Maia Szalavitz comments on new study from Columbia’s National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) - June 2012

Maia Szalavitz has just comented newest study released from the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University (CASA) that has started quite a stir in the addiction recovery industry. Everyone is noticing and also realizing that the court systems, not the program of Alcoholics Anonymous is fueling its growth and the"treatment" is nothing more than voodoo magic.

Addiction Treatment in America: Not Based in Science, Not Truly ‘Medical’

By Maia Szalavitz | @maiasz | June 26, 2012

Addiction is typically characterized as a disease by experts and government officials. Yet, unlike most known diseases, the treatment of addiction is not based on scientific evidence nor is it required to be provided by people with any medical education — let alone by actual physicians — according to a new report.

The 586-page tome, which was published by Columbia’s National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA), is based on large surveys of treatment providers, people who suffer from addiction and those in the general public, as well as a review of more than 7,000 publications on addiction.

It finds that most addiction care is administered by “addiction counselors” for whom there are no national standards of practice. It finds also that 14 states don’t require any education or licensing at all for addiction counselors. The risks to those seeking treatment can be dire: California is one of the states that allows uncredentialed providers, for example. In a recent case in that state, a sexual predator was found to be offering “intimacy therapy” to addicted teenage girls; treatment consisted of sex with him. Without oversight, there’s no way to stop people from preying on vulnerable people under the guise of addiction care.

Only six states require addiction counselors to have a minimum of a bachelor’s degree; just one requires a master’s degree, according to the CASA report. The main qualification for treating addiction in this country is having suffered from the disorder oneself — a standard of care that would be considered absurd if any other medical condition were involved.

Moreover, addiction treatment providers are typically not held accountable for their patients’ outcomes: the report found that nearly half of all patients with illegal drug problems are referred to treatment by the criminal justice system and, of course, it is the patients, not the counselors or program directors, who go to prison if they fail.

Read more:http://healthland.time.com/2012/06/26/addiction-treatment-in-america-not...

This report from the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University (CASA) was also covered on this site under - Columbia University think tank reports doctors aren't trained to treat addiction - 44% get sent to AA by the Criminal Justice System http://orange-papers.org/forum/node/1760