I saw this on "beta-think" and wondered if it offered something helpful for the harm reduction/recovery divide: Voltaire was half right. “Le mieux est l’ennemi du bien,” he said: The best is the enemy of the good. The best is also the enemy of the better. Striving for perfection complicates and delays getting things done. … Continue reading Harm reduction as beta?
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.
Left behind
Good news for the country: Fewer American adults are smoking cigarettes, and those who still smoke have cut back on the number of cigarettes they smoke, but the rate of decline has begun to slow, health experts said on Tuesday. ... The report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows 19.3 percent of … Continue reading Left behind
A disorder of choice
This blog post expressing skepticism about addiction as a brain disease was recently brought to my attention. He lays out A pro-disease argument as THE pro-disease argument: What do gambling, sex, heroin and cocaine — and the other things that can addict us — have in common? One strategy is to look not to the … Continue reading A disorder of choice
Contrary to my best sober judgment
This recovering writer got herself into a very unusual situation but described a near universal internal experience for us recovering folks: When I look back at [my comments] today, I cringe. In retrospect I see it as contrary to my best sober judgment—not to mention legal advice. As is the way of the addict, I was … Continue reading Contrary to my best sober judgment
Contagious recovery
PeaPod has an interview with a U.K. recovery advocate who offers an nice list of ways meetings support recovery: I believe that a mutual aid meeting has several features that help to foster and facilitate recovery, by which I mean abstinence-based freedom from addiction. It is a place of safety, away from drugs and active … Continue reading Contagious recovery
Unintended consequences
This is not an argument against the use of pills but a pair of studies point to an unintended consequence: Have you ever had that feeling, after an energetic gym session, or perhaps a long walk, that you've earned the right to a mountainous slice of cake, or to lounge lazily in front of the … Continue reading Unintended consequences
The alcoholic
Drug free means tobacco free? cont’d
That post on defining recovery and tobacco ruffled some feathers. Here's a little more on the decision-making process: The Special Problem of Tobacco Abstinence The original Panel did NOT require tobacco abstinence as part of the conditions for being “in recovery.” Frankly, this was a purely political decision—not wanting to offend or ostracize the many individuals who smoke … Continue reading Drug free means tobacco free? cont’d
Coerced treatment works
Findings from a British researcher's paper: Two arguments are often put forward on this issue. One is that drug users who face on any form of legal coercion will be unmotivated to change and are therefore unlikely to succeed in treatment. The second is that coercion can supplement initial motivation by keeping drug users in … Continue reading Coerced treatment works
Sentences to ponder
This article on Norway rejecting heroin maintenance frames Portuguese drug policy in a way I never here: Labour (Ap) Justice Minister Knut Storberget wanted to introduce a system based on a Portuguese model. This would have focused on arresting drug dealers and traffickers instead of drug addicts. Why is that?
Recovery Review 