(This post was originally published March, 2016) There's been a big change in the way professionals and advocates talk and think about drug and alcohol problems over the last several years. On one end, we have professionals changing the classifications and mental models for substance use problems. On the other end, we have recovery advocates … Continue reading Substance Use Disorders as a category
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.
Addiction treatment’s uncertain future
Programs closing This story about the impact of COVID on the treatment industry grabbed my attention: At the beginning of 2020, addiction treatment was a solid, growing industry, with 15,000 providers, $42 billion yearly revenue, and a projected 5.2% annual growth. Then Covid-19 hit.By the summer, the industry had lost $4 billion in revenue, and about 1,000 … Continue reading Addiction treatment’s uncertain future
Recovery Review interview
Thanks to Treatment Magazine for the story about us. You can find it here.
Addiction Professionals in the Pandemic – West
[Chris Budnick did this interview with West. Thanks to both of them!] Who are you? My name is Darryl West, and I just go by West. I'm a person in long-term recovery, and I also work in the field treatment. What do you do professionally? Professionally, I am a certified substance abuse counselor here in … Continue reading Addiction Professionals in the Pandemic – West
Measuring Recovery as an Outcome
This post was originally published on September 27, 2015. This post focuses on an article critically examining the use of recovery as an outcome measure by professionals. They distinguish between recovery as a process (an individual journey rather than a specific outcome – a deeply personal experience related to one’s life goals, needs, and striving) … Continue reading Measuring Recovery as an Outcome
Harm reduction AND recovery. We need both.
This post shares a few loosely connected tabs that have been open in my browser for a couple weeks. An advocate's sad end Over the years, I've expressed concern about peer supports being placed in high risk situations with inadequate training, supervision, and support. My concern has grown as the OD crisis has accelerated, along … Continue reading Harm reduction AND recovery. We need both.
Addiction Professionals in the Pandemic – Bill Stauffer
This is the first of what I hope to be a regular series of interviews with addiction professionals about their work and how the pandemic has affected it. Who are you? My name is Bill Stauffer, I am a person in long term recovery living in eastern Pennsylvania. I have worked in and around the … Continue reading Addiction Professionals in the Pandemic – Bill Stauffer
Faith is given in sufficient quantities to communities
(This post was originally published on September 11, 2013) I recently listened to an interview with Nadia Bolz-Weber. There were a lot of keepers in the interview (even for a non-believer). She's described as a recovering drug addict. Her recovery shines through in this, "fake it till you make it" discussion: Ms. Tippett: So a sermon … Continue reading Faith is given in sufficient quantities to communities
Reasons for not receiving substance use treatment
SAMHSA released the 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) Annual National Report this week. One of the sections that's gotten a lot of attention on Twitter is Substance Use Treatment in the Past Year. The item that seems to have received the most attention is Reasons for Not Receiving Substance Use Treatment. … Continue reading Reasons for not receiving substance use treatment
Moralizing has no place in drug policy?
This piece, entitled "Britain has to overhaul its attitude to drug use – moralising isn't the solution," popped up in my email and more than once in my twitter feed. Various versions of this argument are very common in drug policy circles, and I'd suggest (again) that it's the wrong direction to try to take … Continue reading Moralizing has no place in drug policy?
Recovery Review 