I have been thinking lately of the generational shifts in the recovery movement and what it means for our collective future. Young people in recovery face an uncertain future. Less opportunity, less optimism about the future and strained social networks have made things been particularly hard for them. They have been devastated by deaths of … Continue reading I see you Millennial and Zoomer Recovery Advocates!
Author: billstaufferpa
William Stauffer has been the Executive Director of Pennsylvania Recovery Organization Alliance (PRO-A), the statewide recovery organization of Pennsylvania. He is in long-term recovery since age 21 and has been actively engaged in public policy in the recovery arena for most of those years. He is also an adjunct professor of Social Work at Misericordia University in Dallas Pennsylvania. He holds a Bachelors in Social work degree from Cedar Crest College and a Masters Degree from Kutztown University.
William Stauffer has initiated numerous workforce expansion initiatives for persons in recovery. A major focus of his work has been aimed at moving our entire SUD care system towards a five-year care paradigm to dramatically expand the numbers of Americans in Recovery while saving lives, resources, and communities. Mr. Stauffer has been a staunch advocate for strong SUD Patient Privacy Protections at both the state and federal levels for many years. He ran a recovery house taskforce for the Pennsylvania that helped inform PA Act 59 of 2017. In 2018, he testified in front of the US Senate Special Committee on Aging on the opioid epidemic and older adults, and in 2019, he conducted a hearing with the PA House Human Services Committee to expand recovery opportunities for young people.
He is co-chair of the public policy committee for Faces & Voices of Recovery and the 2019 recipient of the Vernon Johnson Award Individual Recovery Advocate of the year. Mr. Stauffer was also the 2002 Recipient of the Lecie G. Machell prize in Social Work and, prior to taking the position of executive director of PRO-A , received Pennsylvania Recovery Organization Alliances award of the Recovery Advocate of the year, in 2008.
THE RISKS OF PUBLIC RECOVERY STORYTELLING (BILL WHITE, BILL STAUFFER, AND DANIELLE TARINO)
The first blog in this series explored the value and limitations of recovery storytelling as an anti-stigma strategy. We suggested that public storytelling is best wedded to larger recovery community inclusive strategies that move beyond the goal of changing personal attitudes to the larger goal of dismantling the institutional machinery that perpetuates stigma and discrimination. … Continue reading THE RISKS OF PUBLIC RECOVERY STORYTELLING (BILL WHITE, BILL STAUFFER, AND DANIELLE TARINO)
Thanksgiving 2020 – Reflections of Gratitude from an Inner Eeyore
Reflecting back this morning of some very early lessons in my recovery journey and what I have grown to understand about the power of gratitude. Full disclosure here – I am not inherently a positive person. My inner voice can be quite negative with great frequency and intensity. Negative thinking, lists of things that have … Continue reading Thanksgiving 2020 – Reflections of Gratitude from an Inner Eeyore
PERSONAL PRIVACY AND PUBLIC RECOVERY ADVOCACY (BILL WHITE, BILL STAUFFER, AND DANIELLE TARINO)
A central strategy of the new recovery movement is sharing our stories in public and professional venues to change public perceptions and public policies related to addiction and recovery. Drawing from earlier social movements, we learned that “contact strategies”—increasing personal contact between marginalized and mainstream populations—is one of the most effective means of reducing stigma … Continue reading PERSONAL PRIVACY AND PUBLIC RECOVERY ADVOCACY (BILL WHITE, BILL STAUFFER, AND DANIELLE TARINO)
The Seed Vault of Recovery History and Our New Recovery Advocacy Movement
This week, I listened to an excellent interview on The Best Minds Podcast featuring Harvard trained physician and internationally recognized addiction expert Dr Robert DuPont. I was struck by his humble wisdom. He spoke about his early work with methadone patients and how many of them eventually died from alcoholism. He spoke about how narrowly … Continue reading The Seed Vault of Recovery History and Our New Recovery Advocacy Movement
I am a card-carrying member of the nonpartisan “Recovery Party”
Reposted from March 2020 with minor edits “We are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided.” ― J.K. Rowling This is a political post; I hope readers give me a chance and hear me out. As I have said before, I am a student of history, and have … Continue reading I am a card-carrying member of the nonpartisan “Recovery Party”
Substance Use Care System On a Precipice
I have been a student of the field for well over three decades. I have operated an outpatient and a residential program treatment program and in recent years ran our statewide recovery community organization here in Pennsylvania. My work has led me to be very engaged with policy matters, with care system workforce being a … Continue reading Substance Use Care System On a Precipice
Can We Please Stop Saying Recovery is Possible?
Imagine this scenario. You get the terrible diagnoses of cancer, like addiction, it is terminal if left on its dreadful course unimpeded. You are in the depths of despair, facing everything this terrible diagnosis means for your life. The treating professional turns to you and says “recovery is possible. It is POSSIBLE you might survive … Continue reading Can We Please Stop Saying Recovery is Possible?
Recovery Review Interview – John Winslow
This is the second in a series of interviews of people in and around the Recovery Space. Who are you? My name is John Winslow and I am a person in long-term recovery. For me that means that I have not used alcohol or other substances for over 44 years. I’m what we refer to … Continue reading Recovery Review Interview – John Winslow
REFLECTIONS ON RECOVERY REPRESENTATION (BILL WHITE AND BILL STAUFFER)
Since its inception in the late 1990s, a central goal of the new recovery advocacy movement has been assuring the representation of recovering individuals and families in the decision-making venues that affect their lives. As this movement matured, the complexities of achieving such representation became increasingly apparent. Dynamics within and beyond communities of recovery can … Continue reading REFLECTIONS ON RECOVERY REPRESENTATION (BILL WHITE AND BILL STAUFFER)
