November 2022
American scientists from a number of research centers and universities in Houston and New Orleans have developed the world's first vaccine…which blocks the drug fentanyl from entering the brain of rats, thus preventing the development of addiction, Pharmaceutics reports.

Specifically, it refers to opioids associated with an increase in the number of disorders and fatal overdoses. Experts note that despite the fact that drug addiction is treatable, 80% of people suffer from relapse.

The vaccine is able to generate antibodies against fentanyl that bind to consumed fentanyl and prevent it from entering the brain, allowing it to be eliminated through the kidneys, said Colin Hale, associate professor at the University of Houston.

Importantly, the vaccine did not block the effects of other opioids. This suggests that it would not interfere with pain relief in people if other opioids were used. For complete article https://med.news.am/eng/news/33388/scientists-develop-worlds-first-vaccine-against-drug-addiction.html#.Y3tqF5WnrjA.twitter

What is more important to note is that, a general drug antagonist already exists in the market place that works on most all drugs, not just Fentanyl in preventing addiction relapse See Naltrexone

So, let’s build these protective fences, so we don’t have to drive the heart-breaking ambulances.)

Staying on the path to health takes patience, loving relationships, and emotional resilience. People in drug abuse recovery need all the help they can get. Fortunately, tools and resources are available to help someone stay straight and to pick them up if they stumble. Learn more about life after addiction.

Family, Friends, and Addiction Recovery: One of the primary causes of relapse in pain pill addiction is an inability to develop intimate relationships. It's almost impossible to recover from prescription drug addiction alone.  Learn what to do when someone you love relapses.
Rebuilding close connections with family and friends is essential to successful drug abuse recovery. This often requires the addicted person to recognize and make amends for the damage caused by past behavior. Learn how to talk to children about addiction.
At the same time, the addicted person's family will be going through its own recovery process. Re-establishing trust and mutual respect can take months or even years. Nothing can replace the healing properties of time spent together with loved ones.
Addiction Recovery Support Groups: Experts believe group therapy is superior to individual therapy for people recovering from prescription drug abuse. The group setting allows peers to both support and challenge each other, and creates a sense of shared community.
Exercise and Addiction Recovery: Drug addiction takes a toll on the body, along with the mind and soul. Exercise hasn't been studied for drug abuse recovery. However, exercise releases natural endorphins, feel-good chemicals that relax the brain and body and reduce stress.
Besides improving overall health, exercise improves mood and builds self-esteem, key areas in drug abuse recovery. Thirty minutes of daily physical activity, like brisk walking, will bring overall health benefits. Exercising with a group will also enhance interpersonal relationships and help develop connections outside the world of addiction.
Spirituality, Service, and Addiction Treatment: Many people in drug abuse recovery say their spirituality is important in staying clean and sober. Attending religious services, regular community service, and daily prayer are examples of activities that have helped many who believe a higher power is essential to their continued recovery. Reaching out to a local church ministry, or contacting the United Way in your area, can get you started.
 

Drug Abuse Recovery: (webmd.com)

Seven times more people are initially accessing drug rehabilitation services after their release from prison since a new prison exit scheme was introduced in Tower Hamlets last year.

“Drugs can be a contributing factor of many crimes in Tower Hamlets, including burglaries, anti-social behaviour and knife violence. 

“Prisoners returning to drug use on their release means they are more likely to end up back in the vicious cycle of committing crimes to fund their habits. However, with this new scheme we are thrilled to see we are disrupting this pattern and giving people a chance to claim back their lives free from drugs after being released. 

“The prison exit scheme is celebrating its one-year anniversary this month. Its success is great news for our community as it is reducing crime and re-offending and helping people with drug addictions access support and improve their health.” 

The prison exit service is commissioned by Tower Hamlets Council and delivered by social enterprise Turning Point. 

(D.I. comment – This is one potential and vital outcome that is erased from the drug use exiting playbook, when you decriminalize, or worse legalize drug use. You don’t have to change the legal status of drug use to recalibrate the existing laws to facilitate exit from drug use without ultimate criminal sanctions. Drug or better labelled ‘Problem Solving Courts’ can leverage the illegality of drugs to better enable and equip exit from drug use, the cause of soooo many anti-social and community harming behaviours. Pro-drug activists care nothing for the addictive outcomes and destroyed lives of young people and their families – often irreversible harms to all. 

Also see 

• Problem Solving Courts ACT steering Drug Use Offenders away from serving jail time through rehab
• The Judicial Educator At Its Best – Law for Recovery + Drug Courts + Secure Welfare = Rehabilitation!

For complete story 

By the time someone reaches out for addiction care, they may have already have suffered numerous painful losses in their lives. Addiction can steal a person’s happiness, job, friends and family, and can erode their freedom.

Far too often, the expectation is that someone must hit “rock bottom” before treatment can work. But this is a myth that can have dire consequences. By then the damage is consequential and a much harder road to recovery. Factually, the best time to get help is as soon as possible. Yet frequently when a person asks for help early on, society – friends and family, coworkers, health care systems – do not recognize it as a serious issue. They may ignore or deny it.

Healthcare in the U.S. [All Nations] is notoriously bad at delivering preventive medicine. Despite the well-known conventional wisdom that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, the system has always been set up to treat diseases and disorders once they manifest, not avert them. This has started to change for some conditions, however. For instance, it is now standard to monitor risk factors like cholesterol, blood pressure, and BMI during routine checkups, so that steps can be taken to avert heart attacks or stroke through some combination of lifestyle changes and medications.

Dr Volkow – Nora's Blog

Pre-addiction—A Missing Concept for Treating Substance Use Disorders

JAMA Psychiatry. Published online July 6, 2022. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2022.1652

Despite decades of federal funding to develop and deliver treatments for individuals with serious addictions, treatment penetration rates are less than 20%.¹ Facing a similar situation, the diabetes field increased treatment penetration and impact by identifying and intervening with early-stage diabetes, termed prediabetes. We use this example to illustrate the essential elements of this strategic clinical approach and discuss the changes that will be required within the substance use disorder (SUD) field to implement an analogous strategy. We suggest the DSM-5 diagnostic categories mild to moderate SUD as a starting operational definition for the term preaddiction, a commonly understood, motivating term that could engender broader clinical efforts to effect that strategy.

For complete details

“Meth can be one of the toughest addictions to treat, but research shows that people who use meth are more likely to stick with treatment programs when they receive rewards for staying drug-free. It’s a method called “contingency management…”

In study after study, contingency management has resulted in a 40% to 50% rate of abstinence in meth users, according to Dr. Todd Korthuis, the head of addiction medicine at Oregon Health & Science University. Results like that are “off the charts” for any therapeutic intervention, he told The Lund Report, “but especially for methamphetamine use.”

And it’s cost-effective, supporters say. The Washington State Institute for Public Policy found that for a single patient receiving a total of $600 in incentives, there’s a taxpayer benefit of more than $3,000 and overall net economic benefit of more than $23,000.”

For complete article

(Dalgarno Institute Comments: What are the pitfalls of this potential ‘reward for addiction’ model? Is there a ‘sunset clause’ on this process? If so, what mechanisms are used in tandem with this process to ensure abstinence is maintained? Is behaviour modification through displacement therapy (not ‘payment’ therapy) still applicable? Are other addiction management tools like Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy still involved?)