Links
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Commonly Abused Drugs.
NIDA, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, has an extensive web site that is well worth exploring.
This page lists a number of commonly abused drugs, with links to detailed information about each one.
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InfoFacts on Marijuana.
NIDA on how marijuana is used and abused and its effects on the brain and behavior. For parents:
Marijuana: Facts Parents Need to Know.
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Massachusetts
Substance Abuse and Education Helpline.
Free and confidential information and referrals for alcohol and drug
abuse problems. In addition to the web site, there is also a hotline for Massachusetts residents:
1-800-327-5050.
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Rethinking Drinking: Alcohol and Your Health.
A great place to start if you have questions about your relationship
with alcohol. [Caution: the low-risk drinking limits should not be taken as recommendations for
how much to drink regularly, but as maximums!]
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If you would like to take an
online self-assessment
of your alcohol use, here is an excellent, confidential tool with links to more help if desired,
from the BU School of Public Health.
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For drug use, here is another online self-assessment tool, the
Drug Abuse Screening Test,
(DAST-10).
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Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (HUHS) has a
comprehensive site
with information about substance abuse, and about mental health.
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The
Buddhist Recovery Network
supports the use of Buddhist teachings to help people recover from the suffering caused by
addictive behaviors. It is open to people of all backgrounds.
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Here is the main site for
Alcoholics Anonymous.
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If you are in the greater Boston area, there are local meetings lists on the site of the
Alcoholics Anonymous
Central Service Committee of Eastern Mass.
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If you are looking for a secular alternative to Twelve Step, you may be interested in SOS:
Secular Organizations for Sobriety.
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Another secular alternative, from a cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) perspective, is
SMART Recovery
(Self Management and Recovery Training). They help people recover from all types of addiction and
behavior. They have a number of meetings in the area, and also offer online meetings.
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Yet another alternative to the Twelve Step approach is
Women for Sobriety,
specifically designed to empower women and to help them stop drinking.
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You may have heard that alcohol has a different effect on women and that safe drinking limits are much less for women.
Here's why.
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If you do not wish to stop drinking, or aren't sure if you have to, and are looking for help in controlling your drinking,
Moderation Management
may be worth considering.
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G. Alan Marlatt died March 14, 2011. His pioneering research on harm reduction and relapse
prevention has had a wide impact on the treatment of addictions worldwide. Not long before he died,
he did a fascinating
lengthy interview
with Victor Yalom, founder of
psychotherapy.net,
a web site for therapists, although some of the interviews and resources are of general interest.
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Is addiction a brain disease? Neuroscientists are exploring the possibility.
But if the disease model is valid, what about moral and legal responsibility? A discussion of the issues of
addiction, free will and self control,
is on a November 2009 podcast of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. The show is
All In The Mind,
which has many archived podcasts (with transcripts) on “all things mental—a program about the mind,
brain and behavior.” It's lively, intelligent, cutting edge audio fare.
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If you are looking for alcohol or drug treatment centers,
Sober.com
has a nationwide directory of recovery housing and treatment centers.
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HBO had an excellent series on addiction. Their
web site
is well worth exploring.
Books
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Addicted?
Recognizing destructive behavior before it's too late.
Marilyn Freimuth,
(2008), Rowan & Littlefield.
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Sober for Good:
New solutions for drinking problems—Advice from those who have succeeded. Anne M. Fletcher,
(2001), Houghton Mifflin.
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Get Your Loved One Sober:
Alternatives to Nagging, Pleading, and Threatening.
Robert J. Meyers
& Brenda Wolfe, (2002), Hazelden.
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The Heart of Addiction:
A new approach to understanding and managing alcoholism and other addictive behaviors.
Lance Dodes,
(2002), Quill.
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The Tao of Sobriety:
Helping you to recover from alcohol and drug addiction. David Gregson & Jay S. Efran, (2002),
Thomas Dunne Books.
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Changing for Good:
A Revolutionary Six-Stage Program for Overcoming Bad Habits and Moving Your Life Positively Forward.
James Prochaska,
John Norcross, and
Carlo DiClemente,
(1994), Avon Self-Help.
