grat·i·tude /ˈɡradəˌt(y)o͞od/ noun - the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness. It is a great day for a post on gratitude – and first, thank you for reading this post and being involved in whatever you do to support recovery efforts in your community, I am grateful for … Continue reading Gratitude, the Brain and Recovery
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.
Low expectation treatment for OUDs will yield poor outcomes over the long term
photo - Death Valley in bloom Currently, there is a lot of discussion about treatment for opioid use disorders. Here in Pennsylvania part of our policy discourse is on the prescribing of MAT such as suboxone and whether there should be some requirement to include treatment with the prescribing of the medication. Missing in most … Continue reading Low expectation treatment for OUDs will yield poor outcomes over the long term
Social Movements end – so how will the “new recovery advocacy movement” end?
Last Fall, I had the opportunity to spend time with David Mactas, he was the first Director of the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, and was instrumental in establishing the funding for recovery community organizations nationwide through the Recovery Community Service Provider – State Network (RCSP-SN) grants from SAMHSA. I was talking with him about … Continue reading Social Movements end – so how will the “new recovery advocacy movement” end?
Defining recovery from addiction
To delve into an important and often discussed issue, we are talking today about the definition of recovery from addiction. Much has been written on this definition over the years since the working definition was developed by the Betty Ford Institute over a decade ago. We also have a shared definition from SAMHSA that encompasses … Continue reading Defining recovery from addiction
The blurring of distinction between addiction and abuse in the DSM – 5
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) – 5 describes substance use disorders (SUD) as “a problematic pattern of using alcohol or another substance that results in impairment in daily life or noticeable distress.” Published in 2013, it made major changes to the categorization of what had in the DSM-IV, been broken into two separate diagnoses … Continue reading The blurring of distinction between addiction and abuse in the DSM – 5
Recovery Review 