You might not be aware of a podcast called myRecoveryCast. The episode titled, "NA in Iran Part 1: Visitors" is one of the most amazing things I've ever heard. It tells the story of the unprecedented growth of the NA fellowship there, and includes fascinating information and insights. Aside from the information it contains, I've … Continue reading Narcotics Anonymous in Iran

Here is an audio/video upload of a presentation called "Narcotics Anonymous: The Early Story." I've listened to it time and again. This fascinating talk has been given at NA World, and on various continents and regions of the globe. My other favorite is this bit of writing titled "Narcotics Anonymous: Its History and Culture."   … Continue reading My favorite resources on the history of Narcotics Anonymous

Earlier today Jason Schwartz posted on the notion that the word “relapse” is stigmatizing, that the preferred term is “recurrence of use”, and the lack of empirical evidence addressing this topic. I will add a little more. "Relapse" is currently my preferred term rather than “recurrence of use". Why? In clinical work focused on relapse … Continue reading Stigma, humanizing terms, and taking on hostility: A little more

Negative Space and Art In visual art, the area outside or around the main object is called “negative space”. For example, if one draws a deer and places the deer on an abstract background, the abstract background is termed “negative space”. In art, negative space is important. What should the negative space be made of? … Continue reading Negative space

In this essay I make two claims. My two claims will take the form of slightly changed versions of two borrowed sentences. (I will present the original versions of the two borrowed sentences later in the essay).  I simply took the borrowed sentences and changed a few key words.  In my changed version of each … Continue reading “Recovery”: let’s do the math

Opioid maintenance therapy (OMT), also called medication-assisted treatment (MAT), is known as a Gold Standard addiction treatment. That’s one Gold Standard if you are keeping count. The model of care used by Physician Health Programs (PHP’s) is known as a Gold Standard addiction treatment. That’s two Gold Standards if you are keeping count. But what … Continue reading One, Two, or None?

Lately, I’ve been preparing some updates of training materials.  In doing so, I’ve gone back and re-gathered old information from original sources once again, as I have done before.  This time, it's been especially interesting.  See what you notice in comparing the definition of addiction from ASAM in 2011, the DSM-5 in 2013, and from … Continue reading What IS Addiction?

The True, The Good, and the Beautiful In his lecture titled, “The True, The Good, and The Beautiful” Roger Scruton asks what these three things embrace and what they have to do with each other. Overall, the subject matter of that lecture is aesthetics:  the philosophy of art and beauty.  Scruton states that pleasure says, … Continue reading Should We Include a Moral Dimension? The Aesthetics and Anesthetics of Addiction