Addiction Treatment Strategies 95 N. Research, Suite 110 Edwardsville, IL 62025 618-692-6880   The ATS Program   What: ATS is a 6 month outpatient, medically assisted, treatment program.  We combine Cognitive Behavior Therapy with medications to assist patients achieve long lasting outcomes.  We work with patients that have had difficulty with previous recovery programs, consequently are eager to become focused on getting better.  97% of our patients complete the entire 6 months Phase I program. Phase II is an option exercised by 89 % of our patient completing the initial program.  Almost all of our patients have co-occurring...

University of Adelaide researchers have found that immune cells in your brain may contribute to how you respond to alcohol. Lead researcher Dr Mark Hutchinson, ARC Research Fellow with the University’s School of Medical Sciences, said his team’s research provided new evidence that an immune response in the brain was involved in behavioural responses to alcohol. This immune response lies behind some of the well-known alcohol-related behavioural changes, such as difficulty controlling the muscles involved in walking and talking. “It’s amazing to think that despite 10,000 years of using alcohol, and several decades of...

Written By: Alan Downs, Ph.D. Topic: Chemical Dependency. Dialectical Behavior Therapy — or as it is most commonly known, DBT — has become an acclaimed, evidence-based therapy for individuals struggling with a co-occurring disorders. The evidence to support the use of DBT in substance dependence treatment is growing and recognized by prominent authorities in the field, such as SAMHSA (2008 Science and Service award was given to a DBT program based in Portland, Oregon) and NIDA (published a paper recommending the use of DBT with co-occurring disorders). The incredible value that DBT brings to the treatment of co-occurring disorders...

How Alcohol Changes The Brain

Genetics, environment, and personality all contribute to your risk for alcoholism and drug addiction. There are many warning signs of addiction, including complaints from friends and family about your behavior. By Hedy Marks, MPH Medically reviewed by Pat F. Bass III, MD, MPH From cocaine to gambling, addiction takes many forms, but alcohol and drug dependency may be the most pervasive forms of addiction. Every year, alcoholism and drug addiction contribute to the deaths of more than 100,000 Americans.   Alcoholism and drug addiction are chronic conditions characterized by changes in the brain that cause a person to have an...

Neuroscientists at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) have developed a protein peptide that may be a novel type of highly targeted treatment for depression with a low side-effect profile. Depression affects one in ten Canadians at some time in their lives and is a leading cause of disability worldwide. The study published in this month’s Nature Medicine found that coupling between two dopamine receptors was significantly elevated in the brains of people who had been diagnosed with major depression. “We identified a potential therapeutic target for development of novel anti-depressants.” said Dr. Fang Liu,...

Cannabis use is associated with disturbances in concentration and memory. New research by neuroscientists at the University of Bristol, published in the Journal of Neuroscience [Oct. 25], has found that brain activity becomes uncoordinated and inaccurate during these altered states of mind, leading to neurophysiological and behavioural impairments reminiscent of those seen in schizophrenia.   The collaborative study, led by Dr Matt Jones from the University’s School of Physiology and Pharmacology, tested whether the detrimental effects of cannabis on memory and cognition could be the result of ‘disorchestrated’ brain...