This phenomenon is extensively documented in the professional literature under such descriptors as maturing out (Winick, 1962, 1964), autoremission (Vaillant, 1983; Klingeman, 1992), self-initiated change (Biernacki, 1986), unassisted change (McMurran, 1994), spontaneous remission (Tuchfield, 1981; Anthony & Helzer, 1991), de-addiction (Frykholm, 1985; Klingeman, 1991), self-change (Sobell, Sobell, & Toneatto, 1991), self-managed change (Copeland, 1988), and … Continue reading Sentences to Ponder (more about “solo recovery”)

Solo (natural) recovery involves the use of one’s own intrapersonal and interpersonal resources (family, kinship, and social networks) to resolve AOD problems without benefit of professional treatment or involvement in a recovery mutual aid community. White, W. & Kurtz, E. (2006). The varieties of recovery experience. International Journal ofSelf Help and Self Care, 3(1-2), 21-61.

Disclaimer:  nothing in this post should be taken or held as clinical instruction, clinical supervision, or advisory concerning patient care.  I'll hedge my answer and say the three books I list below are the ones I tend to suggest to clinicians that they read as a resource for their own learning. And from that on-going … Continue reading Question from the field: “What are your top 3 book suggestions for parents, in addition to Al-Anon?”

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) published a summary of drug use data from 2025 on August 12 of this year. The data is compiled from the Monitoring the Future Longitudinal Panel Study that has been examining self-reported drug use among those aged 19-65 since 1976. Here are a few direct quotations from the NIH … Continue reading Some 2025 USA drug use statistics

Disclaimer: Nothing in this document should be taken or held as clinical instruction, clinical supervision, or advisory concerning patient care. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the basic inadequacy of counting up how many DSM-5-TR SUD criteria are met by the person served – and stopping right there to understand their addiction illness. One reason … Continue reading Adding some key considerations to simple DSM-5-TR criteria counts

A very interesting paper by researchers at Lighthouse Institute has been published in the journal called Public Health.  Here’s the citation and link to the article: Caroline B. Allen, Michael Dennis, Candace Mouton, Christine E. Grella.  A comparative analysis of the most common causes of mortality and substance use by age, Public Health, Volume 257, … Continue reading Research Article Review:  “A comparative analysis of the most common causes of mortality and substance use by age”

Disclaimer: Nothing in this document should be taken or held as clinical instruction, clinical supervision, or advisory concerning patient care. In this work I’ll share three techniques for addiction counseling I’ve picked up over the years.  These techniques can help addiction counselors improve the flow, rhythm, and feel of their addiction counseling.  I’ll name the techniques, … Continue reading Three techniques to improve the flow, rhythm, and feel of addiction counseling