The American Journal of Public Heath (behind a paywall) has a new study looking at 2 year trajectories of residents in a "wet shelter". The found that the residents reduced their drinking by 40%. Reducing drinking in these cases is a very good thing. To me, there are several important questions but the first might … Continue reading Missing the point
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.
Dr. Drew accepted pharma money?
Here are the details. No response from him yet.
Less effective and focused on only one problem
Some friends shared this video about the benefits of exercise: At about 7:00, he says: So a German researcher named Rainer Hambrecht looked at this with about 100 cardiac patients He got the group to exercise, and by that I mean 20 minutes a day in an exercise bicycle and once a week a 60 … Continue reading Less effective and focused on only one problem
a thousand pasts and no future
"Choose [your memories] carefully. Memories are all we end up with ... You'll have a thousand pasts and no future." --The Secret Behind Their Eyes (film) A friend shared this On Point episode with me and made a connection between it and resentments. This matter of appropriate, helpful, deliberate forgetting is very fascinating. We've talked before … Continue reading a thousand pasts and no future
Top Posts of 2011 #1 – The Suboxone “Solution”
The Fix has a provocative article on the growing use of buprenorphine maintenance. Over the last several years we've watched long-term maintenance become the norm and it has been a growing concern at Dawn Farm, particularly as we've had growing numbers of people misusing the drug and others seeking help getting detoxed from buprenorphine. She … Continue reading Top Posts of 2011 #1 – The Suboxone “Solution”
Towards a smarter drugs policy
The new issue of the Lancet focuses on drug policy. One piece offers key points for formulating policy: Drug policy should aim to promote the public good by improving individual and public health, neighbourhood safety, and community and family cohesion, and by reducing crime. The effectiveness of most drug supply control policies is unknown because … Continue reading Towards a smarter drugs policy
Top Posts of 2011 #3 – When I was drinking
Overdosing on extremism??
Kevin Sabet wrote an op-ed calling for more attention to centrists in drug policy discussions. ACCORDING to a recent study by the Centers for Disease Control, drug overdoses have increased almost six-fold in the last 30 years. They now represent the leading cause of accidental death in the United States, having overtaken motor vehicle accidents … Continue reading Overdosing on extremism??
Med Shortages Not Limited to Adderall
Over the last year, there have been several articles and posts howling that drug warriors (a group I have no interest in defending) are harming patients by creating shortages of Adderall. It struck me as possible, but also as an awfully simple and convenient narrative for writers with a particular point of view on drug policy matters. … Continue reading Med Shortages Not Limited to Adderall
Top Posts of 2011 #4 – Acquiring addiction?
Nora Volkow suggests that it is possible to acquire cocaine addiction from a combination of stress and exposure to cocaine: Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, has shown in several brain-imaging studies that people addicted to such drugs as cocaine, heroin and alcohol have fewer dopamine receptors in the brain’s reward pathways than nonaddicts. … Continue reading Top Posts of 2011 #4 – Acquiring addiction?
Recovery Review 