A couple of items caught my eye because they illuminate some of the spiritual principles of AA. First on the magic that happens when a group of drunks get together and emphasize serving others: "I'm a churchgoing Catholic, and I do that as a matter of, it's good to stand with my family. It's good that I … Continue reading Helping and Owingness
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.
Chantix should be a last resort
A new study suggests that Chantix should be a last resort tool for smoking cessation: The psychiatric side effects of a popular quit-smoking drug make it too dangerous to use as a first attempt to kick the habit, according to a new study. The authors suggest the drug should eventually be taken off the market altogether. … Continue reading Chantix should be a last resort
Rx opiate deaths surpass heroin and cocaine combined
From the CDC: Deaths from prescription painkillers* have reached epidemic levels in the past decade. The number of overdose deaths is now greater than those of deaths from heroin and cocaine combined. A big part of the problem is nonmedical use of prescription painkillers—using drugs without a prescription, or using drugs just for the "high" … Continue reading Rx opiate deaths surpass heroin and cocaine combined
Not-God
Ernie Kurtz explaining the title of his history of AA: ...the fundamental and first message of Alcoholics Anonymous to its members is that they are not infinite, not absolute, not God. Every alcoholic's problem had first been, according to this insight, claiming God-like powers, especially that of control. But the alcoholic at least, the message … Continue reading Not-God
Therapeutic nihilism
From the new book, Addiction Neuroethics: Evidence on long term outcomes of opioid substitution therapy is limited, but suggests a generally poor outlook for heroin addicts who seek any form of treatment. One consequence of this trap of low expectations (therapeutic nihilism), the failure by discouraged staff to foster the possibility of good outcomes, and … Continue reading Therapeutic nihilism
A silk purse
Here it comes: After losing U.S. patent protection in 2009 for its Suboxone tablet, designed to help heroin users quit, Reckitt Benckiser has said that the entrance of a generic competitor could erode pharmaceutical sales and profit by 80 percent. Reckitt Benckiser, which gets most of its revenue from selling home and personal-care products like … Continue reading A silk purse
You can’t organize recovery around nothingness
I'm becoming a big fan: I believe that there is a push to strip recovery from addiction treatment services. She does a great job explaining why an approach like this will fail.
Grateful
21 years today. Here's a repost from a few years ago. Here are a few things I’m grateful for: Recovery – 18 years ago I was 4 weeks abstinent (not in recovery) and 1 week away from being coerced into a psych unit because my therapist was convinced I was going to kill myself in … Continue reading Grateful
Recovery and the Conspiracy of Hope
A repost from a few years back: I think Pat Deegan does a great job describing the cycle of despair in settings that don't facilitate or witness recovery. I think this translates very well to addiction treatment providers. What it misses is those who step in after hope is abandoned and ennoblize the suffering of … Continue reading Recovery and the Conspiracy of Hope
out of the closet
In spite of the authors' positioning as controversial and victimized . . . yawn: Recoveries of individuals who have been severely dependent on alcohol predominantly involve abstinence. Recoveries of individuals who have not been severely dependent on alcohol predominantly involve reduced drinking. The association of outcome type and dependence severity appears to be independent of advice … Continue reading out of the closet
Recovery Review 