“I don’t have a drinking problem, except when I can’t get a drink.”
– Tom Waits
In the previous issue, I wrote about some of the history and challenges of collecting information on drug problems from those who attend drug treatment programs, and on what that picture looks like. In this issue, I write about one type of drug problem – dependence. …
In the previous issue I described methods that social scientists use to describe the extent and nature of drug use and related harm. In this issue, I’ll report some data on some of those harms related to four separate settings: the general population, the health care system, the workplace, and …
In the previous issue, I discussed ways in which we identify and define a drug problem – sometimes it’s obvious; sometimes it’s not. The grey area poses challenges – not only for clinicians but also for …
In the previous issue, I discussed ways in which people use drugs that increase the risk of experiencing some harm from that use. The harm is not a certainty, but its likelihood is increased. In subsequent issues I will discuss the prevalence and types of actual drug harm that…
Higher risk drug use could involve using a large amount of a drug at one time, using a drug too often, or using it in dangerous circumstances, or any combination of the above. An important caveat is that engaging in high-risk scenarios does not guarantee that an individual will experience harm – it just increases the likelihood. For example,…
Issue #27 September 2023
There is a long-gone era (late 1970s-early 1980s) when I worked for the Addiction Research Foundation of Ontario (ARF). It was not uncommon for generous amounts of free alcohol beverages to be available after educational events. Such a practice, at such an organization, seems bizarre by 2023 standards. But it was the …