Consider these indicators: Total lung capacity?Inspiratory and expiratory volume (breath)?Dopamine production and function?Cognition and neurocognitive impairments?Abscesses and skin?Return of taste and smell?Gait, balance, strength?Anxiety, sleep, pain, wellbeing?Hope and self-efficacy. Are patients served by addiction professionals getting better, or not? I have been speaking rather frequently and thoroughly with someone about this basic idea. This person … Continue reading Addiction and the Stages of Healing, Part 4: WHAT SHOULD IMPROVE, AND WHEN?
Author: Brian Coon
Addiction and the Stages of Healing, Part 3: A CLEAR IMAGE
I have been asked to represent the idea of Stages of Healing in the form of a picture diagram. This is the image I am currently using. What I mean to represent here is a (large/representative) norm-reference group of 10,000 people or more. This group would be evaluated prospectively across biological, psychological, social, and spiritual … Continue reading Addiction and the Stages of Healing, Part 3: A CLEAR IMAGE
Addiction and the Stages of Healing, Part 2: GETTING WELL IS LONG; MEASURING IS SHORT
Both problematic substance use and substance use disorders vary overall, and they vary widely – in terms of whether they present or not, and in their severity. But something that is clearly understood is addiction illness. Even though the current DSM (DSM-5) describes addiction illness in the narrative text fairly succinctly and sufficiently, and even … Continue reading Addiction and the Stages of Healing, Part 2: GETTING WELL IS LONG; MEASURING IS SHORT
Addiction and the Stages of Healing, Part 1: OVERVIEW
Addiction and the Stages of Healing is the name I have given to an idea that occurred to me after many years of consideration. This series is meant to serve as my way of walking you through the idea. In short, I would like to suggest it would be helpful to have perhaps 10,000 or … Continue reading Addiction and the Stages of Healing, Part 1: OVERVIEW
Addiction and the Stages of Healing
Over the next several days I’ll be posting on a topic I have titled “Addiction and the Stages of Healing”. The plan is for 11 posts to cover 13 areas of my original writing. References and suggested readings will also be shared. I formulated this concept in the Fall of 2017 and completed building a … Continue reading Addiction and the Stages of Healing
Smoking and Recovery: A little more
Earlier today Dr. David McCartney posted a piece on Smoking and Recovery His comments are encouraging. I thought I would add a little more. The free-standing residential addiction treatment program where I currently serve made the switch to tobacco-free in early 2013. This article was written a year later and covers lessons learned. It discusses our conceptual and … Continue reading Smoking and Recovery: A little more
Planes, Car Repair Shops, and Dentists
One principle of innovation is to borrow and adapt ideas from outside one’s profession. “Addiction and the Stages of Healing” is a set of ideas I have developed, written and presented elsewhere. Portions of that work will likely be posted here from time to time. One central notion of that topic is below in the … Continue reading Planes, Car Repair Shops, and Dentists
“Harms of Use”: A List of References
In creating a presentation on "Harms of Use", examining problems specific to certain chemicals, and related to various contextual factors including: non-prescription websites, new levels of potency from synthetic derivatives, recreational misuse of psychotropic medications without addiction potential based on novel preparation methods and routes of administration, compounds taken in combination for synergistic effects, availability … Continue reading “Harms of Use”: A List of References
“The Big 5” Substance Use Disorder Criteria
Earlier today, Bill Stauffer posted important and interesting content about the elimination of the classic diagnostic categories separating problematic use and addiction, their replacement with a simple list of criteria, and the relative uncertainties associated with the meaning (if any) concerning the number of criteria for SUD that may be met. That post can be … Continue reading “The Big 5” Substance Use Disorder Criteria
Recovery Review 