“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
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.
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
Simple Answers to Complex Problems….
“The opposite of addiction is connection” - Johann Hari “Every addiction starts with pain and ends with pain” - Eckhart Tolle “Not why the addiction but why the pain.” - Gabor Maté One more simple concept introduced on September 14, 1986, that oriented the thinking and framework of addiction policy in a different era: “Say … Continue reading Simple Answers to Complex Problems….
Early Notes From the Post Pandemic Addiction Tsunami
Two years ago, I started talking about the likelihood of the pandemic related isolation and turmoil leading to dramatic increases in substance misuse. I termed it an addiction tsunami, others made similar comparisons. The analogy is holding. COVID was the precipitating earthquake. The water is now beginning to rise and envelope a fragile service infrastructure … Continue reading Early Notes From the Post Pandemic Addiction Tsunami
Pat Taylor: A Pioneering Leader in the New Recovery Advocacy Movement
One of the major accomplishments of the earliest stages of the New Recovery Advocacy Movement was the founding of Faces & Voices of Recovery in 2001. Pat Taylor was its first Campaign Coordinator, heading the organization from 2003-2014. One of my early memories of her is watching her facilitate meetings of the Association of Recovery Community … Continue reading Pat Taylor: A Pioneering Leader in the New Recovery Advocacy Movement
The Few, The Proud, The Under Resourced – Our SUD Workforce
Working in the substance use service system has always been a challenge. This was true even from its early days. We help people in some of their most difficult moments with few resources to support what they need to get well. We operate under constant triage conditions. Yet despite this, we tend to oversell those … Continue reading The Few, The Proud, The Under Resourced – Our SUD Workforce
Building Bridges Between Islands of Healing – Reposted from Jan 2022
“Let us use whatever power and influence we have, workingwith whatever resources are already available, mobilizing thepeople who are with us to work for what they care about.” – Margaret Wheatley The title of this post is inspired by Margaret J. Wheatley, Who Do We Choose To Be?: Facing Reality, Claiming Leadership, Restoring Sanity (2017). … Continue reading Building Bridges Between Islands of Healing – Reposted from Jan 2022
Looking Beyond Crisis, Our Opportunities Are All About Connection!
“The Chinese use two brush strokes to write the word 'crisis.' One brush stroke stands for danger; the other for opportunity. In a crisis, be aware of the danger--but recognize the opportunity.” ― John F. Kennedy Societies, like people rise to challenges when faced and decay when hard tasks are avoided. Healing for people and … Continue reading Looking Beyond Crisis, Our Opportunities Are All About Connection!
Moving Beyond a System of Care Designed to Fail Us
“All systems are perfectly designed to get the results they get.” – Don Coyhis What would happen if we treated substance use with comprehensive, individualized care and support over the long-term? We don’t entirely know; we have never fully tried that approach for the general population. We do know that the kind of care provided … Continue reading Moving Beyond a System of Care Designed to Fail Us
Recovery Review 