In 1981 US Postal Service has a stamp campaign intended to reduce stigma and improve access to care titled “Alcoholism – You Can Beat It.” It was issued at a time when national advocacy groups were relatively strong, and headway was being made in respect to developing services and improving public perceptions about alcohol and … Continue reading The 1981 “Alcoholism – You Can Beat It!” USPS Stamp Debacle: Lessons Moving Forward
Author: billstaufferpa
William Stauffer is the Director of Pennsylvania Recovery Organization Alliance (PRO-A). In recovery for well over 3 decades, he is a nationally recognized trainer and writer addiction and recovery. He has testified to the US Senate Special Committee on Aging and in 2019, he organized a hearing with the PA House Human Services Committee to expand opportunities for young people. He is a past 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. He teaches Social Work at Misericordia University. He was recently named to the Leadership Council of Foundations for Drug Policy Solutions (FDPS) a national think / do tank where he serves alongside some of the most respected leaders in the SUD service system. In December 2022, Mr. Stauffer was invited to serve Governor-Elect Josh Shapiro & Lieutenant Gov-Elect Austin Davis on the state Human Services transition team.
Parallel Processes – Walking Our Talk Across the Behavioral Health Service System
Light at the end of the tunnel Parallel process as a term generally refers to dynamics of transference and counter transference in the therapeutic process. It also has supervision applications. Supervisory interaction often replays, or is parallel with, the direct healing relationship. It also has implications beyond the healing relationships in SUD care. A major … Continue reading Parallel Processes – Walking Our Talk Across the Behavioral Health Service System
Antidiscrimination Language and the Hughes Act of 1970
The passage of the Hughes Act of 1970 was easily the most significant advancement in substance use care in the last 100 years. People in our era may not realize it, but passage was dependent on people in recovery who worked hard to ensure there was help available for future generations. The Bill, formally titled … Continue reading Antidiscrimination Language and the Hughes Act of 1970
Social Movements End – So How Will Ours End?
Six years ago, I had the opportunity to spend time with David Mactas, the first Director of the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. He got the ball rolling on establishing the funding for recovery community organizations nationwide, including the Recovery Community Support Program (RCSP) grants from SAMHSA. I was talking with him about what had … Continue reading Social Movements End – So How Will Ours End?
Effective Drug Policy Must Look Beyond Life Preservers!
An oft quoted observation by Desmond Tutu: “there comes a point where we need to stop just pulling people out of the river. We need to go upstream and find out why they’re falling in.” We seem to be stumbling on even the first measure, pulling people out of the river. We simply toss in … Continue reading Effective Drug Policy Must Look Beyond Life Preservers!
Where Are They Going to Heal?
In April of 2023, the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) designated the combination of xylazine with fentanyl an emerging threat. Over the preceding year, it started to become apparent that xylazine was rapidly spreading across the nation. By mid-July, a plan was formulated for a national response to address what was unfolding. One … Continue reading Where Are They Going to Heal?
Seeking Common Ground in Our Understanding of Addiction
“Our agreement or disagreement is at times based on a misunderstanding.” - Mokokoma Mokhonoana There are many current models conceptualizing substance misuse and addiction. Many generally agree on what happens in the brain yet offer various schools of thought to explain why it occurs. Despite a lot of common ground, the proponents of each school … Continue reading Seeking Common Ground in Our Understanding of Addiction
The Perfect Storm is Foundering Our SUD Interventional Infrastructure
“A story only matters, I suspect, to the extent that the people in the story change.” ― Neil Gaiman Exactly twenty years ago, key SUD field leaders examined our SUD service infrastructure and published can the national addiction treatment infrastructure support the public’s demand for quality care? It noted extreme instability across our entire workforce. … Continue reading The Perfect Storm is Foundering Our SUD Interventional Infrastructure
Portraying Abstinence Recovery as Puritanical Is in the Interest of Those Who Sell Addictive Drugs
“I never trust a man who doesn't drink.” – John Wayne People do not trust people who moderate or abstain from substances, particularly alcohol. There is a sense that those of us who do so are looking at everyone else and judging them. I suppose some do, but I don’t think most of us do. … Continue reading Portraying Abstinence Recovery as Puritanical Is in the Interest of Those Who Sell Addictive Drugs
AI, Substance Misuse, Addiction, and the Tragedy of the Commons
Substance misuse and addiction is perhaps our most significant domestic challenge. In 2022, the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee (JEC) found that the opioid epidemic alone cost the United States nearly $1.5 trillion in 2020, or 7 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), an increase of about one-third since the cost was last measured in … Continue reading AI, Substance Misuse, Addiction, and the Tragedy of the Commons
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