deficits will become permanent depend mostly on the type of chemical, the person's overall health, and their cognitive abilities before they started using, along with a variety of other factors. Cheryl Buechner, Ph.D., L.P. Director, Hazelden Mental Health Services Center City, MN Hi Joy — Frequently, when someone is actively using, certain cognitive functions are impaired. These include memory, problem-solving skills, and new learning. In some people, these impairments become permanent; in others, they improve with abstinence from the chemical. The kind and length of impairment and the likelihood that temporary deficits will become permanent depend mostly on the type of chemical, the person’s overall health, and their cognitive abilities before they started using, along with a variety of other factors.
Cheryl Buechner, Ph.D., L.P.
Director, Hazelden Mental Health Services
Center City, MN

]]> Comment on The key to communication: listening by Anita Creekmore http://recoveryresourceblog.org/2010/02/09/the-key-to-communication-listening/#comment-266 Anita Creekmore Thu, 11 Mar 2010 04:23:38 +0000 http://recoveryresourceblog.org/?p=492#comment-266 Thank you very much for these thoughts. They clarified some things. Thank you very much for these thoughts. They clarified some things.

]]>