My recent post titled “Nicotine” produced responses showing an interest in similar information about “vape”. Below is a series of bottom-line findings from various papers on “vape” published from 2020 to current. The papers examine topics such as: the cellular effects of various vape ingredients, the impacts of second and third-hand vape exposures in the … Continue reading Vape
Author: Brian Coon
Nicotine
On a scale from 0 to 10 how important is it to treat tobacco use in a patient with a substance use disorder? And why? Smokers have a 30% - 40% higher risk of diabetes than non-smokers. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2014). The Health Consequences of Smoking—50 Years of Progress: A Report of … Continue reading Nicotine
From the “Preserving the Message” website: “Chronology of Narcotics Anonymous Literature, Vol 1”
In this post I'm highlighting a most incredible document recently published at the Preserving the Message website. The document is titled, "Chronology of Narcotics Anonymous Literature (Public Version) – Volume 1 (1953-1993)". It was published on 06/07/2025 and is simply amazing. For starters, I strongly encourage everyone to click the page that houses that document … Continue reading From the “Preserving the Message” website: “Chronology of Narcotics Anonymous Literature, Vol 1”
“I’m not mad at the birds anymore.”
In the mid 1990’s someone on my caseload said something I’ve never forgotten. And every time I try to tell this story I find it hard to tell without starting to cry. This happened in our 9-12 month women’s residential program. In addition to our adult female patients, we had space for 14 children from … Continue reading “I’m not mad at the birds anymore.”
Psychosis-related emergency department and hospitalization rates in Colorado after cannabis legalization
Here’s a recent study examining rates of emergency department encounters and hospitalizations in Colorado among youth following cannabis legalization. Overall, I find several portions of this work rather interesting. Below, I provide some quotations from the Abstract, Discussion, and Conclusion sections. The information below brings to mind for me the positive movement forward that has … Continue reading Psychosis-related emergency department and hospitalization rates in Colorado after cannabis legalization
Using Both Lenses: Academic/Evidence-Based and Psychodynamic
Disclaimer: nothing in this content should be taken or held as clinical instruction, clinical supervision, or advisory concerning patient care. One way to think about clinical work in addiction counseling is through the lens of academic and evidence-based practices. And another way is to use the lens of psychodynamic approaches. Below, find a simplified way … Continue reading Using Both Lenses: Academic/Evidence-Based and Psychodynamic
Five-Year System for Severe SUDs: The Model, Functions, and Focus Areas
Here, the 5 year model monograph is reduced to a one-pager. The notion of reducing the monograph to a one-pager was given to me by Katlyn Nordstrom, and I greatly appreciate that suggestion. What follows is the content of the one-pager. I'm guessing I might continue to adapt the material in the monograph into tools … Continue reading Five-Year System for Severe SUDs: The Model, Functions, and Focus Areas
An Introduction to Psychodynamic Foundations of Counseling and Related Clinical Supervision for SUDs
Disclaimer: Nothing in this document should be taken or held as clinical instruction, clinical supervision, or advisory concerning patient care. Psychodynamic Models and SUD Severe FINALDownload This monograph responds...by introducing some elementary but foundational philosophical pre-conditions to psychodynamic models and their application to the SUD professional’s core function of case conceptualization. Next, elementary entrance points to … Continue reading An Introduction to Psychodynamic Foundations of Counseling and Related Clinical Supervision for SUDs
5 Year Continuing Care System for High Severity, Complexity, and Chronicity SUD’s: Clinical Targets, Methods, and Increments of Time
5 Year Management Severe SUD FINALDownload I had always assumed that well before now someone would have compiled and consolidated some of the later-arriving recovery-oriented academic research findings into a framework suitable for clinical implementation. If such work has been completed, I have not seen it. Now, having waited longer than I had hoped, I … Continue reading 5 Year Continuing Care System for High Severity, Complexity, and Chronicity SUD’s: Clinical Targets, Methods, and Increments of Time
Revisiting the Work of William White. “Alcoholism/Addiction as a Chronic Disease: From Rhetoric to Clinical Reality”
This foundational paper can be found in various places. Currently, the most convenient place to find the paper is the archive of Bill's materials at the Lighthouse website. As of today, this link does work for free access to the full paper, from the new location archiving his papers. (The section of their website containing … Continue reading Revisiting the Work of William White. “Alcoholism/Addiction as a Chronic Disease: From Rhetoric to Clinical Reality”
Recovery Review 