I’ve always been very invested in the idea that I was severely and clinically mentally ill. It grabbed my attention. Read the rest of the post at After Party Chat.
Author: Jason Schwartz
I have been an addiction professional and social worker since 1994. I started blogging in 2005 as the Clinical Director at Dawn Farm. I currently serve as the Director of Social Work and Spiritual Care for a healthcare system. I've also served as the Director of Behavioral Health at another hospital. I'm also a lecturer at Eastern Michigan University’s School of Social Work.
Views expressed here are my own.
Keep in mind that the field, the contexts in which the field operates, and my views have changed over time.
a “selfish” and “untrusted” professional attitude*
Bankole Johnson, who was featured in HBO's Addiction documentary touting the use of Topiramate and wrote an anti-treatment screed years ago (my response here), has left his post after losing a whistleblower lawsuit. A University of Virginia department chairman nationally known for his addiction research has resigned less than 10 months after a subordinate won an $820,000 whistleblower lawsuit filed … Continue reading a “selfish” and “untrusted” professional attitude*
I would have learned to listen.
Drugfree.org has a great post from a parent who's been through the wringer and is speaking from the other side. When speaking with a struggling parent, she asked him what he wishes he would have done differently. He responds I would have learned to listen. First, I would have learned to listen to my son. … Continue reading I would have learned to listen.
Love and faith
The field of addiction treatment was flawed in 1973, but not nearly as flawed as some would have you believe. The following is from Marty Mann in 1973 and I could not do a better job of summarizing Dawn Farm's approach. Para-professionals working in the field of alcoholism are overwhelmingly recovered alcoholics. Most of them … Continue reading Love and faith
Buprenorphine compliance rates
The following abstract popped up today. The purpose of the study was to look at factors associated with completion of the 6 month, primary care based program. What struck me was the completion rate--35.7%. For all the crowing about ORT, this seems really low. (And, they said this completion rate is consistent with prior studies.) … Continue reading Buprenorphine compliance rates
Recovery coaches for chronic disease management
We've been talking about talking about peer supports and recovery coaches for more than a decade. The use of para-professionals in the field goes back several decades. Now, a new study evaluates a similar role for enhancing management of other chronic diseases. Disease Management Care Blog provides a little analysis: There is increasing interest in incorporating lay-persons in the outpatient … Continue reading Recovery coaches for chronic disease management
Sentences to ponder
...stable work lowers the risk of developing AOD problems and is a major factor in enhancing recovery stability and quality of life in long-term recovery. Source: Bill White
Drug war sense
I've always thought that there's a lot that could be done to improve the state of the drug war without passing a single law. Police and prosecutors have a lot of discretion in terms of what priorities to maintain and which charges to file once someone has been arrested. It sounds like the feds are … Continue reading Drug war sense
Umwelt
Yesterday, I was reading This Will Make You Smarter and thought that the concept of umwelt could be enormously helpful for my social work students and Dawn Farm's counseling staff: In 1909, the biologist Jakob von Uexküll introduced the concept of the umwelt. He wanted a word to express a simple (but often overlooked) observation: different … Continue reading Umwelt
Crack is Wack
Points has a post on the history of Keith Haring's "Crack is Wack" mural.
Recovery Review 