An interesting interview with DFW's biographer about his recovery. Check it out. On the influence of 12 step recovery on his life and writing: I think over time its core message—the need for human interaction, being modest about your self and your powers, humility before your situation—become his core literary positions as well. In the … Continue reading David Foster Wallace: Life, Writing, Addiction, and Recovery
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.
Songs of Addiction and Recovery
Frank Turner's latest:
The benefits of harm reduction are not as obvious as they seem
Theodore Dalrymple points out the inconsistency in the British Medical Journal's vigorous advocacy for harm reduction where heroin is concerned and its squeamishness with harm reduction for nicotine. He pulls a passage from BMJ and inserts comments: What, then, does the BMJ, so much in favour of harm reduction for heroin addicts, say about harm reduction … Continue reading The benefits of harm reduction are not as obvious as they seem
Michigan’s medical marijuana business
Crain's Detroit has an article on the state's medical marijuana business from the grow side to the physicians. The article says that there have been 344,000 patient applications in the state since 2009 and that doctors often charge around $150 to certify patients, that's $51,600,000 in revenue for the docs. Here's a little from the … Continue reading Michigan’s medical marijuana business
$2.2 billion invested in addiction treatment and behavioral health companies
Businessweek has a damning investigation of for-profit methadone treatment. And, who knew that Bain Capital is such a player? Since Jan. 1, 2009, CRC’s clinics haven’t met staffing standards more than 50 times, regulatory records from 15 states show. Clinics were cited 80 times for failing to document that they gave patients enough counseling. … Continue reading $2.2 billion invested in addiction treatment and behavioral health companies
Sentences to ponder
“My best advice to clinicians, to the press, and to the general public—be skeptical and don't follow DSM-5 blindly down a road likely to lead to massive over-diagnosis and harmful over-medication.” --Allen Frances, Chair of the DSM-IV Task Force
Methadonia
When Methadonia was first released, there was quite a bit of hand wringing over whether the film inaccurately presented methadone maintenance treatment in a negative light. Cassie Rodenberg, at The White Noise, who has been spending time with and blogging about homeless addicts in the Bronx says [emphasis mine]: Some on the streets find methadone worse than an original heroin addiction, while … Continue reading Methadonia
Dead addicts don’t recover, but…
This has gotten a lot of press. There's naloxone distribution doubt this will reduce overdose deaths. However, some pretty important questions remain: What happens after the overdose? What services/interventions might have prevented the overdose in the first place? The article references placing defibrillators in public places. What happens after someone is saved by one of those defibrillators? … Continue reading Dead addicts don’t recover, but…
The spirituality of addiction treatment
I was listening to On Being this morning and was struck by this one quote. I think this could be paraphrased into something that fits perfectly with why we have such great staff who put so much ourselves into our work here: For me, thinking about living in a city like Chicago where you just … Continue reading The spirituality of addiction treatment
Balancing pain management and public health
I blogged before about the availability of opiates for pain management and the need to try to limit their diversion. While others have complained about draconian limitations on the prescribing of opiates and being too afraid to treat pain, I pointed out the explosion in opiate prescriptions and overdoses. It's a complex problem that demands a solution that balances the … Continue reading Balancing pain management and public health
Recovery Review 