Our substance use care system workforce has long faced very high turnover rates. One of the studies from years ago that always stuck with me as framing out the challenges and value of working in our field, was from 2003, the toughest job you'll ever love: A Pacific Northwest Treatment Workforce Survey. It identified turnover … Continue reading Loss of Institutional Knowledge – a Critical Tipping Point in the SUD Workforce Crisis

“. . . the individual, family and community are not separate; they are one. To injure one is to injure all; to heal one is to heal all. – from The Red Road to Wellbriety, 2002” – as quoted by William White, Recovery Rising Perhaps the most important insight in recent recovery history is that … Continue reading Headwinds for Recovery Community Self Agency

“I don’t even agree with myself 100% of the time” – me It is a tongue in cheek self-quote. Cheap, but true and relevant to the piece. Perhaps you may even identify with it. Afterall, we all hold views that seem contrary or in conflict with each other. It is the essence of the human … Continue reading Spanning the Chasm Between Us

If effectively addressing addiction was easy and straightforward, we would have done so already. In reality, it is a multifaceted condition that defies narrow solutions. There are complex genetic and environmental factors that lend themselves more to a continuum of use, problematic use and addiction that is not consistent with either / or check box … Continue reading Towards More Compassionate Care for Not Just Another Medical Disorder

We saw a huge surge in alcohol misuse from the very earliest days of the COVID 19 pandemic. Americas most socially acceptable drug of misuse helped sooth a lot of rattled nerves. But, if one argument for normalizing drugs use stems from the belief that doing so will decease problematic use, we may not want … Continue reading Life, Death, and Recovery, Right Under Our Noses

Forward – I recently learned that Tom Hill was retiring from government work and concentrating on his art, another one of his many talents. My first reaction was a feeling of abandonment. We tend to see some people and the roles that they serve almost as permanent fixtures. Tom Hill has been that kind of … Continue reading Tom Hill – Interview on Recovery Values & Government Service February – 2022

"...legitimacy is based on three things. First of all, the people who are asked to obey authority have to feel like they have a voice--that if they speak up, they will be heard. Second, the law has to be predictable. There has to be a reasonable expectation that the rules tomorrow are going to be … Continue reading Legitimacy, the Bedrock of Consensus Building

Forward – Robin Horston Spencer, MHS, MS, MBA, OWDS, RCAT is in long term recovery since 1991. She has done so very much for her community. She is well known for her collaborative efforts with churches, agencies, 12 Step communities and even ballroom dancing! Presently, she sits on several advisory boards locally, statewide, and nationally. … Continue reading The First Step in Healing – Robin Spencer Horston of Message Carriers of Western PA

“Nothing happens. Nobody comes, nobody goes. It's awful.” ― Samuel Beckett We have never had a care system that provides people who need help with addiction the resources they need to heal. For me, one of the most poignant lessons in how hard it is to get people what they need to heal happened with … Continue reading No More Waiting for Godot – Lets Follow Our Addiction Care Laws 

Forward – I have known JohnWinslow for the better part of twenty years. I kept running into him in DC and in my travels around the country. He is a person in long term recovery for over 46 years, and he has been in the field of helping people recovery for the vast majority of … Continue reading Interview with John Winslow – Founder of International Recovery Day