A couple of questions

~ Jason Schwartz

First, we are currently witnessing rapid change / evolution / destabilization of the conceptual boundaries of recovery. How do these changes affect what it means to call a program or system recovery-oriented? What differentiates a recovery-oriented provider from others?

Second, Bill White frequently shares his epiphany that the orientation of research and service providers was on addiction (pathology) and treatment, to the exclusion of recovery. He called for “a fundamental paradigm shift” from a pathology orientation to a recovery orientation.

There has been a notable shift in locus of recovery advocacy efforts toward drug users rather than people in recovery, often framing communities of recovery as problematic. Additionally, the primary goal(s) of service systems are increasingly organized around death prevention and symptom amelioration. While there are real reasons for these shifts, what risks do they pose? How do they affect the risk of returning to a pathology orientation?

Published by Jason Schwartz

I have been an addiction professional and social worker since 1994. I started blogging in 2005 as the Clinical Director at Dawn Farm. I no longer work at Dawn Farm and am now the Director of Behavioral Medicine at a community hospital, and a lecturer at Eastern Michigan University’s School of Social Work. Views expressed here are my own. Keep in mind that the field, the contexts in which the field operates, and my views have changed over time.