This article outlines a liberation-focused model of addiction treatment. Drawing on the Latin root word "addictus", addiction is seen as slavery and freedom, rather than the cessation of drug and alcohol use, is proposed as a viable, alternative treatment goal. Freedom is defined as: (1) the capacity to create a life of social and internal complexity and multiplicity; (2) the ability to make...
This article examines the therapeutic potential of ibogaine, a powerful oneiric alkaloid derived from Tabernanthe iboga, through exploring the subjective experiences of 44 participants from two observational treatment studies for opioid use disorder. Following treatment with ibogaine HCl, the participants (Mexico, n = 30; New Zealand, n = 14) completed the States of Consciousness Questionnaire...
TrialsDecember 27, 2018Christiane Baldus, Laura Mokros, Anne Daubmann et al.
Background: Current treatments for adolescents with substance use disorder (SUD) have had only limited success. In recent years, research has underlined the role of self-regulatory processes and impulsivity in the development and maintenance of SUD in adolescents. Mindfulness has gained much attention due to its capacity to influence self-regulatory processes, particularly in adult populations....
expressed in brain regions associated with emotional processing. Modulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis by altering cortisol tone also seems to be involved in this effect. The ECS modulates stress and anxiety. Serum AEA and 2-AG levels are increased after stress, and AEA levels are negatively associated to baseline anxiety and are significantly reduced in womenwith major...
NeuropharmacologyNovember 2018I Ivan Ezquerra-Romano, W Lawn, E Krupitsky et al.
Ketamine is a dissociative anaesthetic drug which acts on the central nervous system chiefly through antagonism of the n-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor. Recently, ketamine has attracted attention as a rapid-acting anti-depressant but other studies have also reported its efficacy in reducing problematic alcohol and drug use. This review explores the preclinical and clinical research into...
Alcohol use disorder represents a serious clinical, social and personal burden on its sufferers and a significant financial strain on society. Current treatments, both psychological and pharmacological are poor, with high rates of relapse after medical detoxification and dedicated treatment programs. The earliest historical roots of psychedelic drug-assisted psychotherapy in the 1950s were...
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and alcohol use disorder (AUD) frequently co-occur and are associated with worse outcomes together than either disorder alone. A lack of consensus regarding recommendations for treating PTSD-AUD exists, and treatment dropout is a persistent problem. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), a transdiagnostic, mindfulness- and acceptance-based form of behavior...
Background: Sensory information gained through interoceptive awareness may play an important role in affective behavior and successful inhibition of drug use. This study examined the immediate pre-post effects of the mind-body intervention Mindful Awareness in Body-oriented Therapy (MABT) as an adjunct to women's substance use disorder (SUD) treatment. MABT teaches interoceptive awareness...
Background: Theoretical frameworks postulate that mindfulness represents a relevant therapeutic process in substance use disorders (SUDs), especially in treating difficulties with emotion regulation (DER). Nonetheless, it remains unclear how mindfulness dimensions, particularly self-regulation of attention and acceptance attitudes, are implicated in the well-validated relationship between DER...
The prerequisites for responsible cannabis use are at the heart of current inquiries into cannabis decriminalization by policy makers as well as academic and nonacademic stakeholders at a global scale. Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC), the prime psychoactive compound of the cannabis sativa, as well as cannabimimetics that resemble the pharmacological properties and psychological effects of...