Faces and Voices' blog has a new post arguing that social justice advocacy is in the recovery advocacy lane. I don’t get to pick recovery justice outside of the frame of social justice because recovery justice is social justice. This doesn’t mean I need to be an expert on all social justice issues, but I … Continue reading Building big tents and finding our lane(s)

JAMA has an article on cognitive bias as it relates to public health policy for COVID-19. These cognitive errors, which distract leaders from optimal policy making and citizens from taking steps to promote their own and others’ interests, cannot merely be ascribed to repudiations of science. Rather, these biases are pervasive and may have been … Continue reading Cognitive Bias and Public Health Policy

A question has been on my mind for a while--what is the place of morality or moralizing language in addiction and recovery? Not moral? Bill White has been one of the most influential recovery advocates of the last quarter century. One could argue that, over that time, no one has done more to advance the … Continue reading Does morality have a place in discussions of addiction recovery?

I haven't posted for some time. The hospital I work at was hit very hard by COVID-19 and I'm still working on getting recharged for activities like blogging, but the pandemic did play a role in inspiring this post. I've been thinking a lot about the convergence of several cultural trends: historically unprecedented access to … Continue reading Follow the science . . .

(Source: ABC 7 Bay Area) Bill White shared an important post this week that I imagine will evoke a variety of reactions. Stigma reduction efforts have sought to challenge assumptions that people with addiction are neglectful or abusive parents. Those assumptions are wrong and should be challenged. It's also true that addiction does inflict harms … Continue reading Sheltering at home when home is “the lion’s den”

I saw some comments about this study as evidence of stigma among physicians. Every time I see a discussion about physician reluctance to treat addiction, I wonder if there's an alternative explanation. Here's what paper reported: 67.1% believe treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD) is more effective with medication than without77.5% believe buprenorphine is an … Continue reading Stigma? Or, something else?

I really enjoyed Bill White's post today. It's a collection of quick takes on several issues. His willingness to address the moral dimensions of recovery are sure to provoke thought: Recovery must be as morally redemptive as addiction is morally corrupting, as connective as addiction is alienating. . . On being a fellow traveler: What … Continue reading Quick and worth your time

I just saw that I haven't posted anything for a couple months. I work at a hospital in a coronavirus hotspot. It's been busy and I don't feel especially inspired to write when I get home. However, I want point you in the direction of “We Do Recover”: Scientific Studies of NA. (Full paper here.) … Continue reading “We Do Recover”: Scientific Studies of NA

In recent months I've been spending a lot of time working with systems, caregivers and patients with severe and persistent mental illness. I've been thinking a lot about the role of recovery and what a recovery orientation looks like in that context. I stumbled upon the University of Melbourne's recovery library and, under the category … Continue reading What does it mean to be recovery-oriented?