Read Spotted Newt book shop, Hazard, KY Brian's post yesterday on Bill White's article The Road Not Taken: The Lost Roots of Addiction Counseling brought this previous post to mind, with the shared emphasis on connection to community and community organization as central to addiction counseling. Enjoy! When Bill White called for an overhaul of … Continue reading “these things take courage, and they encourage each other”
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.
Medicaid: The Backbone of Behavioral Health—And What Happens If We Break It
If you care about access to substance use disorder (SUD) and mental health treatment in America, you care about Medicaid—even if you don’t know it yet. Medicaid is the largest single payer for behavioral health services in the country, covering about 24% of all mental health and SUD treatment costs. It’s a lifeline for people … Continue reading Medicaid: The Backbone of Behavioral Health—And What Happens If We Break It
More on “The Historical Essence of Addiction Counseling”
Yesterday, Bill Stauffer revisited William White's article, The Historical Essence of Addiction Counseling. I won't re-summarize the article, but I want to focus on one particular theme If AOD problems could be solved by physically unraveling the person-drug relationship, only physicians and nurses trained in the mechanics of detoxification would be needed to address these … Continue reading More on “The Historical Essence of Addiction Counseling”
What does SAMHSA do?
What does SAMHSA do, and should I care if their staff are fired in significant numbers? It's my impression that most probationary SAMHSA employees have been fired. Terminations started there because terminating probationary employees is easy procedurally. Permanent employees require a process to justify Reductions in Force (RIF) to move ahead with termination. Some people … Continue reading What does SAMHSA do?
Abolish SAMHSA? On advocacy and criticism
I've seen this article shared several times recently. Here's the premise: The incoming Trump administration wants to improve public safety, push back on progressive cultural politics, and cut wasteful federal spending. One way to do all three? Abolish the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the federal mental-health agency. Trump Should Abolish the Federal … Continue reading Abolish SAMHSA? On advocacy and criticism
Relapse and burnout among recovering addiction professionals
Some of us intend to do occasional reviews of some of William White's papers. Many of his most important papers are 25 years old, meaning a whole new generation of addiction professionals have entered the workforce since they were published. Further, the volume of his work makes it overwhelming to approach. We will curate and … Continue reading Relapse and burnout among recovering addiction professionals
Substance Use Disorders – The epidemiological mess more than a decade in the making
Yesterday, I posted about the epidemiological crisis being reported regarding an explosion in substance use disorders resulting in increases in untreated SUDs and low rates of problem recognition. (There's been a parallel explosion in recovery prevalence.) All of this was predictable. In fact, we were writing about it here 13 years ago. Despite the foreseeability … Continue reading Substance Use Disorders – The epidemiological mess more than a decade in the making
Substance use disorder sets off a cascade of category errors
A recent letter to JAMA analyzes the National Survey of Drug Use and Health regarding the need for treatment: Among 657 583 participants, the prevalence of individuals needing SUD treatment increased from 8.2% in 2013 to 17.1% in 2023. AUD increased from 6.6% to 10.2%, while DUD increased from 2.6% to 9.6%. OUD more than doubled … Continue reading Substance use disorder sets off a cascade of category errors
Drugs and alcohol in the NY Times
The NY Times had a couple of pieces on alcohol and drug problems this week. (credit: Jonas Bengtsson) First, an audio story about a Maine doctor operating a MOUD clinic in a county jail. Her commitment and advocacy are admirable. There are a couple of striking things to the story. First, she makes a case for … Continue reading Drugs and alcohol in the NY Times
Recovery Redefined: Shifts Across Domains and Contexts
I've posted several times about the changing boundaries of recovery. A recovery science pioneer's thoughts on the boundaries of recovery. On typologies for recovery. On questions about the boundaries of recovery-oriented models of care. On the changing definitions. On research regarding some college students being assigned a recovery label and questioning whether it's appropriate for … Continue reading Recovery Redefined: Shifts Across Domains and Contexts
Recovery Review 