BoatBanter.com - View Single Post - Religious Craziness Sends Man Back to Jail

John H[_2_]

On Thu, 29 Aug 2013 19:23:43 -0400, wrote:

On Thu, 29 Aug 2013 16:17:49 -0400, "F.O.A.D." wrote:

What is your experience?

I'm married to a first-rate psychotherapist who has seen and
successfully treated a great number of substance abusers in several
settings over her two decades as a licensed practitioner. She sometimes
talks about what works and what doesn't for various folks who remain
anonymous. Her doctoral dissertation was on a significant aspect of
substance abuse, and she has written other papers that also have been
published. She consults with NiMH professionals on substance abuse topics.

NIMH and NIH seem to have a paucity of data online about their success
rates. Are you just going to counter my anecdotes with your wife's
anecdotes?

Additionally, I've read "the lit" that comes to the house (professional
papers and journals) and I know thought my union work a lot of
construction workers in many trades who at some point in their careers
suffered severe injuries, were prescribed heavy duty meds, got hooked,
and then got clean and stayed clean.

There is a difference between a person who took a course of pain
killer drugs adjunct to an injury or an operation who was clinically
addicted and someone who simply chose to use drugs and is chronically
addicted.

In spite of that I still refuse pain pills.

As a result, I wouldn't make the sweeping statements you make about
substance abusers, or that, as you implied, a large number of those who
disdain the 12 step programs because of their religious-osity just do so
so they can remain outside of a therapeutic or support service.

They do so because it is largely a volunteer effort without all of the
credentials a medical program requires, yet they still seem to have
similar long term outcomes.

Again, if you can find data, we can read it together.
I looked on the various NIH/CHC and government drug abuse sites for
several hours and "outcome" studies are very rare.

But at least you know there's some truth to what's there.

John (Gun Nut) H.
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Hope you're having a great day!