Keith Humphreys on what a legalized marijuana industry would look like: If the U.S. legalized marijuana today, those now fading cultural meanings would not rule the day, capitalism would. Cannabis would be seen as a product to be marketed and sold just as is tobacco. People in the marijuana industry would wear suits, work in … Continue reading Marijuana inc.
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.
The “I Program”
Ugh... I've got no problem with alternatives to 12 step programs (Whatever path to recovery works for an addict is fine with me.), but I do have a problem with professionals who adopt and promote condescending attitudes toward people in 12 step recovery... It is our opinion that many AA/NA members have substituted one addiction … Continue reading The “I Program”
Looking through you
I dislike these kinds of generalizations (I think I'm especially allergic to words like "all" in these kinds of statements.), but Russell Brand has put his finger on something here: All addicts, regardless of the substance or their social status share a consistent and obvious symptom; they’re not quite present when you talk to them. … Continue reading Looking through you
Going it alone
This piece sounds like someone trying to quit drinking without a community of recovery: For decades I defined myself as a drinker, spent weekends and evenings in the cozy confines of a nice, steady stupor, but now I confronted a problem bigger than the mere practical issue of where to meet. Indeed, it was the … Continue reading Going it alone
Choosing death
Andrew Sullivan offers a more sympathetic version of the free will meme: Tragically, Amy Winehouse finally got what she sought for so long: death. It must in some ways be a relief for her. Her addiction was so obviously overwhelming she couldn't bring herself to master it and made a decision not to. She even … Continue reading Choosing death
“Good for her”
A libertarian's response to Amy Winehouse's death: Seems to me Amy Winehouse had the life she wanted. So good for her. I like Wilkinson and I have an affinity for libertarians, but their inability to see that addiction impairs the exercise of free will is a real problem for me. They insist on framing addictive … Continue reading “Good for her”
Songs of addiction and recovery
More people than Houston
If everyone in the U.S. who misused opiates for the first time in 2008 lived in one city, it would be the 4th largest city in the country. In 2008 there were 2,176,000 new users of illicit pain killers and 114,000 new heroin users in the United States... Given the time lag between onset of … Continue reading More people than Houston
Creeping up on 1,000,000
Another sentence to ponder: According to a recent report, the number of methadone patients in the United Statesincreased 26% between 2002 and 2009, to 284,608 patients; and there were 640,000 buprenorphine patients in 2009... —William White More than 1.5 times the populations of Boston, Denver, Washington D.C., Seattle or Baltimore.
Sentences to ponder
An ironic facet of a fellowship honoring humility and anonymity is that the first person willing to stand and speak for NA may, if that act is any indication, be the least qualified to do so. —William White
Recovery Review 